Activity Toy Reviews

I bought this chair for my daughter when she was 10 months old, when she was standing and crawling, but not yet walking. Although my mom insisted she is too young to use it, Emma climbed right on and has been using it nonstop since then. It is sturdy and has never toppled over when she tried to climb on or stood up on it and tried to bounce. In addition to it being low enough to climb on and off, it is higher and provides more support than the Sesame street flip open sofa, that had a tendency to fall over backwards when Emma tried to climb on it. I can't comment on the durability of the materials, as I made her a little seat cover, to prevent cheesy and fruity fingers from soiling the seat, and I would advise you to do the same to avoid having to clean it too often. Great buy and it seems to be a quality chair - just prevent others from using it as a footstool!

We bought this for Christmas 2002. My son was 17 months then. He will be 3 in July and he still absolutely loves this chair. It's held up to a toddler very well. The cushion seat seems a little flatter/harder and it's definitely looking a bit dingy. The care instructions advise using a damp cloth, and we have been with good results. But it's gotten so much use that it now needs a deep clean. The cloth hasn't frayed, the seams haven't pulled, the pockets haven't ripped, it's 4 square and sturdy, no loose or creaky boards in the chair frame. It's good quality.
If this chair were to break, we'd have to buy another right away. Jamie would just throw fits if he didn't have his chair!!! (...) Woth EVERY penny paid! I highly recommend this for your child. Every toddler who sees it loves it, plus it looks nice in the family room with all the "real" furniture.

My son loves this chair. I bought it for him when he was a year old. He is now three and still this is his favorite chair. He watches his movies, reads his books and even naps in this chair. It is very sturdy. The fabric doesn't really look how it used to but it hasn't torn or anything. I now have another one year old and am purchasing one for him as well. I highly reccommend this chair to everyone

I got this game for my 5 year-old daughter at Christmas, and we are hooked! It's challenging for her, but she gets it; I am so addicted to it that I go to the SET website every day to solve the daily puzzle! (Which, I might add, is excellent for learning how to play the game and for practice.) At the SET Enterprises site, you can also buy a PC version of the game if you prefer this to using cards, as I do.

I gave this three stars for durability only because this is played with cards--like any card game, they can get lost, bent, whatever. I keep this in MY room so the cards don't get lost (and so I can play after my daughter goes to bed)!

This might be too difficult for most young kids (it's perfectly suited to my daughter's learning/thinking style) so beware the frustration factor. However, you can play easier versions as well to start (by using only one color, for example) and progress to the full game for them. TEN stars for educational value--it's a great brain workout!

Anyone who likes puzzle-type games will love this!

I was introduced to this game as a Senior in high school while on a Girl Scout trip to Michigan. We played it every chance we got between planned activities. It gets loud and fast. It wasn't too tricky to learn, just to 'see' the sets.
When I got home it took months to find a toy store that had it, let alone heard of it.
Once I found it I introduced it to my friends and half of them loved it, the other half never wanted to play me again. Most of the people who loved playing it were very math oriented in their thinking. People who are language people seem to have more trouble at first for some reason.
It definately helps develop perception, thinking and pattern recognition skills. Not to mention addictive. I would recomed it for anyone over the age of about 8.

Highly addictive game because there are no turns, just every body whaling away at once. Trying to match up these shapes and colors becomes maddening after awhile. It is quite easy to get lost and see no matches what so ever and all of a sudden your brain will just click and you will be seeing sets everywhere. This is a very simple game to learn and very hard to master. First time players will get frustrated very easily if they are playing with SET veterans. The idea is to match any three cards on the table by having all of the card's characteristics being all the same or all different. Your spatial reasoning will get a real work out as you play through the deck the number of times equal to the number of players. Points are scored for each successful set and points are lost for incorrectly picking a set(which happens alot when everyone is in a hurry to find the next set.). A great great game that is loads of fun but a real mental workout.

Add us to the host of folks who love this puzzle toy. I generally consult Amazon ratings before purchasing new items and any item that has this many positive ratings always catches my attention. And it lives up to the promise. My almost 7 year-old son is ADHD and I was AMAZED at the way this toy captured his attention. I expected him to become quickly frustrated and give up. But after a few successes, he was hooked. I coached him a little bit at first (and then I was hooked too!) and before I knew it, he was solving puzzles by himself and doing a better job than me! He did the first 20 in one sitting. I was amazed as I watched him begin understanding which cars had to be where in order for him to get the red car out, then he started working out his plan to get there. You have to think ahead to be successful and he was doing it!

His persistence and concentration surprised me, so if your child is having any problems sitting and concentrating on a task, don't be afraid of this toy! But, alas, as with many ADHD kids, he's also been tested as gifted, so he's already run through the first 3 levels and is now nearly done with the expert level - solving puzzles that I can't do! I have to wait until he goes to bed to even get a chance to play! There's 40 cards in the first pack. The beginning levels are pretty easy to remember the solutions, but as you go higher in difficulty, you could probably do the puzzles more than once and still be challenged. But do be prepared to buy the 2, 3, and 4 Gift Pack (a great deal for $12 on Amazon)

I LOVE the fact that you store the cards right in the bottom of the tray. However,I wish that they would put a more permanent kind of cover on the tray. Also, you cannot replace the cover when you are in the middle of a puzzle, the cars have to be in the tray in a certain way in order for the cover to fit properly. But those are extremely minor drawbacks considering the hours of entertainment my son and I have gotten.

Ever stuck in gridlock? Think you know the easiest way out? Then you are ready to take the challenge of Binary Arts' Rush Hour Game. Beware escaping gridlock is not as easy at it seems.

The directions are simple; setup the game board using the forty game cards, arranged from beginners' skill level to the expert. Move the cars and trucks out of the way and get you red car off the board.

The game is made to have you thinking, and planning strategy is a key to winning. I found myself playing for hours and the more I played the more fun I had. Also since storage is easy this game travels well.

For those rainy days, those family night outings or when friends drop over, you can't go wrong with this game. About the only thing Binary Arts needs now is a thinking game involving aircraft.

Many of the reviews posted so far say, in one way or another, "I bought this for a kid, but I love it, too." I'm not ashamed to say that I'm neither a parent nor a teacher and that I bought this for myself. (I did buy another set for my sister's kids when I saw how great it was.) I've always liked Binary Arts products, and this did not disappoint. What I especially like, and why I think it's valuable educationally, is that it forces you to identify the root causes of the problem and to map out intermediate goals on your way to a solution. If you like this kind of thinking, you'll enjoy this game.

As others have noted, the packaging is not great because it makes it a little too easy to lose pieces. That accounts for my 4 stars for "durability."

I researched many climbers, and finally decided that this was the one for us. My 2-year-old loves it! Assembly was easy enough that we can disassemle it and put it away for winter. The platform was a little tricky to get into place. I don't think I could have done it myself, but my husband did it without too much trouble. There are many different aspects of play with this climber - a long wavy slide, a fairly large platform complete with a steering wheel, a secret hideout area underneath, holes to climb up and down and in and out - all for a very reasonable price. I'm so glad we didn't have to spend several hundred dollars to get something that our son loves. What impresses me the most is how durable it is. My husband had to jump on the platform to get it into place. It didn't bow at all! It appears to be indestructable. (I certainly wouldn't leave it out all winter.) I brought it home from the store in my Subaru Forester, which is not a big vehicle. (out of the box) This was a big plus in my book. Anything bigger probably would not have fit. I expect that many summers of fun will be had with this purchase.

My husband and I bought the Wave Climber when our twin boys were 19 months old. It was very easy to assemble, there are only 5 peices that you lock together. It took us 10 minutes to put together. My sons really abuse toys (climbing, jumping, hanging on, ect.)and this climber is durable. I even climbed on the platform and went down the slide after we put it together. My boys will spend hours crawling underneath pretending it's a fort or climbing up the side and going down the slide over and over and over again! My sons are now 20 months old, I think they will have many years of fun to come with this toy. We have it in our finished off garage which we turned into a playroom. So they enjoy it rain or shine.

I bought this for my 17th month son and he absolutely LOVES it! It is stationed in the middle of my living room because we wanted to have something for him to entertain himself with other than being glued to the TV watching Barney all day. It gives him a chance to be active in the house when you're unable to get outdoors. (Would also be a good outdoor item due to the quality of the material it is made of.) It is a nice enough size to fit indoors for rainy day fun, yet big enough to play and have fun. He loves going down the slide over and over and over and never seems to get bored of it. He enjoys climbing up the side ladder (however, since he is still small we had to put a rubbermaid 2-step ladder at the base of the ladder until he gets big enough to reach the top to pull himself up. This worked very well.) The play area below the top platform is a little bit small because it is too short for even a small child to stand up in, however it serves as a great storage area for toys and stuffed animals. The unit is very sturdy and there is no chance of it toppling over, also the walls of the upper platform are high enough where a toddler won't fall over the side. Over all, good buy, great price, hours of fun!

My son is 4 months, and he just started taking an interest in this toy. However, I happened to notice that the head has come unstitched and is falling off--I have contacted the company and am waiting to hear from them. If you own this, you may wish to check the head as it could be a potential choking hazard!!!!!!!!!!!

I got Buzz for my son when he was 4 months old and the only thing I regret is not getting it sooner. It is his favorite toy, he loves the crunchy wings and the jingly feet. As his favorite toy, Buzz suffers from his share of mishaps but we just throw him in the wash and he is good as new. Seriously, this is a toy that lives up to the machine washable description. Buzz is a great shower gift, his black & white belly can be appreciated even by newborns. I've given him to several new Moms and they all agree Buzz is awesome.

I purchased Buzz when my son was a month old. He immediately lit up when he saw it! It easily attaches to the overhead bar of his car seat, bouncing chair and the canopy of his stroller. At first he just smiled and stared at it, now he is 3 months old and he is able to reach and grab. Buzz is still his favorite.

Each of his 6 arms contains a different sound or activity (rattle, rings, etc.). He is extremely colorful with a bright happy face. We are very happy with the purchase.

My kids and any other kids that come to my home LOVE this toy. It's the first thing they got to. We've had ours for about 2 years now and when ever any one I know have a baby I get this for them as their Happy six months old gift! This is a MUST have for any kid!

The learning table was easy to assemble and immediately attracted my daughter's attention. Two months later, she still loves it. One of the most important factors for me in evaluating a toy or book is whether I find it interesting, because that means I'll be more likely to play with it with her. This table has great, jazzy music that's fun for me to listen to. There are two sets of music, and I much prefer the jazz set to the "educational" set. But I'm sure my daughter will eventually explore both. I'm also really pleased with all the different ways my daughter can play with this toy, learning new skills all the time. She's nine months old and lately has been opening and closing the lid very carefully.

My only beef is that it's really not safe for her to lean on by herself, as the little girl does in the photo on this web site. When my daughter leans against it, it slides away. I'm worried she'll fall and bang her head on it. So when she's standing up with it, I stay close. When she learns to stand without leaning, it'll be fine.

Otherwise this is a terrific toy. I am so pleased with it. It would be a great gift to parents of a baby under a year old, because then the baby will get many months of enjoyment out of it.

My 1 year old son loves this toy. It's great for him as he is now pulling himself up to stand. He loves the sounds, and loves to turn the "book". He thinks it's a real book, and looks for more "pages" to turn. This toy was also great for before he could pull himself up. I just took the legs off and he played with it on the floor. It has lots of different songs and sounds and entertains for a long time. It's a little loud on the "loud" setting, but luckily it has a lower volume setting.

I purchased this for granddaughter Jamie who was 3 months old at the time. Six months later she still loves it and carries it everywhere with her. It is one of the cutest of the Lamaze toys. Bright colors,a mirror on his tummy and all the things that little ones adore. This toy has withstood the test of time and still is in great condition, as are all the Lamaze toys I've purchased. Its so reasonably priced and so cute that you can't possibly go wrong. This is a must have as are most of the Lamaze toys.

I bought Tucker for my 2 month old. He absolutely loves it. It's the only toy that he currently plays with. Every feature is perfect for his little, learning fingers and eyes. He smiles everytime he looks in the mirror and everytime we put the turtle anywhere near him he stares at it because of the colors. He also enjoys the sounds of the bells and rattles. Most of all, its the only toy he'll hold on to. It's light enough that he'll grasp the rings or hug it all the time. It's easily portable: if he's not holding it, then we can put it in the carrier with him and he's able to look at it anywhere he goes. I highly recommend this product as a good first toy.

My husband loves buying these toys for our 18 month old daughter. He has been doing so since she was under 4 months old. So I was in no way surprised that Tucker was added to our family on the last visit to Babies R Us. Our daughter really seems to like Tucker, especially on car rides, in fact we keep him in the car for that reason. She loves his colors and mirror and sweet face. But what she really loves is the fact you can stick his head inside his shell and play peek a boo! This keeps her entertained for quite some time!

I'm not one for electronic toys, normally. But this globe is terrific. The second day after she received it, my 6-year-old had learned all the continents and oceans, and could find each of them within two or three seconds after the globe called them out. She's working on countries now. Her first-grade class had to make a collection of 100 items of their choice. She chose to collect 100 country names, which she patiently copied from the globe while listening to music snippets and basic facts about each one. Last month, we read that geologists believe India was once a seperate island, which eventually crashed into mainland Asia. I asked her what mountain range was made during that crash, and she barely paused before answering the Himilayas. And what's the biggest mountain in the Himilayas? Mt. Everest.

But the best part is when the kids go to bed. Then I get to challenge my wife to Eureka, to see who can find the most countries, cities and continents as they are called out randomly by the globe. She always wins. But I'm improving, and one of these days....

My only complaint (like many of the other reviewers) is that the globe started malfunctioning after several months. In our case, the sensors must have shifted inside the globe so that instead of giving you information for the country you select, it tells you about it's neighbor 2 inches to the left. But the company will replace the globe for free...I just had to ship it back to them at my own cost (no big deal). Many people complain about the Stylus failing. But a replacement stylus is pretty cheap. And if you play with it as much as we do, you can't expect it to last forever, can you?

This interactive globe is really good at introducing geography to the kids. It's a real pity that the pointer's touch system becomes insensitive after regular use. Toy lasted less than 3 months.

I bought this for my 7 year old son and WE can't stop playing. He has even found mistakes on the flat map at school(countries that have changed names recently).I would definitely recommend this toy for any grade-schooler. The Eureka game is the best! He has learned so many different countries and can usually find more than me in the time alotted. They are learning and don't even know it. Get rid of those gameboys and playstations and get an Explorer Globe! Definitely a MUST HAVE!!!

This was the first toy that my baby tried to "grab" so this is a special toy. Baby was very attracted by its bright color and the crunchy sound when the ear's squeezed. At first, baby loved to grab/pump its paws and the dog bone, but when he started teething, he loved to gnaw at its ears and the plastic ring. Now that he's 8 months, I keep this toy in the carseat and the puppy keeps him entertained and QUIET.

This is one of the best purchases I have made for my daughter. I bought it based on the reviews that it got, and they were right on the money. My daughter loves it. I started putting it in her car seat at about 2 months. We don't go anywhere without it. This company knows what works. She actively plays with it. It is very durable and it is pretty big. Definately worth the money. Great company, great products. I own other Lamaze products and have had success with them as well.

We got Puppysquuek as a shower gift since our nursery theme was dogs. I was so happy to get this toy, it was one of the first toys I introduced my daughter to. She enjoyed playing with him and looking at all the different colors patterns and enjoying his scent....all these toys stimulate all 4 senses I believe.

Now my daughter is almost 18 months old and Puppysqueek, sadly, has been put up due to the fact she no longer finds him as stimlating as her other toys. But boy we were sure happy to have him as long as we did.

I love this sandbox. We had bought the turtle one a few years ago and for 1 child it was fine. Now we have another and the two of them together in the little box is a nightmare! So I bought this one (biggest one I could find) and I liked it immediately since it was no longer an eye sore from the street. It blends right in with the yard instead of being this huge green lump sticking out like a sore thumb. They both fit in this one & have room to move around so it has cut the fighting in half (well maybe more like 40%). It can hold more toys and is deep enough to bury every one of the Justice League. I highly recommend this to anyone that has more than 1 child.

I recently bought this sandbox for my 3 year old daughter and she loves it. There is plenty of room for all her toys and she plays in it for hours. It is very durable, and leak proof. It stormed badly a few days ago and not one drop leaked through. I also love how it blends nicely next to the house, so it doesn't stick out like a red ladybug or green turtle would. There is room for about three toddlers to play in this sandbox, although she loves to take up all the room and build a sand city. I highly recommend this sandbox for anyone who has an older toddler who will not want to buy a bigger sandbox at a later date. It is worth the few extra dollars.

My son got this for his 1st birthday this year and we just love it. Altough he still has no concept that the sand is to stay in the sandbox, he just loves it. It is really big and looks nice in the backyard. I am not fond of the turtle or ladybug sandbox in my backyard and this one is great. It also doubles has a flower planter when the sand days are gone. It is also nice that it comes with a lid to keep bugs and rain out. It is just one giant great sandbox. A+++++++++ Step2 for making a great looking sandbox!