Activities and Learning Reviews

I purchased the LeapPad unit and two books were included. I did not see this mentioned in the description of the Unit itself so I double-bought this book by accident. We love the book & unit, but I would recommend seeing what comes with your LeapPad (if you get it from Amazon) before purchasing this book. It might save you from having to return it.

I bought this Duplo set for my son's second birthday. He loves it--it was easily his favorite birthday gift. I like it because it keeps him busy for a long time. My big disappointment was the packaging the toy arrived in. It was packaged in a plain brown cardboard box. Presentation means so much when giving gifts to kids, and I felt that the way this product was packaged (like some boring piece of junk) dampened my son's initial excitement upon opening this gift. If toysrus.com has cut special deals with some toy manufacturers to accept cheap packaging for lower prices or access to hard-to-obtain products, they should at least be up front about it with the consumer. My experience with this product's packaging makes me reluctant to order from toysrus.com again for gift purchases.

Every adult and child who has ever built with Lego and those who will ever build with Lego need wheels. When children, or those acting like children, gather around a huge pile of Lego the first thing that the start reaching for are wheels.

Wheels of all shapes and sizes.

As many as they can get..

The more wheels on the contraption the happier they are, so just plan to get a BUNCH and then everyone can make things that roll, go and otherwise WORK and you won't have any fights on your hands about "s/he got all the wheels!!"

I have to admit, when I first saw the "Let's Pretend" brand name, I was really hoping this was an Uncle Ted costume. "Come one, come all! The big, the small..." That was such a great record set when I was a little kid.

I quickly got over my disappointment when I saw that it was actually this awesome hair-dresser costume. My kids love to play "vocational school," so I promptly bought this item. Now they can pretend to be a budding cosmetologist, along with pretending to learn horticulture or air-conditioning repair.

Here's a helpful hint: get a stuffed toy poodle, and your kids can pretend to practice pet-grooming. It's like two costumes for the price of one!

Featuring a toy hairdryer, curling iron, brush, smock with transparent pockets, and toy towel (really just a regular towel), this set gives you almost everything you need to pretend to cut and style an imaginary hairdo. Granted, it lacks toy scissors...but that's why we have our first two fingers!...

I bought this outfit for another doll, and it's been great fun! at 10 dollars you get an outfit, a hat and a scooter!!! my little tiny betsy doll (tonner doll company) has been having fun all summer in this outfit. i like the patriotic/sailorish quality that it has too. i've been impressed with the madeline doll line before (when it was produced by eden toys) and am still impressed now (production taking over by learning curve). oh yes-- and the new packaging is BEAUTIFUL, and i LOVE the hanger they include! :) wonderful.

i can't wait to share my madeline collection with my little girl someday (not yet even conceived and i KNOW this stuff will last :) i have madeline, pepito and miss clavel, lots of outfits and even some of the furniture- i'm never disappointed. enjoy!

I bought this toy for my daughter for her birthday. She reqused it. It was a good set. Some of the trick were a little to advance for her, but i taught them to her. Overall it is a great set.

My twin boys received this for their 2nd birthday. Both found different ways to play with it, and they fought over it all the time. So, just a hint folks: don't buy this as a joint gift for twins. ;^)

The cartridges allow the unit to play different songs (extra cartidges may be purchased separately). The blocks control the instruments and the order of musical phrases. I really think that this toy encourages the development of a discerning musical ear for children.

One more plus - all of the sounds and music are pleasant, even for parents that have to hear them played over and over again. That in and of itself makes this a great developmental toy to have around.

I bought my twin sons this puzzle/peg toy for their 2nd birthday. They have loved this toy from the start. It is very colorful and that initially attracted them to it. Then they enjoyed putting pegs in the different holes. At first it was random, now at almost 3 years old, they like to sort by colors (orange pegs in the orange piece)and see how high the pegs can stack. They also love to count the pegs in each piece. The entire toy is very durable and if you lose a piece, Lauri will replace the part for a nominal charge. I love all of Lauri's toys and we bought the peg board and additional pegs. The primer pak is also a fun kit to take on the road. We take these toys to church, restaurants, and they are a great distraction when I have to make phone calls. They are quiet toys and they require no batteries.

We received this toy for a gift for my 3-1/2 year old, and he loves it! He loves puzzles, and immediately figured out how to manipulate the pieces to fit the diagrams He never tires of it, although he'll occasionally get frustrated if the pieces slide out of place on the diagram. The pieces are very well made with no sharp edges. My only complaint is that it only comes with 4 patterns, and the cardboard "form" isn't very durable. Excellent choice overall, though!

My daughter has had this toy since she was only a few months old and loved for me to play peek a boo with it. I would make the bunny pop out and then the flower and so on. It always guaranteed a smile, if not a few baby belly laughs! Now that she is older she won't go to sleep at night without this cube in her crib and my husband and I can often hear her playing on her own with it as she prepares to go to sleep at night and when she just wakes up in the morning. She likes to look for the bunny behind the flaps! The toy is soft and the colors are nice. I recommend this toy to anyone with a baby.