Leapfrog Clickstart Educational Software: Learning Carnival Reviews

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $8.06
Today's Bonus: 60% Off

We purchased this game to go with our clickstart. My 4 yr old played it. The game takes the next level from the games built into the console. My daughter loves the fun house game. It has three levels and you have to beat level a to get to level b and level b to get to level c. It gives them a challenge once they have aced the built in games. It keeps track of your time and you can try and beat your best time. The game has you go up latter's, down slides and latter's, jump from the ground to platforms, walk left and right. It is great for learning letters. There is also a bubble popping game that is the next level from the console game. It asks you to pop a specific bubble by letter. This is a great addition to the console games. It is more challenging and once your child masters the beginning games it gives them more challenging games to go onto to.

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Given that the clickstart mouse is such a nightmare, there is one game on this cartridge that uses the arrow keys and space bar exclusively--which is wonderful for my son who gets easily frustrated with the mouse. The Wacky Funhouse ALONE is worth the price of this cartridge. It is awesome. It's similar to the old Mario Brothers games where they run, hop, jump, and move from level to level avoiding some things while capturing others. My son is under 3 and has mastered this game and loves it. LOVES IT!!

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We have all the Clickstart cartridges except the Art Studio and Toy Story; I bought this one a few days ago and it's very different from the others and he loves it. Within a few weeks of getting this system (Christmas '07, he was 3 1/2) he knew the keyboard and could spell & type his name quickly. It's a great product; I recommend it!

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We have Animal Art Studio and Dora. My daughter loves this and is learning from it. This seems to be the most educational game yet. I would recommend it.

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I bought this software for my granddaughter because I found that the software that is preinstalled with the ClickStart was too babyish for her. I carefully reviewed the softwares for this computer and I felt she would enjoy Learning Carnival. It is alot of fun and she prefers it to the installed software. The reason I rated it four stars is because it's not as challenging as I hoped it would be. However, she really does enjoy it and it's alot of fun. I would recommend it.

Review of Educational Insights Jumbo Lowercase AlphaMagnets -Color Coded

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I purchased this set of letters along with the uppercase version for our homeschooling materials. They have been a hit. The kids love to get the letters out and build words together. The letters are a great size averaging 1.75" x 1.5" and adhere well to magnetic boards as well as the fridge. Another plus is the vowels are colored red so younger children can easily find and learn the importance of vowels. Unlike some other sets, this set includes extra consonants and vowels so more words can be made with one set. They work great with "Expo Magnetic Dry Erase Easel Board for Kids" for table top learning.

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I love these letters. Very good quality. I love that the vowels and the consonants are different colors. They stay very well on a magnetic board. Would recommend!

Reviews of VTech - V.Smile - Winnie The Pooh: Honey Hunt

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My grandmother gave my four-year-old daughter this game for Christmas. It quickly displaced Lion King as my daughter's favorite v-smiles game (and the favorite of my wife and I as well). Featuring Winnie the Pooh and all the other characters from this Disney classic, the game is both fun and educational.

Basically, Pooh wants to hold a party for his friends but is out of honey. So the game's mission (in adventure mode) is to find jars of honey. Along the way, kids learn counting, the alphabet, and some basic spelling. There's also some secret levels to discover -albeit not so secret that a four-year-old cannot find them.

Overall, one of v-smiles best games, in terms of both fun and educational value.

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Although we've gotten more game play time from Alphabet Park Adventure (included w/ the V-Smile) and The Lion King, Winnie-the-Pooh is one that the kids (2 & 4) keep going back to. Cute, fun, age-appropriate, it really helps work on those joystick skills while giving a sense of accomplishment (you can play the activities as a series and accumulate "hunny pots"). Unlike the dull Care Bears this is one early childhood game that is fun for adults to watch (and to play, if the kids will let you :-)

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My son plays this game all the time and he loves it! It starts out with simple, easy games, such as collecting the alphabet in order and numbers in order. It then transfers to colors and I think it teaches them really well. It also always repeats the item you collect (pink balloon, the game says, "Pink"). It also gets more difficult as it goes on. I find it great for young ones (2.5 up to probably kindergarten or 1st grade). There are more difficult portions that test hand/eye coordination (the jump rope). I think it's a fabulous game...on of the best...with beloved characters and great games. My son (4 years) LOVES to play it! It has helped with his colors, letters, numbers and hand/eye coordination in many ways! I highly recommend it to anyone with a child who loves to learn and play between 2 and 6 years old.

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I bought this for my daughter's 4th birthday. She loves it--it's a game she is able to do, and learning that is at her level. Some of the other games even when they say 3-6 years, etc--it is sometimes too difficult for her. Even my 5 year old son loves it--he especially loves helping his little sister figure out problems.

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No preschooler can resist this game. It is fun, educational, best of all it has Winnie the Pooh. There are two modes of play. You can play the short easy games like memorie or you can play the learning adventure game where Pooh goes through different environments collecting honey. This game keeps my 3 year old interested for hours. He can play all of the short learning games by himself but he still needs help with the adventure game. The adventure game is a little complicated but fun for an adult, too, so I don't mind helping him through the hard obsticles. Every kid with a V-Tech Smiles should have this game.

Best Manhattan Toy Rumblie Deals

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List Price: $27.99
Sale Price: $24.95
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

My son had this truck for literally 15 minutes and he pulled the back wheels off it. He is not a rough baby and he is only a year old. After many attempts to put them back on, it hit the trash. This toy is a waste of money. I was very unhappy due to the price of this product. We have trucks that cost $5 that are still completely fine and in one peice, I think the craftsmanship is terrible and the price is way too high.

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My year old grandson loves this toy. It is soft yet has lights, a retractable hose, and makes a noise. Perfect for any little dude!

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I gave this to my son for his first birthday. His brother also received the garbage truck for his birthday and the two of them love these trucks. They're nice because my boys love their truck so much they want to take them to bed and because these are soft they can. The lights are great and my sons love the sounds the wheels make when you push the car. The one problem is that the fire hose (which makes a sort of motor sound when you pull on it) wasn't able to with stand my boys rough play. So it now just dangles out the back and doesn't make a sound.

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my 7 mos son is not so into it right now. He does enjoy when Mommy pulls out the hose and it shakes the whole truck when it goes back in.

I took off one star just because he's not into it, but it is a nice soft toy for his inexperience hands.

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can't wait to put batteries in it when my child is older. it's already cute and soft and can be used for a younger baby. when they are older, the batteries will be useful to make it more of an active toy. so cute it was hard to find an ambulance that we liked great toy!

Reviews of GeoCentral Excavation Dig Kit - Treasures Of The Earth

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I just gave this to my 6 year old daughter for her birthday yesterday. It was the first gift she wanted to "play" with. She chose to start in the center and chipped away at the volcano. She worked diligently and excavated 3 rocks in about 1 and 1/2 hours. At bedtime she protested stopping to go to sleep. First thing in the AM she was back digging and found 2 more rocks. To say she loves it is an understatement. She's always loved collecting rocks she finds laying about, but this has an added excitement of digging and searching for the reward. She's very proud of herself after her hard work produces the stone. Also, she's enjoying learning about the layers of the earth and the different types of rocks of how they form. It definitely requires adult help for her age. It was hard for her to use the included wood stick to break apart the chalk like plaster. We ended up giving her a small flat head screw driver to use and it worked much better. However, when she was close to a stone we went back to the stick because we didn't want to chance damaging the stone. She tired kind of quick, so we stepped in to dig and quickly found out ourselves how tiring it is on the hand/wrist. After a few breaks she wanted to dig again. This is a great idea!

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I got this for my almost-5-yr-old son for Christmas, and he LOOOOVED it! It took him quite awhile to excavate all 12 of the rocks, so it was great for me to have something for him to focus so much time on, and he absolutely had a blast doing so. Each rock he uncovered was a new burst of excitement. Pretty messy, of course, so I would recommend it for outside, or if inside, put a sheet of newspaper down under your kiddo's work area, and you're good to go!

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I ordered this item for my 5 year old nephew. He LOVED it!!! He and his dad quickly went out and set about 'excavating'! The gems inside were fairly large (much larger than other kits his friends have had). A great kit to do with your dad! Arrived in very timely manner and in great condition! Thanks!

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I ordered this as a gift when my daughter was doing geology in her science class. Unfortunately, I neglected to check the box to see if everything that's supposed to be included was actually present before handing it to her. We received just the rock mass, nothing else. No stickers, no display tray, no tools, nada. Thankfully, I was able to find a small screwdriver to use as the digging tool and we confiscated a paintbrush from another craft and she was off. I figured it was a good lesson in how to make do when something goes unexpectedly awry. This is a very, very dusty project and messy and I agree with everyone who says that it's best to use this outside. I like the idea of the project, she's been chipping away at the thing for hours and is quite excited with every discovery. Unfortunately, their product control leaves something to be desired. I'd recommend it but make sure you double check that everything's there before handing it to child.

Edit: After completely destroying the mass, we ended up being 1 rock short. My daughter had a great time with this project, but I do wish quality control was a bit better.

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My son got this for Christmas. He loves rocks, and digging for them was great fun. The only BIG problem was that is was horribly DUSTY. My son had to wear sunglasses and a mask. He was covered in dust and it was EVERYWHERE. If this was done outside it would be perfect!!

Review of Bugsby Reading System Book - Yo Gabba Gabba

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My 3 y/o is caught up in the Yo Gabba Gabba craze. So I purchased this book as a part of the Bugsby reading system. She LOVES it, this book is her fav by far in her collection. I actually have picked up the book a time or 2 (hehehe) to read along and jam with DJ Lance Rock and the crew. A definate must...

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My girls received the Bugsby book reader this past summer and love it, but were getting sick of the book it comes with. I was so happy to see one of their favourite shows available for the Busby readers. The sound effects are really great. I hope Vtech comes out with some more books for the Bugsby.

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Not worth it, especially if the Bugsby pen costs an extra $60, which was not included with the book, and it was not mentioned that the Bugsby pen was necessary.

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Both my kids 5 & 2 love this book! its great to bring on road trips. The book has songs and games besides a story! I feel it was over priced but, paying the price may be worth your sanity on a road trip.

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I ordered this book because my son loves Gabba and it was educational. Unfortunately I had to return because of damage from a sticker that was removed. The seller did inform me that amazon does have her remove the sticker and a refund was not a problem. Please be advice a bugsby pen is required to read the book.

Buy AmScope 20x-60x Student Binocular Stereo Microscope with Top

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List Price: $600.00
Sale Price: $124.98
Today's Bonus: 79% Off

This microscope is just what I was looking for for young boys (pst.. as well as myself) exploring tiny bugs and plants.

I was scared to jump in with this microscope, If you're sick and tired of plasticso called 'sturdy plastic'with plastic gears, then this is what you are looking for.

I couldn't be happier with the quality. All metal, heavy and real glass as far as I can tell, precise focus will give years of use thru discovery phases. As you know kids loose interest in one eyed microscopes because they're hard to focus. My 4 yr old doesn't have a problem adjusting the spacing between the eyepieces to fit their face.

If you're wondering about the magnification for your needs.. 20X will show a small flying ant..head to tail and wings in the view or the whole head of Lincoln on a penny, A simple turn of the lower lens and 60x will show just the head of a carpenter ant or 3 digits of the date on a penny. The focus stays on center!! You won't be able to see the eyes of a bug on a knats eyelashes with this.. you'll probably need something like 500X for that I suppose.

Just get a flat container, a pinch-full of dirt from your yard and view as you pan around smoothly (I am surprised that there is no shake even when panning @ 60X (because its sturdy). The grains of dirt will look like mountains as you navigate from above in tru 3dgently adjusting focus from the mountain peaks to the lowest valleys. Be forewarned that tiny bugs of all types will run in and out of view with their hairy backs and legs. Oh, I'm in the market for small petritype dishes with lids so critters don't escape. :-)

It comes delivered without a box you know, without pictures, or text explaining whats insidejust the necessary Styrofoam packing which is a little weird to mean American consumer. haha.

The only thing I wish it had is a cool LED light instead of halogen bulb which even gets the immediate light casing hot to the touch.

Hope this is helpful.

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Best Impact Photographics Flash Cards Birds North American Deals

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I bought these cards for my two year old granddaughter for Christmas. She loves birds and loves to look at our bird guide books, naming the birds in them. Her bird cards are one of her favorite Christmas gifts. She plays with them every day, shuffling through them and naming the birds. The colors are so brilliant and the pictures very clear. There is just enough information about the bird on the back for the young bird-lover. They are the perfect size for little hands,very study, and laminated for protection. I am very pleased with them.

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our 2.5 year old and 4.3 year old LOVE these cards. (i had originally bought the Sibley cards, but found the drawings to be too complicated and small for them.) after about a month, our older child has learned the whole deck and our youngest knows about half. they like to sort through the cards on a daily basis. cards are sturdy and wipe clean. i do wish that instead of 4 different Warblers and 2 different Towhees, some common birds such as the grackle, crow, starling (yeah, yeah, not native but still common)and bald eagle were included. Range maps would be great. but overall these are excellent cards for kids and adults alike.

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Love these cards. They are nice and colorful. Just wish there were more than 48 cards. Quick Delivery. Recommend these cards for children or just someone who loves birds..

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These cards worked out great for my cub scout meeting. I wanted to teach the boys about the birds in our area. They had a good time identifying the birds. Eventually I would like to find a larger sized picture set of cards though.

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4 year grandson who is into birds was really not interested in these . Age is an issue, quality is not.

Cheap Hexbug Nano Elevation 3D Habitat

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $40.61
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

This was my 6 year old son's favorite gift this year. It beat out a DSi XL Nintendo DSi XL Red Bundle with Mario Kart, a plethora of Ben 10, Legos, miscellaneous Star wars items, a few Iron Man items, Wii games/accessories, the new fully auto Nerf Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS, Bakugans(?) including ColossusBakugan Dragonoid Colossus. He was really good after a move from Idaho to Michigan which included starting a new Montessori school.

Pros:

* Really cool how the Hex Bug Nano find their way around the tracks even when multiple tracks are combined.

* Hex bug Nano appear to be "smarter" than the toy really is which leads children image how it works

* Works seamlessly with other sets

* Online aspect to "educational" aspects which would deserve another star if not entirely separate from the hexbug. I really love this aspect, but I do not consider it directly part of the toy's star rating

* Fills the construction needs of the building blocks and combines it with the movement of train sets & hot wheels in addition to a touch of personality (Which desperately needs to be explored in my opinion!) like any good toy that lets you have a personal attachment based on imagination.

Cons:

* After extended periods Hex Bugs will crawl over each other on one way tracks when going opposite directions and be F R E E to roam.

* Hex bug batteries are expensive, however BULK watch batteries which work are dirt cheap about $7 per 100 batteries! AG13 357 LR44 L1154 A76 PX76A 303 D303 D357 Pack of 100

* Only major pieces are available for individual purchase. Specialty items are unavailable at this time such as one way doors which help avoid collisions/escapes, spirals ramps, and legs for the elevated sections

* Gets loud with 5 on 5 and 6 on 6 on 6 battles

Sets used

Hex Bug 3D Elevation Habitat Set (Purchased at Toys "R" US)

Habitat Set Hexbug Nano Habitat Set

Starter Set Hexbug Nano Starter Set

Bridge Battle Set Hexbug Bridge Battle Set

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After checking prices here on Amazon.com, where we do most of our online shopping, my wife headed out to Toys R Us, where this Hexbug track was selling for about 60% of what Amazon.com's third-party sellers are presently charging for it. Do yourself a favor -check Target or Toys R Us. Don't fall victim to price gouging here.

That aside, it's a great toy. The Nano cruises around, rights itself if it falls over, and runs along the track. Great fun. You get two Nanos with this track. A few more makes it even more exciting. Just make sure you don't overpay for it.

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Like I said the kids (ages 5-11 in our house)create zillions of track styles for hours. Easy to snap together, easy to use. I'd buy this set and in the future another just to let them keep adding to the track (even though this is PLENTY of track, in fact it stretches 15 feet or so in length when built). Have fun!!

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I got the first set for my 4 year old about 6 months ago. I like him to be creative so I figured I'd give this toy a try. He likes his Thomas train tracks so I figured he'd like a three-dimensional track layout.

The first set was a huge hit! He plays quietly for an hour almost every day. This is his toy of choice, beating out Thomas, can you believe it? After I showed him a few possibilities he got very creative and started making layouts I would never have thought of.

I thought having TWO sets would be even more fun but he'd have to earn the second set. I made a chart with 40 squares. For each day of excellent behavior, we checked a box. He's finally earned his second set (amazing what a little motivation will do to a 4 year old) and I couldn't be more pleased with what you can do with two sets.

The reason I picked the same set, after much research, is that you get the most tracks per dollar compared with any other set, plus it's far more flexible. Some of the other sets like the zipline or the battle seemed a bit gimmicky and would not encourage the free form creativity that this set inspires.

The tracks themselves are amazingly durable. Only one connector broke in 6 months of playing. The support rods (for elevation) break once in a while so we don't have as many as we started with. That's why I awarded it one less star for quality, otherwise it's fantastic and fun for 4 year old to probably a 100 year old.

See my photos in the gallery of using every single piece from two sets.

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I bought this for my 7 year old grandson for Christmas. The first evening he had it set up and the next morning he had reconfigured into a more complex setup. He continues to play with it on a regular basis. A toy with enough possibilities to hold a child's interest and enough movement to make it enjoyable.

Discount Daisy Rock Retro-H Guitar, Ice Blue

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I've been playing for almost then years and I am can never seem to get enough guitars. I've got high end priced as well as two other Daisy Rock guitars. I'm also a girl with smallish hands which can make difficult to play some chords on a guitar that has the standard neck so Daisy Rock is really appealing to me. You are getting a lot of bang for your buck with this guitar. It's extremely fun to play.It consistently stays in tune. I love the mini humbuckers and it is just so fun to play. It's also a great looking guitar as well. I play it everyday. The action is great, so is the tone, and it can play many different styles. I also like that it's semi hallow. I've had it for 4 months and its my go to guitar. It's also made for a woman's body shape. It's a got a lot of bang for its buck. Don't pass this one up. It is also got a great look. It's a great edition for any player guy or girl. This guitar will surprise you in its versatility and I love it to death. Its one of the smartest purchases I've eve made.

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Discount Brain Trainer

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I bought this as a gift for my elderly Mother who is experiencing some memory loss. She went the normal route through the medical system and meds but with no success.

She used it in the beginning but grew tired of it within a few days. First it sat outside the box next to her favorite chair. Then it sat in the box next to her favorite chair. Then it moved in the box to the book shelf in the other room and there it remains.

My belief is, in the use for elderly persons with memory problems,they have to want to use it. Being from a none computer use generation she viewed it as a "toy" which it probably could be depending on the situation.

There are so many variations on age and type of memory loss it would be impossible to make a blanket review and judge just from my experience. For the price get one and try it.

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It is a good product if you want your brain to exercise. It is good for memory. I recommend this product.

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With it's small hard compacted system, I expected nothing more than a glorified calculator. Upon putting batteries into it. I learned that it had alot more charm. It plays gentle music, and gives you a score of how well you can answer math questions. It comes with an instruction booklet which is pretty helpful. The basic training test will give you 100 questions to answer. (I very much enjoyed this.) then there is an advanced training test that will see your abilities on counting, focusing on numbers, and memory.

Overall, it's not a bad little gadget. Educational, The best thing about it is that it keeps track of how you've been doing test wise. It actually graphs your improvements and faults so you can keep track.

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I use it every day while I am commuting on the bus, and it turns wasted time into a solid investment. When I am consistent, there is a very noticeable difference in my mental sharpness all day long. I LOVE this product, and recommend it to everyone when I can work it into the conversation. So far I only use the math function, because that is the one that research shows is effective at reversing Alzheimer's. I am looking for opportunities to read aloud, that's the other activity that activates the brain.

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As with the muscles in your arms/legs/back, you think you're in pretty good shape until you spend a day in the garden. So too, your brain, until you see the evaluation results after using the Brain Trainer. I think I'll sign up for that Calculus refresher course!

Review of Color-A-Mat

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List Price: $17.99
Sale Price: $3.99
Today's Bonus: 78% Off

I bought the Fire Truck placemat for my son, and my sister bought 3 for her children. The Mats are wonderful...the M&D crayons they recommend to use with them, not so much. While I would agree with some of the other reviews that they are nice because they don't break and they are very easy to wash off the mats, I have found these crayons are unnecessary.

My son is 19 mos old and these frustrate him. When the tip runs out, he needs my help to advance them. The vibrancy of the colors are horrible (we have the M & D triangle crayons and those are fabulous, but DON'T use them on these mats...it doesn't wash off). My niece got the Alphabet mat and these crayons were so hard for her to use on that mat because they were fat and chubby and so light (low vibrancy) she could barely see. Pencil works great, but she wanted to use "color" (don't use colored pencils...they don't wash off either) and quickly got frustrated/bored with her mat.

I have found that Crayola Washable Crayons work wonderful on these mats and are just as easy to clean off. The color vibrancy is better and my toddler needs no help from me. And there are more color choices (which at his age isn't necessary, but for older kids is a nice option). My Nephew (4yr) covered the ENTIRE mat in Red Crayola, very heavy handed, I think the thickness of the crayon on the mat was thicker than the mat itself, and it still washed right off with a baby wipe.

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We have bought several of these color a mats for my 3 year old son and he loves them. We take them with us everywhere. We have some in the car and lots at home. We like using them when we go out to eat at restaurants and to other places where he needs to be occupied. These keep his attention very well, and have also helped to improve his coloring skills.

Reviews of Solar Motion Lamp - Bicycle Rider

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List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $46.99
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

Back in 1968 (shortly after the dinosaurs died out) a friend and I rode 3-speed English Racers across the United States from Boston to San Diego. My friend recently retired from his tenure at MIT and I was invited to Boston for his retirement party. The Solar Motion Bicycle Rider seemed like the perfect gift but I wanted to personalize it. So I ordered these labels Avery Clear Full-Sheet Labels for Inkjet Printers, 8.5 x 11-Inches, Pack of 10 (18665) to apply a personal insignia on the light screen behind the rider. See my customer image above.

It was quite a hit at the party and gave the "Old Buzzard" a bit of notoriety with his young former students. They didn't realize that their old professor was once quite an athlete and adventurer. The key, I think, is the personalization of the gift with the Avery labels. The translucent screen behind the rider is the ideal place for a message or insignia.

My 5-star rating is for the product which I think is very nice for the price. However, it was damaged when I received it. The external shipping box showed no sign of damage or rough handling but the manufacture's box inside had a corner crinkled in. I was not surprised to find the light bulb inside broken. If there was other hidden damage it wasn't obvious. I found a small candelabra base bulb at a local (Valu) hardware store and got it up and running. What galls me is that the person who shipped this item for Amazon knew the manufacturer's box was damaged and should have known the product was damaged as well.

I've noticed that some other reviewers have received their product with broken light bulbs. I wouldn't let that stop you if you decide this is the right gift for someone. But you should be prepared to run down to the hardware store for a 40W candelabra base bulb. You may also have to slightly bend the wire cage behind the bulb if it's bigger (or a different form factor) than the original bulb.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: I had actually ordered this item twice for two different friends. The one from this supplier (Peanuts Toy Barn) arrived undamaged. The supplier that shipped a damaged product was Big Fly Sports. My apology to Peanuts Toy Barn.

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I've owned this lamp for about 15 years now and just happened to see it here on Amazon. This little lamp is cool and especially kids love it. When the light is on, the solar panel powers the bicycle and it looks as if he is riding it with his legs moving. Also, when you move this lamp with its back to the sun so the solar panel gets light naturally, the bicycle rider starts moving as well. Very neat and educational. Not to mention that after 15 years, this lamp still works and functions with its original parts.

I can't remember what I paid for it back then, but I know it was less than $40. It seems a bit pricey for a small accent lamp here on Amazon. Especially since it does not provide reading light. It is more for fun, or kids, and makes a good gift.

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First saw this at a children's museum. Actually tried to buy one there but only had the display. I found it here on amazon. It is still in hiding because it is a gift for the hubby.

Replica Antique Nautical Brass & Wood Telescope with Tripod Floor Review

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This is certainly not as nice as the $2000 replica I had my eye on at Resforation Hardware, but it is far less expensive. This fills the corner of a room nicely. It does not immediately leap out as a replica. I may buy another one for my work office.

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