AnimaLamp portable nightlight giveaway

Do you guys remember when I posted about the Mobi GloMate? Cute nightlight and awesome toy. A little recap: it glows in different colors, it’s portable and rechargeable, lasts for ~10 hours, and it slowly dims over 15 minutes for nap/bedtime. Ryan LOVES this thing. It became the #1 toy in our house about a year ago (when Ryan was around 1.5 years old) as we used it for many, many (MANY) games of hide-and-seek. It became Ryan’s buddy even when it wasn’t charged and didn’t light up, haha.

Now? We have a new favorite. The AnimaLamp, also by Mobi. Don’t get me wrong, the GloMate is still awesome and it’s still around. But why do I like the AnimaLamp even more?

It’s the perfect light. We had been on the search for a suitable nightlight – one that wasn’t bright enough to keep Ryan awake and distracted, but also wasn’t so dim that it was pointless. Ryan loves to read books in bed before falling asleep… his lamp keeps him awake, but we can’t read in darkness! We resorted to using our cell phones for a little bit of light, but then he just wanted to play with our phones! haha.

The AnimaLamp has LED lights with adjustable brightness and a rechargeable battery so you can take this thing wherever you want. It stands on its own on a dresser or can sit in bed with you for nighttime stories.

Since the top of the AnimaLamp (the animal’s face) actually moves up and down, we hang ours on the edge of the toddler bed rail! In fact, if the giraffe isn’t hanging there when Ryan gets into bed, he searches everywhere saying, “Giraffe! Giraffe! Hang it!” Hanging it there leaves the face half open, which is the perfect amount of light for reading stories and falling asleep. Need more light? Just open the AnimaLamp up all the way… or close it all the way for less light.

With baby #2 on the way in a couple weeks here, I realize this will be the perfect light for middle of the night diaper changes and feedings, too.

We were worried about it lasting all night in Ryan’s room if it wasn’t plugged in, but no trouble there. Mobi says it lasts 8 – 12 hours per charge, but it has always lasted much longer than that for us. Regardless, 8 – 12 hours is plenty for overnight!

You can get your AnimaLamp for $24.95 on Mobi’s site (the monkey is coming soon!).

GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win their choice of AnimaLamp from Mobi! Please use the form below to enter. None of the entry options are mandatory – do as many or as few as you would like.

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School Supplies From Cyberspace; Philanthropic Web Site Fills Wish Lists for Teachers

The Washington Post November 12, 2006 | Deanna Martin Kindergarten teacher Carolyn Freeman gets $170 from her school for classroom supplies each year, an amount quickly drained by basic items such as pencils and crayons for her students, more than 80 percent of whom come from low-income families.

So when she wanted $300 for phonics materials, Freeman turned to the Internet, where a philanthropic Web site, DonorsChoose.org, is making teachers’ wish lists a reality. go to site power supply calculator

The DonorsChoose program has raised more than $8.2 million for school projects since 2000, when it was pioneered by teachers at a public high school in the Bronx, N.Y. The program has expanded to seven states and four major cities. DonorsChoose officials hope to eventually offer the service to teachers in all states.

Linda Erlinger, executive director of DonorsChoose Chicago and DonorsChoose Indiana, said the program provides a creative outlet for donors who support education causes.

“People want to help schools, but they don’t know how,” she said. “They’re not going to walk over to the neighborhood school and drop off a $100 check. DonorsChoose is a way they can do it at their desk at work or at home with their kids, picking out projects together.” The wish list is long and varied: a karate program in North Carolina, an incubation kit so students can watch chickens hatch in Los Angeles, a classroom “Jeopardy” game for students in Mississippi, filmmaking equipment for a Texas school and phonics materials and ballet in Indiana. go to web site power supply calculator

Supporters say the program is a boon to cash-strapped schools, especially those with large numbers of poor students.

The program also eases the burden on teachers, who often pay for classroom supplies themselves. A 2003 National Education Association survey found that teachers spent an average of $443 of their own money annually.

At Brookside Elementary School in Indianapolis, 95 percent of the students come from lower-income families. Fourth-grade teacher Lisa Wescott received balances and weights through DonorsChoose.

“I wouldn’t be doing this science project without it,” Wescott said. “The students get excited about the new stuff we get.” Many donors search for projects based on their areas of interest. Sports fans might donate money to start an after-school running club, and history buffs can support trips to a museum. Others, such as Joe Power, look for projects at their former schools.

Power, who teaches special-needs children in Crown Point, Ind., donated money for a video camera at his former high school in a poor area of Alabama.

“It made me feel good to be able to give back and know that it went directly to the school,” Power said.

Even small donations can help, said Suellen Reed, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction.

“There are a lot of people who can’t give $500, but they might be able to give $25,” Reed said. “Those add up to getting projects done.” In Indiana, 36 projects have been funded, and a total of $44,000 has been donated.

Officials acknowledge that the program isn’t a cure-all.

“DonorsChoose doesn’t pretend to fix the challenges facing schools,” Erlinger said. “But I think it’s underestimated how powerful a new set of calculators or a field trip to the children’s museum is for children who haven’t had that.” Deanna Martin