Review of LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System - Pink

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Some of the other reviewer didn't like the new smaller screen, but it didn't seem to bother my child & I liked it because I could use screen protectors meant for the PSP (you just have to trim some of the length)to save the screen from smudges and scratches.

If you are trying to decide between this and the L-Max, I'd save your money for extra games and buy the Leapster all the L-max games work perfectly fine on the regular leapster and the tv functions of the L-max really aren't all that great (it's strength is still as a hand-held system). And it your leapster is the new sleeker model the battery pack in the back takes the l-max charger not the leapster charger.

If you are trying to decide between this and v-smile, get the Leapster the v-smile seems tempting because the games are cheaper, but their software isn't very original, it's educational, but the different titles just seem to repeat -as if they pasted the different characters into the same game senarios. The leapster games are alot richer (for example in the spongebob game when the user has to count coins if they don't have the correct amount they can hit a button to "make change" from a larger coin, v-smile games don't give you that kind of flexibility in the game play) and they feel more like games (the sidescrolling worlds in Numbers on the Loose has zero jumping and rolling and bouncing that is enough like nintendo type games to let them feel they are playing and not just learning) & the tutorials/helps are very good at explaining what the user needs to do to complete the task.

When we first bought our Leapster we took it out of the box carefully and tested it when our child wasn't around so we could take it back if we didn't like it but we were pleasantly pleased & if you are looking for educational gaming that will grow with your kids (or can go with your kids, if you are out and about much) you'll love this too. If you buy this be sure to invest in a charger or simply some rechargeable AA batteries and a quick charger (a cheaper option if you aren't going to use the ac adapter that comes in the charging kit). My only other comment,an probably biggest complaint would be to watch out for the built in software that comes on the new sleeker Leapsters it comes with an advertising commercial to introduce your child to all the wonderful titles available that they may not know about -and it's built in, you can't get rid of it! Very annoying leapster! Very annoying!

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The new pink/purple leapster has a nicer design than the old version. I like the new pen holder on the front. The arrow dial on the left side is better than the older (round)version, too. HOWEVER, we are exchanging it for the older version. The reason: THE SCREEN! The new leapster's screen measures only 5.4 cm the old version screen measures 7 cm. Also, the pen on the new leapster is smaller. Customer service said everything on the new design is smaller "to accomodate smaller hands"...that's nice, but it also requires better fine motor skills which smaller hands do not necessarily have. For those of you who purchase this and are considering the recharging kit I was told that this design needs the L-max recharger.

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I have two of these, one Leapster and one L-max that I got for my twins for their 4th Birthday a few days ago.

I let them play with their games for the entire day on their birthday, without restriction...all with a plan in mind...

The PROS:

Once the kids found out how much fun the games are and how easy it is to learn while playing, they won't put them down...you may not feel like this is a 'pro' except that now, I make them earn time on the games. They get 10 minutes for putting their toys away; 10 minutes for making their beds; 10 minutes for helping with laundry, etc...up to 1 hour of play a day...I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MUCH HELP AROUND THE HOUSE! As Dr. Phil says, "Find their currancy". Well, I have found it. They are doing what I ask, when I ask...if they don't, time gets taken away. I wish I had thought of this while they were potty training! This is working much better than the 'marbles' for allowance system...they have no concept of money yet. Great toy with lots of variations and levels of play. Good Job LEAPFROG!

THE CONS:

I went through 4 sets of batteries (for the entire day) before I sped out the door for a rechargable battery system. I'm going back again today for another recharging system. I've called Leapfrog and they said that the battery packs, themselves, cost as much as the entire recharging kit, so they do not offer additional battery packs for purchase. You can play with just the AC Adapter that comes with the recharging system, but that has been a pain so far, since one Leapster has a battery pack and the other has to be played off the AC Adapter, and then plugged back in to the recharging unit at night to recharge the L-max. I have forgotten to plug it back in a few times and had problems explaining that Mommy's memory is fading and that they will have to wait to play again until the batteries are recharged.

Overall, I love the product. I haven't had any problems so far, but the units are only a week old. We will have to see. I just love how orderly my house is now that I have found a way to tempt them into picking up their toys. And the tantrums are down as well. If they start screaming over anything, they lose time...my house has NEVER been so quiet since the day they were born! YEE HA!

UPDATE 7/23/2008

Both the leapster and the Lmax are still going strong, however the units are looking very, very worn, scratched and beaten because they are loved. We have an immense library of cartridges...19 at last count....everyone very unique, educational and entertaining. It's been about 2 1/2 to 3 years now and the rechargable battery packs are finally giving out. They just don't hold the charge like they used to. I have also bought the new Didj (see that review) and am never disappointed by Leapfrog.

Honest reviews on LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System - Pink

I was so disappointed when I go this Leapster home from the store. I bought it for my 5 y.o. after she had played with her cousin's older version. When I got the new one home I was frustrated to see that not only is the screen quite a bit smaller, but there are only two games on the new version! The older one has a chicken matching game and shape game that are not on this new version. The new one only comes with the coloring game and rabbit river game, and one really tacky game icon that advertises all the other games available for the leapster. Luckily, I was still able to buy the older version at the store.

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Both of my daughters received Leapsters from Santa last year. My older one wanted a red one and my younger a pink one. The red one was an L-Max and this was the only pink one. I believe they now have a pink L-Max, but in my opinion spending the extra money on the L-Max isn't worth it. The only difference is you can hook it up to the tv, which we've never done because the whole fun of the Leapster for my girls is that they can take it anywhere. I was worried that the L-Max games wouldn't work on the "plain" Leapster, but that is not the case. All of the games are interchangable. However, you can't play a non-L-Max game on the tv, which again, doesn't matter to us anyway.

Also, I wouldn't bother buying the recharging station. We just use rechargable batteries and they work just fine.

Cheap VINCI Baby Haha Music Video Adventures DVD (English)

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Very entertaining for babies. Only thing is the graphics are too computerized for my taste. Everything moves at the same time, like robots. But songs and rhythms are great. Our baby's hooked!

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Cheap Carson Dellosa Key Education Sign Language in the Early Childhood

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when i received these cards they impressed me at how simple and easy they were to follow and i have started to use them with my son for communication, we have even taken pictures of each card and loaded on his ipad for him to learn as well in his developmental assistance program.

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Hexbug Bridge Battle Set Review

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I picked these up from Target. Let me tell you their prices, because some online ones (including, sadly Amazon, atm) are really, really off:

-Habitat: $30, included THREE hex arenas, THREE straight pieces, TWO curved ones, and, most importantly TWO nano bugs! Don't pay more than $30 for it, I've seen it on Amazon for nearly twice that.

-Starter set: $12, included ONE hex arena, TWO curved pieces, ONE nano bug.

-Single nano bug: $8.

I'd *highly* recommend the habitat set, it's the BEST value by far, assuming you don't get a horrible online price.

The starter set is not a bad deal, but it's not as much fun as the habitat.

The individual nano bugs are kind of expensive, and no way to start. Without SOME sort of habitat pieces, you're just chasing this thing around the room. But that may be fun too!

So.... what are these things?

I thought they were little robots. Turns out this is generally what HEXBUGs are, but they've been scaling them down to simpler and simpler things.

These things are completely dumb, no sensors at all. But the design is brilliant.

They have little curved rubber legs that don't move. They have an on switch. When you turn then on, they vibrate. That's it.

But that's all that's needed. They SHOOT across a flat surface, and when they hit a wall, they shoot off at at angle. They even right themselves if they are on their side or back. It's an elegant design. The result is something that looks and behaves amazingly similar to a cockroach, but simply consists of a vibrator (motor with weight), battery, and rubber legs. That's it!

The shapes of the case allows it to both bounce off of walls and right to themselves. They are unstoppable.

I don't know how long the battery lasts, but you can replace it.

My 2 year old LOVES them. He can easily turn them on or off, and he can't (short of immersing one in water) hurt them. He's given each of them names and attaches a lot of personality to them, he acts like they're pets. They are a good size for him, no moving parts to break. It's actually a brilliant little toy.

I kind of want to turn the habitat into a gambling game... roll a couple of them into a habitat (like dice) and first one to exit the open door wins. They are surprisingly entertaining.

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Once again, another seller on Amazon advertises the more expensive set and is selling the cheaper set. That's very dishonest, at best, but Amazon didn't publish my last review where I used stronger language. This is the third different company that I've seen selling it, so something fishy is going on, but the consistent thing is describing the more expensive set.

If it doesn't have a large ORANGE piece, then IT IS *NOT* THE BRIDGE BATTLE! The MSRP of the Bridge Battle Playset is $39.99. We finally had to buy it at Target to make sure we got the right thing because Amazon doesn't stand behind third-party sales the way they do their own products.

Once again, the Habitat set MSRP is $29.99 and is available locally for that price.

DO NOT BUY A BRIDGE BATTLE SET THAT DOESN'T HAVE AN ORANGE ***BATTLE BRIDGE***.

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$59! on sale for $30 at ToysRUs, regular price is $35, wow this is really expensive over priced even for Amazon. Check before you buy this item.....

Honest reviews on Hexbug Bridge Battle Set

Got this for my 6 year-old. The habitat actually surprised me, I thought they are just cheap pieces of tubes and little hexagon arenas. They are cleverly thought out and well built. The hexagons have gates that you can close or open on 6 sides and you can interconnect them in so many ways.

My son's only complaint is that the pieces are somewhat difficult to engage and disengage. But once he got the hang of it, it was OK.

Comes with 2 hexabugs. It is more fun to have more than one hexabugs. We already have 1 green, and then 2 more that came with this set. Ours came with a blue and a rare black bug.

You can also enjoy the bugs even sans the habitat. They are so fun to release them on the wild. Let them run around the table or the hardwood floor. (They don't move as much on carpets). Just watch Youtube videos, they have tons of them. It is like a geek toy, your personal microbot.

The batteries are cheap if you search online. 20 pieces for a few bucks. Each bug uses only 1 battery and you will need a watch type screwdriver to replace it.

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I put this set together for my little nephew (3 years old) and he loved the little vibrating bugs. He quickly bored with it, as did I, when you realize that the "battle" is really just a matter of which bug will fall off the orange disc on its own accord. The bugs themselves seem fairly durable with high grade silicone for the body and a buff inner vibrator/battery compartment. The track snaps together fairly easily but the legs that hold up the upper levels are very wimpy and wouldn't last a solid play session with younger kids.

Apparently this set has two "ultra rare" bugs (the white and black one) that only larger sets come with so yay for adding to your kid's collection.

Do yourself a favor and tack on a large pack of button batteries to your order if you plan on playing with these for more than a day or two.

Review of If I were a Giraffe Book 6" by Jellycat

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List Price: $16.74
Sale Price: $12.25
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I bought these for my friends son who turned one. Before we gave them as gift, my daughter and I read them to see what they were like. They were really cute. The added tail adds something extra that some feel and learn books don't offer; makes it that much more fun!!

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If I were an owl is a great book. If I were a giraffenot nearly as interesting with respect to the textures or storyline. My 11 month old daughter does like the tail attached to the book... And it's sturdy so probably won't fall off. However my husband and i were disappointed with the lack of creativity relative to the owl Book. Besides the tail, my daughter doesn't care for it much either.

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My 2 yr. old granddaughter loves giraffes....this little book is perfect for her little fingers to hold, touch and feel.

Reviews of PowerTouch Learning System - Dragon Tales: Search for Baby Rhyme

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I am so sorry for waiting waaayyy too long before writing a review but we bought the "computer" base at a goodwill for 5 bucks and so I spent about 50 bucks on a whole bunch of books and I have to tell you, two of my kids went through them and I am getting ready to send the whole lot to goodwill with the hopes that another family will have fun with the set. Two thumbs up.

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Why in the world would the price for this item be $1498.99??? Is that a typo? Who in their right mind would purchase a kid's book for this much? Ridiculous!!!

Discount Celestial Seeker

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I first saw the Celestial Seeker when a co-teacher had it in class. I thought it would be nice for myself and my older children. I have not had a chance to use it, but hope to soon.

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Best Early Lingo German 6-DVD Box Set Deals

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My kids like these DVDs for a few minutes then quickly get bored. They are informative and well done for kids, though.

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These are very good. I bought them separately and then bought a separate boxed set as a gift.

I wish there were a child's book to go with each disc.

Reviews of Blue iTilt Portable Desktop MP3 / iPod Speaker VStyle by Vivitar

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Well, this item has very little product info, so I took a chance and purchased it. I wanted something inexpensive that I could take on picnics and weekend getaways. This is the perfect little MP3 Mini dock for travel or a desk at work. I'm not sure why this is listed in the toy category, probably because it was geared toward youngsters.

The sound quality is low grade, so if you're looking for high quality audio, you'll have to spend a lot more money. This iTilt takes 4 AAA batteries (not included), and it has an input for a wall plug converter 110 ACV to 6 volts DC. However, no converter is included. Even so, you can buy a compatible converter at Radio Shack for less than 10 bucks. It also happens my old Palm Pilot charger has the right voltage and plug and seems to work fine with it. But if you experiment with old converters, be sure you know what you're doing -the voltage can be no more than 6 DCV.

It works with a little fold-out stand that exposes a dock with a prong to place your iPod or other MP3 player onto. In the event you have another type of device, it also comes with a double male-ended plug/cord that inputs in the back of the unit. So, for example, if you have a Motorola phone with music storage, you can use the plug/cord accessory to get connected and listening to music.

It measures approx 6.5 inches long and 3 inches tall. It's a nice value if you just want a simple player to take your music from place to place with no hassles.

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Spanish Verb Wheel Reviews

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It's an excellent product. My students find it very useful. I like how it'll fit into a loose-leave binder. OLE!

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This is a great tool for learning verb conjugations, however, it is very flimsy thick paper. Seriously, it is not even decent cardstock. This will NOT stand up to being in a child's school binder for a year. Prepare to replace it every year (doable considering the low cost) or plan to buy a better quality wheel. Such as the Dial-Verb-5000 on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Dial-Verb-Kenneth-Bryant/dp/0961688416

Discount Children's Walking Rope

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Got this for my daughter's preschool after chaperoning a field trip and realizing how hard they had to work to keep the kids in line. The kids love this. The soft shapes are fun and comfortable so they don't complain about it hurting your hands like some of the other ones.

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Having a child with a disability this helped with daily chores at home and even at the store when she did not want to go in the cart. She loves these rings.

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My daughter's preschool teachers were thrilled with this class gift! It's durable, colorful, and it's practical. It's a great addition to any classroom and is also a great value!

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We bought this rope for the preschool at church and it works great. The kids follow instead of running around. The rope seems to be very well made and we haven't had any issues with tears.

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This walking rope greatly helped the k-4 teacher at our school. The children love to hold onto the rope which helps get them in line much more quickly.

Best Lauri Toys Number Play Deals

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List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $12.93
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This is a perfect puzzle/toy/game for preschoolers, special needs kids, etc. They are very durable, washable, will last!! You can use them as puzzles, use the small pieces for sorting & counting, use the numbers to teach counting & writing numbers, the puzzle boards can be used as stencils...the possibilities are endless for a seemingly 'simple' idea. These are great, & a must-have!

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This is a great toy because it is so versatile. You can use it as a puzzle or use the pieces alone for a variety of counting, matching, and sorting games. I would highly recommend all the Lauri toys; we have several and my youngest two kids (ages 3 and 6) enjoy all of them. We homeschool, and I keep these in a box of toys I only get out during school to keep my 3yo busy at the table. This keeps the toys special and keeps the pieces from getting lost.

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I got both the alphabet and the number puzzle toys from Lauri and I'm pretty pleased with both of them. My son (24 months old) is playing with the number puzzle more, just because it's easier for him right now. He would occasionally play with the alphabet one too but only with my help. Overall, I recommend both.

Honest reviews on Lauri Toys Number Play

This is an interesting toy. Our 22m old liked it a lot. When we opened it we took away most of the cards and gave our daughter only 3 cards. There are a lot of parts and we did not want them to get lost. Cards are not too large only about 2.5in by 4in. online picture made it look like these cards were 8in by 11in. Now that we played with it I am glad they are small. Our daughter likes the size. The problem that we had with this set is that the foam is too thin. I wish it was thicker. Cards are very soft. When our 22m old caries them around parts can come out. I would not give these cards to the kid and walk away. This toy is a lot of fun when you play with it together.

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This seems like a simple toy that kids might get bored with, but no! It keeps the attention of kids from toddler age up to about 5. Great for counting, sorting, fine motor, vocabulary. It does have a lot of little pieces, but since my kids have been so engaged with it, and putting the pieces back in is the whole point, the kids have been amazingly self-monitoring about keeping track of the parts! Now on its 5th kid, my toddler is using 1, 2 and 3 and will move on to other numbers soon. Highly recommended-few toys offer this much learning and fun for the price.

Reviews of Set 5: Word Families (Hot Dots Phonics Flash Cards)

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I purchased this product because I had a kindergarten child I tutored who needed help in developing decoding skills. I thought they would enjoy this as one way of working on decoding skills together. Unfortunately it was too difficult; this child was able to work with the initial consonant tasks but found it draining. However another kindergarten child loved it. She enjoyed using it with me and we talked about the choices she made and what the alternatives would have resulted in (in terms of the words, not the pen noises). I see the value in using it in the gen ed classroom for partner or independent practice with first graders... perhaps as a center. With younger readers or struggling readers I would suggest cooperative work 1:1... same with home use. In other words, depending on the reading ability of the child I would recommend it as a cooperative activity or independent activity, but that it is not for beginners or children still struggling with single letter sounds. It's for kids who are ready for or working with onsets/rimes or word families.

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The picture that was given upon my purchase was that of a hard-shelled box. I received the purple cardboard box that is now shown. Not a huge deal but I would liked to known (the cardboard box is to flimsy in my opinion for children). Hot Dots in general works on the honor system with children, if they are not being directly supervised. I purchased this set as a supplement to our curriculum. My children enjoy it, but for me to see any benefit from it, I am needed for guidance. It is not an awful product and I can certainly see it working well for other families.

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My daughter is a sponge with this kind of stuff... she is really enjoying the hot dots games. Great gift. fast shipping

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Hot Dots are amazing. My Pre-K class loves them, and they don't even realize they are being assessed! Great product.

Review of VTech V-Motion Smartridge: Wild Waves

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My three year old daughter loved this game. I knew she would since she loves the water. This game is good for new spellers and counters and the system itself is a great intro to gaming. My husband and I even enjoy playing it!

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This game is fun for my 5 year old grandson and is what I wanted for him. Good clean fun for a child.

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its fun and educated my son loves it very entertaining and keeps him focus on his goal of finishing the game

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My son loves this game! he plays it all the time. thank you, i bought it at a low price, which is always a good thing.