Fisher Price Little People Shop'n Learn Market Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Since I am a retired educator who lives in Maryland, and my one and only grandchild lives in New York, I send her toys that are both educationally sound and full of interactive play value. This toy has been a real hit with her. Her mother comes from a Spanish-speaking family, so our grandchild is bilingual. I make a conscious effort to buy

toys and books that will enhance my grandchild's bilingual language development. I encourage other toy buyers to do the same. Toddlers learn languages more easily than others do.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

We bought this item for our son when he turned 4 years old. It is very educational and fun to play with.

It has been over a year and my son still loves playing with this toy.

I can only recommend it!!!!

Buy eeBoo Tell Me a Story - Mystery in the Forest

Customer Ratings:

We bought these for our 5-year-old received these for Christmas -a big hit! The cards are really high quality and durable. The illustrations are sweet and funny, just right for inspiring some good, wacky, nonsensical, mysterious -you name it -stories. As our 5-year-old is just learning to read, these have given her some new ways to think about storytelling and to build those cognitive skills as she develops her reading skills. Our 7-year-old is an avid storyteller and is enjoying them, too. Even our 2 1/2-year-old loves the pictures (she thinks the owl dressed in a police officer's hat talking to squirrels in a tree is hilarious). We know she will grow into these further, and the quality means they'll have some staying power. Highly recommended for good family fun and alone-time play that builds storytelling skills.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I bought these for my four year old daughter, as she has a very active imagination and loves to pretend play. The cards are lovely water color drawings on nice, heavy cardstock. They come in a neat little box with tray that slides in and out. The fist time we opened them, it took a little bit of time for her to get the hang of making up a story, but she got better with it as we went on and my helping her by taking turns. I agree that they do take up quite a bit of room to lay them all out at once, but she found this a little overwhelming anyway. So, I grouped them up as best I could (the pictures have lots of overlap to allow building the stories). Now when she opens them, there are small sets that *could* make a somewhat logical story. I think as she gets the hang of it, we'll be able to use more and more cards. These would make an excellent Christmas gift, and just hearing my little one tell ME the story is absolutely priceless!

Best Deals for eeBoo Tell Me a Story - Mystery in the Forest

This product is a great pre-reading idea for kids. My granddaughter loves making up her own stories. My sister is a Kindergarten teacher and she is buying a set for use in her classroom.

Honest reviews on eeBoo Tell Me a Story - Mystery in the Forest

Of the different games we have, Candyland, Memory, Go Fish, Guess Who, and even most of the apps on our iPhone, this is our favorite one. My three year old and I both love this game, her for the entertainment, and me both for it's educational value and the amount of fun we have playing it. I felt that I wasn't very good at making up stories, but my daughter was always asking for a new story. This game has helped us both become far better story tellers. I am amazed at the stories that both of us are able to make up. If you want to encourage your child to love reading, this is a great place to give them a love for stories. If they love something, they will be very motivated to learn. It improves their memory as you have the kids repeat stories. And their creativity just blossoms. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Rather than take a lot of heavy books on the road, I take this small box of cards. It does take up a lot of space, so it is better to spread them out on a hotel bed rather than in the airplane.

I bought the Fairy Tale Mix-up for a friend, and she said the card didn't have as many different items in each picture. She found it was harder to make up new stories without the various items that the Forest Story Cards contained.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for eeBoo Tell Me a Story - Mystery in the Forest

I bought this for my 4yo daughter, and she loves to play with these cards. We've played several different ways, and so far the best variation for her now is to deal 5-6 random cards in the deck and allow her to re-arrange them into any order and tell her story. (Dealing out all 36 cards was a bit overwhelming for her to start with.) We take turns dealing 5-6 cards to my daughter, myself, my husband, and even my 2yo daughter (she get 3 cards) and we will all take turns telling stories. My 4yo's stories have gotten a lot more creative. My 2yo loves to hear everyone's stories, and her stories are usually just very literal accounts of what she sees on the cards. My 4yo enjoys trying to pull a story out of her by asking questions like, "But why is the owl wearing a hat??" So far, this has been a lot of fun for all four of us.

Molecular Models Instructor Organic and Inorganic Molecular Model Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.00
Sale Price: $52.62
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

My wife majored in Chemistry and this is the best set she has ever seen. It is supposed to be one of the higher-end models, but it is much cheaper than the other brands that it is supposed to be compatible with.

We have a 5 year old son and we decided to get this set for his b-day. He LOVES it! It sticks together very well and doesn't fall apart when he drops it, but it is easy enough for him to pull apart and put away by himself. My wife said that she is a little jealous.

Definitely a good buy. 5 stars.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Cheap Frightened Grasshopper Robot - Mini Solar Kit

Customer Ratings:

I got this on sale for under four bucks. This toy is like the silicone vibrating bugs that were very popular, except it doesn't need batteries. It is a nice way to show the younger kids the concept of power coming from light and sun.

The main problem with this bug is that it need really bright sun before it can start moving around. On a mild cloudy day it will vibrate just a little bit. But indoor, it cannot move even if you shine it direct with a strong flashlight.

The head detaches very easily and you may want to put superglue on it. The legs are made of steel not the silicone legs popular with the other bugs.

We were looking and searching for the switch since we couldn't make it move when we first unpack it. I thought we received a DOA bug, but what it needs is a really bright sun.-

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Bought a couple of these as stocking fillers. My boys loved them! Not sure how long they'll last as they seem quite flimsy and only seem to work when in very bright sunshine but they met our expectations and kept the boys entertained while we cooked on Christmas morning.

Best Deals for Frightened Grasshopper Robot - Mini Solar Kit

Bought this for my son and first, yes it needs *direct* and *bright* sun to work at all. Then all it does is vibrate around. It's not a kit or anything. You just take it out, put it in sunlight and then ask, 'That's it???'

I've tried adjusting the legs, seeing if having one side bent up more could make it stutter in that direction and make more interesting, but no luck.

Dull.

Honest reviews on Frightened Grasshopper Robot - Mini Solar Kit

Bought three of these to build with my daughter and have solar robot cricket races. Unfortunately a big part of the reason for getting these is moot, this is not actually a kit, it is fully built and ready to go. Maybe it's the seller I got it from I don't know but the robots are fun. The educational value is severely curtailed since I couldn't build it with my daughter and that is very disappointing.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Frightened Grasshopper Robot - Mini Solar Kit

This is the second one I bought for my Grandson. He lost his first one and he loved it. Cute cheap gift idea and educational!

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

Customer Ratings:
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.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Reviews of HEXBUG Nano V2 Sky Max Set

Customer Ratings:

When I read in a USA Today review of hot new toysI was thrilled there was a new type of hexbug. My nephew loves his previous onesbut since these climbI am positive he will be very excited to get the brand new version for his birthday coming up. And his mom should be equally thrilled because his dad is getting another Nano V2 set so they can have several climbing "critters" in the house:)

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Best Accessories The Bundt Original Cookbook in Soft Cover Deals

Customer Ratings:

I've tried several of the recipes in the book. Easy to find ingredients. The bundts I have made don't last but 2 days. Great recipe book!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I bought this at the Bob's Red Mill store, which happens to be a couple miles from my house. I paid less than 5 bucks for it. The Nordic Ware website has it for six dollars, so I don't know where Amazon gets this 9 dollar price...

Having said that, the book itself is great. Mine has the same cover as the one reviewer posted (with the Kugelhopf-shaped cake on the cover), but the printing and quality of my book is better than what that reviewer received. I have only one minor issue with this book: there is a photo of a cake with its name and page number, but the cake is not anywhere in the book. I plan to e-mail Nordic Ware, and I'm sure they will send me the recipe, because their customer service is excellent.

I was specifically looking for scratch cake recipes and this book has 53 scratch cake recipes, as well as 43 recipes for yeast and quick breads I am excited to make a sweet yeast bread in my Bundt pan. Box cake mixes are not to my taste (just my opinion) but there are 24 recipes for cakes from a box mix. What I find interesting, and haven't tried yet, are the recipes for main dishes you can make in a Bundt pan: meatloaf, ham mold, a baked spaghetti ring, a "tamale" ring I would never have thought of these and it inspires me to make more use of my Bundt pans.

Update: The people at Nordic ware are so nice! They e-mailed the missing recipe to me immediately!

Best Deals for Accessories The Bundt Original Cookbook in Soft Cover

This is not a book, it is a cheap pamphlet (see photos I posted). The printing is crooked, the cover is poorly cut, and the binding is nothing but a couple of regular staples. The entire thing looks like someone printed the cover at home on photo paper, and used cheap paper for the pages. This pamphlet should come free with the Nordic Ware Bundt Cake Pans. Also, the cover of the "book" I received does not match the picture on Amazon. I would't pay more than the cost of shipping for this "book." I rated it with two stars simply because it does have several interesting recipes.

3/14/2012 The main photo of the "book" has changed since I bought it. Now, the photo shown on Amazon is a photo of the same "book" that I received.

8/15/2012 The main photo of the "book" has been changed back to the cover of the "book" shown when I ordered the it. However, the pamphlet I received did not match the picture. This makes me wonder, why did they change the main picture, again? Will a new shopper receive the currently shown cover or a different cover? Are there two versions of this "book"?

I STRONGLY urge you to view the photos of the "book" I took and posted on Amazon.

Honest reviews on Accessories The Bundt Original Cookbook in Soft Cover

Great recipes in a small cookbook. The best thing is that these make beautiful cakes and they're all designed to go into bundt pans a made in America product!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Accessories The Bundt Original Cookbook in Soft Cover

I thought some of the recipes looked good but too many of them were very dated. I was hoping for more 'from scratch' recipes and was disappointed to find many of them used boxed cake mixes. But I know that was a popular thing to do at the time this book was written. For that reason, I think this book was a little overpriced for what it is.

Discount Little Leaps SW: Winnie the Pooh

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $7.18
Today's Bonus: 52% Off

My daughter loves her other Little Leaps games, but this one is a dud. Maybe it's just her, but she prefers the interactive puppets versus the cartoons. Not only that, but there are fewer games on this one than the other puppet type games.

If you already have the others, then you may want this one to add to your collection.

If you don't have others, I'd recommend the LeapFrog Little Leaps' Play & Move instead.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Overall great product easy to use and my son enjoys it. I would recommend using this as soon as your child is interested

Best Deals for Little Leaps SW: Winnie the Pooh

So all this Winnie the Pooh game does is tell a story. To get farther into the story, the child has to hit a button, any button. It is too basic. No learning challenge.

Honest reviews on Little Leaps SW: Winnie the Pooh

This is a great game. My son loves it. It is very educational and he gets to use a controller, so he likes that. Pooh is a great educational motivator. Who doesn't want to do what pooh asks of them!?! haha

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Little Leaps SW: Winnie the Pooh

Both my boys love this and we have gotten alot of use out of it. Its easy to use and works well for both my boys ages, 19mo and 3yrs old.

My First Lab Prepared Slide Set Combo Pack - Creepy Crawlies Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Our daughter loves hand on Science, is curious,likes bugs, and to be surprised seeing a slide under a microscope of something that is really Cool and/or Awesome that has actually been there all along but....you just couldn't see it! We had trouble with her in lower grades in science and I learned she was bored and enjoyed seeing, touching, and watching! I got her a microscope, simple experiment book, and "My First Lab Prepared Slides Combo Pack". She loves Science! The slides are clear,they are made of glass, but they are interesting and fun and make them want to see and explore more! Every kid that came into the house wanted to see them. We still have them, they are not used everyday now(still used sometimes), but are and were worth the value to capture her attention, make her want to see and to explore more, and she loves science and her microscope now! She wants to make her own slides and put everything under the microscope!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Amazing slides. They compare to the slides I used in high school. I am very impressed with their quality. Very nicely mounted on glass.

Best Deals for My First Lab Prepared Slide Set Combo Pack - Creepy Crawlies

Looked at these several times and learned about insects, etc. Said it was fun. I was hoping he would ask for more, but not that interested or I would have given this 5 stars.

Honest reviews on My First Lab Prepared Slide Set Combo Pack - Creepy Crawlies

Purchased these slides for my 8yr old, she really enjoys them! I also purchased the First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope, which works very well.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for My First Lab Prepared Slide Set Combo Pack - Creepy Crawlies

This was a great offer for the price. It's for my sons birthday so we haven't opened it yet. It arrived in great condition and quickly.

Reviews of Plan Toy Hammer Balls

Customer Ratings:

I love this toy. When my 18 months got it she played with it for an hour every day. It is such a wonderful quality. The holes have rubber trimmings inside that hold the balls from falling through right away when placed onto the holes. You can even push them down with your fingers if you wish not to have a hammer around in my case with a newborn in the house just to be on the safe side!

My daughter loved it without the hammer as well. She was fascinated with what happens to the balls when she pushed them down. They always end up on one side of the toy.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Our son loves this toy! It is well made, and the balls are easy to either push or pound into the holes. When he was under 1 year he enjoyed pushing them through. He also seemed to prefer these wooden balls for playing with over plastic ones. Now that he is 1.5 years he is really into pounding and hasn't gotten tired of the simplicity of the toy. It is well made and solid. Perhaps when he is older we may add some material (maybe masking tape inside the holes, around the edges) to make it a little more difficult to pound them through.

I'd say the ideal age is 6 months to 2 years, although I'm sure he will play with it longer. I'm recommending it for young children because they can use it as a very simple shape sorter, pushing the balls through the holes, watching them disappear momentarily, and then roll out.

Best Deals for Plan Toy Hammer Balls

I love Plan Toys, and this one in particular is a beautiful keepsake. However, the wooden balls are quite hard and just the right size for my 13 month old to throw across the room with ferocious force! I'm worried that if another child or a pet were around, he could really hurt someone. Same goes with the hammer. He hammers away at the balls with energy and force. If this same force were used on a person or a pet, serious harm could be done!

My son loves this toy however. He often pushes the balls into the holes with his hands and the hammer is not even a consideration. He learned quickly how to play with this toy (with and without the hammer). The toy itself is simple enough for him to gain confidence, and he repeats the process over and over again, keeping him entertained.

I would recommend this toy, but only while an adult is sitting with the child while he / she plays with it. Left to his own devices, someone could get injured by the parts. Adult supervision is a must with this one!

Honest reviews on Plan Toy Hammer Balls

I gave this to my 2 year old grandson for his birthday. He plays with it over and over. Although the concept is simple, he enjoys repeatedly putting the balls on top and hitting them so they roll out the bottom. He says "1-2-3" while playing, or names the colors as he hits them. He has a long attention span for this toy!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Plan Toy Hammer Balls

My 9-month old son initially didn't know what to do with this toy, and I actually didn't think it looked like much fun just hitting balls into holes. He first learned to place the balls into the holes, then to push the balls through. What was beautiful to watch, however, was the other ways he played with this toy. He pushed other little toys through the holes--some fit through while other didn't. He turned the bench upside down and placed the balls on the ramp, watching them roll off. He also turned the bench on its side and balanced the balls on the slit. We let him play with the mallet a couple of weeks later, always under our supervision. This toy is solidly-made with quality materials, withstanding all his banging and teething. I am very pleased with this purchase!

Cheap DIZZY DISC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $155.98
Sale Price: $89.00
Today's Bonus: 43% Off

My uncle bought me the Dizzy Disc when I was about 5 and now 11 years later, I still love to spin! But I have to admit that I have become kind of addicted. My advice would be not to use the Dizzy Disc for prolong amounts of time and to cover your feet when using because serious bruising can occur due to the grooves on the Disc. I can spin for hours now and I almost wish that my parents had taken it away from me way back when. Maybe its just me but I spin with my Ipod in I feel less stressed. Anyhow, I love my Dizzy Disc and will keep it forever!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

My autistic son, who is 5, was constantly craving to spin. We got him this toy at a on line store, Pocket full of therapy, p f o t dot c o m and has the cheapest price for it includding shipping. So far he has overcome that need and can last not too long, which is a good thing for him.

Best Deals for DIZZY DISC

We bought the Dizzy Disc for my son with PDD and sensory issues. He loves to be in motion, and I thought this would be a good pick. Both of my kids love this, and when we had a playdate at our house with five other kids, they were lined up to take a turn spinning. The Dizzy Disc is rated for users up to 150 pounds, so even I took a turn. It's a blast to use, and you can really get moving.

Most people's experience with a spinning toy is with the Sit 'n' Spin, which was a decent toy back in the '70s when I was a kid. Today's Sit 'n' Spins are very cheaply made, and only spin for the smallest kids. Even then, the kids don't really get moving very well. This product is very sturdy, with integrated ball bearings, and it goes fast.

The seating surface is big enough for kids and smaller adults to sit, lie on their bellies, kneel, or even stand (with a spotter you could seriously kill yourself without one). The Disc also has an adjuster to change the angle of the platform for additional challenge.

This is a great pick for any kids, but especially appealing for those with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorder. This was well worth the price, and will be a keeper in our house.

Honest reviews on DIZZY DISC

This is a really great toy. It will be used forever, is well made, and even the adults like it. Kids love to get dizzy, and the way it tilts and can change makes them go back for more and more. We had one for a lot of years, and it never had to be put away for 6 months (like most of our other toys) so that the kids would want it again. Is so easy...no pieces to clean up. Handle makes it simple to carry and put back in the closet.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for DIZZY DISC

Use this when we take a break from homework assignments. I just say let's go spin for a minute! Neighborhood kids love it too......sturdy for 5 yrs to 25! My SPD kid loves it, as he never gets dizzy. It's fun to see him be able to spin longer than the other kids who get dizzy fast. He loves to be the WINNER!

Best VTech Spin & Smile Camera (Pink) Deals

Customer Ratings:

my daughter loves this camera. filled it up pretty quickly with lots of pictures from her 3rd birthday. she also loves the games it has on it. very fast shipping.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I purchased this item for my granddaughter. I like this camera for children. It enables them to take movies, still pictures and also pictures of themselves. However she did receive a duplicate one, so I returned the one I purchased and the return went well and credit to my account was quick. I would order from this company again. Quick shipment, item just as stated, and no hassle return. Just what I look for in a company.

Inchimals Review

Customer Ratings:

I hesitantly bought this toy for my son for Xmas, trying to find something for him to learn math with. He is a bright 3.5 year old. I figured I would be working with him using these wooden rulers, which are of a much higher quality than I was expecting. So on Xmas he opens the toy, and plays with them himself, measuring daddy's foot, his own foot, etc. I show him the included book about how the rulers represent numbers, and how these numbers can be added together... just a cursory review. Well, about an hour later I was in the kitchen, and he comes running in and says, "Mommy! Guess what? Eight plus four is twelve!". Needless to say, I was pretty amazed... so I would have to say this is a pretty amazing toy --you WILL have to work with the child, its not necessarily something that will fascinate them for long hours of play like legos or something... but it sure does hit the nail on the head when it comes to learning math. And its fun, too. I can't tell you how impressed I am. Plus, these rulers are build to last... so long as you don't throw them in the bath or something. I highly recommend this set.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Pros:

-Great idea for a toy that teaches math! The idea is in the spirit on Montessori counting rods (check those out too!). There are 12 rods/blocks ranging from 1-12 inches tall; each features a different animal. My son loves to add up two animals to get the third one. At age 3, he uses included notebook with tasks independently (by himself) and even scribbles appropriate numbers in the notebook. This is one of the toys that he picks up and works with by himself:).

Cons:

-Upon opening the box there was a strong smell like that of some markers, or glue?. Blocks did not smell, just the box, maybe it was the marker that was included in the box. The blocks are made in China.

-Blocks came with some small defects in paint and the edges chip off paint very fast. The paint cover is glossy like that on Thomas and Friends wooden locomotives, but chips much easier.

-On one side of the block, there are little stripes marking the inches like on the ruler, but without numbers. My son counts the stripes and there is always one two many (he does not know that you don't count the first one). It would be better if one-inch intervals were indicated with alternating colors as in Montessori counting rods.

Otherwise, perfect toy and learning material.

Best Deals for Inchimals

I found this toy described in a home schooling magazine and sought out a more reasonable price here at Amazon. (Which I found when I purchased the Inchimals last week... $22).

My almost 5 year old LOVES this product. We have been extremely casual about pre-school this year, and he begs to "do school" with the Inchimals. He has been measuring toys and household items. He has also been learning to recognize the numbers he hadn't mastered yet.

They are great in that they are specific lengths and can be laid out (or stood up like stairs) to show the relationship in size. He can see that 7 is bigger than 6. He can count the marked out inches along the side or dots on the end. As we have only had this product a few days now, I can see how in the future we can use them as a tool for learning addition and subtraction. This is the best math manipulative!

Honest reviews on Inchimals

Nearly 5-yo son thoroughly enjoys this, and I'm very impressed with it. Lots of creative and structured uses.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Inchimals

I bought this item for my young grandchildren. My daughter wanted to use it in her homeschooling. One child is 5 and the other one is 2 1/2. She said she had to take them away from them because the paint chipped right away.

Best Chutes and Ladders Children's Board Game - Milton Bradley Deals

Customer Ratings:

Perfect for a first board game for my just turned four year old granddaughter. Even Grandma doesn't get tired of playing. Parents need to remember there are small pieces so the game must be put up before smaller children come around..

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Chutes and Ladders is a fun and classic game. My daughter is 3 1/2 and really enjoys this game. It has a fun new board.