Activities and Learning Reviews

I love this mat! I got this for my 9 month old daughter and she immediately took to it. She loved the vibrant colors and the fact that she can pull out the letters, within a couple of days she found out that she could pull the whole mat appart (a lot of work for the parent...but all comepletely worth it). Friends have pulled it appart and have used it as a hop-scotch board and built things out of it. The foam is a little flimsy though, so I would recomend watching children when they are teething and figuring out the capabilities of their teeth. But over all I love this and have recomended it to many people.

We have hardwood floors, which are nice, but when you have a baby who wants to be on the floor, it's hard on everyone. So, we went out and bought this. It's much better than the floor, but it's not carpeting. They're pretty durable - my son has taken all of the letters and the numbers out and put them back and they don't seem to be very worn yet! (He's 18 months and we've had it for at least 12 months.) For a long time, that was one of the things he enjoyed doing the most, taking the letters out, walking around with them, and chewing on them. He would also put them back in later, but not as often as he would take them out. I didn't really worry much about the small pieces - the small circles for the inside of the eight, six, zero, b's, etc - since we're with him when he plays with this. But if you are, you can simply take them out and put them away for later. Of course, that means that your child will be able to pull out the letters and numbers more easily, but that's part of the fun. (Little ones have a hard time getting much of a gripe on the letters and numbers when they're pushed flush with the blocks.) Also, I think that it's nice to have the alphabet out and some numbers. My one complaint is that the one we got, when it's put together has six vertical stripes through all the letters, but then the numbers don't continue it. I guess I wish ours was more random, which some are.

Love the ABC mat concept and the vivid colors! The mat's letter "I" was missing. Tried to pull up D&S Products International's website, ... and it just came up a general directory page called Retroglo Directory Page. I searched for Fun Foam Letters Mat and it came up amazon.com and ToysRus. Said that the product is no longer stocked or has been discontinued. Did a Google Search and found no D&S Products International or RetroGlo--only sourceguides came up when I even plugged in the address of D&S. ... I read other products reviews of this mat and others are missing borders and letters as I am.

The crayons in this set do not stay extended. The little rachets that are used to push the crayons out do not stay in place. Very frustrating and cheap.

We received this from Santa for Christmas. It is alot of fun for my 3 1/2 year old daughter. She loves the colors and mixing them up. It does make a bath tub ring but is easy to clean up.

I bought this toy for my son for Christmas of this year. I thought it would be a lot of fun for him. The only bad thing is that the paints don't show up to well on the tile. I really didn't like how the soap turned everything red. The only thing that I liked about this product was the crayons worked really well on the wall. If I known that the crayons would be the only thing that worked I would have just bought those. But my son seems to enjoy it, so I am keeping it for his sake.

Having never seen this set in person, I bought this product for my daughter based on the picture and the rave reviews it had received. There is nothing in this package that you can use while traveling except the lacing cards. Some of the pieces are so small it's almost a guarantee that half of them would never make it out of the car. I suppose the box itself makes it easier to bring it with you while traveling but it is a very cheap box and will probably fall apart by the end of our first trip. The other problem we have is with the pieces that "lock together". They are made of the same thin foam as the puzzles and it is impossible to make a "structure" because they are so flimsy. This activity set is more appropriate for putting the pieces on the kitchen table and letting your child play with it there. Overall, if I had found this for [price] I probably would be okay with it, but it is not worth [price].

For those of you out there looking for a "fine motor" and hand strengthening toy, this one is great. Very durable, and will keep little ones busy.

I got this for my daughter when she was 20 months, just before a cross-country car trip and major move. It (along with its companion, the "Toddler Tote") entertained her for the two-week period from the time her toys were packed in our old home till the time they were unpacked in our new home. She still pulls them out and plays with them from time to time. The carry case is *not* meant to withstand toddler handling, but the pieces themselves have proven quite durable, and have a way of reappearing again despite my daughter's best attempts to scatter them to the winds.

I purchesed this toy from an educational store looking for something to travel with and something without batteries. We bought it 2 months ago when my son was 14 months old and he liked it right away. It only took him several hours to figure out how to stack them. He plays with them every day and his color preferences are showing up while he plays with the pegs (he picks out all the orange ones first). He works both hands on his own when trying to stack the pegs. I think it has helped him in learning how to hold crayons. The only dislikes I have with this toy is the foam mat and the thin plastic wall in the center of the pegs. My son is still at that age were he bites everything and sometimes I think that if he worked at it enough he could chew a corner of the mat. We had one of the center hole walls break the other day and found the piece on the floor. So I would inspect them every so often. Also, try to teach your kids to hold the pegs down low as to not poke themselves in the eye when trying to stack the pegs with out the mat. It happened to our son--nothing severe just alot of crying. Overall it's a great toy and worth the money. I would definately purchase it as a gift for other children as well. Our son gets very excited when I ask him if he wants to play with his pegs. :)

My 21-month-old loves stacking things and sticking things into other things. So this toy was perfect for him, except that the base should be made of something a little more sturdy. It's rather flimsy rubberized material. He can't play with it in his crib or on my bed. He has to place it on a table or something else with a hard surface. Other than that, he seems to really like it.

I bought this because my son used to play this in OT sessions. He loved it and it really helps him to concentrate, use both hands (motor skills).

I will recommend this to everyone (1+year kids)

My father bought this toy for my son as an Easter gift when he was 8 months old, and the only thing he liked was the teethable car keys. I think this toy was actually ment for a much younger baby, and not an 8 month old.
I now have a 7 week old baby who might find the toys to be more fun, since I put them away when my first ds was 12 months old. Although, since I have gotten them back out, my now 19½ month old still wants the keys, even though I think he's too old for them, and he still has his plastic keys that aren't really made for teething.

I'll probably write another review on this toy when I see if my youngest son likes the toys or not.

Like I wrote in my title, playtime wont last long! My daughter still cant really use the squeeze toy and shes much older than when she first got these toys which were her first! The other toys didnt really keep her interest at all. I used these toys when she was really really young just to get her eyes to follow objects. After that these toys basically stayed at the bottom of the toy box.

These colorful toys are sure an eye-catcher for my 4 month old! He loves to shake the keys around and we found a hidden surprse in the birdie the other day......it sqeeks! Not only can you hang these on your activity mat/gym but you can take them off for your baby to shake and play with for months even after he outgrows the gym!

I think the blocks are cute and my 20 month old is enjoying building with them, but I was very disappointed that there were only 50 blocks in the set. Why call them "ABC/123 Blocks". The title is very misleading. He is enjoying the small size, as they fit well in his little hands. But I have to order more so we have enough to REALLY build with them. As far as being educational, I don't think blocks, or any other such toy, are necessarily geared for education. I think they stimulate the mind in a creative direction, and help with fine motor coordination, and color recognition. Bottom line - he's having fun with them, and that's great!

What a great little block set! My son, now a year old, received these as a holiday gift, and absolutely adores them. They are much smaller than the originals, but fit in his little hands better, and are easy for him to pick up and carry.

It doesn't bother me that the block letters don't match the subsequent pictures displayed on each cube; I like the freestyle approach. I also don't plan for him to play with these for the rest of his life; I figure by the time he's really learning his letters and sounds he'll have moved on to more challenging toys. So my current expectation for these little blocks is being met.

He loves to stack them (and knock them back down again), clang them together, skip them across the hardwood floors, suck on them (haven't noticed any problem with the wood or paint either), and fill pots and pans with them. He loves to put them in the clear case as well, and to dump them back out again.

Overall, for the ten bucks this is a great basic toy that my son has gotten a lot of mileage from already. I have noticed a big improvement in his gross and fine motor skills already, as he's already stacking them six high and sometimes able to pick up two at a time.

I'd recommend this toy to anyone with a child a year or so and older. I think the 2 year minimum age is a bit old, actually, and have encountered no safety problems whatsoever in giving them to my 1 year old.

Although these blocks are durable and have the traditional die-cut letters, I am very disappointed in the oversight of what I perceive to be an elementary necessity. The problem with this blocks is that although they have letters and pictures on each block, is that the pictures do not correspond to the letter on the block. I think that it is important for use for years to come to not only have a basic fun and building value, but to be able to foster language development when the time comes. I have a problem with the letter "P" block having a picture of a bee on it, how am I supposed to explain that when the question arises? If you are only going to be using these blocks for a young child and not keep them to teach them as they age, then they serve that purpose, but if you are like me and want them for longevity, then pass on this set.

We recently purchased this responsibility chart and it has been a great resource!! My 4-year old has been spending a lot of time whining and being unwilling to pick up her toys. We decided to give this a try and it has been wonderful. She runs into our room each morning and exclaims, "I made my bed- can a put a magnet on my chart?" The chart provids positive reinforcement for all types of behaviors. I especially like the magnets that focus on problem behaviors such as hitting and whining. The chart is durable, simple to use and understand, and very child focused. I have been recommending this chart to friends and family!! Another great piece by "Melissa and Doug"!!

These are shaped round, square and oblong. Some have seven magnets with others being fourteen. The hearts and flowers are only seven, but the balloons and stars are fourteen, to offer an idea of which ones have less available, for whatever reason. There are nine rows in the Lights Camera Interaction Magnetic Responsibility Chart. There are twenty-five options for these nine rows. I initially placed what I wanted my son to succeed at on a weekly basis, and after one week he changed some of them and added a few that he preferred.

This has made a world of difference in the disposition of my son. He now goes out of his way to say please and thank you, plus is folding his clothing that goes in drawers. We chose to hang our Lights Camera Interaction Magnetic Responsibility Chart on a wall in the kitchen.

The magnetic pieces move about easily on the board and when you move the whole board and carry it with the green rope that is used to hang, they don't move from their space. There are times that when we remove one that it drops to the floor.

I purchased this board to help us get my daughter to brush her teeth every day and go to bed without fuss. It's been working great and she loves getting her magnets each evening.

I've always been impressed with the quality of items from Lights, Camera, Interaction, and this item isn't any different.

This is a great educational family game.
However, please be aware that Amazon ships this game wrapped in a plastic bag with no padding. Another game of the same order was received was crushed and torn on one corner. Amazon promptly arranged a pickup and replacement. This game arrive with crushed edges, but I decided to keep it rather than deal with another return. I figured it could have been worse; imagine a small unprotected board game competing with other shipments in a UPS truck. Amazon used to pack items in a box with packing material. This is no longer the case. Beware.

Great idea for a board game with lots of learning potential for younger children, however children 10+ years may soon find this formula a little unchallenging. Several improvements could make this a better product; notably, heavier paper for the frequently handled question cards, and a much larger map on the game board. Some of the countries appear too small for grandparents and children with poor eyesight. Also, the spinner is labeled with text that should be larger. With just a few design changes and the opportunity to purchase additional question card packs, perhaps geared towards different age groups, we could recommend this game more enthusiastically.

This game really puts the world at your child's fingertips. My daughter begs to play even after her dad and I are pooped. And at eight years old, she knows more about geography than I did when I was much older. I'm getting her "Name That State" for her birthday and expect the same reaction.

This book is a great introduction for making candles. While it is targeted towards kids, I had a lot of fun with it. I've been doing crafts for quite a while now, but this was my first candle making effort. The beeswax sheets were easy to use and the candles turned out better than I had hoped. If you are looking for an easy way to get into candle making or just want to make a few for gifts, this is a great way to get started.

I bought this for my 10 year old daughter who is quite creative. These candles looked terrible when she completed the project. What a waste of money.

While I didn't get one for myself, I did give one to a dear aunt and her family and one to a dear friend in CA and they both love them. I have made my own beeswax candles and should buy one for myself. My friend liked learning about the bees and my Aunt Beverly said that they burned nicely.

Thanks to this toy now my baby's nickname has
become "Croki!" Imagine that!!! she loves it
and is always carrying it around. The voice & tone are fine
and cathcy for a lil' kid. I wouldn't expect your child to really play & understand it until at least 1 year old. One thing, though that's annoying, the numbers on the hands are VERY HARD to press, even for an adult. They should fix this because
a child is not able to do it on their own. Overall, it's worth
the buy.

I love this toy. It was very clear and understandable. It didn't need english instructions because a small child could figure it out. It didn't have all the letters but most small children can't pronounce those letters anyway and unless spanish is the primary language they won't need them. Basic words are fine. I also saw a review that said it was dialect biased, and it's not. Most people think that because a lot of spanish speaking people are so used to their particular dialect that they think it is the way everyone one speaks it. It's not. It uses the proper spanish dialect. I very much recommend this toy for early beginners.

As an American of Cuban descent, it is important for me to teach my son son Spanish. I got this toy to help him mainly with the alpahbet. He didn't really start appreciating it until almost 22 months, but he seems to like it now. However, some of the buttons, particularly the ones on the right side of his shirt, can be hard to press. I even struggle with a couple of them.

That being said, the Spanish spoken is excellent and, as stated earlier, not biased towards one dialect. The voice of Croki is quite sweet, not at all annoying like some toys. The games are cute and I think he will like them more as he growns older, particularly the one where they are asked to find a mystery letter of a certain color. I just wish they could have incorporated in a couple more colors (black, brown, white, and yellow) so that it could do more for teaching colors. But, overall, I would recommend this toy.