Cheap DUDE Diary #2

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My 7 year old son just got this and can't put it down. I haven't looked through it thoroughly yet because he's keeping it locked up and secret, but some of what I saw was fill in blank stuff like "name the last thing you threw up" or "what would you say to an alien?". Stuff like that. He's pretty into it, and loves that he can lock it up safe from his sisters! I'm getting one for his cousin too so they can 'compare notes' if they want. I recommend for any boy!

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When my 8-year-old picked up a copy of this at his school book fair, I was convinced I wasn't going to like it because I'd rather he spend the money on actual books. Was I ever wrong! He sat down for a half hour after school every day until it was filled, carefully completing entries and putting actual thought into them. OK, so the questions aren't as weighty as "how would you create world peace," but it's a start, and it's far more of a start than I've ever seen him make willingly with school writing assignments. I subsequently ordered Dude Diary 1 for both him and his 6-year-old brother, as well as a copy of Dude Diary 2 for his brother. I'd quickly order more editions if they were available.

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He hasn't stopped raving about this series of Dude diaries. He and his friends trade the locks and the books.

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MY son(10yrs) thought i did a good job in selecting this product, its been a 2yrs and he stills all into this diary, good buy

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I have gifted these diaries to several of my kids friends this year, along with a book or two and EVERY parent has immediately emailed to rave about how much their son loves, loves, loves it! It is a great gift for the parent who would like to avoid buying nerf guns, video games, or action figures for their kid's friends. My boys covet the little keys to keep their dude diaries private. And they spend hours drawing and answering all the creative questions that boys love to think about! These are great gifts and perfect distractions for good behavior in restaurants while waiting for dinner to be served! Can't recommend enough

Best Disney Princess 12 inch Rolling Backpack Deals

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my daughter loves this, it was perfect to set her apart on her first day of school. be warned it is a bit small, i can only really fit her nap time blanket(which is medium size) and her school folder in it. but how much room does a 4 yr old school kid really need. she can roll it and even put it on her back comfortably.

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Buy Learning Resources Write-on and Wipe-off Handwriting Desk Mats

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $26.53
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

Bought this because my kindergartener was having issues writing her name on a straight line. This really helped her being able to erase and then draw pictures wehn she was done with her name. Her school work started to improve after about 1 week.

The unexpected bonus was my 4 year old twins wanting to write the names and alphabet also.

I thought having 30 sheets was excessive even with 3 kids but I was wrong. After a certain amount of reuse, the mat gets "foggy". I have not tried the dry erase spray cleaner yet so that may be a solution for longevity.

But it is great that every night all three kids wants to practice writing new words on these mats

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Buy Insect Lore Ladybug Land

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I bought this for my son's third birthday. He's already an avid entomologist. The larvae arrived just as expected already shedding its skin, which each one did multiple times. It was fascinating for my husband and me as well. The three of us found ourselves glued together watching these amazing creatures as the larvae shed it's final skin and entered the pupa stage. Several days after the fully-formed ladybugs emerged (they were yellow at first), we set them free into our back yard. They have a distinct appearance which is slightly different than the ladybugs we're accustomed to seeing around here. Therefore we have been able to easily identify them when we come across them in our yard.

We received about 14 or 15 ladybug larvae and all survived to become ladybugs except for one, which I consider to be pretty impressive. The container was especially effective because my son was not able (or tempted) to manhandle to ladybugs, yet it was easy to keep the water filled with the specially designed lid and water tube. We had an excellent view of all the events taking place inside. I would recommend purchasing books to go along with this. We had four different simple books relying upon excellent photographs and easy-to-understand descriptions. This heightened my son's (and our) anticipation and helped us to better understand what was happening.

I can honestly say that this has been well-worth the price we paid for it. Soon we're going to get a refill kit of ladybug larvae and begin anew.

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My 4 year old daughter is a ladybug nut. We got this for Christmas and sent away for our larvae which come in a tube in the mail with all the food they need. Even the adults were fascinated watching the larvae turn to pupa and then to ladybugs. The customer service was very helpful when we called because our bugs stopped doing anything. They told us the bugs were "dormant" because it was too cold in my daughters room. We moved them to a warmer spot and within 30 minutes had ladybugs!! Definitely worth the cost. It is clean and sturdy thank goodness! Although the inside does get slightly messy (of course). We loved it.

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I bought this for my niece for her birthday. I was disappointed to find out when the package was delivered that they don't send the ladybug larva to Oregon. There wasn't anything indicating that the ladybug larva couldn't be sent to certain states.

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My sister ordered this for my 11 year old daughter. We promptly ordered the larvae with the understanding that they would not mail them until the weather conditions were agreeable. We ordered them in Texas in August so when we didn't get them for a couple of months, we thought it was still too hot. Finally about 4 months after we ordered the larvae (and had received nothing), I called the company. Firstly, they acted like I was crazy for not having called them sooner and/or was lying about it. They asked for proof of purchase. I said I had our half of the postcard that we used to order the larvae. They asked that I fax a copy of this to them. (Still felt like they thought I was trying to pull some scam!!) We then received a mailing tube of what appeared to be dead larvae. We went ahead and followed all directions to the letter. Nothing ever moved, lived or developed at all. I faxed a copy of the original card again telling them that everything was dead when received and/or died in transit. That was at least 6 months ago and they never even responded. Don't waste your money on this. Sadly, the company is not at all interested in the children that are disappointed. Every time I look at that empty habitat (kinda cute actually), I'm furious at a company that doesn't care that my 11 year old (now 12) got a useless gift that should have been a good gift! Shame on Insect Lore!!!

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We received 16 larva eaxcatly when we requested them and all have survived as far as we can tell. My 6 year old and my 3 year old loved watching the larva walk around and now love the pink ladybugs. It was particularly interesting for them because we had a few larva, a few pupa and a few adult ladybugs all at the same time. I even brought this in to my daughter's 1st grade class and had a mini-lesson with the kids. The teacher says they're still talking about it. This is well worth the money.

Best Rhythm Band Claves Economy Deals

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List Price: $3.25
Sale Price: $3.09
Today's Bonus: 5% Off

These are not as pictured. The product came in natural wood with no varnish or color. For the hands of students they will mark and show dirt. The quality of the wood is good. I ordered another pair at the same time as these but Amazon canceled that order as out of stock.

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RHYTHM BAND CLAVES were not like the picture and don't sound like the ones that i have seen in the picture.

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these claves were exactly what the description described and what we were looking for. they sound great and are a great addition to the worship at our church!

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I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I ordered these and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. They sound great and are finished (not raw wood). They are a fantastic low cost percussion item.

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These claves sound great! I purchased them for a children's music class, and thought about getting rhythm sticks instead, but was glad I chose these. You can't beat the price, and they are a "real" instrument and sound really good.

Review of Speed Place Value

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Love that the games covers several place values. Color coded numbers make it easier to learn place value. Game box was damaged in shipment is my only complaint.

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Awesome game. My students love it. I got it quickly. It is very durable and has become a favorite with my students.

Rhythm Band RB918 Rhythm Tom Boy Reviews

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I bought this for a preschool percussion kit, looking for something that would be portable, suitable for children, and offer a good sound. It delivers on all counts. The drum surface is a skin, with the natural variation you'd expect, though is quite a bit more translucent than the picture shows. I expect this to be a favorite of the rhythm box. Though I can't speak to its quality as a "real" instrument designed for use in a band, etc., I'm very pleased with the purchase.

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Geomagnetic Shapes Super Strong Magnets Reviews

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My son is in the first grade and is being taught about solid shapes. He was delighted to get this gift and was even happier when he realized that there were also magnets.

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Reviews of Playskool Busy Basics Form Fitter (Colors May Vary)

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List Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $9.92
Today's Bonus: 1% Off

I thought that this toy would be a great value for the money because you got so many different colored shapes, etc. However, I've learned that variety is not always the best thing--especially when it comes to mastering sorting skills.

The main drawback of this toy is that there are 18 different shapes to sort, and each shape fits one and only one hole. Imagine if you will, your average toddler who is just learning shapes and fine motor skills trying to master such a complicated task. Incredibly, it took both my husband and I several minutes to sort them because you have to turn the cube over and over looking for the right hole, and some of the shapes are only slightly different. There is absolutely no way that your average toddler could succeed at this task.

This toy is colorful and my daughter does enjoy dumping the shapes out, but there are many other shape sorters out there that have a skill level that's more appropriate for a toddler. Lamaze makes a great soft shape sorter, and Fisher-Price has one that only has three types of shapes to sort. I'd recommend either of those over this one.

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If you look at the reviews on this toy, you'll see that they skip 6 years between 2002 and 2008!! What's with that?? Just reading the first reviews before I ordered, I thought I was getting a shape sorter with 18 shapes! Well those were the people that gave it 5 stars.......back in 1999. The latest positive reviews are mostly from people who ordered this and are excited because they'll be getting the same toy for their grandchildren that they remember having years ago. (in other words they hadn't received it yet when reviewing) Well this isn't that toy! Playskool has cheapened it up BIG TIME. It only has 9 shapes now, amazon should really remove the reviews here that pertain to a totally different toy! I would have never ordered it had I skipped back several pages in the reviews to find the truth! Having the #1 review be from 1999 is a little misleading!! Also the shapes are cheap and hollow with only the top being solid, and the bottom is "open" to the hollow interior. (not shown in any pics, misleading again) The entire thing is just cheap junk now with not enough shapes to make it stand out from other nicer shape sorters out there. Would NOT recommend this toy unless Playskool gets a clue and starts making the 18 shapes people are expecting.

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I bought this for my son for [$] knowing that playskool was a pretty good brand..I was wrong about this toy. The top comes off even if you barely touch it..so my son just puts them in the big opening..that dosent teach much..I wouldnt purchase it for anyone and I will look for a new shape sorter for my son.

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We got this toy for my 16 month old, hoping she would grow into it. Well I'd say she has a lot of growing to do. Even I have to concentrate to get the shapes right. The top keeps coming off or getting stuck inside. We do have fun playing together with the shapes and me giving her hints where to put the shapes. I'm sure there is a better shape sorter out there. I would expext better from playskool. The toy wasn't too expensive for a box with plastic shapes.

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I was not impressed with the sorter box. It is very flimsy, and the top is always falling off. My child uses it as a basket instead of a sorter. Had to buy a different sorter.

Reviews of Bugsby Reading System Book - Word World

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WordWorld is a fantastic TV show and this is a fantastic product. You'll hear the original voices and music from the show (unlike the SuperWhy! Bugsby book). We've recommended the show to countless parents. If you've experienced any of the Bugsby books before, it shares the same features and benefits. There does seem to be a slight delay when pressing on the green arrows before Bugsby starts to read but not a big deal.

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My daughter loves her Bugsby reader, so I just restocked our book supply and this was one of my purchases. Cute story, very educational spelling and letters. ***For parents with nervous children: There is a line in the book about Sheep scaring the hiccups out of Duck with a scary mask. Then a picture of Sheep with the "scary" mask on the next page. It really isn't very frightening, but my daughter is extremely sensitive to things like this we had to put the book away. So if you have a very easily-frightened child, you might want to wait this one out. Still gave the book five stars, because not all children would react like this and the product is wonderful. Love the Bugsby books!

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My 4 yr old loves this book. It's been a good buy that will get lots of good use! I love that it's fun and educational.

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My little one is a young 3 year old and doesn't spend too much time on this toy yet. I'm hoping she'll get into it soon. Seems to be a good educational toy. The story is cute.

Buy Thames and Kosmos Physics Solar Workshop

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I bought this toy for my son's 10th birthday. He spent couple of hours creating the crane as instructed in the manual. The crane will not run in the sun or with a 100 Watt bulb. He tried to run it with one AA battery instead of the solar cell as written in the manual. It still will not run. If you just run the motor with the solar cell without any load on the motor, the motor runs with a 100 Watt bulb or in the sun. But as soon as you put any load on it, it stops running. I think 1.5 V motor just does not have any power to take any load. My son is extremely frustrated.

This is a very well designed product otherwise, with nice gears and other parts. The projects you can do with it like making cranes and vehicles are quite educational and fun to build. If they had provided a stronger motor and solar cell, this product would have been excellent and I would have given it a five star rating. But it is very frustrating when a product doesn't do what it is advertised to do.

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When I read the sole review here, and then read very positive reviews at another site which also sells it, I was perplexed about whether to buy it or not. I bought it. Today, as a test I built the first solar vehicle in the booklet. It was late afternoon, with high clouds partly obscuring the sun when I took the solar car outside to see if it would work. The car did propel itself with just the solar cell and motor. It was not fast, but it did work. Inside, a flashlight provided more speed and vigor.

I will be interested in building the other experiments in the booklet with our grandson. I will also explain to him that we may have to add another solar cell or two to the solar car and see how much added speed that provides, but that will make it an even better science toy!

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we tried several items and the contraptions work flawlessly in sunlight. i need to find a good portable indoor source that can do the same so we can have some fun indoors.

i found this an extremely educational toy for my daughter and we both had a ball reading the instructions together and figuring out what to do.

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Update 3/14/10: After trying out a few more projects i feel they missed out on one main component that would enhance this kit. They should have included a polarity switch that allows the motor to spin in either direction (without having to manually swap the wires, as is required now). There are many projects that have limited motion in one direction (such as elevator, crane) and it would be nice to reverse the motor direction through a switch.

But still this is an awesome kit that sparks imagination.

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My twelve year old and eight year old sons work together with this set and attempt to build at least one machine a week. This kit is very well constructed and the directions are clear. This is definately a quality product and well worth the investment.

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Bought for my 12 year old son. It was one of his favorite Christmas presents. He enjoyed figuring out how things worked and trying to see if he could alter it to do other things.

Discount Solar Powered Dancing CRAZY DAISY (Blue Pot) - in Bubble Package

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Love these! Wish I ordered more to give to friends! Great to put in a sunny window or car dash.

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I have several of them they all are in my kitchen window, they make you smile every day, worth having.

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I love this blue one, I purchased other colors and blue looks very good too. Love all of them, they are non stop dancing daisys.

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Quality made. As winter begins to wind down,we are seeing more sunshine in the Northwest. My flowers are dancing gleefully as the sun graces the windows.

Elenco SP3B Practical Soldering Project Kit Reviews

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I purchased this soldering kit along with the Elenco AmeriKit Learn to Solder Kit also available on Amazon, and the other kit is MUCH better. Here's why:

1) The other kit comes with a good soldering iron. Both kits have a spool of solder, but you'll have to buy a soldering iron if you get this kit.

2) This kit, when finished, gives you a board that blinks two alternating red lights. The other one is an alarm system that not only blinks the two LED lights, but also plays the sound of a European alarm when it's turned on.

Maybe it's just because I built this kit after the Elenco AmeriKit Learn to Solder Kit, but I was highly disappointed when I saw the very few amount of parts that came with this kit. That feeling was only reinforced when I put it together, turned it on, and was rewarded by...two blinking lights. The other kit was much more satisfying, and I would highly recommend that one if you need to learn how to solder.

I don't think anyone would need both kits to learn how to solder, either. One is sufficient to get you moving on to bigger and better projects, like robot kits.

EDIT 12/16/2011: The price on this kit has gone down since I purchased it, and is now competitively priced compared to the other kit I bought. If you already have a soldering iron, this kit would be a reasonable purchase, but for only three dollars more, I still recommend the other kit mentioned.

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This was a pretty fun little project and through doing it my soldering did improve a LOT. It was worth buying because of the learning aspect, but if you were to look at what you actually get in the way of parts, the price seems a bit steep.

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This is an excellent resource for those wanting to learn to solder. The instructions are clear and concise and the kit provides lots of practice. It does help if you have a multimeter to check your work but this isn't rocket science so that isn't really necessary.

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this kit does a good job of introducing you to basic through-hole electronics components and introducing you to the nuances of soldering.

the pamphlet that comes with it states you should have a 15-40 watt soldering iron. I purchased a 30 watt iron and burned the tracks on the first kit I bought. it should really advise you to purchase a 15 watt iron, or better yet -purchase a temperature controlled soldering station and set the temp to around 350 degrees F, perhaps more for lead free solder.

the solder that the kit comes with is lead free and extremely thick (perhaps 1mm) for such small through-hole work. it is much much easier to solder with ~0.3mm gauge solder. I recommend you purchase your solder separately.

all in all you're probably better off buying a prototyping board, some thin solder, and a good beginner electronics book. this kit attempts to do a lot of things and is only 'okay' at all of them.

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My first kit to build and I want to build more! the 2nd was the "Elenco AmeriKit Learn to Solder Kit". both are A+++++ for a start in electronics. Elenco AmeriKit Learn to Solder KitPractical Soldering & Parts Kit

Reviews of Gon Bops African Clave with Beater

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I would give this item a 5 stars rating, but the clave I received were tradictional clave not African clave.

African clave have a hole drill on both size, and are about a foot foot long, the one I received weren't neither

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Beautifully crafted sound, workmanship and appearance. Arrived in a timely manner considering it is the holiday season. However, not happy that African Instruments are being manufactured in Thailand. Excellent for Thailand, not so good for Africa and the tradition of African Instruments.

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Just a beginner on the Clave. The Gon Bops African Clave with Beater sounds Awesome. It may be a few dollars more than others but well worth the price. It produces numerous different sounds.... Each one sharp and distinct. I really like them.