Reviews of LeapFrog: Tad's Counting Farm Smart Block Book

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My daughter is 10 months old and absolutely adores this toy. She loves books, whether she's looking at the pictures or chewing on them and this toy is great for both. It's very durable. My daughter has banged it and dropped it frequently and it's still going strong. The story is read out as you turn each page and your child is asked to match the block to the animal they're counting on that page. Then the next page switches animals and adds one more. By the end your child has counted up to five with five different animals. You can also play the song on each page which is a Leapfrog version of Old Mac Donald. . It is a cute story that will help your children identify animals and numbers up to 5. When your child is finished palying the block goes in place and the book has a lock tab to keep it in place so it doesn't get lost. There is a handle on top which makes it easy for my daughter to grab and carry around. It's great for at home, but works especially well in the car or over Grandma's house. The colors on my block aren't fading as some of the other reviewers noted, but this seems to be one toy my daughter doesn't chew on. It's educational, durable, and easy to clean. I have a few other Leapfrog toys and they all are wonderful. Another Leapfrog toy that I'm exceptionally happy with.

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This is good fun for parents and babies alike. As your child turns each sturdy plastic page, the story is read out by a computer voice. Alternatively, the unit can be switched to 'singing' and a song is sung for each page.

The pages go from one to five and ask the reader to find Tad's Cow, his pig, and his sheep etc. A cube with pictures will need to be turned by baby to so that the pig is facing the front and the baby will be told if he has found the correct animal. The animals go up from 1 cow to 5 sheep and help baby learn numbers.

Educational and enjoyable, and the song (an altered version of Old MacDonald) does not grate as much as some electronic toys.

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This had the potential to be my son's favorite toy. It had all of his favorite things, pages to turn, sound, and a block to fit places. However he became VERY Frustrated at the fact that you move the page even a little bit and it would start reading all over again. He liked to hear the song, but as soon as he would touch the page to get leverage or whatever, it would start to read. This book ended up getting thrown all over the place because it made him so mad. After a few months, I ended up giving it to my nephew. The concept is great, it can just be frustrating to a little one when they want it to do one thing and it keeps doing something else...

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My 17 month old received this for christmas last year and he hasn't stopped playing with it. He was 5 months old when he got it and laughed at the "chick chick chick" songs. Now he knows the animals and can match the right animal to the correct page. It is a good learning toy because it looks like a little book and the voice reads the words on each page. He still enjoys this toy much more than many others he has received since then.

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I got this for my son when he was almost 10 months old. It is a cute little version of Old MacDonald. It has 5 pages of counting animals and matching an animal block to hear the animal's sound. I think the age on this toy should be 12 months and up. At 9 months, it seemed a little advanced. The story, sounds and block were cute but they just seemed a little involved. Overall, a good toy to grow into but I would wait until your child is a little older before buying it.

Playskool Explore `N` Grow Busy Ball Popper Review

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I'm the type of person who reads almost every review before buying anything, and there were a couple comments mentioned by MULTIPLE reviewers that almost made me not buy this toy!

These bad comments were (NOT my opinion):

1. The toy is dangerous -child's arm got stuck in the hole where balls shoot out from.

2. The toy is VERY loud and a potential danger for small developing ears.

3. The small balls are a choking hazard.

I decided to give it a try cause I could always return it, well I'm KEEPING it!

#1... the toy that I got is the updated version that now has "prongs" on the inside of the tube, so there's no way a child can get their arm stuck down there.

#2... the toy is NOT as loud as most of the reviewers describe it to be. When I got it, I thought it was gonna sound like a vacuum cleaner from all the comments! It doesn't -it sounds like a muffled hair dryer. Louder than any toys he has, but FAR from deafening!

#3... the balls are a little bit on the small side. I tried putting the balls in my mouth just in case, and I really had to open wide! I don't think a small child could fit them in their mouth. In any case, I wouldn't let my son play with this toy alone anyway. It's not that big of a deal.

The amount of fun my son has far outweighs any of the negatives (if you can call them that) of this toy. I happen to think it's perfect!!! And I'm so happy I ignored all the bad reviews!

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First for the drawbacks; 1)It is easy to lose the balls if you don't make a point of collecting them after play and keeping them somewhere safe, 2)There is music that plays continuously while it is on, which can be annoying for some, and 3)The play cycle is rather short so you or baby must keep pressing plunger to start it again. This might be a welcome respite for those offended by #2.

BUT: All four of my boys LOVED this toy!!! A favorite, and a toy I always buy or recommend to others. Perfect for a boy or girl. My boys were enthralled by the colorful balls shooting out of the hole and amazed when they almost always went where they were supposed to, which is around the ramp and back into the receptacle. They also LOVED to feel the air blow out of the toy (the air is what pushes the ball up and out of the hole) and would often just press the plunger to feel the air on their faces, hands and in their hair. They quickly learned to start the toy themselves and would be entertained by it longer than they would be by other toys. All of my boys got this toy for their first birthdays (I am a toy manufacturers dream, I sell toys in Mom2Mom sales after on child outgrows them and then end up buying them again for subsequent kids-can't stand clutter and feel they deserve their own stuff).

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I bought this for my 10 month old daughter since my son seemed to love it at daycare when he was 1-2 years old. He's now 2 1/2 and still enjoys it. I think it's an adorable toy and a good way to teach cause/effect. My daughter watches intently as the balls pop up, then I show her where they go inside. I admit that she does flinch in surprise a little with the air/music combo as the balls pop up, but I don't think it's too loud at all. The anticipation is the fun part! I hate to say that 3 of the 5 balls are missing as of late, since they do fly all over the place when you play. I wonder if they sell extras/replacements...?

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I bought this for my son when he was about 15 months old. He is now 3 and a half and still LOVES this thing. Two major problems: The music is VERY loud and VERY annoying. The second problem is that it eats batteries like you would not believe. As soon as the power goes down a bit from the low batteries, the balls don't shoot into the air, they just sort of push up to the top of the tube which is alot less fun for the kids. That said, it was well worth the money if you are oonly considering the the amount of fun my kids have had with it.

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This was purchased for 1 YR old twins, they both freaked out when their parents turned it on. It was going to be returned. As their nanny I figured I'd give it a try a month later. It took me four days to get them used to the LOUD SOUND of the toy before they would even go near it! (playing it in the other room, getting closer to them, throwing the balls up in the air myself and making funny noises...I felt like a clown!) The fan overpowers the music and isn't coordinated with the actual balls popping up (same noise same over and over again, even without the balls)...so predictability isn't in sync. There are only 5 balls, and they are impossible to replace (they are smaller than "ball pit" balls). It eats up batteries, only lasted a month before the fan wouldn't push them up.

Notice in the commercials videos on this page they don't have the sound of the machine. I have it on video, it sounds like a vacuum!

Best Quercetti Geokid Daisy Maxi Deals

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List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $17.69
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

This can be a fun toy for babies and toddlers, giving them their first chance to build towers. You can have your child group or stack by color or shape.

This toy won the Canadian Concours International du Jouet Educatif Certificate of Excellence. The manufacturer, Quercetti, states that all of their toys are made completely in Italy.

A similar toy, (Learning Resources Stacking Shapes Pegboard), won the 2005 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award.

For kids with special needs (including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hypotonia, limb-kinetic apraxia, dyspraxia, and other muscle and movement disorders), these can be a great way for them to experience the fun of stacking towers.

This is the easiest set of stacking pegs I've seen. Their large size pegs (about 4-5cm high and wide) are easy for kids to hold, and the bump at the bottom makes them very easy to stack. There is no resistance (like there is with Duplos, for example); the child simply places one on top of the other. Once a peg has been placed on another, the stack won't fall down until your child knocks it down, which is half the fun!

I wish there were a star rating system for "appropriateness for kids with special needs" or "value for developing fine motor skills" each would have received 5 stars.

Therapeutic play suggestions:

Hold each peg just out of reach of the child at various angles (e.g. sit behind your child and hold up a peg so that the child has to turn his body and extend his arm to reach for it, then switch sides for the next peg).

For children who can stand with one arm supporting themselves on a table, put the base on a table (or couch) at the child's waist height. Put all the pieces on the floor (on both sides of the child) so that the child has to bend or squat down to pick them up.

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When I was a child, we had a peg stacking toy very similar to this. Ours had a hard yellow plastic base with pegs in different colors. I remember how much I loved that toy, so I was looking for something similar for my infant son (7 months). For now, he mainly takes pegs off the board, but I know this toy has lasting value as he will eventually be able to build towers with the pegs, sort the pegs, etc. Overall, I am very please with this toy.

Pros:

The pegs are large (perhaps larger than the ones from when I was a child) and are not a choking hazard, in my opinion

Many ways to play. Younger children can search for the shaker peg under other pegs, take the pegs off the board, dump the pegs off, etc. Older children can build towers, sort the pegs by shape or color, or create designs.

There is one peg that is a shaker/rattle. I didn't have one of these in the set I had as a child, and I think it is a wonderful addition.

The pegs fit together easily. For the most part, it is a loose fit, which is what I was hoping for (rather than a snug fit, which would make it hard for young children to play with because they would have trouble taking the pegs apart).

The pegs are slightly different shapes, instead of all the exact same cylinder shape.

Cons: (Please note that none of these are a big deal, I would certainly purchase this toy again even with these cons)

Some of the pegs have smaller holes and it is harder to fit the other pegs in (mainly the red ones)

The base is a soft, flexible material, instead of a hard plastic (like the one I had as a child). Maybe it said so in the description, and I missed it. This can pose a problem if you want to move the whole toy with the pegs in it; you need two hands to lift it without it bending and pegs falling off. Also makes it a bit harder to store, but I will be making a cloth drawstring bag to keep it in so in the end it isn't a big problem. I should note -the other peg toy I looked at had a foam base, and I really don't like toys with the foam because my son could chew off a piece and they aren't as durable. So, I definitely prefer this flexible base to the foam ones.

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My daughter is 16 months, and I wish I would have bought this toy sooner. She is loving stacking the pegs, andd putting them off and on the board. She is a hard one to get entertained, so I am impressed. I can see the toy will grow with her too. We will be able to use it for sorting and patterns when she is older. Great toy!

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I gave this to my 14 month old daughter for Christmas, and she is really enjoying it and getting a lot of use out of it. I think she is at just the right age for it, developmentally she loves stacking the pegs up as high as she can until the tower falls down. The pieces are a nice large size for small hands. A very simple and straighforward toy...which I consider good no lights, music or bells, just a simple educational toy.

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My baby (seven months old) loves this toy. I never would have picked this out for him but we tested it out at a local speciality toy store and he immediately could pick up the pieces and really, really, liked it. When he drops one he just picks up another piece. Now he is picking up the Daisy mat and dumping the plastic cogs (thus learning cause and effect). As he grows he'll learn to stack the pieces. Your baby will love it even if you think they won'tso go for it!

Reviews of Family Pastimes / Round-Up - A Co-operative Game

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List Price: $15.99
Sale Price: $13.05
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

I'm a speech-language pathologist and I bought this game after my students told me they played it with another therapist. I work with children ages 5-11 years and so far, I've used this game with 7-10 year olds and they all love love LOVE the game. I like it because it's not competitive at all. They all have to work together and talk about their ideas and their decisions. When they don't, there's a consequence (of not getting all the horses in the corral). It's also good because there's chance involved, so the children can't blame each other. For children on the spectrum who have difficulty taking other people's points of view into account, it brings the perspectives into light. It also requires them to converse with their peers to get things done.

In terms of durability, the board itself seems rather sturdy. The cards, as mentioned by other reviewers, are small and a bit flimsy. After reading the reviews, I decided to laminate the cards after gluing them onto construction paper so that they can be used by all the kids multiple times. Hopefully that will help increase its durability.

I also bought the Memory and Mystery game, but have not yet played it.

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We bought this game (and others from the same designer) because we wanted cooperative games represented for our 3 year old girl. She enjoys the typical games for her age (Candyland, etc), but we wanted something cooperative and something that encouraged some strategic thinking.

Roundup fit the bill admirably. She loves the idea of rescuing horses, and over time I've seen her start to make decisions based on thinking ahead to what's best for the game (moving a horse a head in case a rock comes down to block it, for example).

It's also possible for a particular game setup to be unwinnable, so that you don't rescue all the horses. For me, helping her to realize that you don't need to win the game to have fun is an important part of a non-competitive game.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this game for anyone looking for something different for their toddlers.

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We got this game a few days ago and we've played it many, many times. It is a quick, fun game and I love that it is cooperative. We work out our strategy together. I can't wait to try out some of their other games.

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Idea of Game is good. The kids (age 6) wanted to be a particular horse rather than "find the horse." the game board was much smaller than I expected and the "tear-out" game pieces are not very durable.

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I love the concept of this game and think it is a great learning game for kids on cooperation versus competition.

Get Ready Kids Caucasian Family Puppets Review

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I use these in the 3 year old Bible class that I teach. Kids love them and always look forward each week to see them

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These puppets were purchased to use as a play therapy tool for children (in my therapeutic practice). They definitely work, however, the hair is a little flimsy, with peices of it sort of shedding a bit. Otherwise for the money, they do the trick and kids so far have enjoyed them!

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My kids love these puppets. They role play with them all day long. They look just like our family, with the exception of the mother puppet not looking like me at all.

Discount Sing Along with Rosa Illustrated Cardboard Book

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My daughter loves this book...it has the songs, music and lyrics in both Spanish and English.... It has more verses than the abuelita doll.

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I had forgotten baby songs in Spanish. Baby abuelita brought those songs back and my grand daughter loved them when I sang along with the doll. don't know how durable the doll is, I have had it only for 45 days. I liked it so much I bought another singing doll from the manufacturers.

Family Pastimes / Christmas Game - A Co-operative Game Reviews

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My children loved to play this game at Christmas and I have given it as gifts to a number of relatives and families, for many of whom this game has become a family tradition at Christmas. Ours has almost fallen apart from so much use and so I'm buying this one for us for next Chriistmas. It should see us through anothe generation of children.

I especially recommend this for a family with children at different ages. Because it is a cooperative game, the players all win or lose together. And as you play it, you can devise strategies to increase your chances of having a Merry Christmas, i.e. saving some gift-giving till later in the game, which helps the younger children to see the benefit of the other players strategizing. Usually, of course, younger players lose when older players play their best game...

Highly, highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Heathrow Microscope Slide Boxes, 100-Place HS15994C, Reviews

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List Price: $30.35
Sale Price: $11.95
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This is a cork slide box, not foam as the picture may suggest but it is still a great buy. You will receive one of the various colors shown in the picture at random, I received red. Super fast standard shipping I was very impressed highly recommend this seller!

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Review of 9" Handheld Brass Telescope - Nautical Pirate Spy Glass with Wood

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List Price: $28.95
Sale Price: $19.95
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

I bought this for a Bible school prop treasure hunting through the prophecies for the Messiah! We had to take it apart and reglue the small eyepiece in so don't be surprised if you have to do some tune up, but comes apart easily and really does work. Really fun toy! Beautiful wooden box too!

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Reviews of Megaraptor Claw (Teaching Quality Recreation)

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This was a birthday gift for my 12 year old Grandson. He Loved It! Thanks to Amazon and their suppliers to provide the best possible merchandise for their customers. I am sure I will be shopping around again!

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I am a biology teacher and always looking for ways to engage students. This has a lot of wow factor for the price.

Review of Little Folks Visuals Tabernacle Pre Cut Felt Set

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List Price: $22.88
Sale Price: $14.99
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

the artwork detail is excellent; the story line is brief, I added to this with supplemental material;

I did purchase this for the visuals.

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My wife has Sunday school class and she uses the felt often so it is money well spent. Its great for teaching kids about God.

B. Toys Rain Rush Wood Bead Maze Review

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My son loves to sit with his toys & turn it up/down over & over again. he loves the noise it makes & it keeps him busy for hours.

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Very sturdy noise maker that will not come apart like the original rain maker stick. Great for people of all ages.

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Solidly made, but sort of scuffed up on the ends. Not sure if part of the decor or used. Grandchild liked this, mother was nervous small wooden balls could come out and cause a choking hazard.

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I bought this for my 12-month-old grandson and 6-month-old god-daughter; neither of them liked the toy beyond a few rolls and turns. It is well made and nicely constructed, just did not hold the interest of either age group. We will be putting it away to try again when they are a bit older.

Reviews of Melissa & Doug Sandwich Stacking Games

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We used this game at our Harvest Fest this year. The quality of the sandwich pieces held up to several hundred kids. I appreciated the booklet that came with the cards and durability of the sandwich pieces because it gave us a variety of options. The games can be played by one or several kids. It was a hit and will be used again next year. I'm glad that I ran into this at our local toy store!

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Melissa & Doug Sandwich Stacking Games

I purchased this item for my 3 year old grandson. He loved it and what makes it even better is that his mom loved it as well. I enjoyed watching the two of them playing with it. Melissa and Doug a name you can trust when it comes to kid's toys and games have come up with the best sandwich stacking game I have ever seen. A game that does not require stocking up and having to replace worn out batteries. The different ingredients are all made out of a soft fluffy flannel like material. Each piece has velcro on it so that the various parts of the sandwich, tomato, cheese, pickles etc. stick to each other. The 4 pieces of "bread" can be worn as a glove and you can play toss and catch with the assorted "sandwich" ingredients. When caught the ingredients stay put due to the velcro sewn onto each piece. The different parts of the "sandwich" are huge. It would take a lot to lose any of the "sandwich" ingredients and not be able to find them for weeks, in fact looking at the toy it would be impossible for any of the pieces to disappear when played with at home. The ingredients are numerous and brightly colored. The best part of this toy is that in addition to playing toss and catch with it, you can play 10 different games with the same pieces. This game comes with a durable, brightly colored deck of cards and a brightly illustrated, easy to understand instruction booklet that lists the various games that can be enjoyed using the different "sandwich" stacking ingredients. Each game is easy enough for a young child to enjoy. The variety of different ways to play with this toy makes it 10 times better then your average game that many children get bored with after a short period of time. If the pieces become soiled you can hand wash them in cold water using a mild detergent. I would highly recommend this game to anyone with a child that is not teething and chewing on toys. Very well made, very durable, and 10 times the fun both for kids and the adults that are part of the child's game playing experiences which in my opinion is an integral part of every young child's early learning years.

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This is a unique toy that promotes creativity and imagination. My son received this for a gift when he was about 2.5 and immediately liked it. The pieces are soft felt with a bit of Velcro so that they stick together when stacked as a sandwich. At first, he just learned to recognize and identify each one (tomato, bread, lettuce, pickles, etc.) and then he'd put together sandwiches for us and pretend to eat them. What's great about this toy is that it comes with a booklet and cards for probably dozens of games to be played with these sandwich pieces, utilizing one player or multiple. At playdates these have been a hit with other kids as well. I'd recommend this toy if you're looking for something imaginative that is non-electronic.

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i bought this toy for my 3yo. the purchase was made to encourage following instructions and memorization skills. i cannot think of a more fun way to do that. i would recommend this toy to others.

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got this for my 8 year old autistic son and 5 year old daughter and they both love it. lots of different ways to engage with the toy, possibilities are endless... my only complaint is it's a magnet for animal hair.

Buy Pair of Sticks for Mini Steel Drums

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Great steel drum sticks. My grandma had brought back a small steel drum from the Bahammas many years ago. Off course over time the sticks got lost. These work great on the drum and now my family can enjoy the drum and sound of island music.

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