LeapFrog LeapReader Learn to Read, Volume 2 (works with Tag) Review

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I am an elementary school teacher. Even though my family has officially banned anymore educational toys from my children's playroom (instead insisting on some "regular" toys), I just couldn't help myself. I love LeapFrog® toys. I have had my eye on the Tag since my oldest son was 2½, but finally at 4½ I feel he is ready for it.

This set includes six books: Long A, Long I, Long O, Long U, Y as a vowel, and a Review book. They are different from regular Tag books in several ways. There are no licensed characters featured in the set (e.g. Dora, Diego, SpongeBob). They are also paperback books. The biggest difference though is the educational substance of this set. With regular Tag books, a child has the option to play games (book-wide or page-wide games), have the entire page read to them (like a Story Reader), to point to the individual word and have it read, or point to any graphic on the page and have it do something. While these books have all of that, this set is additionally designed for TEACHING phonics. Each book page has three modes the child can choose from: Say It (default), Sound It, and Spell It. I will describe each:

' Say It just like regular Tag books, you put the Tag pen on an individual word and it will say it.

' Sound It (or phonics mode) sounds out individual consonants, vowels, or special grouped combinations (like "ea", "ou", "kn", etc) which are too difficult to explain efficiently in this learning format. For example: while running the Tag pen across the name Lily, it would sound out, "Llllll ih lllll eeeee, Lily." You will also hear things like, "this e is silent," and other phonics rules.

' Spell It self-explanatory

What makes this set so unique is the phonics mode. LeapFrog should incorporate it into all of their Tag books. The Long E sound is missing. Long Y could have been incorporated into the Long I book to exaggerate the point of their similarity ("spy" "sky" and "bike" "hike") to make way for a Long E book. Perhaps they left it out because E is not long "stand alone" and needs another vowel to combine with it to sound long ("feat", "bee", "sea", "ear"). Long E still has a functional sound and should be addressed for consistency's sake, especially given that the books include and acknowledge other vowel combos, and especially given that no vowel is long stand-alone without another vowel helper like the silent E (in June, huge, dune, rule, lone, cane) or within a vowel combo like (suit, fruit, bait, loan).

Also, each book does not make a point to EMPHASIZE the vowel sound they are trying to teach other than simply including a lot of words with that sound in the story. In my opinion, it should be exagerrated textually and phonetically so the child can make the connection. Overall though, this is a helpful set, I like it better than regular Tag books, and it WILL help your child.

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One problem I personally find with most educational toys is the age rating. Age 4-7 and 5-8 are huge ability gaps (yet these are how the Tag books are age-grouped) and I do not think all books are appropriate within the full range specified. I especially notice this in the Tag Junior books which say they are for 2-4 year olds (which I bought for my 3-year-old and some of the books are appropriate for my 15-month old!). While the Tag Reader and Tag Junior reader are appropriate for the ages specified, Tag books should be more precisely age-rated perhaps 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8. Some Tag books are way over a 4or 5-year-old's head and some of the books are not challenging enough for 7to 8-year-olds. I bought some books for my 4½ year old that he enjoys listening to but cannot fully utilize yet, which is disappointing.

Unlike me, read up on the book content before buying and that should ensure you spend your hard-earned dollars on what your child will use NOW and not something that will be used in a year or two! Amazon, Wal-mart, and Toys-R-Us reviews are very helpful in this. HTH!

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Excellent value for money. This set is currently not sold in the UK and I've had to purchase it through family in the States. A shame really as the books have allowed my daughter to excel in her reading skills in a very short space of time. I thereafter went on to buy the Long Vowels series and other Leapfrog Tag books and games. Excellent products for an enthusiastic child you loves learning. Would definitely recommend.

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I bought these for my son who is learning how to read. He likes the book and "reads" them regularly with his leapfrog pen. They are paperback so I would recommend taking care of them and buying a hard case to store them in (we bought the leapfrog case that holds a lot of books and has a slot for the reader pen) or they may be damaged. These along with hooked on phonics seem to really be helping my child to read and he enjoys the freedom of being able to learn from them without an adult being there. If you have the reading pen and get these for a decent price they are worth the investment.

Honest reviews on LeapFrog LeapReader Learn to Read, Volume 2 (works with Tag)

My son enjoys all of his LeapFrog products but I think he enjoys this best because he is recognizing his site words, learning the beginning and end of sentences, etc. All requirements for kindergarten in our area. Once again, LeapFrog gets an A+ in our household.

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Very affordable..we got this for my son he is 4 and he loves it..well worth the price..he loves to use the pen to read before I couldnt get him to sit and look at a book..love this product

Micro-Master® Computer Training Kit - MM-8000K Reviews

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List Price: $183.25
Sale Price: $128.95
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

This kit was a lot of fun to put together, the soldering was simple (all through-hole components), and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. I haven't finished working through all the programs/lessons yet (they are time consuming to enter, but that's to be expected given the data entry method setting memory addresses and values with switches). Working through the program entries requires a good understanding of hex -> binary mapping, but I think that is covered in the included instruction booklet.

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I know it says its a kit in the product description but, unless you want to make hundreds of fine solder joints, avoid this guy. I bought it for my nephew without realizing this fact. I ended up gibing it away after doing the first several steps myself as it became more of a job than fun.

Discount Insect Lore Bug Biter

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List Price: $11.99
Sale Price: $10.49
Today's Bonus: 13% Off

My 5 year-old grandson thought the Insect Lore Bug "Catcher" was just great. He played with it all day--catching sow bugs, other small bugs. He had fun just playing with it--making it "fly" and catching other things with it. It is a good toy for eye-hand coordination. This is a true hit for any child that has the faintest fascination with bugs. I understand that he is still playing with it.

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Reviews of Leapfrog Tag Activity Storybook Miss Spider's Tea Party

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My little girl is having lots of fun with the Tag books and Miss Spider's is one of her favorites. Of course, she can count to twelve and she knows most of the words but reading practice is precious and she's always happy when she manages to read the text so that it actually rhymes she's into painting and poetry these days.

As a Tag book, there are lots of interactive surprises on every page and there are a couple of big intensive play areas at the end. And, did I mention that the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous?

Can't go wrong with this little book. For the 4-6 years olds. MUST have the Leapfrog Tag system or 80% of the fun is lost.

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This is one of the better books for my 3 year old. It is easy to read and all of the little bugs make cute noises. Recommend for the youngest of the tag book readers.

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I bought this product for my autistic niece. She caught on quick on how to use the tag pen. I look forward to more books. I think this is an awesome toy

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We love it! My guy is almost 3 and VERY into technology so this was something not so techy but still educational and he loves it!

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My kids loves Miss Spider and they love their Tag systems. They read this book a lot. It's a great book!

Playskool Alphie Data Bots - Deci-Bot Reviews

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This toy was actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be; not to say that is a bad thing. It would be the perfect size for in the car or on the go. I think what makes this toy so fun is the fingers that light up. If it did not have this function, I think the toy would get boring more quickly. I bought this for an advanced 2 year old's birthday, and I think it was perfect. Since it has the function of adding and subtracting, this is a toy that he can play with for years to come. If you are looking for an educational toy that can keep interest, I think this is a good buy.

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My two year-old likes this toy. This sturdy toy has blinking lights and counts out loud. She plays with this toy often, but it doesn't keep her interest very long. Counting and number concepts in a sturdy, light-up toy.

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This is a dynamite toy. Its little, cute and fun. Its the perfect size for those doctor's visit to keep them entertained. It has a catchy song, challenges the child and helps them to add and subtract. I wish its toes lit up like the fingers so the children could learn to count to 20. All in all, I would still recommend.

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Grand son loved it ..Think it will help him learn to count he loves the music it plays he reall dance with the groove.

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A small miracle in itself is to see a little brother and his sister playing together with a TOY! IT keeps the peace for quite a good stretch of time and IS educational and reminds me of the old board games; with a twistlights-words-talking! SUPER FUN and SUPER CUTE -especially a PLUS as it is a ROBOT-so if you have a little one that is needing to learn to count or improve his number concepts this is it-he or she will GROW INTO IT! Awesome toy! Will be back for more versions of this UP DATED ALPHIE CONCEPT!

Creative Charms - Vintage Brads 9/Pkg Reviews

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These brads will lend an elegant, vintage look to your greeting cards. I subtracted a star only because the prongs that hold the brads in place are a bit short.

There are nine brads per package, six small (about 3/8" in diameter) and three medium (9/16" in diameter). Three of the brad jewels have a light violet opalescent sheen and the rest are faceted dark-amethyst-colored glass.

The brads can be used on all types of greeting cards. See above customer image for an example of a sympathy card using one of the small faceted brads.

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Nice addition to pages or cards. Metal has a tarnished look that goes well with different

styles of projects for a vintage look.

Best Baby Einstein Caterpillar and Friends Play Gym Deals

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $39.32
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

We like:

The movement-activated star that lights and sounds.

The variety of toys.

The print of the mat combining real images and illustrations.

You can attach toys to the mat, not just the arcs above the baby.

We don't like that much, but tolerate:

Polyester fabric is too... "slick" so baby can't gain traction during tummy time in order to crawl.

Rings for hanging toys are not enough. Some of the toys would be too high so we got some extra rings and used then to also hang other soft toys we had. You could get the Bright Starts Lots of Links.

Hope my review helps you.

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I like this little gym, but I do have a few complaints about it. I'll start with what I like.

Pros:

* Very bright and cheerful

* Toys are cute and interesting

* Has a small footprint

* Easy to assemble

* I like the music on the Star

Cons:

* It's smaller than I would have liked

* I was afraid the Star that blinks and plays music would give my daughter a stroke. The blinking light was so fast and crazy it scared her, so when we use it, we lay it face down on the floor, which negates half of its purpose

* The material is very slippery, so when my daughter started rolling, she would slip around and then get caught up on the arms

My biggest complaint is the Star and how fast it blinks. Had I known this before I spent the money on it, I would not have purchased this item.

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This playmat is great, and the reason is the light-up musical star. My seven-week old daughter smiles and even coos everytime I lay her down on the playmat and turn the star on during her activity time. It is so cute.

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Could be a lot better. I think your paying more for the Baby Einstein label etc than anything. Toys seem a tad cheap and the star that lights up doesn't stay on very well.

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I love how colorful the mat is and the toys that come with. My daughter seems to enjoy the toys, especially the dog, mirror and star. I agree with other reviewers that the mat is way to slick for tummy time but that doesn't bother me because we can easily do tummy time somewhere else. The star does blink VERY FAST and sometimes I am concerned if it overwhelms my baby but she is happy when she looks at it do that's all that matters!

Cheap Lauri Toys Lacing and Learning Opposites

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Great for those capable of the matching consepts...bought these for my mother with Alzheimers but she couldnt comprehend the matching part or consepts...too complicated for her

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My First LeapPad: Dr. Seuss Wocket in my Pocket Reviews

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Although my daughter is almost too young for it, my 4 1/2 year old loves the rhymes. After all it's Dr. Seuss! If you are used to reading the books this is a little awkward.Reading the book would be easier than flipping the pages and pressing go all the time. But if you leave the kids to play with it they do keep busy for a while and it does have more rhymes and games than the book. There are some good deals price-wise out there too.

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Buy Sound Machine - 16 Hilarious Sound Effects

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List Price: $17.99
Sale Price: $12.03
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

This is a fun toy, and I am an adult! I actually bought this for my husband and we both ended up loving it. I bought 3 different ones (original, cartoon, and horror) and they are all great. We brought them to a family get together and had everyone laughing. The sounds are fairly realistic sounding for the most part, and loud, considering the size. They said it would take 30 days for shipping and we got it within 2 weeks, it came from the UK. The sound buttons are not rapid fire, you have to wait for one sound to stop before you can play the next sound. Some of the 16 sounds are hard to explain, but I will try to tell you all of them since they don't list them:

-audience clap,

-audience laugh,

-a high-pitched trumpet from high to low "wa-wa-wa-waaaa",

-a deep buzzer like you got the answer wrong "daa doooo",

-a falling bomb and explosion,

-a shot gun load and blast (the "chh-chh bang!" in the product picture),

-breaking glass,

-"cha-ching!",

-drum roll,

-shave and a hair cut song "da-daddl-a-da-da da-da",

-"boi-yoi-yoing!",

-"ding!",

-flirty whistle "wheet-whew",

-woman scream,

-fart,

-and of course, burp.

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We needed something to make noise while hiking in bear country. We wanted to be able to let the bears know we were coming around a blind curve on the trail and it needed to be loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to be annoying to other hikers. Clapping hands or yelling was getting kinda old.

The gadget seems to fill the bill. It's loud enough. Can't say how durable it will be or how long the batteries will last. But for what it is, it seems good so far.

Update....we've been using this for several months and we have no bear attacks to report--HA--anyway, it's held up and works fine. I customized it a bit...I only wanted certain sounds--ones that seemed loud and could be heard in the woods. I cut off the buttons of those sounds that weren't very useful and left the ones that I thought would work better (there's one of a scream that is very effective). I wanted to be able to launch a sound without looking at the device and just by touch.

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The sound machine is a fun toy at work, it brings laughs in team meetings and lighten tension in a rough situation

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I bought this for a gag (obviously) and its a cute little sound maker. The sounds are a combination of "cartoon" crashes and bangs, as well as sounds like cat call whistle, idea "bing", cash register "cha-ching, shotgut blast, bomb drop, etc. The quality of the samples are very good and the sound is nice and clear coming from this small device. It almost fits in a pocket comfortably too. Only gripe is that it could be a bit louder, but thats unrealistic coming from the little speaker. The thing actually looks pretty cool too. Enjoy!

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I bought this for my 5 month old grand-daughter. I played all the sounds. They were great sounds for my grand-daughter. But ... my husband immediately picked it up and started playing with it and I had to wrestle it away from him so I could package it up to give to my grand-daughter. As for my husband, what is they say ... they never grow up. I'm going to buy at least one more of another sound track. I know my grand-daughter (and her father!) will love it. My grand-daughter is very attracted to sounds and I know she will like it. And who doesn't like to see genuine smiles from a baby!

LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Disney Princess Bundle Reviews

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This is a nice toy, and they've made some improvements since LeapPad 1. The front and back camera option is especially nice. I was very excited to see that this bundle came with a Disney theme. But now that I've gone through setting it up and testing it out, I'm really not that impressed. With it's price tag being what it is ... in hindsight I wish I'd just bought a regular tablet for my daughter like the Kindle fire.

First, a note ...

STICKERS: Like someone else mentioned, I also thought the stickers were missing and was disappointed. THE STICKERS ARE THERE! Just as I was taking all the packaging out to the recycling bin, I found them. MAN! They are hidden WELL, but they're there. There are two problems. First, the sticker "sheets" are probably much smaller than what you think you're looking for (they're only about 2"x3"-ish), and second ... they're HIDDEN! They're inside one of the many, many folded cardboard compartments and sealed up with tape. Honestly, it's a terrible place to put them I'll bet half of parents will throw them away not knowing where to find them. But if you read this -keep looking! They're there.

Now, some issues ...

1) TOUCH SCREEN: It's not all that receptive/reactive to touch. You're better off using the stylus, but for the younger crowd, that could get a little frustrating. I was buying this for the touch-screen aspect, so this is disappointing.

2) THE CASE: Yes, the case could use a redesign. It's CUTE, but ... there's no strap or elastic for the pad, so when this thing is unzipped by little hands, the LeapPad is undoubtedly going to fall out. The other side of the case is designed for a spare stylus and cartridges. If you, like me, are going to download the apps from the app store and have no intention of using cartridges, this will be useless for you. I'd rather they included a place for headphones. Also, if you have a younger child (3), note ... the case is not super easy to zip/unzip. It's not impossible, but ... the stiff zipper might be a little tricky for tiny hands.

3) BE PREPARED THE APPS ARE EXPENSIVE: If you're expecting $1.99 apps (like on iTunes), don't. The cheapest app I've seen was $5 and the "good" games are about $25 each. It's going to cost you some cheddar to fill this thing up. After selecting just a few apps to get started, I viewed my cart and saw I was already over $100 ... which made me wonder if I should've just sprung for an iPad mini. Also, note, with this bundle when it says you get to pick an app, you don't get to choose any app you want out of the app store. You must pick one of four specific apps.

4) LACKLUSTER VIDEO QUALITY: For $7.50 each I downloaded some video apps of Nickelodeon shows (Fresh Beat Band, Dora, etc.) I just tried them out ... ugh! I'm not pleased with the resolution / screen quality. I mean, it's okay but ... not great. I was hoping the LeapPad 2 would be a little nicer in this area. Not so much.

5) NON-REMOVABLE ADS!?!? Okay, I bought this thing, I paid through the nose for apps ... why is there still a "Leap Frog Sneak Peaks" ADVERTISEMENT permanently on the screen for my daughter to click on??? Seems wrong. I'm annoyed by that.

6) ON THE HEAVY SIDE: I put the four AA batteries in this and ... it's pretty heavy. Not terrible, but I have a feeling little three year old hands are going to get tired out from this.

7) CREEPY MP3 ERRORS: I got the MP3 player app so that I could load my daughter's favorite songs onto the pad. I loaded a batch of perfectly fine MP3s all encoded the same all of which work properly on the computer or on my own mp3 player. HOWEVER once they got onto the LeapPad, some of them (randomly) only play SUPER slow with low low voices like CREEPY low. Scary! Doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to which ones aren't playing properly. I loaded 63 songs 22 worked okay, the other 41 have this playing slow issue. :( Also, the player leaves much to be desired. It's not graphical at all, so if your child doesn't read yet, they'll have no visual identifiers to help them find the songs they want. And even if they DO read the screen only shows about 20 characters, so if the song title is long or shows the artist's name first, it may become impossible to identify the songs (if you've got several songs by the same artist with more than 20 characters in their name, the song titles will be pushed off the screen and you can't see them.)

8) CAN'T LOAD VIDEO? The computer interface allows you to upload mp3s (not that they actually work on the other end ... see above), but it doesn't seem to allow you to upload videos into the LeapPad. I'm guessing this is because they want to make sure you're purchasing videos from the app store.

9) SCREEN REARRANGES? I took the time to move all the tiles around so that the apps I think my daughter will like best appear on the first screen. By the way, you can't do this on the computer interface, you must move each app icon on the LeapPad itself. At any rate, I took a few minutes and did that, and about 10 minutes later (after I'd explored a few of the new apps) I noticed that some of the app tiles had rearranged themselves and moved to different screens. ? Not sure if that was a fluke. I hope it's not an ongoing thing. It's going to really confuse my daughter if the apps are moving around all the time. :(

Hope that helps! Don't get me wrong, it's a nice little toy these are just a few observations. If I had known all of this before I purchased it ... honestly, I probably would've gone with a Kindle Fire or an iPad mini instead. I think it would've been worth it in the long run, especially considering how much the leappad apps cost. C'est la vie!

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My 5 year old has the old leap pad, so naturally him & my 3 yr old daughter started fighting for it! It was the perfect birthday present! I was worried she might be too young for it but she uses it with ease. I love the front camera, it makes it so much easier for her to take photos!

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bought this for my 4 year old granddaughter, she is on it as soon as she gets up and would probabaly stay on it if her mother allowed. wonderful toy, worth my money. also seems to be very durable.

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I bought this for my great-grandaughter's birthday which is Christmas. I gave it to her though about a week after I got it, as it is electronic and only has a short window for return to Amazon if something ia amiss with it. I also purchased Pet Pals 2, Dora and Mr. Pencil. She played only with the Pet pals. She is only 3 and 10 months so I figure she will try the others later. However, after a few days of playing Pet Pals it started to freeze up and we had to keep turning it off and back on. This of course frustrated her and it also kills the batteries as the child keeps trying to make it work before it hits you that it has froze. I sent the game back to Amazon and they replaced it the next day. I will give it to her the replacement game today and if it keeps freezing then there is a possibility it may be the system and that is what I am waiting to see. Also be aware that the recharger does not come with the bundle though a very nice case does. The case has a place for storing several games. The recharger is approximately 37.00 on Amazon and free shipping with prime. I will update if the new game does the same thing. Hope this helps.

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First off, I bought this for my 3-year old, so I can't comment on other age groups. My daughter has had her Leappad 2 (Princess) for about 2 months now and has played with it everyday. As parents know, that is something to say when it comes to 3-year olds. I am personally impressed as well. Is it comparable to my Nexus 7, an iPad or an iPhone? No. But I didn't want her having one of those! I wanted a durable device that is 100% focused on learning. I honestly believe that she learns more efficiently on this device than other more adult oriented devices. I've heard complaints about the prices of games. I understand those gripes, but I personally don't mind paying a premium for a game that is 1) dedicated to learning and 2) adapts to their educational level (you are able to adjust the level from early pre-k to much higher learning). Another complaint from others is battery usage. Easy fix get the rechargeable battery pack and that problem is solved. If you are in a position to spend about $300, (device, battery pack and 2 gigs of apps), and can persuade your little one to take care of it as much as possible, I really believe you'll be happy with this device. Was I in a position to drop $300? Nope, but my daughter's early education is worth it and when I see her enjoying it, it makes it worth the corners on other things I've had to cut. My biggest complaint? A very small one. No way to toggle brightness?

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.

Cheap LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set - Styles May Vary

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My 4-year-old daughter is a former micropreemie and as a result, she is profoundly delayed, non-verbal/non-sign, and has autistic traits and sensory integration dysfunction (SID/DSI). She functions at about a 15-month old level. She got this toy for her birthday and it is AMAZING!!! She is identifying letters...if I say, "where's the K?" she'll put the K magnet in the toy. Since she has autistic traits, she likes repetition, and this is the perfect thing! She is even starting to say some letter sounds like, "mmm, mmm, mmm". She has MANY Leap Frog toys, and this is another great one to add to the list!! My daughter licks *everything* in sight, including the letter magnets of this toy, and it has not affected the ability of this toy to work.

*** Note to parents/friends of Autistic/SID/DSI kids My daughter "stims" on several of her toys, but this one doesn't cause her to do it as bad. She sometimes likes to push the button of the toy without a letter tile to hear it go "blingy, bling", and sometimes will push the letter tile/magnet repeatedly at the beginning of the song so it goes, "A/A/A/A...A says/A says...but like I said, not as bad as with other auditory toys. ***

I do find that I have the "A says ah and A says ayy" song in my head a lot. There are two volume settings and an off switch. However, even on the low setting this toy is awfully loud. We put clear packing tape over the speaker and that helped a lot. The ABC song and the letter sounds song are the ones you will find on other Leap Frog toys and the Leap Frog videos. This is good if you want reinforcement...which my daughter needs.

The magnets are nice and strong. If they come off the fridge, they aren't too bad to step on either :-o! ...unlike the "traditional" letter/number magnets.

The toy is very multisensory kinesthetic, auditory, visual (color/letter), and tactile. Kudos to Leap Frog for another great educational toy!

My 6 year-old also likes to help his sister with this toy. He loves to arrange the letters for her and quiz her. Then he likes to spell words and teach them to her. The vowels are red and the consonants are yellow or blue. So I ask my daughter to find letters based on certain colors to increase the educational value. Unfortunately, her name has two l's and two e's, so we can't spell her name with the letters.

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This is a GREAT toy. My daughter is 23 months and loves playing with this toy. It's great that it's in the kitchen too so I can cook or clean while she plays. She has pulled it off the fridge and banged it a few times and it still works great. I love that she is learning the alphabet so early. She now recognizes letters and points them out to me. We had foam letters for the tub too, but this is the best and most fun. We love Leap Frog!

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This is an amazing product. My mother purchased it for my 1 year old at Christmas, and even though she doesn't understand it yet on an educational level, it works on her motor skills because she has to pick the letters off of the fridge and put them correctly in the spot for them. She then gets the reward of listening to it sing to her. My four year old daughter will sit in front of the refrigerator for what seems like forever and just arrange the letters in order while she sings the alphabet song along with the toy. My oldest daughter who is six will sometimes even go to the magnets when she is stuck on a reading word and I tell her to sound it out. Lastly, every child that comes to our house is drawn to the magnets. They all love it, and so do I !

Honest reviews on LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set - Styles May Vary

I thought that my child would be able to place a letter in the special gadget that comes with this product and quickly hear the sound the letter makes. I thought that we could quickly place three letters in the gadget in a row, and hear their sounds, rapid fire. For example, I thought you could place the letters D, O, and G on the fridge and quickly get to hear all of the sounds in the word dog. I based my assumption on the fact that some of Leap Frog's products allow you to hear the letter sounds without being distracted by songs that tell about the letter names. (The Leap Frog caterpillar toy called Alphabet Pal allows you to do this.)

When you place a letter in this gadget, though, the gadget sings an entire song from The Talking Letter Factory movie by Leap Frog: "The A says Aaah, the A says Aaah, every letter makes a sound, the A says Aaah." The song is informative, but it's lengthiness gets in the way of showing a child that letter sounds can be glued together to make words. In order to show your child that D,O, and G make the word DOG, you have to listen to the D song and then the whole O song and then the whole G song.

I would only recommend this product to a child who does not know his letter sounds at all not to a child who is ready to put letter sounds together to make words. My one year old son was a more appropriate user of this product than my three year old.

I would not recommend this product to a parent or teacher who wants to avoid teaching letter names until letter sounds are mastered.

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I bought one for my Kindergarten class and one for my 11month oldit is a big hit with both groups. What a great way to make the fridge letters more fun! The letter sounds are very clear! It is great!

Review of LeapFrog LittleTouch™ LeapPad® Educational Book: Where

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My daughter LOVES this book. We have just about every LT book out there (which isn't much), and she keeps this one on all of the time! She loves the songs, sounds and activities..."Get on your feet and do the wild thing dance with me!" She dances and sings to it over and over and over...makes me nuts, but she loves it! A really cute book...highly recommended for the LTLP.

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My 19-month old daughter loves this book/cartridge for her leap pad. (Much better than she currently enjoys the book that came with the leappad or the Big Sister Dora software). She really enjoys the marvelous noises that Max & his wild things make (she will press the same object on a page 10 20 times before moving to another page or object). This will keep her engrossed for 10 15 minutes at a time before she gets bored or needs to ask for help. And it is a fun story that will grow with her (right now she pretty much ignores the narration).

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came as described and arrived in a timely manner, I am pleased with the product. Very age related and has good learning qualities

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My 3 yr old has discovered our old leap pad (we purchased it about 6 years ago for our first daughter). She loves it, so I picked up some new stories for it. She enjoyed the story, but I think I liked it more. She spent time going between the different pages, the sounds are good and the narration is good. She has spent more time with other stories though, I would still recommend it if you can find a copy. Especially if your child loves the story.

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My grandaughter seems to enjoy this particular Leap Pad book. Lots of fun things to look at.