BOZ BUZZ eNewsletter

Celebrate BOZ's Arrival on March 14!

It's been five long years since Jon Green and Dennis DeShazer first came up with the idea of creating a special character who would help preschoolers love, laugh, and learn.

BOZ, The Green Bear Next Door™, is the result of the hard work and determination of these good friends — and a growing team of gifted people at Exclaim Entertainment.

"BOZ is all about discovering God's world…together. We believe preschoolers will love exploring with BOZ and his friends Drew and Gracie," Dennis says.

Dennis and Jon both have long histories in preschool entertainment. In fact, Dennis was co-creator of Barney the Dinosaur, television's most successful preschool entertainment program.

"We feel that what we've done up to this point in our careers has prepared us for this moment with Exclaim and BOZ," Jon says. "Our hope is to make a difference, to impact families with our stories and our characters."

That impact begins on March 14 with the release of the first two BOZ DVDs:

Thank You God for...Friends and Helpers
Thank You God for...Colors and Shapes

You can pre-order these DVDs and other BOZ products, including the first two BOZ books (God Loves Your Nose and God Gives You Friends.) Your order will then be processed and shipped on March 14.

You can even win the two DVDs and the two books ... in addition to a 3-foot tall plush BOZ. Click here to enter The Big BOZ Giveaway!

And let the BOZ countdown begin!

Animal Safari!

Preschoolers love adventures. Moms like to provide safe environments for their preschoolers.

That's what makes an Animal Safari a perfect preschool activity. Make that a Stuffed Animal Safari! Sound exciting? Let the adventure begin!

Hide your preschooler's stuffed animals anywhere and everywhere around your house: under beds, peeking around furniture, inside closets and cabinets that you don't mind your kids getting into. Remember, this is more than a game of stuffed animal hide-and-seek ... it's a safari!

After the animals are all hidden, sit with your preschooler and describe a jungle filled with wild animals. Get their imaginations working. Then, turn off the lights and let them use a flashlight to go exploring. They'll be on the journey of a lifetime as they seek out the animals.

On this safari, you're sure to discover all kinds of animals. But most of all, as you and your preschooler explore throughout your house, you'll discover a great adventure!

Adapted from Boredom Busters, by Barbara Vogelgesang

Check out the MOPS International website for more great family activities!

Finding Time

We all want more time with our children. But, between preschool, church, extra activities, and social events, it seems time just flies by ... and they turn 18 before we know it! As parents, we need to be intentional in how we use our time.

This week, sit down and look at your schedule. Look at your spouse's schedule. Even look at your children's schedules. When you add up activity time and driving time, you may be quite surprised to discover just how busy you are.

Make sure that your children have time in their schedules simply to play, rest, and be with their family. Make sure that you create more than enough time in your schedule to spend time with them.

They may seem small now. But, before you know it, 18 will be here and they will be gone. Find the time to spend with them ... while you still have them.

Check out FamilyLife’s website for more parenting tips.