Quercetti Combi Review

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(More customer reviews)This turned out to be a great toy for my 59 year old sister who has been brain damaged since the age of 5. Her finger dexterity is somewhat limited, but she can easily place these pegs in the holes and can create some interesting patterns and shapes. The opposite side is a metal board, and with the letters and other magnetic pieces that come with the toy, many different words can be spelled. The main problem with this toy is the colorful book that comes with it that shows how to create many different designs. In the book, they use pegs of different sizes and colors that don't even come with the set, so the book is completely useless, and has already been tossed out. Obviously, the book was put together by someone who's never seen the pegs that are actually included. The toy is very sturdy and should hold up to some rough use, if it has to. Overall, the toy itself is awesome!

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Two classic play sets in one multi-function activity easel/carrying case!Features a Fantacolor pegboard on one side and the Magnetino magnetic dry erase board on the other.Innovative hinge design allows for quick and easy switch from pegboard to magnetic board.360-piece set includes 3 sizes of brightly colored pegs, magnetic letters and animals, dry erase marker, eraser and idea booklet.All components can be easily and safely stored inside

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I Can Do That Games Curious George Hide and Seek Zoo Review

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(More customer reviews)Our entire family loves this game. I play it almost daily with our 4 year old while the older ones are at school. When they come home, they ask to play it probably on a weekly basis. When my 10 year old boy has other 10 year old boys over to play, even they ask to play this game. It is that loved by all ages. It is one of those rare family games that all members can play and enjoy together - not too hard for the younger ones, but stimulating enough for the older ones. The walkie-talkie adds a unique quality to the game. Everyone gets excited when the animals escape! I have been ordering this game for all my nieces and nephews in the 3-7 year range.

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Your favorite monkey is in charge of the zoo and everything is going wild!Grab your walkie talkie and get ready: the man with the yellow hat will be calling in to send you on exciting missions all over the zoo. Feed and care for zoo animals, repair fences, and clean up messes. But watch out-when you hear the animals have escaped it's time to spring into action! The other players put on their animal masks and hide. It's your job to find them. But hurry-the zoo must open on time! Contents:1 electronic walkie-talkie, 4 zany zoo animal masks, 1 game board, 25 cards and 1 school bus mover.

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LeapFrog Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum Review

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(More customer reviews)This toy seemed like a great idea and I bought it for my 1 year son with great expectations. It is a small drum, that lights up and plays music and sounds when tapped. My son loves to tap on the table, so it seemed like the perfect gift for him. Unfortunately, I was disapointed due to some serious design flaws.
The drum has 3 different playing modes: Alphabet mode, music mode and dancing mode. On alphabet mode, every time it is tapped upon, it displays a letter of the alphabet while speaking it loud, in order. On music mode, it plays music and rhythmic lights, inviting the kid to tap on the drum and in dancing mode, it tries to suggest movement to the kid with voice commands and pictures (clap your hands, hit the drum, etc).
The drum has 2 language settings (English or Spanish) and also a volume control (low and high settings). The high setting is not very loud.
Unlike some other reviewers say, this drum does not teach counting. They probably refer to an older drum model from leapfrog (look for leapfrog learning drum here on amazon). This one only teaches the alphabet.
In all, this seemed a great idea to me. The drums' reaction to the child movements would encourage tapping on it, teaching cause/effect relationship. I did not care much about the alphabet as my son is too young for that, but didn't mind if he got some introduction to it anyway.
So, what are the design flaws?
Well, to start, the sound made by the drum when hit is very low. On music and dancing mode, you can barely hear it as it is completely shaded by the background music, which is played independently of hitting the drum. Still on the music and dancing modes, the drum lights follow some random patterns, that is, they keep drawing figures on the drum whether it is being hit or not. When a child taps the drum, the figures change, but as they would have changed anyway, it is not easy to realize that the change was caused by hitting.
So much for cause/effect relationship on these 2 modes.
Only on the alphabet mode, it is easier to realize that tapping the drum has an effect on it, as it speaks loudly and displays a letter in reaction. For my one year baby though, this effect is not very interesting, as he will tap very quickly on the drum causing the alphabet to be interrupted and he will not even look at the letter because his little hand is tapping on it. I believe that with time, he may do it more patiently.
Another terrible flaw is the sound made by hitting the drum, if you manage to hear it. There are several different possible sounds (as if they were the sounds of a multiple drum table), some of them quite nice, others quite boring. And it doesn't seem to be a way of choosing the sound, so sometimes your hit is rewarded with a clear sound, other times with a barely noticeable thugh.
In all, these flaws completely remove one of the things I expected my kid to learn from this toy, which is cause/effect relationship. So far, he has not been enthusiastic of the toy, though he will play with it for a few minutes if I show it to him and tap on it first.


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Make your youngster's learning experience more upbeat with the LeapFrog Learn and Groove Alphabet Drum alphabet drum. Each tap of this drum introduces baby to the alphabet and improves vocabulary in both English and Spanish. Engaging music and interactive play sharpen motor skills as baby learns to tap, crawl, and dance. It features three delightful learning modes, including Alphabet, Dance Along, and Music Play. Babies quickly catch on to cause and effect, as each tap rewards them with lights, letters, and music. Music Play mode lets the child freely explore music, fostering open-ended play and creative movement. And this drum's lively, roll-along song teaches them to crawl after the drum. Ideal for children ages six months to three years, this stimulating toy entertains and educates for hours.The Beat Goes On The Alphabet Drum is built to withstand the throws and whacks from typical toddler handling. Parents will appreciate the volume control as it keeps the music at an enjoyable level. To prolong battery life, the drum shuts off if it hasn't been used for awhile. Plus, at approximately 8 inches tall, it helps babies learn to sit up on their own. Both the English and Spanish voices of the Alphabet Drum are audible and easy to understand. Bright colors, uplifting music, and a fun design make this a favorite in any child's toy box. Award-Winning Features It is no surprise that the LeapFrog Alphabet Drum was a winner of the 2006 iParenting Media Greatest Products Award. This drum teaches language, music, and motor skills as a strong foundation for the child's future. Children love to dance, roll it around, or chase after it, and as a versatile toy, it can be played with through multiple development stages. What's in the Box LeapFrog drum and 3 AA batteries.

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VTech Alphabet Apple Electronic Fundamentals of Reading Review

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(More customer reviews)There are few electronic toys we like, but the Alphabet Apple is the cream of the crop in this genre of educational toys. The "Apple" is a very well designed toy.
Our daughter received it as a gift and my first concern was will it be another Sesame Street Talking Alphabet? Hard to understand, loud and annoying. The answer was a resounding, NO!
The voice is very clear, and deliberate--not shrill. Letters that might be confused due to similarity of sound (you know the ones you have to clarify on the telephone like "S as in Steven,") are for the most part easy to understand and differentiate. B, D, C, Z, M, N, F, and S are not easily confused. I will say that "F" is borderline but "S" will NOT be confused for "F".
The voice is pleasant and at a pretty decent volume level. Unfortunately there is no volume control on the Apple which could be a problem for children with hearing impairment and need a little more volume. It also would be nice when parents decide they need the volume (which really isn't annoying) to be taken down a notch.
The each button is clearly marked with a letter of the alphabet, a picture of something corresponding to the letter, and the word for that thing. B,bug. It's light and the colors and graphics are great. There is a built in handle to make carrying from place to place easy.
My daughter liked the same thing I do about this game: multiple activities and skills. There are five things kids can do with this so they will not be bored after the first week of playing with the Apple. It should be easy for most children to slide the selector (a worm) to a different activity choice.
1. Learn The Letters. Straight forward. Press a letter, hear what it is.
2. Learn The Letter Sounds. Select a letter then hear the letter and the sounds it makes. ("O says 'oh' and 'ah'.") Kids get to learn long and short vowel sounds. Nice.
3. Find It. Kids are asked to find a specific letter or a letter that makes a certain sound. (Some sounds are made by more than one letter so they may have more than one choice.)
4. Before And After. Kids are asked which letter comes before or after another letter?
5. Music.Press a button and one of nine tunes is played. (A little tinny. I found it annoying. Your kid will LOVE it.)
When your child makes an incorrect choice, the Apple never says they are wrong. It explains the choice they made. For instance if asked, "Which letter comes after the letter E?" and they choose S, it says, "S comes after the letter R." It doesn't ask the same question again--at least not right away. I haven't decided if this is good or bad. I don't want it to say, you're wrong, but my instinct is to ask the question again and see if the child gets it.
On the other hand, when they make the correct choice the Apple doesn't exactly give them praise, it simply affirms pleasantly, "D comes before the letter E." I would like it to say "That's correct..." or "Good job..." and then affirm the answer. I guess it's a style teaching issue, but I feel a little praise helps kids feel good about the success and motivated. I know my daughter's face lights up when using the Sesame Street Talking Alphabet and Elmo says, "That's right!"
There is an on/off switch. If the child doesn't make any selections after several seconds the voice prompts in friendly way, "Press a button." After a minute of inactivity it says, "Bye, bye" and turns itself off.
I was very impressed by the small parents' guide that comes with the game. It not only explains the toy very well, but has great tips on how to enrich your child's learning/play experience with the Apple. For instance things like asking "what do we do after dinner?" to enhance the idea of before and after.
This is almost a five star toy but it does fall short on those few points I mentioned. Even so, I find this is really the best of what I've seen out there. Your little one will really enjoy it and learn at the same time.

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LeapFrog Learn & Groove Counting Maracas Review

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(More customer reviews)I'd had my eye on these for a while, because our 18-month-old son loves music and has had a great time with the Laugh and Learn Piano from Fisher Price. When I finally received the maracas, though, he didn't seem at all interested. In fact, he seemed to dislike the noises they make. One is just a plastic maraca with shaker beads inside, which didn't much interest him. The other is a battery-powered one that lights different colors and has three settings (numbers, colors and music) in English and Spanish. After a while, he would pick up the one that has lights and sounds and check it out. Now he really seems to like it, although he gets bored if it's on the music setting, because it plays the same short refrain over and over again. (I get bored, too.) The reason I didn't give this toy five stars is because of the limited musical selections. All of the Fisher Price toys have numerous song options, which helps to toy to stay "fresh." This one only holds his attention for a few minutes at a time. I gave four stars for durability because we've only had them a month. In that time, though, he has chucked them around a fair amount, and they seem OK.

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Shake it up,1-2-3! With these LeapFrog Learn and Groove Counting Maracas, little movers and shakers can move to a learning groove. Sing, dance and count with these colorful maracas that engage your child and encourage interaction. Lights, sounds and music accompany your child as she learns counting, colors and music in both English and Spanish. Requires 3 "AAA" batteries, included. Each maraca measures 7" long.

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