Look inside :- things that go

Although aimed at ages 5+, this book is one of my 3 year olds favourites. Like most boys, he is obsessed with vehicles and this book covers everything from cruise ships to racing cars.

The book is filled with fun facts such as 'some jumbo jets weigh more than 100 elephants and carry over 500 passengers' which I am sure would captivate older children.

We don't read this book, we share it. There are 60 flaps to lift up and we love guessing what is going to be under each one. 

There are many, many ways to share this book. We use it to count the number of trucks on a page, we use it to search for the shark next to the cruise ship and to talk about why we need fire engines (amongst other things). It also encourages Jack to ask questions - after looking inside part of the plane he was curious what an engine did (I did my best to explain!)

Jack also loves looking at this book by himself and it is the perfect size to pop in your handbag and take out and about with you.

Because there is always something new to look at, so many different flaps to lift and hundreds of fun facts on every page, I can't ever imagine Jack getting bored of this book and once he learns to read I'm sure it will still remain a firm favourite as he uses the book in a different way. The book is hardback so built to last and priced at just £9.99 is an absolute bargain! You can visit my website or inbox me on facebook to order a copy and while you are there take a look at the other books in the look inside range.

My first Usborne Conference and Gala - Vale Resort 2014

I joined Usborne in May 2013. A lot of my division are Welsh and VERY excited that the Usborne Books at Home conference and gala was going to be held in the Vale resort, Cardiff this year. I knew it was an event not to be missed.

In the summer, we could buy early bird tickets for the event priced at only £60. There are however different incentives every month to help you win the cost of your ticket back and I am happy to say I achieved enough incentives that I was able to attend the awards and conference for free!

The Vale resort was absolutely stunning. An amazing venue and choice of location. It had taken a while to travel to Cardiff from Newcastle so I checked in straight away and headed to my room to get ready for the evening's celebrations.

Above is a photograph of some of our lovely division enjoying a drinks reception. Don't we scrub up well!

No expense had been spared at the gala and we enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal plus A LOT of wine! It was lovely to be rewarded in this way for all of our hard work throughout the year.

One of our leaders had made us all our own Usborne goody bags and somebody else had made us all little treat bags. Little touches like this are just so thoughtful and make you feel really special and that although it is your own business, you aren't just selling books by yourself, you have a whole team behind you and who are there for support and advice should you need it.

Various awards were presented throughout the evening and I was delighted to be asked on stage several times to celebrate achieving runaway success, becoming a team leader within 12 weeks and being a member of team Usborne in the Autumn season. It is absolutely amazing having all of your division behind you when you get up on stage cheering you on, it makes you feel very proud indeed.

At the end of the evening we enjoyed letting our hair down and having a good dance! 

The next day, we enjoyed a lovely Welsh breakfast (still not sure what makes it Welsh) before setting down to business at the conference.

We were able to browse new titles and catalogues whilst waiting for everybody to arrive.

The theme for this years conference was 'write your own story'. There were a lot of motivational speeches and stories to hear from our leaders and people just like us.

It was absolutely amazing listening to three of our top leaders introducing the new books that would be available this season and how they would sell them. I was like a sponge trying to absorb every single word they were saying! My notebook is now jam packed with selling hints and tips.

We were given our own 12 month planner to plan our year ahead and write down our own goals for the year ahead. It is great to spend some time focusing on what you hope to achieve in the year.

We broke into smaller groups to discuss key 'table topics' in more detail which included sharing experiences on recruiting, how to earn £500 per month with Usborne and how to effectively manage our time.

As I was an elite member of team Usborne during Autumn 2013 I had been chosen to help run these table too sessions which was a lovely honour. It was fantastic hearing other people's success stories and sharing some of my own with the group.

We stopped for lunch in the hotel restaurant which was lovely. The quality of the food was just fantastic! I didn't take a photograph but the homemade lemon profiteroles with lemon cream were to die for!

After lunch, the conference resumed and they had certainly left the best for last! The team Usborne incentive for the Spring season was announced. A lovely all expenses trip to The Cotswolds for anybody who promotes to team leader for the first time. This along with the other benefits of Team Usborne is such a fantastic incentive to win.

Then there was the biggest announcement of the whole event. The lights were dimmed and we watched a fantastic video introducing us to the luxurious Dubai incentive. The room was filled with people screaming, crying and absolutely mesmerised as we watched footage of Dubai and the luxury trip we could win.I have never seen so many people so excited! This video alone left us all feeling 100% re-inspired and motivated to push our business to the next level.

After the conference we enjoyed time in the spa and then a were label to relax and enjoy a pyjama party in our leaders suite. We ordered room service and went through rather a lot of champagne. This is just a small selection of our empties!

When Usborne ladies get together, we know how to party! The room was filled with laughter, silly party games and yet more incentives were announced just for our division which left us even more excited (if this is possible!!).

The best part of the weekend for me was meeting the people I have talked to for months over facebook and hearing their experiences and at times offering my own advice! Who'd have thought people would ask advice from little old me! It just gives you such a buzz being surrounded with people who have the same hopes/fears and experiences for their business. We have such a fantastic, supportive division. 

That night was a late evening as we just couldn't stop talking! We eventually went to sleep in the early hours of the morning and then enjoyed breakfast together before checking out and travelling home.

My advice to anybody considering joining Usborne and attending the conference next year would be go for it! You would struggle to find such an inspiring, fun and motivational weekend with such lovely generous people which you forget is actually supposed to be work!

If you'd like to experience some of this amazing Usborne treatment for yourself, you can join Usborne via my website www.onceuponastory.org.uk 

Details of next years Spring Gala and Confernece will be announced in the summer. I hope you can join me!

Usborne phonics readers set

The Usborne phonics readers set contains 12 books in which to support your child's learning of synthetic phonics. 

Perfect for children aged 3-5 years old.

What is synthetic phonics?

Most children learn to read through synthetic phonics. There are just over 40 phenomes (sounds) in the English language that blend together to make words. Some if these sounds are made is a single letter such as the 'o' in 'hop' and others are a combination of letters such as the 'ee' in 'sheep'.

 

Synthetic phonics is the process of reading by sounding the individual phenomes in a word and then blending them to make a whole word.

Children who learn to read using the synthetic phonics system start by learning individual phenomes and then learn to blend them together to make words.

Just to complicate matters there are quite a few words that cannot be read by sounding or blending (sometimes called tricky words) and these need to be learned. 'The' and 'was' are examples of tricky words.

These phonics books are designed to be read with your child, encouraging them to  sound out the words as you go and pretty soon they should be sounding out the words by themself.

Titles in the set

Big pig on a dig

Goose on the loose

Fat cat on the mat

Toad makes a road

Ted's shed

Fox on a box

Sam sheep can't sleep

Mouse moves house

Frog on a log

Shark in the park

Ted in a red bed

Hen's pens

You get all 12 titles in the set!! At only £15.99 this is fantastic value. (RRP £59.99)

The books are brightly coloured, tell a lovely short tale and have flaps to lift with surprises underneath to keep your child interested.

The text is short, simple and in large print.

I love the bright illustrations in the books.

Each book contains a set of notes for parents explaining about phonics and how to help your child read at home.

The books have all been created with a reading expert and have been written using the very latest research on the most effective ways of teaching reading.

I really cannot express how much of a bargain this set is. They are very high quality books that have had a lot of research put into them. Only £15.99 for 12 books is just fantastic value. 

If you would like to order a set, please get in touch. Offer is valid while stocks last!

An usborne flap book: See Inside Space

This book is perfect for inquisitive children aged 6+. It is such a vibrant, interactive book with over 50 flaps to lift, full of interesting facts and a little book of star maps is included.

As you can see the layout makes it the perfect book to dip in and out of.

The Big Bang, making space, what's in space?, how do we know?, the Milky Way, our solar system, space travel and stargazing are all discussed.

Parts of the book fold out to give super long timelines of both our solar system and what's in space.

There is a lot of attention to detail in this book and the design is really very strong.

At only £9.99 this book would make a lovely gift for any inquisitive child aged 6+. My son is Dr Who mad and loves reading his copy of this book at night with his torch.

Get in touch if you'd like to order a copy. Only £9.99!

Sam

Www.onceuponastory.org.uk

Usborne Christmas Cooking

This book is an absolute bargain at only £4.99! For this you get 14 recipes plus 3 pages of wrapping ideas. That works out at only 35p per recipe!!'

The book is written in a very child friendly manner with step by step simple instructions and lots of illustrations which are easy to follow. There are lots of fun recipes for you fo try with your child.

Coconut mice look fab and I definitely need to give them a go. 

These Christmas tree cakes would look wonderful at a children's Christmas party.

My favourite recipe would have to be these chocolate truffles. If you've never made them before you definitely should. They taste so much better than shop-bought and make a lovely gift.

I love the hints and tips at the back of the book which give you plenty of ideas of how to wrap your baked gifts.

This book is just amazing value at only £4.99. Difficult to buy for Grandparents would love a homemade gift from the kids!

Let me know if you'd like a copy.

ONLY £4.99

Sam x

Www.onceuponastory.org.uk

The Usborne book of little stories for Christmas

I am in love with this book! It is the perfect book to share with pre-schoolers this December in the run up to Christmas.

There are 5 Christmas stories in total and they are all the perfect length for bedtime. Each page is charmingly illustrated and beautifully designed.

The stories are filled with the magic of Christmas. I love 'The best thing':-

"Then Cat and Dog stood quietly together, looking up at the stars that were starting to twinkle, and they thought about Christmas.....with big smiles on their faces"

The book is a board book and very well made. I like how the stories are tabbed so your toddler can easily find their favourite story.

I just love the illustrations throughout this book and 'little owl's questions' is just the sweetest story ever!

This book is only £9.99 which is a fantastic price for the quality. It is recommended for ages 1 year+ but you are never too early to start reading to your baby. This book would stand proudly in any nursery, bedroom or

Playroom and would be enjoyed year after year.

Please get in touch of you'd like to

Order a copy.

Sam

Www.onceuponastory.org.uk