Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Learning Journey Count and Learn Cookie Jar (Toy)

The Learning Journey Count and Learn Cookie Jar
The Learning Journey Count and Learn Cookie Jar (Toy)
By The Learning Journey International

Buy new: $21.49
5 used and new from $20.17
Customer Rating: 2.3

First tagged by Dan J. Reed
Customer tags: toys(2), math(2), electronic learning toys(2), play food, ice cream, systems, pretend play, counting, learning toy

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Review & Description

Can I have another? Is just one of the fun responses that your child will hear while learning to count with the Count and Learn Cookie Jar. This friendly cookie jar invites your child to count his yummy cookies from one to ten. Children can also count the number of colorful chips on their cookies and turn the cookie over to see if they are correct. Recommended for ages two and up. Read more


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Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel (Toy)

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel (Toy)
By Melissa and Doug

Buy new: $49.50
34 used and new from $41.99
Customer Rating: 4.4

First tagged by A. Thomas "MauiMommie232"
Customer tags: easel(131), chalkboard(63), melissa and doug(62), childrens art(60), art(47), dry erase(44), kids(40), 2009 amazon frustration-free packaging revolution(34), easel paper(26), melissa(14), childs easel(7), toys(6)

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Review & Description

There's no better way to inspire your artist! Generously sized chalk board and dry erase boards are perfect for projects large and small. Easel folds ups easily for convenient storage and features a colorful paint tray with cup holders. Has an easy loading paper roll holder and an extra large tray for holding erasers, chalk and clips. Paper cutting edge at top of easel means clean paper cuts for your artist's work! 4 large clips included. Easy load paper and paint cups not included.With the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel, children can create art with paint, chalk, pens, crayons, markers, and more, all at one convenient station. And when art time is over, parents and caregivers will appreciate the two-sided easel's easy-to-clean design. Designed for kids ages three and up, this easel will provide hours of creative activity that is both educational and enjoyable.

Deluxe Floor-Standing Wooden Easel
    Ages: 3+

    Requires:
  • Adult assembly
What We Think
Fun factor:
Durability:
Ease of assembly:
Educational factor:
Novelty factor:

The Good: Two-sided easel lets children create art with a variety of different media.

The Challenging: Art supplies and paper must be purchased separately.

In a Nutshell: Easy-to-clean 2-sided art easel offers ample space for creative expression.


Kids can create art with paint, chalk, pens, crayons, markers, and more, all at one convenient station.


The integrated butcher paper roll makes it easy to pull the paper through either side of the easel. (Paper sold separately.)
View larger.
Designed for Maximum Creativity
The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel features a bi-fold wood frame with two art stations, one on each side, which allows two children to work at one time. It's also designed to let children experiment with several different art media: on one side is a chalkboard, on the other is a dry erase board, and in between the two easel sides is a dowel for holding a butcher paper roll. (Paper must be purchased separately.)

Pull the paper through to either side of the easel for your child to paint or draw. Once the painting is complete, the paper can be torn neatly against the top of the frame and set aside to dry, and a new length of paper can be pulled down for the next art creation. The easel includes sturdy clips that can hold oversized individual art papers onto the easel's surfaces.

Art Made Easy
Early childhood education experts say that working on easels offers a variety of valuable learning opportunities for the preschool-aged child. Painting or drawing with large strokes encourages motor development while giving the child the opportunity to experiment with color, shapes, and the varied textures created by different art media.

Our preschool-aged toy tester enjoyed working on the easel, whether she was drawing with chalk or painting with poster paints. In fact, her creative output increased significantly with the easel. She especially enjoyed mixing paints to make different colors. Like many children her age, she likes standing while engaged in creative play, and the easel makes it much easier for her to draw and paint large pictures without having to reach awkwardly across a table surface or kneel on the floor.

Cleanup, Simplified
As everyone knows, art can be messy, so that's why parents and caregivers will appreciate the easel's easy-to-clean design. The trays and art boards are held in place with screws that have large plastic knobs for easy loosening and tightening. This allows the trays and board to be easily removed, and washed individually in the sink. (We strongly recommend using only washable paints with this toy.) The easel also folds flat for easy storage: just unscrew the crossbars and close the stand for easy storage against a wall or under a bed.

The easel also includes two plastic storage trays: one tray is a long trough, perfect for holding pens or chalk; the other has four spaces for paint cups and additional sections for paint brushes and other supplies.

Unfortunately, art supplies are not included with the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel. However, you can purchase the following accessories separately: the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel Companion Set, which is a collection of art supplies for the easel; and the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel Paper 3-Pack, which includes three large rolls of paper.

About Melissa & Doug
Started in the garage at Doug's parents' house in 1988, Melissa & Doug has grown to become one of the most popular toy makers in the world. Their toys have garnered dozens of parenting and "best toy" awards over the years, and have been featured widely in national print media and on television.

One of the company's points of pride is that their toys are thoroughly tested for safety, and meet all US consumer product safety regulations. The toys are tested at the factory of origin during various phases of the production process to assure that every toy meets the company's stringent safety requirements every step along the way. In particular, the paints and coatings on Melissa & Doug toys are tested frequently to be sure they meet or exceed government recommendations limiting heavy metals and lead in children's items.

Since day one, Melissa & Doug has been in compliance with every US consumer product safety regulation and will continue to stay compliant as the laws continue to evolve, assuring parents that their children can have a safe childhood while playing with Melissa & Doug toys.

What's in the Box
Two-sided art easel, instructions, and all necessary hardware for assembly.


Inspire your young Picasso with the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel. This easel will fuel your child's imaginative side and gives them the freedom to create with an extra-large chalkboard, dry-erase board, and easy-load paper roller. Your budding artist will be inspired by free-form expression and spend hours drawing, painting, sketching, and doodling. It is also an excellent educational item and children love playing school with the chalkboard side. This work station is ideal for kids ages four through 10 and has an adjustable height to accommodate the little ones as they grow.

A Great Alternative to Professional Easels
Just like a professional easel, this work station is generously sized so that children can complete projects both big and small. Its durable wood construction ensures that it won't tip and it folds up easily for convenient storage. The easel also has a sturdy paint tray with cup holders for easy use and clean-up, and another tool tray that holds erasers, chalks, and clips. Four large, colorful clips are included with this easel. Paper rolls can be loaded effortlessly into the holder and a paper cutting edge at the top delivers clean cuts and leaves your artist's work whole. Parents may have to assist removing and loading the paper, as it can be difficult for kids to do on their own. (The paper rolls and paint cups are not included.) A standing easel is essential for any young artist. This large easel has a chalkboard, dry erase board, and paper roller to let the children express themselves with different mediums. It also has an adjustable height that grows with the creator and delivers years of use. The brightly colored tool containers are capacious enough to hold lots of different items and are simple for tiny fingers to utilize. This toy will unleash the little artist inside every child and could spark a lifelong interest in fine art.

What's in the Box
Easel, paint tray, chalk tray, 4 colorful clips, and paper roller.



This large easel has a chalkboard and dry erase board, letting children express themselves with different mediums.

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Newton's Cradle 5.5" (Toy)

Newton's Cradle 5.5"
Newton's Cradle 5.5" (Toy)
By Westminster

Buy new: $11.95
Customer Rating: 3.8

Customer tags: newtons cradle(5), science(3), amazon oddities(3), desk toy(3), physics(2), toy(2), learning toy(2), science kit(2), desk accessory, scientific toy

Review & Description

The classic "desk toy".Using Newton's third law has never been this much fun! Swing one ball and one ball on opposite ends swings in response. What happens when you swing two? Read more


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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Soft Blocks (Toy)

Soft Blocks
Soft Blocks (Toy)
By Motormax

Review & Description

Babies love to stack and re-stack these soft blocks that squeak when squeezed. Each block features 6 different raised illustrations including baby animals, A-B-C, 1-2-3 and more! Read more


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LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo (Toy)

LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo
LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo (Toy)
By LeapFrog

Buy new: $26.99
16 used and new from $14.00
Customer Rating: 4.4

First tagged by K. Vazquez
Customer tags: leapfrog(15), alphabet(13), spin(12), toys(11), electronic learning toys(11), leap frog(11), baby(7), ball(7), animal stories(6), toddler(4), 1 year old, alphabet zoo

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Review & Description

Animals go 'round and 'round while little tots learn their names and sounds. Whizzing motions, sparkling lights and cheerful songs introduce kids to the alphabet, from "alligator" to "zebra." Three engaging modes help them learn: Letter, Animal and Music. In Letter Mode, the wheel stops on a letter and sounds out its name. Animal Mode lets little one discover 26 animals, along with their names and noises. Music Mode plays the alphabet song while little ones spin and play. Requires 3 "AA" batteries, included. 6" x 6.5" x 7.25". Read more


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Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set (Toy)

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set (Toy)
By Melissa and Doug

Review & Description

An appealing combination of magnets and wood, this pattern block set will keep kids engaged and entertained. Includes 120 colorful geometric magnets to replicate the 12 included geometric pictures. Measurements 14.5" x 12" x 1.5". Read more


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Snap Circuits PRO SC-500 (Toy)

Snap Circuits PRO SC-500
Snap Circuits PRO SC-500 (Toy)
By Elenco Electronics Inc

Buy new: $61.16
20 used and new from $52.99
Customer Rating: 4.5

First tagged by Terry Nyberg
Customer tags: educational toys(7), science(4), educational toy(3), electronics(3), experiment(2), toxic(2), william(2), engineering(2), dgreview, building toy, construction, atj

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Review & Description

Dr Toy 100 Best Children's Products Winner. Even Edison would be intrigued. Engineer 500+ exciting, useful electronic gadgets & play lively electronic games! A walloping collection of materials! All parts snap easily. Clear instruction manual makes circuit assembly stress-free fun. Experiment Examples: Musical Doorbell, Laser Gun, Race Game, Lie Detector, Electronic Kazoo, Make Your Own Battery, Morse Code Generator, Mind Reading Game, Race Car Engine, Telegraph, AM & FM Radio. (No Tools Required. Requires 4AA Batteries) Ages 8+ Read more


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Melissa & Doug Easel Companion Set (Toy)

Melissa & Doug Easel Companion Set
Melissa & Doug Easel Companion Set (Toy)
By Melissa and Doug

Buy new: $35.00
22 used and new from $29.95
Customer Rating: 3.0

First tagged by A. Thomas "MauiMommie232"
Customer tags: art supplies(28), childrens art(19), easel(17), kids art(16), crafts(11), art(10), kids(7), pre-kindergarten toys(5), melissa and doug(3), paper(3), dry erase(2), easel supplies(2)

Review & Description

Let the creativity flow with this set that's packed with supplies for all your art projects. There's 25 pieces in all, including: four bottles of poster paint, four spill-proof paint cups, roll of easel paper, 10 jumbo triangular chalk sticks, felt eraser, dry-erase marker and four paint brushes. Great value and the perfect companion to the Deluxe Standing Easel, sold separately. Read more


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LeapFrog Tag Junior book pal (Toy)

LeapFrog Tag Junior book pal
LeapFrog Tag Junior book pal (Toy)
By LeapFrog

Product Images


Review & Description

A love of books starts long before children can read - and its benefits can last a lifetime. Using the same amazing touch technology as the Tag reading system, the Tag junior book pal is designed to encourage toddlers' natural desire to explore, while introducing preschool skills through playful book-based activities.Foster a lifelong love for reading at an early age with the LeapFrog Tag Junior Reading system. This unique reading system encourages toddlers to engage with books through music, appealing sound effects, and open-ended questions. Designed for toddlers ages two through four, the LeapFrog Tag Junior Reading system uses the touch technology to allow toddlers to interact and explore the pages of the book with a touch of the Tag Junior Book Pal. Each Tag Junior Activity book teaches a different age-appropriate skill such as sharing, counting numbers, or learning the alphabet. The Tag Junior Reading system includes one board book, and the Tag Junior Book Pal can hold audio for up to five books.

Tag Junior Book Pal
    Ages: 2 to 4 years

    Requires:
  • 2 "AAA" batteries (not included)
What We Think
Fun factor:
Durability:
Educational factor:
Novelty factor:

The Good: Entertains toddlers while helping them learn age-appropriate skills.

The Challenging: We wish the Tag Junior Book Pal was waterproof.

In a Nutshell: Fosters love for books and learning through interactive songs, sound effects, and open-ended questions.


Designed for toddlers, this interactive reading system is full of fun and educational activities. View larger.


The reading system can store up to 5 books, which are available for download from the LeapFrog web site. View larger.

Fun, Easy-to-hold Design
The LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal's quirky shape and animal-like appearance attracts a toddler's attention. The large knob design makes it easy for toddlers to hold it in their tiny hands. With its durable exterior, the Book Pal can withstand a toddler's rambunctious use over many years and is easy to clean with a damp cloth. The Book Pal's optical reader is cleverly tucked into the bottom portion so that fingers cannot touch the sensor. And it's simple to dust using a cotton swab. The batteries and USB port are safely stored behind a compartment that closes securely with a screw.

An additional safety feature is the battery guard strap that firmly holds the batteries in place. A volume control button with low or high settings is located above the speakers on the front side of the Book Pal, while a conveniently placed on/off button is on the side. The speakers provide good, clear sound with little distortion. As a battery-saving feature, the Book Pal will turn off automatically after a period of inactivity.

The Tag Junior Reading system comes with one Activity Storybook. Its colorful illustrations and interesting narrative will appeal to young children while the thick, durable board book construction is made to last.

Advice for parents: keep food and beverages away from Tag Junior Book Pal as any spills could cause it to malfunction.

Exploration with Every Touch
The Tag Junior Reading System can engage toddlers for hours. By simply touching the Book Pal to a Tag Junior Book, children hear one of 130 responses or 24 book-based play activities. The responses can be songs, interesting sound effects, open-ended questions, amusing sentences, or reading aloud the text. Children can spend hours playing and exploring the different responses on every corner of the book. In many cases, they'll hear different responses when they touches the same spot in a book. The variety and randomness of the responses will keep their interest and initiate exploring the book over and over again.

Store up to Five Books
It's easy to use the LeapFrog Connect application that allows you to download audio to the Tag Junior Book Pal by connecting the USB cable (included) to a computer. Each book is centered on an important skill for toddlers to learn. Parents can print activity sheets, such as coloring pages, from the LeapFrog Connect site for additional activities and learning. You can also personalize the Tag Junior Reading System with your child's name so the Book Pal will incorporate his/her name into its greeting and farewell phrases.

In order to download the Book Pal's audio feature, you will need a computer that has 256MB of RAM and 300MB of free disk space. The download process is straightforward and the additional resources on the LeapFrog connect site are well worth it.

What's in the Box
One LeapFrog Junior Book Pal, one Leap Frog Tag Junior book, Instruction book, USB cable.


Read more


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