Activities and Learning Reviews

This game was tons of fun...I purchased it for my 15-year old daughter for a birthday gift. I ordered Smart Mouth from Amazon.com after reading about it in an issue of Real Simple magazine. We opened it up at her party and everyone from my daughter to her 7- and 9-year old nieces to her aunt and myself just loved this game. It was fast-paced and the youngest girl had the quickest answers. Best of all, they had a blast while spelling words!!! A great game, both educational and fun.

It's a shame this is lumped in with educational games. Although I can see it has great potential a as a vocabulary builder, it is one of the most fun adult party games I've ever played. It's similar in dynamic to Jenga, but requires a loose tongue instead of steady fingers, so it's a better choice after partaking of adult beverages. You can set the rules however you want--minumum 4 letters, only 3 letters, only place names, pick another language, anything!

I had recieved this game for Christmas and I find it quite enjoyable. The concept of the game is very simple:

You slide the box forward and then back again revealing two tiles. You must think of a word that begins with the first letter and ends with the second. Example
Letters are:A L
Word Possible: Animal

Who ever yells out a word first that works gets the tiles. When the tiles dispencer is empty, you count up your tiles and whoever has the most wins.

If you are looking for a good travel game I do not suggest this one because the tiles can be lost easily. I do suggest this game for kids ages 7+ because you have to have a good vocabilary of words.

This item is GREAT!!!! The cool drawings, races, and, stamps. I reccomed this item alot!!

My 9-year-old daughter received a Pixter for Christmas and has really enjoyed it. It is well worth the money and we have definitely gotten our money's worth out of it. I highly recommend it. I even have a lot of fun with it. Give it a try!

I have almost all the pixter cartridges and this one though it is a good one does not get used as much as the others. It has various activities such as habitat stampers. A set of animal habitat scenes with stampers that make animal noises. Then there are different animal art games that involve drawing and completing animals. The main thing I would point out would be to watch out with this one with younger children. One of the games is a set of slider puzzles that are fairly hard to work with. Little ones would probably get frustrated without mom or dad's help. It is a good cartridge but not one of the best. But if you got an animal lovin' little one this would be great for them.

An excellent project for your child's school report. We purchased the Velociraptor kit for our 8 year old daughter not knowing what to expect. After opening the package my wife came up with a clever idea of pouring melted chocolate chips it into the dinosaur molds, instead of using the plaster mix. We experimented with white chocolate chips and created realistic looking dinosaur bones! We buried these edible bones in ground up Oreo Cookies. What a thrill to see our daughter's 2nd grade class excavate these delectible prehistoric fossils!

I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY EIGHT YEAR OLD FOR CHRISTMAS WITH A BUNCH OF THE "WHATS POPULAR NOW" TOYS. THIS BY FAR IS THE TOY THAT HAS KEPT HIS ATTENTION FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. MORE LIKE NEARLY 2 HOURS THE FIRST TIME WE TOOK IT OUT. IT ALSO KEPT MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND THE EVERY ADVENTEROUS 4 YEAR OLD BUSY. I HAD TO KEEP DAD FROM DIGGING AND DUSTING OR ELSE THE KIDS WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN A TURN. AFTER FINDING THREE BONES - I TOLD THEM IT WAS TIME TO PUT IT AWAY AND SAVE IT FOR ANOTHER DAY. MY HUSBAND WOULDN'T QUIT FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES UNTIL THEY HAD FOUND AND UNEARTHED ONE MORE BONE. THEY HAVE MANY HOURS OF FUN LEFT WHICH IN RETURN WILL GIVE THEM AN ADDED BONUS--NOT ONLY ARE THEY HAVING FUN; BUT ARE LEARNING AT THE SAME TIME!! ONE CONSIDERATION IS THAT IT DOES SAY FOR AGES 8 AND ABOVE, BUT MY 4 YEAR OLD HAD HIS SUN GLASSES ON AND MANAGED QUITE WELL. HIS ONLY PROBLEM WAS GETTING DAD OUT OF THE WAY!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

My son (now almost 6) has been a dinosaur fanantic since the age of 2. He knows the names, where they lived, what they ate...you name it, he knows it! Or so we thought, until he got this for Christmas! After having a great time making and painting the "fossil" he read in the manual that each bone has it's own name--so now we're learning those as well! The only problem we have with it is when the smaller pieces get dropped on a hard surface they tend to break pretty easily. They are, however, also fixed easily with a dab of super glue.

This product has provided hours of entertainment to my Kindergarteners and my first graders in the last two years. I can't believe how rough they can be with the toy and nothing breaks.

I bought this set for my son when he turned 4. He didn't attempt to play with it by himself until one day I got it out, sat on the floor with him and started building really neat stuff. When he saw what I had done and watched all the colors of gears turning round and round that was it, he loved it. This set has so many options; you can build 1,000 different things. We will have this set for a long time.

We received several gears, gears, gears sets at the same time, and found that the plain set ie Super set although initially fun looses excitement without some add ons. If I were to buy just one set I would start with the Under the Sea adventure set first, then add with the fantasy play park. The Undersea set has parts that move the gears in interesting ways from the standard set. It also comes with regular gears for building, although in limited number so the super set still helps extend the play.The motorized monstors sounded more intteresting than it was, but the parts when added to the Undersea adventure set was great fun! The gears are an interesting way of learning how things work. If your child is mechanically minded any of these sets will provide a wonderful new constructin opportunity. If your child hasn't been inclined towards let's say lego's etc.. This toy may provide some interest initially in being able to create a design that moves. However, construction with this set is more complicated than legos and for the less mechanically inclined child will still need paren'ts help beyond the age minimum's recommended.

My daughter received this as a present when she was born. As an infant, it was used mostly as decoration and as a play area barrier for her before she could crawl over it. Now that she is 4, she loves "riding" on it, making it make noises, and wrapping herself up in it. It sits on the floor of her room, and it looks great. My two year old loves it too. He talks about its colors and loves climbing all over it. My children have a lot of toys and this one guarantees the giggles.

The Catapillar is cute, and goes cute in his room which is bug themed. But it's size in impratical for him to play with at such a young age. But, it's cool anyway.

My son received one of the little ones and he loved the thing so much that I had to replace it twice. The crinkles are exciting for baby and when they learn how to make it squeek it is so fun. I would expect this huge one to be fun for the entire family or for families with several children.

These durable, well-constructed wooden puzzles are a big hit with the 18 months + crowd. I believe my son's love of trucks started with this educational puzzle. The pieces are easy for little hands to grasp with the attached pegs, the puzzle is easy yet developmentally sound for toddlers and definitely worth the money. Do yourself a favor though--get a puzzle holder if you plan on purchasing a few of these types of puzzles...

We purchased this for our sons, after finally finding it @ Toys'R'Us.

The toy is beautifully hand-made -- as well as perfectly put together, however, it does chip very easily...

Being that usually a child, as young as 1 1/2 will begin using puzzles, if interested; I think they should coat the puzzle a little better to avoid the various bumps and scraps it might encounter..

Other then the slight chipping after less than a month, it is a very nice puzzle, which is actually easier for our kids to play with then the regular flat puzzles...I think it was a very good idea for motor skill improvement...

This is a nice puzzle, but I perfer the Jumbo Knob Puzzle Farm. The Jumbo Knob Puzzle has a knob instead of a peg and it is easier for little children to grasp.

This puzzle will do just fine though, .... The edges are smooth and the base of the puzzle is thick enough that it is not going to break.

I purchased these for the young (under one year) daughter of an acquaintance. They are an unusually good set of blocks, being soft, multicolored, and with varying designs. Some have peek-a-boo windows and doors, and some have rattles inside. The only possible drawback is that the "windows and doors" could become torn lose with extended use, but they are a good value and would be expected to last as a young baby grows. They come in a convenient zippered storage case which has some baby features. I would rate these as a "best buy" for young babies.

These blocks were atractive to me because they were soft and large for little hands. So I purchased a set for my 10 month old, she seems to like them just fine. They are not her favorite toy, but she enjoys knocking them over and watching me reassemble little structures. She also enjoys tossing them around which is entertaining for both of us! My favorite aspect is the small amout of space they take up when put away in the pouch they come in.

I purchased these for my 5 month old daughter. They are wonderful. The only problem is they are a little big for small hands to hold on to. Also they could be a little softer. All in all she loves the colors and noises. I feel they are a good value for the price.

Soon after my sons 2nd birthday, I searched for puzzles that would challenge him more than the 1-piece, 1-hole type. What I found was stimulating for my little guy, and it gave us countless hours of one of one time together. The "Fire Truck Peg Puzzle" is different from other peg puzzles that have one piece per opening. This puzzle has one large opening, and no separations. The puzzle encourages young children to think, yet at the same time have fun, because it includes the same picture beneath the pieces. It requires more concentration than the stage-1 type of puzzle, and it was exactly what William needed.

I found this age group learns, and retain more information from realistic pictures, or photographs of everyday things, rather than animated illustrations. The manufacturer of this toy understands that, and although the Fire Truck is a rendered drawing, it closely resembles its real-life counterpart. The puzzle is designed well. By that, I mean the division of the pieces is perfectly presented. In addition, each piece includes a red peg so the puzzle is easy to work.

William has enjoyed this puzzle from the time I eyed it in the store. In fact, he's not ready to give it up, and why should he. He turns 3 next month, so he's had 8 good months with the "Fire Truck Peg Puzzle" and will probably continue to "work it" a while longer. It's held up well considering my sons destruct-o moods, and will probably carry on for the next generation's play and abuse. 2-years and up.

Happy Playing,

Mary

This is a great little puzzle for the truck loving toddler set. This was my daughter's first puzzle that involved pieces that can move around (i.e. that don't fit into a single slot). It only has 9 pieces and 7 of them are edge pieces so it is perfect for a kid figuring out the rules of this kind of puzzle. The picture underneath helps so it is challenging but not frustrating for a kid who already can do the slot puzzles. My daughter used it as a springboard and within a month of getting this had moved on to the the 23 piece Jumbo Firetruck Puzzle. Because of this, I think it is pretty clear that the recommended age range (2-5) is wrong. She got it when she was 19 months old, did it a lot for a month, then enjoyed doing it occasionally for a couple more months. At 23 months she has grown out of it. Even taking into account differences between kids, the upper age limit for this puzzle is probably 3.

A definite must for the firetruck lover in your family. This keeps my toddler busy for quite awhile and he even talks to it! Very, very cute and durable too - it takes quite a slamming and hasn't even chipped.

I was disappointed with the quality of this item. The dancing Madeline would not consistantly spin and play music, she needed a good hard tap to get her going. I returned her for this reason. I also thought the outside decoration was cheap--it just seemed to be glued on. I did think the interior was nice as was the pull out drawer. I might have kept it if it worked properly.

It has been 3 weeks since my daughter received this for her 4th birthday. The other toys are played with on different days, but this is the only gift that is, without fail wound, opened, and closed each nite without fail. Wonderful twist on the old balerina style, much more meaningful to a madeline fan. She carefully places her little rings, bracelets and necklaces in there designated spot each nite (never could get her to put them away before!) Really charming, any Madeline fan would be pleased.

From the moment my 3 1/2 year old opened this and the little figure began to twirl around to her beloved "Madeline" song she was enchanted. It has a little drawer on the bottom (that is used for various treasures) and a ring compartment and several other dividers on the top for jewelry or hair clips and such. Unfortunately, the beloved box was left on the floor and accidentally stepped upon by big brother which totally broke off the top of the box. Dad was actually able to glue it back together and it almost looks and works like new! Pretty enough to perch on a bookshelf for display and use!

As previous reviewers mentioned, this item comes in three pieces. My son loves it but was getting extremely frustrated because it kept falling apart with the slightest bump. The small pegs that hold the top of the bridge on are just not enough stablility. Take a tad bit of wood glue, glue the top on the pegs and simply make it one piece. Do it right out of the box and save yourself some trouble. Once you do that it will provide lasting entertainment for your little one!

When I bought the Arched Stone Bridge I did not buy it seperatly, I bought it with the Stop N' Go Figure 8 Set. It is a wonderful bridge although it is no good without existing track. If you buy this buy it in a set. When I bought the Stop N' Go figure 8 Set it came with existing track as well as the bridge. I even priced everything that came with the set and it came up to [price] (if everything was purchased seperatly), and I paid [price] !! Can't beat that!!!

This is a great product. Highly durable, fun and great for all ages. My son and husband put the track together to make new figurations and can play for hours. My son recieved the Barrel Load Set for his 3rd birthday and I dont think he could have waited another day. The track is easy to put together and offers hours of open ended play. It is a bit more than you would pay for some other trains however the quality is well worth it and the fact that there are so expansion packs and adds ons makes it a toy that keeps changing to meet your childs needs. I would highly recommend this toy for a child as it meets all the kid and parent requirements for a great fun. We also bought the Thomas The Tank Express Engine (battery operated, Arched Stone Bridge and extra 3 1/2 inch track so we could put in the bridge. The battery opereated Thomas is nice because they get the feel for a train going on its on but dont be fooled there is still lots for the child to do. My son still has to "help" it along the track and really enjoys it.