Showing posts with label building toys for kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label building toys for kids. Show all posts
Monday, December 15, 2014
Buy Caregiver Cards - Communication Cue Cards (Visual Picture Cues That
These cards are great there are so many subjects my son is autistic and noverbal. I took out about 20 of the most used cards for now and will add more as needed. The blank ones are great as well as I made one for school, more and help. I just label each card and hold in front of him he points and smiles it decreases meltdowns and helps with predictable directions. Cards are small enough that I keep them in my purse and on me at all times.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Cheap suchAcase Child Safe Kids Friendly Foam Protective Cover Case
Made of sturdy material for an 8 year old. My only disappointment is the battery plug, it is so hard for my son or myself to plug the battery charger.
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She has drop the I pad so many times, but it is totally protected with the case. She chews on it and the cover looks like new... I would buy it again!Best Deals for suchAcase Child Safe Kids Friendly Foam Protective Cover Case
It has worked and kept the kids iPad perfectly intact. I am highly impressed and amazed at the level of durability.Honest reviews on suchAcase Child Safe Kids Friendly Foam Protective Cover Case
The case is easy to carry and really gives the iPad a protective shield. Good product at a good price.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for suchAcase Child Safe Kids Friendly Foam Protective Cover Case
Easy to get on the iPad. Tough and durable for my toddler. Only drawback is that it doesnt sit up on it's own in a vertical position. Otherwise, great product at a great price!Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Cheap Infantino Jumbo Shape Sorter and Activity Triangle Toy Educational
I recently picked this up from our local Costco for a few bucks less. My 12 month old loves the shape sorter, pushing his ears. We are still working or putting the correct shapes in the right holes. The triangle is cute as well and makes all sorts of fun noises. I guess it teaches cause and effect, but that's about it for the triangle. I favor the elephant just because it teaches shapes and colors. Overall a very good bang for your buck, cute and battery free. Which is key in this house!I bought this toy mainly because my baby's picture is on the package. It is a good toy. My 18 month old enjoys sorting the shapes and playing with the triangle.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Best Turtles Math & Sort Deals
My wife has a very large collection of turtles & tortoise's 5 of which are over 100 lbs. she gives tours to all the local schools & other groups. At the end of her tours she has a big plastic tortoise just full of your assortment of turtles she holds it up high & lets each child reach in & get a small gift to take home with them.All of the children love them. The number & price of them are very good & worth the money just to see how happy all the kids are when they leave.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Reviews of Little Tikes Rocking Puppy
We wanted some kind of ride-on toy for our son for his first Xmas, but he was only 10.5 mos. and not walking yet, so the rockin' puppy was not exactly something he could play with independently. He seemed to enjoy it at first as long as we were rocking him. Then it became another toy taking up space in the livingroom for the last month. Recently he has been making his way over to it and begging for us to rock him. It is durable and requires almost no installation. He has learned to stand up in it and climbs down just fine. If you're not worried about minor bumps, let your infant try different ways of riding. My son's cousins, between 2-7 years all enjoy the rockin' puppy. For the price, it is a good first ride-on and I don't regret the purchase. One word of caution, however, Rockin' Puppy is unsuitable for interchanging between inside/outside use if left uncovered in the rain...If water gets into it, it is nearly impossible to get out and will also leak water inside.
We bought my boy the Fisher Price Brilliant Basics horse for Christmas last year he was 13 months and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. And it was so tiny, I feared by the time he was into it, he'd be too bog for it. So we took it back. Then recently, maybe two months ago, a friend gave me her old Little Tikes horse... and my boy LOVES it now. (he is 21 1/2 months old)
I think that where these things say ages 1 and up, most kids aren't ready for them by age one. Well at any rate my guy certainly wasn't, and my friend says hers wasn't, either. Admittedly that's a small sample, but... I think it's something that bears considering. One year of age may be too young.
18 months and up might be more accurrate.
My guy will rock and rock on this thing... he's put it to the test, and there have been times I swear it would flip, but it never has.
When my friend comes over with he 4 1/2 year old, though he is big for it, he will still happily get on and ride this thing. So size-wise, I think this will provide you with a lot more use than the FP version.
Simple, all one piece, no batteries, no obnoxious noises, nothing to come off or lose. Very sturdy, very safe.
Overall, we like it a lot. :-)
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We have the older version of the Little Tikes rocker, which is a green horse. But in size and concept, they are the same.We bought my boy the Fisher Price Brilliant Basics horse for Christmas last year he was 13 months and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. And it was so tiny, I feared by the time he was into it, he'd be too bog for it. So we took it back. Then recently, maybe two months ago, a friend gave me her old Little Tikes horse... and my boy LOVES it now. (he is 21 1/2 months old)
I think that where these things say ages 1 and up, most kids aren't ready for them by age one. Well at any rate my guy certainly wasn't, and my friend says hers wasn't, either. Admittedly that's a small sample, but... I think it's something that bears considering. One year of age may be too young.
18 months and up might be more accurrate.
My guy will rock and rock on this thing... he's put it to the test, and there have been times I swear it would flip, but it never has.
When my friend comes over with he 4 1/2 year old, though he is big for it, he will still happily get on and ride this thing. So size-wise, I think this will provide you with a lot more use than the FP version.
Simple, all one piece, no batteries, no obnoxious noises, nothing to come off or lose. Very sturdy, very safe.
Overall, we like it a lot. :-)
Best Deals for Little Tikes Rocking Puppy
I purchased this Big Blue Rocking Dog for my Grandson who is only 8 month old. What a smile on his face when the toy was opened!! He rides his dog everyday and enjoys it. This item can be used until he's 3 years old and is a wonderful present for any child who can crawl and begin to stand. I guarantee it will be a gift enjoyed for a long time!!Honest reviews on Little Tikes Rocking Puppy
My 13 month old ended up with two rocking horses and this puppy at Christmas due to lack of family communication. If she would have only recieved this one, I think it would be used more. One of her ponies sings while she rides it so of course that's her favorite. The only bad thing about this one is she learned almost right away that she can stand on the seat and rock it. It's really low to the ground. I can't leave it in her room unless I'm in there because I don't want her to climb on it and knock a tooth out! But, she does like it. When I bring it out, she keeps saying "puppy, puppy!" and climbs on by herself.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Little Tikes Rocking Puppy
I actually got this toy free at Toys R US when I purchased the Little Tikes basketball set. From the photo I thought this was a plastic nothing but my 18 month old little girl loves it! Easy to get on, off, sometimes rides it backwards but no biggie--we flip her around until she learns herself. Nice toy, nice price and would've paid for it if I had known she'd enjoy it this much! Hope this helps...Friday, September 5, 2014
TAF TOYS STROLLER WHEEL TOY KIDS BABY MUSICAL ACTIVITY TOY NEW Reviews
This is such an awesome stroller toy! Our son loves it and we do too. The sounds it makes are great and fun and the colors are bright and happy. We love it and are so happy we found it!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Review of Fill In the Blanks Flashcards
As the teacher of children with autism and a parent of a child with autism, I am always on the look-out for products that are simple and help to develop language skills! These concepts are some of the hardest to teach, but these cards make it easy! They are simple and easy to carry to use as fillers and to help transition students. I really like using them with my students!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Cheap CLASSIC CHRISTMAS ALVIN & the CHIPMUNKS SINGING ALVIN!
I got this for my almost two year old grandson. After he opened Alvin he wasn't interested in the rest of his gifts. He loves it.My greatgrandson loved it. The rest of the family really could have done without the chipmunks song but that really didn't matter. He loved it.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Cheap Wonderworld Mini Toy Airport
This little wooden airport set is adorable and perfect for my 16 month old granddaughter. She loves it and the simplicity of the set makes it developmentally ideal for her right now. The toy arrived in excellent condition and I was very happy with the seller and the service.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Buy GP Percussion GP55BK 5-Piece Junior Drum Set with Cymbals
Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $329.99
Sale Price: $185.93
Today's Bonus: 44% Off

My 4-year-old nephew requested a drum set for Christmas and I didn't want to buy him something that "just made noise" but a musical instrument that could grow with him. I hesitated before spending this amount of money on an instrument that he might not want to learn, but when I passed up the opportunity to get it for Christmas and he seemed disappointed I decided to purchase it for his birthday. When we unpacked the instrument we truly began to realize what a terrific value this drum set is for the amount of money that we paid for it. We received 5 drums, 2 cymbals, a stool, and drumsticks the set was beautiful and clearly good quality. The birthday guests were all very impressed by the professional look a family member with professional experience in music "confirmed" that this is indeed a quality musical instrument rather than just a good looking toy. It was good that we had this family member around the drums needed to be tuned and positioned correctly and we, as non-drummers, were fairly off in our set-up. However, the seller had provided us with clear instructions and offers of assistance that made us right enough that our nephew never would have known our errors in any case. Most importantly, our nephew was clearly thrilled with the gift he played the rest of the afternoon only stopping long enough to let his younger brother take a very brief nap. When he heard his brother wake up, he RAN back to the drums to play again. He says that he is a rock star now and I'm not sure if he sounds like one, but he sure does look like one with his awesome drum set!
I was extremely surprised at the sound and quality of the set.
My son is really pleased that after assembly, he could start practicing right away and not have the set sound tinny and cheap.
5 star recommendation!
Getting an all inclusive set for around $ shipped is a real bargain though. I debated just getting a normal sized set for my 4 year old, knowing he could grow into it, but that would have cost me at least $ for anything even remotely decentthat included everything (cymbals, sticks, throne.) I looked around for monthsshopping, comparing, shopping more, and this was by far the best for the money. The 1st Act stuff is pretty junky in my opinion. This wasn't as great as I had expected, but again for the money you can't go wrong. It's small, so they won't use it for a ton of years. The good part of that is they will be less likely to wreck it. I think I could sell it now for more than I paid for it locally. I know that when I do eventually sell it I will not lose much of anything on it. It does seem durable enough for my 4 year old, though.
Really, if you are hesitant, don't be. I am as frugal of a shopper as you will find and always work hard for the best deal. I found one here, and you can to. I bought the black. Really, really sharp!
I hour later the kit is set up and ready for our son to start playing.
Some reviews have noted that is was difficult to set up and this is not the case. Everything is well packaged and putting it together was pretty straight forward so you really can't go wrong.
Quality of the hardware is excellent so it should last a long time.
Shipping was fast and communication from seller was excellent.
List Price: $329.99
Sale Price: $185.93
Today's Bonus: 44% Off
My 4-year-old nephew requested a drum set for Christmas and I didn't want to buy him something that "just made noise" but a musical instrument that could grow with him. I hesitated before spending this amount of money on an instrument that he might not want to learn, but when I passed up the opportunity to get it for Christmas and he seemed disappointed I decided to purchase it for his birthday. When we unpacked the instrument we truly began to realize what a terrific value this drum set is for the amount of money that we paid for it. We received 5 drums, 2 cymbals, a stool, and drumsticks the set was beautiful and clearly good quality. The birthday guests were all very impressed by the professional look a family member with professional experience in music "confirmed" that this is indeed a quality musical instrument rather than just a good looking toy. It was good that we had this family member around the drums needed to be tuned and positioned correctly and we, as non-drummers, were fairly off in our set-up. However, the seller had provided us with clear instructions and offers of assistance that made us right enough that our nephew never would have known our errors in any case. Most importantly, our nephew was clearly thrilled with the gift he played the rest of the afternoon only stopping long enough to let his younger brother take a very brief nap. When he heard his brother wake up, he RAN back to the drums to play again. He says that he is a rock star now and I'm not sure if he sounds like one, but he sure does look like one with his awesome drum set!
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Got this for my 11 year old son and it has been a perfect fit! Great bargain for a whole 'real' drum set but scaled down just right for a pre-teen. I highly recommend as a very economical choice for any 10-12 year old child who is at least somewhat serious about drumming.Best Deals for GP Percussion GP55BK 5-Piece Junior Drum Set with Cymbals
I wondered what type of quality I would be getting for this low price.I was extremely surprised at the sound and quality of the set.
My son is really pleased that after assembly, he could start practicing right away and not have the set sound tinny and cheap.
5 star recommendation!
Honest reviews on GP Percussion GP55BK 5-Piece Junior Drum Set with Cymbals
Overall these are a pretty solid. The hardware and cymbals are pretty low quality, but for the price it is nice. It arrived in perfect condition and it is a really sharp looking little set. As a life long drummer it was easy for me to set up, but I can easily see how someone with no knowledge of this stuff would struggle. It took me about 45 minutes to get it all together. Not much more, and I took my time. Of course I knew where everything went. I'd think a person that didn't know anything about this would probably take a couple of hours. The directions are really poor. Common sense should be enough though.Getting an all inclusive set for around $ shipped is a real bargain though. I debated just getting a normal sized set for my 4 year old, knowing he could grow into it, but that would have cost me at least $ for anything even remotely decentthat included everything (cymbals, sticks, throne.) I looked around for monthsshopping, comparing, shopping more, and this was by far the best for the money. The 1st Act stuff is pretty junky in my opinion. This wasn't as great as I had expected, but again for the money you can't go wrong. It's small, so they won't use it for a ton of years. The good part of that is they will be less likely to wreck it. I think I could sell it now for more than I paid for it locally. I know that when I do eventually sell it I will not lose much of anything on it. It does seem durable enough for my 4 year old, though.
Really, if you are hesitant, don't be. I am as frugal of a shopper as you will find and always work hard for the best deal. I found one here, and you can to. I bought the black. Really, really sharp!
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for GP Percussion GP55BK 5-Piece Junior Drum Set with Cymbals
Drum kit arrived today. Opened and inspected all parts happily everything was in order.I hour later the kit is set up and ready for our son to start playing.
Some reviews have noted that is was difficult to set up and this is not the case. Everything is well packaged and putting it together was pretty straight forward so you really can't go wrong.
Quality of the hardware is excellent so it should last a long time.
Shipping was fast and communication from seller was excellent.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Reviews of Be Amazing Toys Big Bag Of Science
My daughter and I started the experiments from #1 and had a good time with 1-3. It would've helped to have an illustrated list of equipment, though, as I wasn't sure what some items called for were at first. #4 stopped us, though, as the instructions aren't clear. It begins saying "After the Coloring Tablets quit fizzing" even though the list of items called for on this equipment do not include the Coloring Tablets, so I'm not sure how that plays in. Then it asks you to "...pull the bag of Superabsorbent Crystals out of your Baby Soda Bottle." Umm, what is this "Baby Soda Bottle"? I can find the bag of crystals, I just can't find anything labeled as a "Baby Soda Bottle, nor is it listed in the 'From the Kit' item list." Then it asks you to pour crystals into the 2oz plastic cups... okay, fine... but the next line says something about them soaking up the water. What water? How much? As a science experiment, I shouldn't be guessing on measurements, I should have clearer direction to ensure the intended results. If you want to teach kids how to do science correctly, the kit itself needs to do it correctly.
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We bought this for our 7 year old girl who loves science. We haven't done more than 3 experiments because she has had a blast with the gooey balls that grow in water. She has been drying them out and re-hydrating them for weeks. But is is VERY messy. If you are OCD about mess do not get this kit or just do it outside. The slime is difficult to clean up and you're not suppose to get it in your drains. The test tubes are high quality, very thick plastic. Ours have been dropped on the tile floor at least 5 times and not a crack.Best Deals for Be Amazing Toys Big Bag Of Science
Received this as a gift from out of town family and it was still in it's original sealed packaging but we were missing some of the key ingredients to some of the very first experiments which was very disappointing for our 8 & 5 year olds who were eager to try it out. We were able to do some of the experiments, but found that the instructions didn't match up exactly with the labels on some of the ingredient packaging so it was a little confusing and frustrating for us, and good test of our children's patience. There were no illustrations in the directions to help verify what you're doing is correct, or that you have the correct parts, and/or ingredients. You may want to buy locally and open/inventory & review directions and parts before giving as a gift to your child or someone else, or buy through Amazon to insure easy return in either case.Honest reviews on Be Amazing Toys Big Bag Of Science
Just like the package says, it really does make over 70 experiments. Most ingredients come with the kit, but some, like 2L Coke, baking soda, etc can be picked up easily at the store. My son loves science and has really enjoyed doing this! Warningsome experiments can be messy, but so worth the fun!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Be Amazing Toys Big Bag Of Science
While this kit offers a lot for kids to do and helps make science fun it is an instruction nightmare for parents. First of all this kit did not come with ANY instructions at all! We unpacked it to find nothing written at all. Not even a sheet of paper stating to go online to download instructions. We had to google the name of the kit and the word 'instructions' to realize the they were available on the manufacturers site as a downloadable PDF and 33 pages later we printed everything out to get started only to discover the instructions are poorly written. Also, once you print out the instructions and read them there are no images or drawings to tell you what the items included are. Some young scientists might know what a pipette is but we didn't and had to look it up. They you different names in the different experiments for the same items such as "White Plastic Mixing Tray" in Exp #3 and then they call it "White Color Mixing Tray" in exp #5. This causes so much confusion and pausing to figure out what they are talking about. All of the bags were not clearly labeled either. This needs some serious consideration and a total re-write. If this is an educational toy this company needs a team of educators to assist in the writing. It was a bummer for the kids to not understand how to use everything in the kit and for the adults assisting to be forced to do so much online searching. We started googling the ingredients with the word science experiment to figure out projects on our own. Beware you can get this kit but you will be spending a lot of time figuring out projects on your own. We had a good time but it took hours longer then it should have.Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Buy Teech-um Tum990 Coins Colossal
I found these giant coins for a math & creative movement workshop I did with my 2nd & 3rd grade classes. The students loved the over-sized coins and really enjoyed playing with them. They are sturdy and realistic looking. I ordered two additional sets so that I could share my activities at a Teacher Inservice in July. Thanks!
Friday, May 23, 2014
Best Winfun Kids Learning Pad, Pink Deals
This is a nice little toy; i bought it for my four-year old daughter for Christmas. My only complaint is that the olume is low. I wish this came with a jack for headphones, ear plugs, or something to accommodate for the loss of sound.
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Yes. Will b a gift for my gdaughter. A friends daughter loves hers She will love it and learn from it.Best Deals for Winfun Kids Learning Pad, Pink
Even though my little ones love the iphone and ipad, this learning pad keeps them occupied and it takes alicking and is still ticking!Honest reviews on Winfun Kids Learning Pad, Pink
Display is too small. Keyboard is hard to press and honesty my kids didn't care about it. The instructions don't make much sense to me. Not worth it.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Winfun Kids Learning Pad, Pink
I order this for my daughter to help her as she learn her abc's an 123's. It was delivered on time an in good condition. When i gave it to mybdaughter she love it from the minute she saw it.Friday, April 25, 2014
Buy 3ml luer lock Syringe w/o Needle Exel 100ct.
I was concerned that the picture showed slip syringes, but described luer lock. I wanted the luer locks for measuring food based flavorings. A box of 100 in sterile packaging luer lock 3mls with caps (without needles) is what arrived.
I'm very happy, the syringes are clearly marked for ml/cc with large numbers. Luer lock makes it easy to attatch and keep on blunt tip needles for dispensing food flavoring (which can sometimes be thick, you dont want the tip flying off!).
I'm very happy, the syringes are clearly marked for ml/cc with large numbers. Luer lock makes it easy to attatch and keep on blunt tip needles for dispensing food flavoring (which can sometimes be thick, you dont want the tip flying off!).
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
LeapFrog My Own Leaptop, Violet Reviews
Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $18.42
Today's Bonus: 26% Off

I just received this in the mail today for my toddler and wanted to include some information for those of you debating a purchase. Here is the information from the booklet about the 3 functions and 3 modes of play:
1. Emails--lets you hear from scout and violet, plus 3 personalized emails chosen by you.
2. Music play list--includes instrumental and lyrical that you chose and download to the leaptop. The sing-along is 1 of 5 songs and and the instrumental lets you select 5 from a list of about 15. The character dances along on the screen.
3. Blog--hear the latest blog entries, personalized with your child's name at the end of each.
4. Alphabet mode--introduces letters and phonics. Hear the letter name and sound, plus an animal that starts with the letter.
5. Music Maker Mode--turns the keyboard into a music station. The paw print makes background beat while the 3 rows are: silly sound effects, percussion sounds, and piano key sounds.
6. Animal Mode--Learn about animals for each letter of the alphabet. Press a letter and hear a clue, the paw print reveals the animal it is.
You can also connect to the leapfrog learning path, something I have not yet explored.
My only complaint so far is the length of time it took to download the program from leapfrog, which was about 15 min. The actual set-up only took about 5 min and was very easy to follow. The laptop itself is a beautiful purple, and the outside is a darker purple than the inside, the same color as the keys. There is an off switch with a low and high volume. It also has a standby mode when it has a period of inactivity, to save battery life. It takes 3 AA batteries. The hinged screen is secure, where it won't shut on its own, but not so secure that it can't be closed easily. It is very lightweight and has a handle at the top, perfect for a toddler to carry around. The leaptop is about 9 inches from side to side, small but not too tiny. The mouse, which slides up and down, is used to select the modes. Unlike the laptop other retailers carry in which the mouse can move all directions, the simplicity of this one is perfect for small children. The bottom of the laptop has 4 feet, 2 of which have rubber stoppers so that it won't slide all over a table. The USB port is covered by a sliding, spring loaded cover so it will stay closed and hopefully prevent curious toddlers from playing with it. This leaptop also teaches your child how to spell their name, and is far more interactive than the others I've seen. I would definitely buy this leaptop again, it's everything I was looking for--cute, educational, and fun! I can't wait for my toddler to get her hands on this!!
UPDATE: She played with this for at least 3 hours last night, was the first thing she went for this morning (even picked it over cartoons), and she has probably given it another 3-4 hours this morning. She loves the alphabet mode and I have been impressed by the length of time this has held her attention. She is pretty advanced for her 20 months, but I have been amazed at her progress with the alphabet. What a great investment!
Set-up, as a previous reviewer mentioned, was slightly aggravating as installation needed a little tweaking, but I found directions on the website that identified and fixed the problem without too much of a hassle. All-in-all, I spent about 10-15 minutes getting it ready for play, even with the little hiccup (I have some experience with the LeapFrog website as I have Violet the dog too another great toy my daughter loves.
I was pleasantly surprised, however, by the immediate response from my daughter (she had just turned two a few weeks prior) who picked it up and started to play and explore the functions. She was engrossed to the point that she didn't want to open her other presents!
Now, I realize the attention-span of a toddler is a fleeting thing and I fully expected this to be one of those toys that would have a very short shelf-life, but here we are, 3-4 months later and she STILL plays with it on a daily basis. Durability has not been an issue as she has certainly put it through the wringer. She's dropped it, stepped on it, stood on it (I've stepped on it myself) and played with it roughly as toddlers do and it hasn't skipped a beat.
The best of all of this is the educational value. Now, granted, my daughter is a genius (as I'm sure your kid is too!), but after a few weeks of playing, she'd mastered all the letters of the alphabet and was able to generalize and identify (and verbalize) the letters on other items (shirts, signs, etc). As a parent, I was very excited to see such growth so quickly. That alone makes it worth it.
Having read some of the other reviews, I noticed people were criticizing the lack of a color display or the poor volume control, but let's be honest the toy is a little over 20 bucks. What could you possibly expect? What you get, in my opinion, is worth every penny.
**We actually have the green one, but I think it's applicable to this one as well.** I asked someone to get my toddler this for her 2nd birthday. I thought she might grow into it because I figured it was a little beyond her at the time, and she is just fascinated by my laptop. I specifically wanted one that had a lid that opened and closed like mine. She occasionally plays the songs on it with the music note, but that's it. I have only used the sync capability twice because, if she's not playing with it, there's no use to change the songs or check her progress. She's now almost three. The customer service is poor, I agree. I, like many others I've read about online, have the version that says a jellyfish has "kentacles" instead of "tentacles". I didn't really expect them to do anything about it but I didn't expect them to say I was wrong and mishearing it. I'm not deaf, and I'm sure neither are the dozens of people who also have this flawed version. My main problem with it is the contrast. Even from the box it has always seemed so dark, and there's no way to adjust it so frustrating!. I would have paid more to have it backlit. As it is, she's always drawn to the other laptops in the store (for example the Barbie one) that has a lit and colored display. I just thought I'd put this review in here as someone who's had it a while and can offer a long-term view of it.
Remember that:
You *must* have a computer to have the full benefit of this toy! Hooking it up to the computer allows you to fully access all feature, which includes customization.
My daughters favorite part of this toy:
We customized it so that she gets "emails" from mom, dad, grandma, etc. She loves that it says her name.
It comes with the 3 AA batteries that takes
It can be customized to say your child's name
It has some cute music
It's more fun to play with as a toy so far, not so educational
It may be that my daughter, at 3.5 years old, is too young to get the full educational value out of it. Still, it seems more like a toy that can be distracting rather than an educational toy that allows for fun exploration. It's very noisy too, so keep that in mind :)
So far, I believe we still have the same batteries that it came with so it seems to be easy on batteries (it depends on how much you use it though, daily heavy use may result in short battery life).
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $18.42
Today's Bonus: 26% Off
I just received this in the mail today for my toddler and wanted to include some information for those of you debating a purchase. Here is the information from the booklet about the 3 functions and 3 modes of play:
1. Emails--lets you hear from scout and violet, plus 3 personalized emails chosen by you.
2. Music play list--includes instrumental and lyrical that you chose and download to the leaptop. The sing-along is 1 of 5 songs and and the instrumental lets you select 5 from a list of about 15. The character dances along on the screen.
3. Blog--hear the latest blog entries, personalized with your child's name at the end of each.
4. Alphabet mode--introduces letters and phonics. Hear the letter name and sound, plus an animal that starts with the letter.
5. Music Maker Mode--turns the keyboard into a music station. The paw print makes background beat while the 3 rows are: silly sound effects, percussion sounds, and piano key sounds.
6. Animal Mode--Learn about animals for each letter of the alphabet. Press a letter and hear a clue, the paw print reveals the animal it is.
You can also connect to the leapfrog learning path, something I have not yet explored.
My only complaint so far is the length of time it took to download the program from leapfrog, which was about 15 min. The actual set-up only took about 5 min and was very easy to follow. The laptop itself is a beautiful purple, and the outside is a darker purple than the inside, the same color as the keys. There is an off switch with a low and high volume. It also has a standby mode when it has a period of inactivity, to save battery life. It takes 3 AA batteries. The hinged screen is secure, where it won't shut on its own, but not so secure that it can't be closed easily. It is very lightweight and has a handle at the top, perfect for a toddler to carry around. The leaptop is about 9 inches from side to side, small but not too tiny. The mouse, which slides up and down, is used to select the modes. Unlike the laptop other retailers carry in which the mouse can move all directions, the simplicity of this one is perfect for small children. The bottom of the laptop has 4 feet, 2 of which have rubber stoppers so that it won't slide all over a table. The USB port is covered by a sliding, spring loaded cover so it will stay closed and hopefully prevent curious toddlers from playing with it. This leaptop also teaches your child how to spell their name, and is far more interactive than the others I've seen. I would definitely buy this leaptop again, it's everything I was looking for--cute, educational, and fun! I can't wait for my toddler to get her hands on this!!
UPDATE: She played with this for at least 3 hours last night, was the first thing she went for this morning (even picked it over cartoons), and she has probably given it another 3-4 hours this morning. She loves the alphabet mode and I have been impressed by the length of time this has held her attention. She is pretty advanced for her 20 months, but I have been amazed at her progress with the alphabet. What a great investment!
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This toy was a gift and I have to confess I probably wouldn't have purchased this for my daughter because, in my admittedly limited experience, most of toys of this type are not worth the time or the money. This one is different.Set-up, as a previous reviewer mentioned, was slightly aggravating as installation needed a little tweaking, but I found directions on the website that identified and fixed the problem without too much of a hassle. All-in-all, I spent about 10-15 minutes getting it ready for play, even with the little hiccup (I have some experience with the LeapFrog website as I have Violet the dog too another great toy my daughter loves.
I was pleasantly surprised, however, by the immediate response from my daughter (she had just turned two a few weeks prior) who picked it up and started to play and explore the functions. She was engrossed to the point that she didn't want to open her other presents!
Now, I realize the attention-span of a toddler is a fleeting thing and I fully expected this to be one of those toys that would have a very short shelf-life, but here we are, 3-4 months later and she STILL plays with it on a daily basis. Durability has not been an issue as she has certainly put it through the wringer. She's dropped it, stepped on it, stood on it (I've stepped on it myself) and played with it roughly as toddlers do and it hasn't skipped a beat.
The best of all of this is the educational value. Now, granted, my daughter is a genius (as I'm sure your kid is too!), but after a few weeks of playing, she'd mastered all the letters of the alphabet and was able to generalize and identify (and verbalize) the letters on other items (shirts, signs, etc). As a parent, I was very excited to see such growth so quickly. That alone makes it worth it.
Having read some of the other reviews, I noticed people were criticizing the lack of a color display or the poor volume control, but let's be honest the toy is a little over 20 bucks. What could you possibly expect? What you get, in my opinion, is worth every penny.
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**We actually have the green one, but I think it's applicable to this one as well.** I asked someone to get my toddler this for her 2nd birthday. I thought she might grow into it because I figured it was a little beyond her at the time, and she is just fascinated by my laptop. I specifically wanted one that had a lid that opened and closed like mine. She occasionally plays the songs on it with the music note, but that's it. I have only used the sync capability twice because, if she's not playing with it, there's no use to change the songs or check her progress. She's now almost three. The customer service is poor, I agree. I, like many others I've read about online, have the version that says a jellyfish has "kentacles" instead of "tentacles". I didn't really expect them to do anything about it but I didn't expect them to say I was wrong and mishearing it. I'm not deaf, and I'm sure neither are the dozens of people who also have this flawed version. My main problem with it is the contrast. Even from the box it has always seemed so dark, and there's no way to adjust it so frustrating!. I would have paid more to have it backlit. As it is, she's always drawn to the other laptops in the store (for example the Barbie one) that has a lit and colored display. I just thought I'd put this review in here as someone who's had it a while and can offer a long-term view of it.
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I've given this toy 4 stars, rather than 3, because ultimately it is fun and educational. However, I believe that the promotional sales jargon is deceptive and misleading. It tells you that you can 'choose from 20+ songs'(suggesting that you can have upto 20 songs on the computer, at least), what it doesnt clearly point out is that you can only have 6 songs downloaded from the pre-set playlist and no more songs can be added. Not only do you not get up to 20 songs, the songs that you do end up with are computerized and some are tinny and dont last very long. I also understood that my daughters name would be added into the songs and this is not the case. However, in addition to the 6 songs (5 instrumental and 1 with words that you can sing along to) that you can choose from, there is one additional song that is included that spells your child's name. All in all, this is a good product, I just wish there were more songs and maybe even a colour screen.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for LeapFrog My Own Leaptop, Violet
Honestly, I am not sure how educational this toy is, if anything it is mostly a toy that is fun to play with.Remember that:
You *must* have a computer to have the full benefit of this toy! Hooking it up to the computer allows you to fully access all feature, which includes customization.
My daughters favorite part of this toy:
We customized it so that she gets "emails" from mom, dad, grandma, etc. She loves that it says her name.
It comes with the 3 AA batteries that takes
It can be customized to say your child's name
It has some cute music
It's more fun to play with as a toy so far, not so educational
It may be that my daughter, at 3.5 years old, is too young to get the full educational value out of it. Still, it seems more like a toy that can be distracting rather than an educational toy that allows for fun exploration. It's very noisy too, so keep that in mind :)
So far, I believe we still have the same batteries that it came with so it seems to be easy on batteries (it depends on how much you use it though, daily heavy use may result in short battery life).
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