CForCat Kids Educational Products - Flash Cards, Organic Crayons, Good Habit Busy Book - Review & Discount Code (VLOG)

I love exploring kids products that are fun, engaging & facilitate learning seamlessly. Recently I came across this brand CForCat and I happened to browse their products. In this post I am reviewing three products by this brand - Flash Cards, Organic Crayons & Busy Book. You can watch the unboxing & product closely in the videos too. These products can be used for babies, toddlers, preschoolers & kindergartners. The brand boasts of organic, eco-friendly & educational toys for developmental milestones. Find an attractive discount offer on all CForCat products at the end of each review.

---

About The Brand - CForCat 

Ensuring an exhaustive approach to the early childhood development stage, CforCat works to familiarize parents with the developmental process of young children and its distinctions of developmental milestones and delays. They exist to provide a helping hand to parents who wish for active involvement in their child’s growth. Their dynamic facilities include activities in all nine core skill fields: social-emotional intelligence, linguistic ability, pre-mathematical ability, science, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive ability, dexterity, and creativity. Though developmental milestones and delays are a common concern, CforCat stresses the notion that each child is unique and advances at their own pace and in their own time.They seek to conceive a world of play and learning for children where they are positively engaged off-screen. CforCat also strives to leave a minimal carbon footprint while standing for sustainability in all its ventures.

---

Product Review - Flash Cards (Alphabets & Farm Animals)

To watch the unboxing, product details & how to use these flash cards in various different ways, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!

How To Use Flash Cards - Covered exhaustively in the video above.

What I Liked

• Perfect size for the small hands to hold & explore
• Sturdy material
• Little glossy to touch which makes it easy to flash through quickly
• Alphabet cards have both uppercase & lowercase variants

• Farm animals cards have shadow on the back & that makes it more engaging & versatile

• Good for practicing starting & ending sounds & spellings later on

• Good to use as storytelling prompts
• Pretty much versatile & can be used in many different ways as the child goes through his learning journey from a baby to a kindergartner

• Nicely packaged

What Could Be Improved

• I would have preferred having pictures of real animals in the farm animals cards rather than the cartoonish versions that it currently has
• For alphabet cards, I would have preferred the words corresponding to the letters according to phonics rules. For example, there is icecream on the I letter card & it is phonetically incorrect. Something like an igloo would have been better on the I letter card. Having said that, I would like to mention that most of the cards does have words that adhere to phonics rules

You might also want to read about early childhood brain development & my review on Quantum Cards (Flash Cards) by Brainsmith HERE. 

Buy Links

Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com.

Amazon

---

Product Review - Organic Crayons

To watch the unboxing, product details & look & feel of the crayons, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!

What I Liked

• The fact that they are organic. There are so many brands of crayons in the market these days but when we give our little child that piece of crayon, we often are concerned if he puts them into his mouth. These are 100% organic & non-toxic

• They are made of wax from soya & palm oil & food grade colors are mixed

• Nice texture while coloring. They of course do not feel the same way as normal crayons when used but I really liked this different experience

• Super cute cloth bag in which they are packaged

What Could Be Improved

• More range of colors. The current pack of organic crayons contains five of them
• I would prefer all the primary colors to be present in the pack 
• Thicker crayons would be better for toddlers & preschoolers as their grip is still not fully developed 

• Perhaps it is a good idea to have two variants of these crayons - a pack of 6 & a pack of 12, just like any other brand in the market

You might like THIS article on open-ended art for kids & how to encourage creativity in kids at home.

Buy Links

Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com. 

Amazon

---

Product Review - Good Habits Busy Book

To watch the unboxing & product details of this busy book, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!

What I Liked

• It has a theme that a child can relate to & hence it engages the child a lot
• Children can be taught this healthy routine of bedtime using this busy book. My son repeatedly played with the teddy and put him to sleep following this routine. So he is now more willing to follow the bedtime routine for himself

• The pages include various activities to develop fine motor skills 

• The material is all cloth so pretty much safe & sustainable
• It has a wonderful look & feel to it

What Could Be Improved

• Few pages have no activities as such to build a skill but it does have the thematic relevance to it. For example, pages of reading a story and saying a prayer. I would have loved if these pages also had some activities for fine motor skills

Buy Links

Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com. 

Amazon

---

DISCOUNT COUPON CODE

Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all CForCat products when you buy from their official website directly - www.cforcat.com.

---

You should also check out the blog by cforcat, it has some wonderful articles about early learning & parenting. 

Follow cforcat on their social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

---

Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

---

Read More »

Early Childhood Brain Development - Importance Of Early Learning & Brainsmith Quantum Cards Review

Do you want to raise a genius child?
Do you want your child to be smart?
Do you want your child to be equipped with knowledge?
Do you want your child to have a great sense of self-esteem?
Do you want your child to be a problem solver?

If your answer to even one of these questions is yes, then read on!

First things first, few things you should know about early childhood brain development - 

• A child's brain produces around 700 new neural connections every second from birth to three years
• By the age three, there would be more than 1000 trillion connections between different neurons.
• The period up to three years is considered to be the peak time for brain development.
• A child's brain development is influenced by heredity, environment, experiences, parental responses & relationships
• More than sixty percent of the energy consumed by the baby is spent towards brain development.
• The brain builds itself based on repetitive sensory experiences.

It is easier and less costly to form strong brain circuits during the early years than it is to intervene or “fix” them later.

Source HERE

So how do we best help children to achieve their maximum potential of brain development?

There are many ways - good diet, enriching environment, appropriate stimulation of senses, exposure of various kinds, travel, outdoors, reading aloud, bonding with parents, going social etc etc. Being a Montessori follower, I feel as much as it is important to teach life skills to my child, as much as it is important to enhance motor skills in my child, it is also important to give him a lot of exposure to facts & knowledge so that he builds a good base of encyclopedic knowledge. This is also one of the ways to boost his confidence & self-esteem. 

How Can We Give Encyclopedic Knowledge To Our Children?

I cannot miss mentioning Glenn Doman when it comes to giving encyclopedic knowledge to children. 

Doman was one of the first to specialize in child brain development. He travelled to many places around the world where he observed children of different nationalities. His goal was to discover how the brain develops and what role their immediate environment played in brain development. His years of research eventually led to the discovery of breakthrough learning methods. He believes that newborn children have a genius potential that, if developed, can exceed that of Leonardo da Vinci and Albert Einstein. To access this genius, children should start being stimulated from the birth.

Glenn Doman has a complete book on "How To Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge".

Showing Encyclopedic Knowledge cards are a fun & interesting way to look at interesting bits of information. I got a chance to use these awesome cards called Quantum Cards from Brainsmith for this purpose. Brainsmith was founded by a new mom in her relentless pursuit to find novel ways and different materials to stimulate her little son’s mind. Her exploration in finding age-appropriate products that would provide the stimuli to teach her child about a diverse range of topics lead her to research about Early child literacy and development.

That journey led to the establishment of Brainsmith where they enable parents, teachers, and educationists to empower children using the best learning tools and methods.

Our little ones have the ability to learn like no other, without much effort. With Quantum Cards, we can help them visualize new vocabulary and they can be an excellent source of activities and game.

Flashing cards on different topics & concepts is a great way to stimulate the sense of vision & hearing, it is a great bonding time & it serves a way to introduce encyclopedic knowledge to kids.

More About Brainsmith Quantum Cards

• Quantum Cards are learning tools aimed at a child’s early brain development. 
• Quantum Cards are scientifically designed to meet the sensitive needs of early learners. 
• Each Quantum Card shows engaging photographs or hand-drawn illustrations isolated on a white background that aid visual perception among children, allowing them to process and respond to visual impulses faster.
• As they state, Quantum Cards are designed for children between the ages of 8 months and 6 years. For maximum effect, they should be used as early as possible, even in infancy stage, just as a means of stimulation.
• They help in visual sensory development
• They enhance the encyclopedic knowledge
• Each packet includes a total of ten 11 inch x 11 inch encyclopedic cards.
• On the front side, each Quantum Card has an accurate hand-drawn painting or high-quality photograph isolated on a white background. On the back, the card has the name of the object at the top and ten points of encyclopedic information about the object. In addition, there are definitions of key vocabulary words at the bottom of the page.

Being a musician myself, I became biased & got Indian Musical Instruments cards for my 2 years old son. The Indian Musical Instruments set has the following ten encyclopedic cards:

• Sitar
• Tabla
• Santoor
• Sarangi
• Shehnai
• Veena
• Murali
• Mrudangam
• Kanjira (Khanjari)
• Harmonium

Each card has hand-drawn illustration on the front and encyclopedic facts about it on the back.

Love the big size of the cards!

Sarangi - One of the 10 cards - Front

Back of the card with encyclopedic knowledge

A video review of Brainsmith Quantum Cards & the cards in action is in the pipeline, if you prefer watching instead of reading through the text. So please go ahead & subscribe my YouTube channel HERE for this & much more!

How I Used Brainsmith Indian Musical Instrument Quantum Cards

• Flashing them one by one to help my son memorize the instruments
• Recall - I showed him the cards & asked the names of the instruments
• Memory game - I placed the cards on the floor & we remembered where is which instrument. Then I turned them upside down & asked where is Tabla & he had to remember the position & take a guess if he is right.
• Sorting wind, string & percussion instruments
• Creating a story around the instruments to enhance creativity

HERE is what guys at Brainsmith suggest how one can use their quantum cards.

What I LOVED About Quantum Cards

• Big size cards make it perfect for the little beings
• Cards are very sturdy 
• Cards have a glossy finish & a slightly slippery feel that makes them perfect for flashing before the child really quickly. There is almost no friction when you flash the cards fast.
• The illustrations are very realistic & the fact that they are hand painted makes them even more enriching
• Each card consists of crystal clear picture of just one instrument - no distraction & noises - a great way to isolate the concept & teach to your child
• The back side of the card is full of great details about that particular instrument. 

What Could Be Improved In Quantum Cards

• Adding a blank card in the collection would be great. So when I am about to start flashing the cards to my son, there is already one instrument facing the child, when I am telling him, "hey now we are going to see some music instruments". Ideally, I would have wanted a blank card which can be used as a starting card or rather a cover for all other cards when I start flashing the picture cards.
• It would be great if the guys at Brainsmith can introduce something like a library facility where parents can get a set of cards of a particular category for say 15 days or a month & then return it & get another set of cards of a different category. I personally would love to use almost all the categories cards in their quantum cards series but if I end up buying all, I might go broke ;) I am not sure how feasible this model is but this might help many parents & children.

At the end, I would say, I am very happy to have used these quantum cards. This set of Indian music instruments has opened up some new avenues following my child's interest & I am going to pursue them closely! As I always say, you never know when & how something can strike your mind & takes you in a new direction deep inside the topic.

Hope you found this review useful. Do check out more review of toys & books HERE, early learning & Montessori inspired activities here on the blog & my YouTube channel. Do not forget to subscribe to my blog & YouTube channel to be the first one to know what I posted new!

Happy Parenting :)

Read More »

Baby Sebamed Sun Lotion Review & Launch Event Coverage

Babies are precious & so is their skin - fresh & delicate like a dew! As a mother, I always try to find out the best for my son's skin. Something which is free from chemicals as far as possible & which is dermatologically tested, specially for baby's skin. The concern is all the more justified because a baby's skin is 20% thinner than adult skin. The skin barrier is not fully developed & harmful bacteria can easily enter the skin if the barrier is damaged, which in turn can cause moisture loss, redness, rashes & itching.

When I was invited to the launch event of Baby Sebamed Sun Lotion on 19th March 2017, I was more than excited to be a part of it for the simple reason that I had heard some real good reviews about Sebamed products & lately I have been feeling the need of a sunscreen lotion for my two years old son & I thought this would be a good starting point to choose one for him! I must say, I was not disappointed at all with the product. And there cannot be a better way to welcome the summers with we moms being reassured that our babies' skin is safe when they go out in the sun :)

To start with, I must say that the event was a LOT of fun for moms as well as kids (0 to 6 years). There were presentations about Sebamed, their research, their findings, there was music, dance, games & small lovely gifts for the kids & the most important part of the event was the Yoga Session for moms & kids. 

This event made an entry into the Indian Book Of Records for more than 50 kids & moms doing Yoga together, along with a trained Yoga instructor, under the sun!

I am so happy to be a part of this awesome record, along with my son!

About Sebamed

Sebamed is one of the world’s leading skincare brands from Germany, researched by a dermatologist, with over 50 years of rich experience. It has a presence in 85 countries worldwide & has over 120 products. Their philosophy is to use botanical ingredients & ensure stringent quality standards. Their products are recommended by dermatologists, Paediatricians & Gynaecologists in India & across the world.

Features Of All Sebamed Products

• pH 5.5 - Alkali-free & soap free
• High quality and high purity of ingredients
• Developed and recommended by dermatologists
• German engineered
• Dermatologically and clinically tested 
• Biodegradable, no animal testing
• Free from mineral oils and harsh chemicals.

Key USPs of Baby Sebamed Range

• pH 5.5 helps in the development of acid mantle
• High concentration of botanical extracts nourishes baby's skin
• No irritants, so better tolerated from day 1
• 0% irritant reactions & 0.000003% allergic reactions
• Clinically proven efficacy

And now, about the brand new product that they launched - Baby Sebamed Sun Lotion

Instructions For Use

• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before exposure to the Sun.
• Reapply frequently to maintain the protection, especially after bathing.
• Avoid exposure to the Sun between 11 am and 3 pm.
• Use hat, shirt, sunglasses and sunscreen suitable for child protection.
• Can be used for babies of 6 months & above

Pros

• pH 5.5 
• 98% UVA protection
• Skin protection with Vitamin E
• Natural formula providing intense hydration
• Oil-free, non-greasy, does not leave any residue, gets absorbed in the skin easily
• Alcohol-free
• Free from paraffin / parabens / PEG bonds
• Water & sweat resistant - which means we can apply this when we go for swimming this summer!
• SPF 50 - which is pretty high & hence makes the effect of the sunscreen even better

Cons

• No perfume - this looks like a limitation but actually it is good because there will be some chemicals going inside the product if an artificial perfume is introduced in it
• Pricing - It is priced at 1400 INR for a bottle of 200ml, which is on a higher side but given the USPs, I think most parents would not mind going this extra mile when it is about the skin safety of their children

You can know more about their products HERE. 

All Baby Sebamed products are available on major online stores like Amazon, FirstCry etc. 

The Event

The description of this launch event cannot be complete without pictures, so here they are - an absolute fun filled beautiful Sunday morning at a venue that is one of the best in Mumbai - Radio Club, Colaba. 

The view of the sea & tons of boats was one of the interesting elements for almost all the toddlers there. They were glued to the windows watching the boats & playing with the balloons, making friends with each other.

There was a quick presentation about the skin care & Sebamed brand from the experts.

Followed by the product launch, and that too by the children :) It is a kids' product at the end of the day!

We got to try the sun lotion too!

Kids were super happy with the games, music & dance session that followed.

Then we all headed out together in the sun to set out a unique record! Something that has not been done so far - 50+ kids & moms doing Yoga together under the sun with a certified Yoga instructor! 

This has gone into the Indian Book Of Records, yayyy!

Some photo booth madness by my toddler ;) Yes, he is officially a record breaker now!

And a wonderful talk by the celebrity Dermatologist, Cosmetologist & Trichologist, Dr Simple Aher, on the importance of skin care.

All in all, a very well spent Sunday morning with lots of takeaways about skin care, information about the Sebamed product range & a sumptuous lunch to end with :)

Hope this review will help you in choosing the right skin care range for your child. 

Happy Parenting :)

Read More »

5 Ways To Introduce Music To Your Kids At Home (VLOG)

My parents tell me that I started to sing at the age of 5.

That's Me At Around 5 or 6 YearsOf Age :)

They tell me I used to rewind & play cassettes in the tape recorder again all by myself till I learnt a particular song. And that is how my journey as a singer started. My father is a good singer, though he calls himself a bathroom singer, but I think I got those musical genes from him because my mother is still as lost when it comes to music as she was years back when my younger brother tried to teach her simple tunes & she would mess them up gloriously :) I do not know if she used to just make it up for us to have some fun or otherwise!

Nevertheless, I got my dose of music in some or the other way right from the childhood. I am sure my father had sung to me and also played music on a tape recorder or a radio when I was in the womb. You know, the film music back then in 1980s was much more melodious & meaningful. So even if an individual who had no sense of music, played anything to a child, there would be very less noisy music going into the ears. These days, film music ranges from absolute disasters to decent tracks to some awesome tunes to some glorious evergreens. So it is for us, the parents, to filter out such stuff & let good music reach to our kids' ears, well, as much as possible.

Being a singer, a mother and now an early childhood education enthusiast, I have got this question umpteen number of times from fellow moms, that how to introduce music to their kids. And these kids are infants, toddlers, preschoolers & older kids too. The answer is not too short. Before reading on, please find time to understand why music is beneficial to a child in my article HERE.

Now coming to how you can introduce music to your child -

• Listen To Music During Pregnancy - Read my article (HERE) about my experience & effects on my son, of listening to music when I was pregnant

• Singing To Your Child & Dance Your Heart Out - Do not hesitate even you are one of the most besura persons in the world :) Your child loves your voice the most! And dancing funnily & merrily is a great bonding exercise plus it teaches a sense of beat to your child. For me, I sing to him sa re ga ma alankars randomly when I feel like, be it while getting him ready or while feeding him or any time. I also sing to him songs, mantras, bhajans, rhymes when I feel like. Basically, I try to make it a fun, non-routine, open-ended practice.

• Playing Music In Your House At Waking & Sleeping Hours - . Yes, I play music for some time, even when my child is sleeping. Children spend most of their time in Alpha and Theta brainwave cycles, which corresponds to a meditative or hypnotic state. That is the time, that little brain is in the most receptive state! So it makes all the more sense to play good music while they are asleep. Read more about brain waves & the receptivity HERE

• Exposing Kids To Different Music Instruments - Music is best learnt by kids when it is fun, engaging & a non-routine thing. Kids are curious by nature, so let them explore music instruments & understand how sounds are made. There are so many musical toys available in the market today but most of them are fancy & super expensive because of the baby tag. You can hunt temple shops or actual music instrument shops or local haats or streetside vendors for some good music instruments. Many facebook groups these days also stock wooden child-size music instruments. This is what we have & use : keyboard, maracas, ghungru rattles, drums, xylophone, flute, trumpet, mouth organ, manjeera, dumru, mini dholak, chimes, ektara and my real music instruments - tabla & harmonium. I have not had the courage to give him my real string instruments yet : tanpura & guitar ;) 

My Son At 6 Months Playing A Keyboard Using His Head ;)

• Attend Parent Toddler Classes That Are Focussed On Music - There are many such classes running in various cities under the names like Musical Bonding, Music Together etc [I am in no way endorsing them]. You can search any in your location & attend a trial class to see if it works for you & your child. I am also trying to come up with a curriculum for one such series of classes where I can expose infants/toddlers/preschoolers to this beautiful world of music. Once it is finalized, I will roll it out as a set of classes in Pune first. I am also working on a Taal Appreciation project, targetted for infants, toddlers & preschoolers specifically & this will be an online program, available for anyone round the globe. My son is doing the testing & QA job for the same! So, does that mean, you should be in touch with The K Junction or subscribe to our updates? ;) You can either subscribe to this blog or join our Facebook Community HERE. I share lot more things on facebook related to our early learning journey & much more because it is easier to share there. Blogging is a little more time consuming, hehe. You can watch my almost 2 year old son reciting Indian classical beats in this video below

And now if you are stuck over baby rhymes or Bollywood & wondering what music to listen or play to your child, here are some pointers you can build upon - 

• Mantras & Chants - Search for Gayatri Mantra, Shanti Mantra, Mahamrityunjay Mantra, Buddhist Chants and the likes on YouTube & pick up the version/artist you like the most. There are tons of versions of mantras & chants on the net.
• Bhajans 
• Indian Classical Music - Search for music by the maestros like Kishori Amonkar, Pandit Jasraj, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Shobha Gurtu, Bheemsen Joshi and the likes
• Instrumentals - Search for music by the maestros like Pandit Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and the likes
• Old Bollywood Classics - Songs by Lata, Rafi, Kishor Kumar, Asha, Manna Dey and the likes.
• Sufi & Gazal Music - Search for music by singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Wadali Brothers, Ghulam Ali and the likes.
• Music From Different Cultures - A simple YouTube search will give you loads of music from various cultures. For example, this Christmas, I searched up Carols from different languages & cultures, see the post HERE for links & examples.

Read More »

Just 4 Dots – Good Knight Fabric Roll-On Review

Choosing a mosquito repellant is not easy for a mother of a baby or a toddler! There are thousands of questions in our minds. Will be safe for the baby? Is it too harsh for the baby’s tender skin? Will the vapours cause discomfort? Which form of mosquito repellants (cream, spray, vapouriser etc.) should I use? So on & so forth.

I found this newly launched product “Good Knight Fabric Roll-On“  mosquito repellant. I quickly started using it for outdoor protection.  I have been using the product for last two weeks and have been very happy with the results. 

My review for this product has been featured on Indian Moms Connect. Click HERE to read.

Read More »

Cloth Diaper Review - MARVY From Cloth Diaper Shop India (VLOG)

I exclusively cloth diaper my son, no disposables! I have been using cloth diapers since he was a newborn. He is 20 months now & I have not used more than may be 30 disposables till now, which includes travel times, and we have traveled a lot with him, believe me. I have happily cloth diapered him during my vacations as well. 

Recently, I used this awesome cloth diaper called MARVY from the Cloth Diaper Shop (CDS) for my son's night time diapering needs. And I must say my quest for an AWESOME NIGHT TIME DIAPERING SYSTEM ends here!

Before MARVY, I was using bamboo squares & bada hemp inserts from CDS again for night time diapering. Check them out, they are very good too! CDS has a huge collection of various other kind of cloth diapers that you can use during day times. And the person behind CDS, Poornima is super helpful to guide & help you select a cloth diaper according to your needs & budget. 

CDS Social Connects - 

To browse through their cloth diaper collection, visit CDS website HERE.

To visit CDS facebook page, click HERE.

They also have a closed group on facebook where moms share their cloth diapering journey & people help each other in any kind of troubleshooting. CDS also posts about new offers & updates in this group. Click HERE to visit the group.

Here is my review of MARVY. Hope this is useful for you in deciding the right cloth diaper for your child.

Read More »