Activities and Learning Reviews

if the walls of your tub are too rough to hold suction cups then this is the toy holder for you! this is great cuz it goes right over the edge of the tub...and it hold a LOT of toys along with the toys it even comes with! the mesh keeps the toys from getting mildewy.

This book has 26 pages to it and seems to cover a wide variety of information.
Pages 2-3 explain what science is, using hypothesis,experiments, results and conclusion. They (the 2 characters are Gabi and Newton) do an example experiment. Also on the bottom are listed 8 scientists that do a little rap when you click on them.
Pages 4-5 describe matter and what it is. Talks about solids, liquids, gases. One page has you guess an object by clicking on the 5 senses and listening to its description. Also has a temperature scale with game and a chart of mass and matter.
Pages 6-7 are about sound. This page is fun. There is the usual small keyboard that can play piano, flute and guitar. Tells you about pitch and how sound travels. They show what soundwaves looks like, the vibrations it causes on a measuring device. You get to identify which sound goes with which picture, 6 of them.
Pages 8-9 are about light and color. They talk about reflection,refration and absorption. Color deals with the rainbow and there is a diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Pages 10-11 deal with animal habitats..tundra, taiga, desert...etc. Teach about herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and where they live. There are diagrams of 12 different animals. I.e. the Beaver, tells what it likes, dislikes, where it should live.. in a cold or hot area. There are 2 more games on this page concerning animals and their habitats.
Pages 12-13 are on the African Savanna and Adapting for Survival. It talks about predator, prey, scavengers and how some animals survive there. 2 more games to play here.
Pages 14-15 is the Arctic Tundra and the food chain. Teaches how these animals adapted to the harsh environment Goes over the food chain, producers-consumers-decomposers. Has pictures of plenty of animals that you point to and tells you about them. More games to play.
Pages 16-17 are on the Coral Reef, Protecting the Balance. Has a fish finder game. Has plenty of fish pictures with facts to go with them. Has a population graph and water quality graph to play with.
Pages 18-19 teach about the Sun, Moon and Earth. It covers moon phases, solar eclipse, seasons, orbits, rotation. Has six real life photos of different space views. Did you know the sun could hold about one million Earths? Cool info here.
Pages 20-21 are Our Solar System. Teaches planet names, space weight, orbit times and has more photos. 2 more games again.
Pages 22-23 is Exploring the Night Sky. A nice timeline starting at 1400 B.c. showing how the sky was observed during different ages. Has Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Hawking, Moon landings, shuttle missions. There are real pictures of constellations and space views. Examples of constellations are also drawn in. Fun page, 2 more games.
Pages 24-25 is a know it all game, pretty much the end of the book. There are 26 pictures, some drawn and some of real photos. For example a photo of the sun and it will ask you to point to a ball of hot gas when you play the games on that page.
Page 26 is a glossary of 36 different words covered in the book. Touch it and you get the definition...food chain, habitat, spectrum, etc. A game to go with it also.
All in all, this is a nice book. I prefer these type to the story ones like Scooby Doo, although the kids like them too. Of course, a lot of the descriptions and lessons here just scratch the surface, but for the 8 year old level, that is what they need. Too much info and it would be confusing and they would lose interest. In my opinion you can't go wrong with this book. A regular book can look nice, but when the kids can touch a book and her so many different things, it makes it funner and more likely to stick. Plus, to play the games on each page, you have to listen to what the book tells you and if you get the answers right, you know the kids are learning something.

I've had Bill for about nine years and it has still survived with very little scratches. His magnet still works perfectly and it is great for little kids. It's fun to use Bill and Ben to pull a train. This train would not be complete without Bill's twin Ben.

This is a fun piece with it's bright colors. It's sturdy and the wheels are flexible. I got it for my niece and she plays with it constantly. Great for collection for both adults and kids who are fascinated by trains.

At first my 4 year old wasn't too excited about this one, mostly because it doesn't have a face, name or "personality". But it has become one of his favorites due to the up & down action of the handcar "arm". Not the first train car I'd buy, but a cool addition to any kid's Thomas collection.

I wish all the expansion cars had as much thought put into them as this set does.

The Hippo's mouth opens and closes as you move the train. The animal cage car has a sliding door. My 2 year old loves both.

Other cars to check out: The gold prospecting car which tumbles gold rocks as it moves.

My son Ramsay loves Thomas anything...The Tophams are made very well with moving arms and they can even sit..We have found the Tophams having dinner at the home on Barbie many times..Just shows you how far owning a railroad can take you....

Or should I say book. We only have the Farm Bath book but it is wonderful. My 1 year old loves when I (Mommy) make the farm animal noises. The colors are bold and the things to look at around the animals seem to lure the most of his attention (like the bird on the pigs back). I wish they sold these books separately here so I could buy the two I don't have.

My daughter has spent hours with this toy. Each side has different fabrics, shapes and sizes. It has some small plastic loops that are especiallly yummie on those teething gums.
One side has a small mirror. Its fun to watch her watching herself. I've washed it many times and let it hang dry. It comes out perfect everytime.

My daughter got Baby Tad as a gift when she was 6 months old.At first she ignored it.Now she loves listening to the nursery rhymes during playtime.I would sing along with Baby Tad first then eventually my baby would hum along with us!Most helpful is the 6 minutes worth of Lullaby/Classical songs.When it's sleep time,I would just have Baby Tad play the lullabies and usually in 6 munutes my baby is asleep!We bring Baby Tad during long car trips too.The nursery rhymes keep my baby occupied when she's bored with her other toys and the lullabies help her settle into a nap when she's tired and sleepy.A true lifesaver!

I love this toy. It has two volumes (loud/soft) and it plays sleepy music (you can set the minutes) and it is easy for little kids to push. My daughter got this gift at age 10 months now she is almost three and still loves to play with him. She really loves the kiss noises he makes (lips on his cheek). This was worth the MONEY!!

I love this toy for the fact that it taught our 8 month old daughter to hug everything in sight. Her's makes kissing noises and says "I love you" when you press the kiss on the cheek. She was a hug enthusiast after just a few days of playing with it! Now that she is 16 months old she is starting to understand the reward system for playing with the light buttons and has learned about turning it on and off by using the hands and foot. The tunes it sings are all her favorites now. My only regret is that I didn't buy it for her sooner.