This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of HP Canada for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Picture this: It was September 6, 2004. I was in my third year of teaching but, having recently married and taken up residence in Toronto, I was still apprehensive as it was my first day at a new school in an entirely new school board. It also marked my first year teaching French. The eager young teacher that I was, living in the year 1 BC (before children), I had stayed up late the night before typing out classroom rules, designing workbook cover pages, creating labels for French folders and typing up my first week of day plans. After countless hours perfecting it all, I sent all the documents to print. And the printer had every intention of fulfilling my request, save for the fact that it had run out of ink. 

[Cue horror film sound effects.]

As I desperately searched desk drawers for a replacement cartridge, beads of sweat began to form on my brow. (Okay, I lie. I rarely experience brow sweat.) My heart rate, however, did escalate while I developed a sickening feeling in my stomach. I certainly couldn't show up for my first day of work unprepared. What would my colleagues say? Or the students? Or my principal? The thought was simply mortifying. This all happened at a time when I didn't own a single USB key. Oh, no. I used to save files to a disc using a... gasp... CD burner! I had never even stepped foot in my new school and I had no idea where I would find an available computer to print off my documents in time for my classes.

At this realization, I decided to place all the blame on my husband. You see, I had only been living in Toronto for a month and was still unfamiliar with the roads. When I had set out to find the nearest Staples just a week earlier, I had discovered that the map book my husband lent me was outdated and many of the one-way roads had since been reversed and I got lost, so lost that the local mail carrier couldn't even help me in my state of despair and so I missed Teacher Appreciation Day and I didn't replenish my school supplies, which included ink for my printer, and... I think I cried.

Since that ill-fated day, I swore I would never let that happen again and promised to stock up on ink cartridges whenever they were on sale. But flashcards were a French teacher's best friend at that time and so my printer got quite a workout that year. And yes, I eventually ran out of ink mid-print. Many times.

Fast forward to over a decade later and teachers like me can now rely on a handy subscription service that will save us from ever running out of ink again. Allow me to introduce you to Instant Ink by HP Canada. This service works on Instant Ink enabled HP printers, such as the Desk Jet 3755 Printer, which will order ink for you before you run out. The ink is delivered right to your door for free, cartridge recycling included. There are three plan options from which to choose based on your printing frequency. Plan starts at $3.99 per month but, if you sign up between April 2, 2017 and May 15, 2017, you can get three months free by using promo code 3MONTHS! For more details, watch this video:

With the first month of school nearing an end, our family is finally back in the swing of things. Lunches, uniforms, new bus schedules... it's all a part of the back-to-school season, right? This year, we decided to take on the HP Brain Training Challenge in addition to the typical school preparations that we may (or may not) look forward to each year. For our first Creative IQ-inspired challenge, my daughter and I chose to re-design her bedroom and had a lot of fun doing so. For our second challenge, we worked on improving our science knowledge, teamwork and artistic skills by playing educational games using the Rove20’s 10-point multi-touch 20-inch screen. We explored the solar system and living cells, solved puzzles and much more. Finally, we completed a third challenge that was designed by the writers of Creative IQ to develop improvisation, planning and implementation skills. This activity included designing and printing our own restaurant menu with the ENVY 5530 e-All-in-One, including menu items with prices, setting a table, waiting on customers and then adding up the bill to figure out the total amount owed.


Using the Rove20, my daughter and I created a simple menu using Microsoft Word via SkyDrive. We were able to use the limited functions to create a table, edit the font and insert a clipart image.


In addition to the menu, we used the printables function on the HP Envy to print out some Disney colouring pages. There were many to choose from, including Disney Planes, Sofia the First and Phineas and Ferb.


After previewing the colouring page, you will have the option to print. Your printer needs to be connected to your Wi-Fi since it will need a couple of seconds to download the page. They were perfect for keeping the young kids busy while waiting for their 'meal' to arrive.


This is a great activity as it aims to develop writing, spelling and math skills. It is only one of several activity suggestions in Creative IQ, a truly handy resource that will be making its way into the Teacher Resource section of our school library.

As we move into the second week of school, the kids and I have been busy exploring the myriad of apps on our new HP ENVY Rove20 as part of the HP Canada Brain Training Challenge with Creative IQ. For our second task, we elected to improve our science knowledge, teamwork and artistic skills by playing educational games that are fun and engaging. With the Rove20’s 10-point multi-touch 20-inch screen, exploring the solar system and living cells, solving puzzles and painting has never been this exciting.

First up was the Puzzle Touch app. After spending a good while figuring out how to search for apps in the Windows Store (it's really quite easy), it wasn't long before the Puzzle Touch app was downloaded and automatically installed. With the Puzzle Touch app, you can choose from a large selection of beautiful photos as well as the number of puzzle pieces you would like. My son started with a 6-piece puzzle and loved the car puzzle the best.

Eventually he worked his way to 12-piece puzzles and turned on the rotation option, which turns pieces and makes it even more challenging to solve. Of course, a little help and encouragement from daddy made it all the more enjoyable. 

For a free app, Puzzle Touch can provide hours of family fun. You can create a new puzzle easily by using a photo from your album or by taking a picture using the HP Rove20 built-in camera. And if you are a puzzle freak like me, you can get as many as 1,000 pieces but it'll cost you $2.99 to have full access to that feature.

Next up, we tried out the Star Chart app which allows you to explore the planets, moons, satellites, stars, and constellations within our solar system. It's the perfect app for that budding astronomer in your family.

You can enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. Also, be on the lookout for secret words that will grant you bonus entries over the next few weeks. You never know when they might pop up!

With September right around the corner, many of us are scrambling to squeeze in just a bit more summer fun before heading back to school. In our home, we are also trying to get the kids back on schedule and help prepare them for a successful academic year. This is why we agreed to take part in the HP Canada Brain Training Challenge by completing a series of Creative IQ™ activities that are fun and engaging. To help us complete these tasks, our family was provided with a brand-new ENVY Rove20 Mobile All-in-One desktop, an ENVY 5530 e-All-in-One printer, an HP Printing Supplies Kit and a copy of Creative IQ™ full of a variety of educational challenges.

For our first challenge, my daughter and I opted to hone in on our drawing and designing skills to give my daughter's bedroom a makeover. We began by drawing her bedroom with a pencil and tracing it in black marker, customizing the layout, wall art, bedding, etc.

Then we photocopied the bedroom design a couple of times with the HP ENVY 5530 e-All-in-One so that my daughter could experiment with different colours to see which combination looks best.

While she busily coloured to her heart's content, I used the HP ENVY yet again to scan a copy of the drawing using the photo option so I could email a copy to myself in jpeg format directly from the printer. Then I logged onto the HP Rove20, downloaded the email attachment and opened the Fresh Paint app.