The Waggy Garden Sorter by Wonderworld

It’s so hard to find quality made toys that you know will last for generations. However, one look at the Wonderworld Waggy Garden Sorter and I knew we had a winner.

Wonderworld is a manufacturer of wooden toys. Our expert toy designers have created a line of over 200 toys in the last 25 years of business. We pride ourselves in the fact that each toy is uniquely designed for a specific aged child, with both an educational value and play value. Wonderwold’s mission is to create environmentally friendly, creative, educational and most importantly fun toys for kids.

courtesy of Wonderworld

My kids have had all kinds of shape-sorting toys over the years but the Waggy Garden Sorter is different from any that I’ve seen before. First of all, it’s made from an environmentally friendly rubberwood with non-toxic paints, dyes and lacquers. All the edges are smooth and round so you know it’s safe for your child. The circular shape makes the Waggy Garden Sorter perfect for rolling around while making fun sounds.

There are 4 fun shapes disguised as bugs – caterpillar, ladybug, bumble bee, snail – which are brightly colored and have smiley faces. They’re so happy looking that you just can’t help but want to play with them just as they are.

However, if you do place them in the sorter, you’ll find that they fit perfecting into their matching slots.

There are also two ladybugs on the side of the sorter that you can move up and down.

The Waggy Garden Sorter’s top is slanted at a forward angle which makes it easier for kids to place the shapes. I know that for Kiana she likes that she’s able to see the holes in it’s entirety. This makes it easier for her to place the correct shape into the correct hole.

Kaila loves her new Waggy Garden Sorter and she’s been playing with it every day. She’s not sorting as much as I thought she would be but she loves playing with the little bug shapes as well as rolling it along the floor. I love the way this sorter looks and you can tell that’s it made with quality materials. I have a feeling that the Waggy Garden Sorter will be a part of our family for a very long time.

Connect with Wonderworld:

• Website
• Facebook

K’NEX Mario vs. Piranha Plant Building Set

If there’s one thing better than a building set it’s one that kids can interact with. That’s why we always enjoy the various kits from K’NEX. We recently received the Maria vs. Piranha Plant Building Set and the kids couldn’t wait to put it together.

Bring Mario Kart Wii to life! Build Mario in his Sprinter Kart and race past the Piranha Plant from the Mario Circuit Track. The set includes the parts to build Mario, a Sprinter Kart with a superfast, batterypowered motor, a Piranha Plant obstacle and 2 collectible items from the game a Mushroom and a Green Turtle Shell!

courtesy of K’NEX

This 126 piece building set contains Mario, Piranha Plant, Mushroom, and Green Turtle Shell as well as the pieces to construct a portion of an overall complete track. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the pieces but once I took a look at the colored step-by-step diagram it seemed more manageable. What worked for me was to separate all the pieces that I needed in each step to ensure that I wouldn’t make any mistakes and find myself short in the end.

I liked that the pieces fit well together. In some cases you can even hear them snap into place. And once they’re in place they stay in place.

This building set only took us about 15 minutes to construct and in no time we had Mario racing across the track. The only thing is that since this is just a portion of an overall complete track so there was no way to stop Mario when he reached the end of the course. However, the kids didn’t mind and they actually thought it was fun to chase Mario across the floor. Boy, is he fast! His car runs on 2 AAA batteries (not included).

They also liked playing with Piranha Plant as he tried to catch Mario. Using a rubber-band technique, the kids just had to press down on a lever and Piranha’s big jaws came crashing down. And even though the kids got a little rough on the lever it still held up great.

K’NEX Mario vs. Piranha Plant Building Set is a big hit in our home and the kids are asking for the rest of the sections so they can make a complete track. They also want to see what other interactive ideas are a part of this Mario world. To be honest, so do I. I like that it teaches my kids a simple lesson in movement as well as cause and effect. I also like that since all the pieces fit into each other, when a section doesn’t work the way they planned they can use some creative thinking to come up with alternatives.

Fun and educational . . . you can’t beat that!

Connect with K’NEX:

• Website
• Facebook
• YouTube

This post was written for K’NEX who provided the complimentary item in exchange for my honest review.

 

Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pods

Even though I only have daughters, that doesn’t mean that they don’t love Star Wars. I think it’s because Hubby is a big fan and is always watching re-runs of this classic movie series. So when they found out that we were receiving a Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pods to review, they were very excited!

Our amazing set came with 16 figures (3 of which are a surprise), 6 pods, and 2 vehicles. Each figure is approximately 1 inch tall and made from a soft rubber material. I like that it’s not a solid piece of plastic because it’s much easier for the kids to play with if it’s softer to the touch. We also like that the tiny details are very well done . . . especially the faces. Normally, on figurines this small you’ll find the eyes painted on kind of crooked but these are perfectly done.

On the bottom of each figure is a small hole that allows you to connect them to one of the pods.

The pods are approximately 1.5″ and can easily be opened by just twisting the halves apart. There are 3 clear pods and 3 black pods and each one can hold one figurine.

The object of the game is to roll the pods and knock down your opponent’s figures. You can also connect the pods together to create one massive attack.

The pods can also be placed into the vehicles for more creative play.

The girls have been having so much fun playing with this set but I have to say that they haven’t been using the “rolling attack” as much as just playing out scenarios with the figures. Instead, they prefer to use the pods in the vehicles and make them spin over and over again.

The Star Wars Fighter Pods have been providing my girls with hours of creative play and I’ve really enjoyed watching their scenes being played out. I didn’t realize that they knew so much about the movie and characters. It would make my husband proud.

This post was written for Hasbro who provided the complimentary products in exchange for my honest review.

LeapFrog’s LeapPad Explorer & Disney Ultra eBooks

Our family loves LeapFrog. We have pretty much all of their educational toys . . . Leapster Explorer, My Own Storytime Pad, Tag Reading System, and now the LeapPad. The LeapPad looks like a kid-friendly version of the iPad where you can purchase and/or download tons of games, books, videos, and apps. There’s also a built-in camera so your little photographer can take pictures and videos to their heart’s content.

To use the LeapPad, you’ll first need to install the LeapFrog Connect Application using the included CD. Follow the easy step-by-step instructions to create a parent account as well as accounts for each of your children. This account will keep track of all the various LeapFrog toys you have registered and makes it super easy to add on more. It also keeps track of your child’s progress as they move through the various game levels.

Once you have your LeapFrog Connect Application and your LeapPad synced up, just create a user profile for your child on the Leap Pad by entering their name, grade, background, and profile picture. The profile picture can be a pre-installed generic image, one that you’ve downloaded, or you can take a picture using the LeapPad’s camera. Now you’re all set to go!

Our LeapPad came with pre-installed apps like camera, Pet Pad, My Stuff, and My Books. All these apps can be viewed on the home screen for easy access. You can purchase more game cartridges at the store or purchase apps from the LeapFrog Connect site.

We also received 2 Disney Ultra eBooks – Cinderalla & Cars 2. Both of these ebooks came on cartridges which is placed into the card slot on the top of the LeapPad. When the unit is turned on, you’ll see the coordinating app on the home screen. Just touch that app with the stylus and you’re on your way. These cartridges can also be used in the LeapFrog Leapster unit.

Cinderella Ultra eBook (Pre-K to 1^st grade) Cinderella and friends set off on an adventure. See the story animate and touch words to hear them sounded out. Play games and learning activities to help Cinderella get ready for the ball. Teaches: Listening & reading comprehension, vocabulary skills, phonics skills and word recognition.

Cars 2 Ultra eBook (Pre-K to 1^st grade) The wheel-blazing adventures of Mater and Lightning McQueen come to life on every page. See the story animate and touch words to hear them sounded out. Play learning games to help Cars 2 friends get caught up in a top-secret spy mission. Teaches: Listening & reading comprehension, vocabulary skills, phonics skills and word recognition.

courtesy of LeapFrog

The Disney Ultra eBooks were a big hit with both Kiana and Kaila. And since you can select the story’s reading difficulty (3 levels) the same story was appropriate for both of them. For example:

Level 2: Cinderella was nice and kind.

Level 3: Cinderella was sweet.

Level 4: Cinderella was sweet and kind. She cared for the animals around her.

But there’s more. What I really liked about the Ultra eBooks is that they’re more than just a story. Your child can get a real understanding of the words used as well as the proper way to pronounce each one. When you touch an image, you’ll hear the corresponding word. In addition, when you touch a word the matching image will light-up as well. There are also specific words in the story (underlined) that when they’re touched will bring up a pop-up screen explaining what that word means.

And when you get to the end of the story, you’ll find a glossary of the story’s more complicated words. Here your child can listen to the way the letters are pronounced to form the word as well as the word’s definition.

There’s also a game at the end of each story which allows your child to earn fun badges. These badges are used as points to customize games and make them more personal and interactive.

Some of the other features of the Ultra eBooks are:

• Reading Mode – Have the entire book read to your child with the pages turning automatically, have the book read page by page, or have your child read the book on their own.
• Story Map – Select a specific page you’d like to read
• Games – Each eBook comes with 3 games for your kids to play and enjoy
• Record – Record yourself reading the book

We found these Disney Ultra eBooks to be not only fun but very educational as well. And since the kids already love the characters they don’t even realize that they’re learning something in the process. I love the LeapFrog LeapPad because it means I can finally get my iPad back from the kids. They think it’s so cool that they have their own unit that looks like Mommy’s one and fits in their tiny hands. And with a wide variety of apps available online for immediate download, our LeapPad will always be our #1 source of entertainment and education.

Connect with LeapFrog:

• Website
• Facebook

This post was written for LeapFrog who provided the complimentary product in exchange for our honest review.

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