Discount GeoCentral Box of Rocks Kit

Customer Ratings:

Good, but not perfect. Some of the mineral specimens have been tumbled and polished, which makes them pretty, but removes the diagnostic criteria (cleavage, crystal shapes) that are a basis for identifying minerals. Quartz appears more than once in the collection. Partitions in the plastic box that the collection comes in are thin, and in both of the boxes I bought a heavy specimen had broken a partition in transit, damaging the more fragile specimen in the adjacent cubicle. The accompanying booklet is good, but it shows some minerals that are not in the collection. The small magnifying glass is a good touch.

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My son has really enjoyed this product and I like that it comes with a pamphlet that describes the different kinds of rocks. The container that the rocks came in has a few cracks on the bottom, however it is still very much usable.

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I was expecting the rocks to be labeled in the kit. They came with a book that you are supposed to use to identify them, but the book had a lot more rocks in it than were in the kit. I could not tell what half the rocks were, which totally defeated the purpose of the kit. I'm going to send it back.

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This is an awesome kit. I bought it for 2 of my grandchildren and they have spent hours with it. It is a perfect introduction to rocks and a great beginning for any child interested in things outside!

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The rocks will be interesting to study for my 5 year old. However, the rocks came in a bag instead of the handy box. I would have liked to have the box to keep the rocks organized.

Discount ULTIMATE LABS FINGERPRINT INVESTIGATOR

Customer Ratings:

I got this as a Christmas present for my 10 year old. Before this, he was only into his GI Joe action figures. But after he got this he's been fingerprinting everything in the house.

The kit comes with a black light and some ink that's only visible under the UV light. He asked me to set up challenges for him so I used the ink to write an "invisible" treasure map with such things as "Find 3 objects in the living room marked with an invisible fingerprint".

Plus, the UV light is fun to play with on it's own. You think your house is clean, and then you see glowing stuff with the black light. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to have to get some industrial strength cleaner, LOL. Don't get this if you're a germaphobe. ;-)

I think it's a great educational toy for kids AND it lets this me play actively with my son. It's so much better than sitting in front of the TV!

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My 8 year old son purchased this product with his allowance. The fingerprint dust does not work it does not dust on and show fingerprints and therefore you can't lift the prints with the pieces of clear tape. I am very disappointed that a company with such a good reputation for quality products would sell a fingerprint kit that doesn't lift fingerprints. I called customer service and they sent another bottle of fingerprint dust but it didn't work properly either. If all you want to do is make ink fingerprints, buy it. Otherwise, try another product.

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My son has had lots of fun playing with this toy. We all had a lot of fun with it and it is a nice quality item. I love the educational toys my kids actually like too. The thumbprint ink doesn't come off the kids fingers easily. We found this out on New Years Day when all my little nephews and nieces got their fingerprints made. They all had black thumbs for the day!

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It is a good children's home use microscope The magnification is good up to 400x It sure is fun for my kids. Seems pretty sturdy too. It only has plastic slides though and so I will have to buy more glass, the plastic get scratched up so easily. The kids really like thinking up things to look at and checking them out. It doesn't have a case of any sort unless you save the box which I didn't you need to find somewhere safe to store. Overall a good starter microscope.

Tupperware Shape-O Ball; Classic Rattle, Shape Sorter & Counting Toy Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Bought this for our Great Grandson. Our Grandchildren had one for years and had shapes replaced several times. Was happy to find this at Amazon. Our Great Grandson loves it.

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Reviews of TKO 3-piece Junior Child/Kid's Drum Set - Wine Red

Customer Ratings:

Ordered this junior set for my daughter for Christmas, Received set before expected date much to my pleasure. With instructions sent by web site and with product, drums surprisely easy to set up. This set is for the little drummer but quite sturdy made and sharp looking. Now just have to hide it until Christmas...also sounds Great...lol

A big thanks to Vintage Drums and will sure use them again when she needs a grownup set.

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Got this one as a late Christmas present since we got the Wii with the drum set and it was too difficult for out son to operate and he just wanted something to makes noises with :). This drum set looks great! We got it for our 5 years old boy an it is the perfect size for him, great for the price as well. It arrived sooner than we expected and we are sure our son is going to love it! The only thing is that it did not come with any instructions to put it together but went online and was able to find some generic instructions and my husband put it together pretty fast. Very happy with it!

Best American Educational Van De Graff Generator Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $220.00
Sale Price: $185.05
Today's Bonus: 16% Off

Good features of this van de Graaf generator:

1) included wand can be grounded to the case or not, as needed

2) easy adjustment for belt tension and centering

3) interior heater for baking out moisture if necessary

4) generates at least a 5" spark

5) top of dome easily removable for storage

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I had previously looked into getting a Van De Graaf Generator for a Halloween mad scientist lab scene that I was putting together, but everywhere I looked, the price was just ridiculous. I was toying with the idea of just mocking something up to simulate something like this when I found an electronics magazine that featured instructions on how to build one. The article laid everything out well, but kept reiterating the complexity of the project and the fact that you were playing with a potentially lethal power generator if you made a critical mistake. Not being that confident in my ability and not wanting to fry myself, I was getting ready to go back to my initial idea of faking it when I chanced upon this listing on Amazon. The price listed seemed too good to be true, as the cost to build one was going to cost just the same or perhaps even more. I assumed that it was going to be cheaply made or some miniature version of what I was expecting, but when it arrived I was gleefully surprised to find out that my low expectations weren't needed.

It did a magnificent job that Halloween and we have pulled it out from time to time to play with and use it to explain the effect to my teenage nephew, which sparked (pardon the expression) his interest in science and electronics.

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I purchased this as a training aid for work. I have to give Static and ESD protection training for 600 employees yearly. It has held up very well for almost 2 years. The packaging is very suitable for storage between training classes.

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This is a sturdy machine that makes big static electricity and impressive demos and displays. However, I am disappointed with a few things, especially so given the significant price. The manual included is sketchy, sloppy, incomplete, and blows an opportunity to round out the package with experiments and user tips. Nor did I find anything in the package that informs me as to where to get replacement parts, which will be an issue one of these days. The last issue: the unit supposedly includes an internal light bulb for drying out the insides when high humidity interferes with operation. However I have no idea if it's actually working when I hit the switch and the manual does not explain whether I should see some light somewhere, or how to check. I will have to take it apart to see what's up. Would be nice to know. All this says that the company is selling a product that mostly works but does not care much about some important details of helping the user get the best experience.

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Shipped very well the unit works very good

Unit as described on the money works very good

thank you

rfriedman

I Can Do It Reward Chart - School Supplemental Pack Review

Customer Ratings:

I ended up returning them only because my daughter is too young for them. I will buy them again in a couple years when thy will be more applicable for her needs.

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My 5 year old is in school and this helps both of us make sure we don't forget what we have to do in the morning.

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I bought the whole chart/cards set and it has worked wonders for my 4yr old son. He loves being able to put is stars up at the end of the day! We were having alot of behavior issues at school, but since we have gotten the chart, he has made a 180 in behavior in and out of school!! Perfect for little ones prior to starting school and during those early years. We are VERY pleased with this product:)

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I was having problems with my daughter doing chores so I thought I would purchase this and give it a shot. It works awesome. I love the supplemental packs because at the time she was unable to read yet but with the photos on them, she was able to assist in picking out what chores she would do. We still use this product.

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it really helps her stay on track. She looks forward to getting her reward every week. Very nice that they can get changed to

Buy LeapFrog® Brightlings Builders

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $13.39
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

I bought Brightling Builders (this product) and Brightlings Dancers for my 6-month old daughter. Overall I think the Brightlings collection is pretty cute, but I didn't want to buy the Exploration Station .... just didn't think it has much to do especially since my daughter has similar toys. The Brightling Builders and Brightlings Dancers are much cheaper, but if you want to choose one of these two I would recommend the Builders (see my review of Dancers). The Builders come with 9 pieces overall (3 bases, 3 heads and 3 other pieces) that can be stacked and rattled one of them lights up when pressed and one has a tiny mirror. Personally I think it's a nice alternaive to the common stacker with the rings. Also, the pieces are neither too heavy nor too big for baby's hands to pick up. When stacked (3 pieces on top of each other) they are probably about 6-8 inches tall.

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I have a developmentally delayed 2 year old, so I pay a great deal of attention to the educational value of a toy. This one is great. According to my son's physical therapist stacking toys, particularly ones that can be stacked many different ways are important to aid in cognitive development. Plus my son just enjoys stacking them up and knocking them down! They are cute and I don't think it would be possible to break them.

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We bought these along with the brightlings matchers for our 8 month old and she really likes them. She is too young to really play with them but they do attract her as she will reach for them when presented with many toy options. As mentioned in my matchers review they are great for the diaper bag because they are small and offer a distraction when needed. I think for the price they are a good value.

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My 7 month old son was INSTANTLY excited by these toys.

Again these are a PERFECT size for him to grab and manipulate.

Right now he loves to knock them over if I stack them, or just have them piled in his lap and kick, grab and toss around.

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Quite simply, this toy is boring. Just something else for you to step on. Doesn't hold my child's interest for even a minute. Waste of money.

Color Vision Perception Kit; no. R-59421 Review

Customer Ratings:

I HAVE NOT YET BOUGHT THIS TOY! I just watched a youtube demonstration of this toy that also discussed it's practical applications. If you are confused by how the toy works, I suggest watching the demonstration.

This is a really nice idea. The kit has the practical purpose of helping teachers identify students who have issues perceiving color, and adjust their teaching according. For example, when showing students differnt syllables in a word, the teacher would write the syllables in different fonts, when formally they would have made them differnt colors.

The kit has the added bonus of showing students how it feels to no perceive colors, and explore how filtering the images makes them visible, and what this means about light, and eyes, and so, and so forth. I am currently in an early childcare setting, but if I ever reenter the elementary field, I will definately invest in this kit.

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Reviews of ABC Train Travel Bag

Customer Ratings:

We orderd this to take along on vacation and although it is a great too in theory, there are way too many pieces (and they are quite small) and can easily get lost. Some of the words could fall under two different letters (ex. is the teddy bear T for teddy or B for bear? and the the violin looks more like a guitar). Great idea, but not so great in the end.

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This is really a neat toy! I have a 19 month old and 5 year old we purchased this almost 6 months ago and it is still a very liked toy by both. It really isn't a travel toy d/t the small pieces but keeps both ages attention very well. My oldest likes to put them back into place as fast as possible with the timer on and the youngest likes to just make the animal noises and trys to eat some of the food items. They are washable pieces for we have had a few in our mouth(ice cream). fun product that zips up neatly to secure all parts. Well worth the cost and any friends love this toy its neat and new old or new!

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I have 2 girls, 2 and 4 years old, that are exploring letters and numbers. We figured, like potty training, introduce it in a slow and fun way, without pressure, and they will be learning in no time and without a battle. They love this bag! They carry it around all the time and it is holding up very well. It is introducing letters and sounds in a way that doesn't seem boring and controlled. Some of the ways they use it really brings out their creativity!

I am also very impressed with the quality. My husband and I couldn't help but to take notice of the effort to detail and the work it must have taken to put together. We have owned this awhile now and it is still in arrival condition.

I would highly recommend this purchase!

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ok not special , ok ok ok was what we wanted but nothing specaial , good quality , price ,

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My daughter (who is 21 mo) loves to take these out, unfortunately has a hard time putting them back in. It would be best if these were attached so they didn't get lost. I think she will love it as she gets a little older though.

Best Djeco / Geo Savanne Magnetic Wooden Shapes Set Deals

Customer Ratings:

Great for the whole family! Our 2 year old plays with the shapes, our 4 year old enjoys making the animals with help, and mom & dad enjoy a peaceful activity

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I bought this for my granddaughter. She loves it, but I wish the cards were larger and easier to see for young children.

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Many shapes and lovely colors. This is sure to be a hit with children of all ages. I recommend it.

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Our grand son received this for Christmas and probably played with (and learned from) from this activity more than any other gift.

Unique Art 10-Inch by 6-Inch Black Onyx Ocean Table Top Gemstone Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I am very pleased with this. I just ordered it yesterday and it arrived today. I was pleased with how well it was packed which in turn protected it from scratches or breaking. It looks great on the hutch of my desk and it's the perfect size. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in globes or simply beautiful artwork--because to be truthful, this is a peice of art.

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This gemstone globe is really nice. I had bought it to display on a table with other items and I didn't want something too big whcih would overwhelm the space. For its size, the continents and countries are pretty identifiable. I definitly would buy this product again.

Reviews of Be Amazing Jungle Quicksand

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List Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $6.39
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

My review of this item is mixed. On the plus side, my kids were very excited to try this quick sand experiment. It comes with a pretty nifty explanation of how this mixture is neither solid nor liquid, and so that's a worthwhile lesson to teach. And it does feel weird. It feels wet but it's not. It becomes powdery and dry but it's a liquid. BUT it turns out it's nothing more than a bag of cornstarch which you mix with water. And for which you've paid close to $8. The kids were a bit disappointed because it didn't feel or look like what they expected it to....actual quicksand. And it's really, really messy.I would recommend you do this OUTSIDE as you can't pour it down the sink or even really wash your hands in the sink. We used wet paper towels and then kept rubbing our hands until it basically disappeared. So you can do the same thing at home with cornstarch and water but you won't have the nifty box and explanation of solids and liquids.The two plastic animals were fine but we used lots of our own figures to play with.

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Love this stuff, and it really works. I know it's supposed to be a toy but my

Grand children love the science behind it. Thank you

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My sons B Man and J received Jungle Quicksand as a gift this past Christmas. This is very cool gooey fun for kids ages 8 and older. The boys were very excited to do this project and enjoyed it a lot. They loved playing jungle and making their animals shiver in fear of crossing the ooey, gooey Quicksand. It was so much fun getting messy and amazing how it only took water to get clean. My boys really loved this Jungle Quicksand and I know your children will love it, too.

The Jungle Quicksand kit comes with everything you need in order to make a fun jungle scene for kids.

Bag of Jungle Quicksand powder

Plastic Jungle Animal

Jungle scene punch out

Here is what you'll need

Pitcher

Large bowl

Plastic cup

Spoon

Gallon size zipper-lock bag

Cookie sheet or cake pan

Newspaper or drop cloth

Water

The instructions are very detailed and guide you step by step as you create this cute jungle scene.

This Jungle Quicksand is an example of what is called a Non-Newtonian fluid-a fluid that defies Isaac Newton's law of viscosity. All fluids have this property. Viscosity is a fluid's measurable thickness or resistance to flow.

Newton stated that the viscosity (thickness) of a fluid can be changed only by altering the fluid's temperature. For example, motor oil and honey both flow more easily when you warm them up and they become very thick when they get cold. A Non-Newtonian fluid has the same dependence on temperature but, its viscosity can also be changed by applying pressure. When you squeeze a handful of this gooey Quicksand, its viscosity increases so, it acts like a solid for a split second. When you release the pressure, the glop behaves like a liquid again.

This is a great little science kit that also teaches just how quicksand works and how to escape it if you ever find yourself trapped! This Jungle Quicksand kit even comes with a list other activities you can do with it. The options are to change the color of the Quicksand, write a story about the jungle world you created and it tells you how you can create your own real quicksand at home using a large tub, water and sand.

Jungle Quicksand comes with a page of safety information for the supervising adult which is very informative. Be very sure to read how this must be discarded! Jungle Quicksand Cool Science kit was created by Steve Spangler and sold by Be Amazing Toys.

If you have ever watched The Big Bang Theory, you may have seen this glop dancing on a large speaker. They covered the sub-woofer in plastic wrap and the vibrations caused the glop to react in such a way that it appeared to be dancing. My sons love watching the white glop dance, as they call it!

Do you think this is a kit you would buy for your own children? Jungle Quicksand is created by Steve Spangler Science. This kit is for children ages 8 and older and must be used under adult supervision. The cornstarch in the kit is to be kept away from nasal passages and eyes. Do not use around food and food storage.

Buy Grimm's Small Geometric Shape Wooden Conical Stacking Tower, in 9

Customer Ratings:

My son got this stacker for his first birthday and it's a great toy. My one and only complaint is that I was afraid he would hurt himself on the center pole when he was toddling unsteadily around while learning to walk. That being said, the pros far outweigh the one con. It's durable, brightly colored, and the wood is stained with safe dyes so the color won't chip off (we had that problem with 2 other, cheap stackers that were painted with who knows what). What I like best about this toy is that it's not just round pieces, they are geometric shapes, which lends itself for a lot of educational value. When my son it playing with it we talk to him about the colors, shapes, and sizes of the different pieces, and I can imagine that the shapes will come in handy once he is older and learning those too.

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Cheap Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen

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List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $31.37
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

This is one of my son's Fisher-Price toys that he actually plays with. He is 17 months and is not interested in things that just make noise and flash lights anymore. With this toy he practices putting the shapes through the holes, turning on and off the light, putting the food on the shelf in the fridge, and putting the pan on the stove, in the oven, and in the sink. We also ask him questions and talk to him about the toy so he learns various foods and kitchen items. All toys are more fun for kids when you interact with them!

With four settings, I don't get as tired of listening to this toy as I do others each setting has different phrases and music that keep it interesting for the child and adult. I don't think he'll play with it for too much longer, but we will probably get it out again as soon as our next child can sit up.

After reading other reviews, I also wanted to say that our son has never pinched his fingers in the door and spends a good amount of time opening, closing, and moving the kitchen around. He used to pinch his fingers all the time in our real kitchen cabinets, so maybe this is a live and learn thing.

The only thing I would change is a way to keep it closed and a handle so it could be moved around with the pieces inside.

UPDATE: My son continued to play A LOT with this toy until he was 26 months old and we bought him a Kidkraft wooden kitchen. Even then he still played with this for a few weeks until I finally put it away. Granted, he is very into kitchen/cooking type activities, but I really think you can't go wrong with this toy from about 6 months and on, for boys or girls! We spent many hours playing with this together.

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I was hesitant to buy this toy after reading reviews about babies' fingers getting smashed. I'm a hand surgeon, so the whole smashing fingers thing goes against most of my principles! However, the kitchen looked so fun that I thought I'd give it a shot, and return it if the risk was real. I closely supervised my 8 month old for a few weeks she totally loved all the songs and sound effects, but never got fingers caught anywhere. Though, her favorite thing to do is swipe down all the "groceries" (comes with milk, carrots, and ketchup) that I stack on the shelf of the fridge door.

I tried to close my own fingers in the door, and really couldn't figure out how this could smash fingers. I compared the toy we received to the one in the manufacturer pics ... the door has been redesigned since those pics were taken (I'm assuming in response to the finger-smashing thing). You can see the difference in multiple pictures, but especially the 4th one from the left on the Amazon site that's kind of an oblique view with the door closed. The white part of our door is cut so that there's a 2 inch segment that can actually touch the blue base, but the remainder of the door has a space so that fingers can't get caught.

Reviewers also commented that their kids knocked the kitchen over. My little girl did that a few times at first when she didn't know how to swing to door of the fridge open on the hinge. Once she figured it out, it didn't topple except when she pushed it over on purpose we can tell by her giggles and proud face. I only gave 4 stars because the "range" on the first kitchen we got didn't play music when you pressed it. The range on the second one worked, but the ball above it that you roll (which happened to be one of her fave parts of the first fridge) didn't play music reliably. So, a little lacking on the quality control, but still worth it once you get one that is fully functional.

If you have Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks, the round, triangular, and square blocks from this set also fit through the door in the fridge part of the kitchen!

Just noticed the current selling price is the retail price... I happened to get this for 40-50% off, which is a good value and what I think the toy is actually worth. Not sure that it's worth the full retail value, especially when I've gone through 2 that don't work 100%.

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This toy REALLY held my 10 month olds interest, she loves it BUT she has smashed her fingers twice in less than a week! It opens and closes too easily, the fridge door is too light compared to the sink side and when slightly moved one side always falls shut on the other. Since she likes to move it around her little hands keep getting caught. All babies are curious and cannot be expected to leave a toy sitting where you leave it. Since she is so entertained with it we took the center hinge out so that she can still play with the two separate parts.

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I read on the saftey issues other people had and adjusted the toy:

Put the hard side of velcro on the bottom of the toy so it will "cacth" on carpet. This will hold the toy in place and it wont topple over as easily. If you have hard wood, simply apply the soft side of the velcro to where your child plays with the toy (its just tape and will come off when cleaned). As for the pinching finger, if you have the toy on foam flooring, it makes it not so easy to close the fridge door.. child hasnt pinched fingers for the months she has played with it.

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My 1 year old daughter receive this kitchen for her first birthday. I almost pass on this one because of the poor reviews, but it looks like a great toy and it was on sale. It's a great buy, my daughter loves it. It was the most popular gift among the girlie crowd at her birthday. It's a small kitchen if you compare with the fisher-price farm or fisher-price home, but it's packed with songs and activities. There's a shape sorter, an oven door, a small book that plays music inside the fridge, there's a drawer, a tap, a stove top and a trash can. Lots of songs, even a bilingual option. All for all, it's a great toy, I recommend it.