We have never been inside a Build-A-Bear-Workshop. I’m sure they’re great fun. The one at our local mall was short-lived, and my kids were too young to realize what it was anyway at the time. Now, the closest store that I know of is at the Mall of America. We’ve seen it, we’ve walked by it, but when we get up to the Mall, my kids are more intent on getting to the rides than doing anything else.
But if you were to listen to my oldest daughter you’d swear she’s made many-a-bear, or at least is certain that she’d love it. And I don’t doubt that she would. It seems that most of her school friends are quite familiar with Build-A-Bear-Workshop and are quite willing to let M in on the particulars.
So when I was offered the chance to check out one of the finished products, I thought I’d better do it.
Hal arrived in the standard, recognizable Build-A-Bear-Workshop blue and white box. I was immediately impressed with how soft he was. Then I tried to light his antlers and I may have swooned a little.
Okay, maybe not swooned but I did immediately think Oh no I have three children how am I going to decide who gets this moose?
Hal is cute, and soft and I know any of my kids would love him and oh no I’m feeling the need to visit the store next time we go to Minneapolis to the Mall of America. It suddenly sounds really fun.
I’ve heard of people putting their children’s binkies into a bear at one of these stores to send the binkie on its way yet keep binkie nearby. I thought about doing that when we were trying to get K to give up ginkie, but I clearly was too lazy.
I also received a book about Hal and his sister Holly called Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure. I’ll be honest again. My first thought when I flipped through the book? It is looooong. Nine chapters long of a children’s book. Lots of reading. Not a book to read all in one night to be sure. My kids and I read the first few chapters together and it’s a cute story. We’ll finish reading over the next few days.
If you order both Hal and Holly you receive this book for free. Hal and Holly are $12 each or $24 for both. Yes, I know that looks like you don’t get a deal if you order both, but you do. You get the book ($15.99 list price) free if you order them together.
(According to their website, if you order by Monday 12/22 @ 3 p.m. EST and use 2 Day Express Shipping you can still get it by Christmas!)
Here’s the really good part of this whole review. I also have a $10 gift card for Build-A-Bear-Workshop to give away. You can use the card in a store, or, if you’re lazy like me, online. Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite animal from the site.
Please make sure you leave an email or that your email is very noticeable on your blog (if you do such a thing). I’ll pick a winner Monday night by random.org or by one of my kids, whichever I think is less work at the time. (Or, if the kids are sleeping when I get around to it then random wins!)
By the way, Baby D gets the moose.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Precious Girls Club
A few weeks ago I was invited to review a new club for girls aged 4 to 10 years. It’s based on those adorable ceramic figurines, Precious Moments and it’s called the Precious Girls Club.
There are chapter books that follow Katie Bennett, who is new in town and needs a little help believing in herself and her ability to make friends. Her mom and aunt suggest that she start a club and invite classmates to join. So, the Precious Girls Club is born.
The books do have a religious theme to them, which is both good and bad. We do go to church but we’re not overzealous by any means. I still feel a little uncomfortable mentioning God in day-to-day life. I’m not sure why.
In the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, Katie relies on her guardian angel to help her through difficult times at her new school. She learns that being true to herself and being friendly is the best way to make friends.
M enjoyed reading the book and seemed to like the concept of the guardian angel. That was something we had not introduced before, but I can see benefits to giving her this perceived support. I remember, as a kid, thinking of deceased relatives as guardian angels, so perhaps that’s what M will do as well.
The book had a good message, which is always a good thing.
Besides the book, there is a website that girls can log into to play games and do other activities. It reminds me a little of Webkinz in that you have a character that has a room that you can decorate and that you earn credits by playing games. It’s also a safe way for girls to chat through pre-determined sentences. They click on a button and select things to say to one another like “I just finished my homework,” or “I’m going to go play games.”
I set up M’s account without telling her what I was doing. When she saw the site with the pretty flowers appearing as just the first page was loading she was beside herself with excitement. Every time she saw another girl walking around the online “world” she practically shook with happiness. “Oh my gosh Mom! There’s another girl!”
She was able to play all the games without my help, and that is a major plus in my book. There was a code in the book that we read that offered a free one-month Rainbow membership that was supposed to have added features. However, when M tried to do some of the extra features, they were not yet available. She was disappointed that her Rainbow membership ran out before she could decorate her room or buy more clothes for her person.
The Rainbow membership costs $3.95 a month, which doesn’t sound expensive, but considering you get a year of online membership at Webkinz for $15, the $47.40 yearly dues is too much for this family. We don’t get online to play games even on the Webkinz very often, so if we paid the dues it would most likely be for one or two days a month of play.
Girls can also sign up for a free membership and still play games and chat with other girls on the site, however, the points they earn playing games will do them no good other than the satisfaction of seeing the number go up. The free membership doesn’t let the girls spend their points.
The club is also developing a line of products to go with the books that includes things like stuffed animals, snow globes and jewelry. They sent me some samples to check out, and I’ll be passing some of them on to my readers.
I have 3 copies of the book, A Little Bit of Faith, to give away, as well as some jewelry, a snow globe and a stuffed animal. I haven’t decided how I’m dividing up the prizes yet.
Each item also comes with a code for a free one-month Rainbow membership online.
I also have some codes for free one-month trial memberships that you can email me for if you’re interested and don’t win one of the prizes. (I just have to find what I did with them!)
If you’d like to win one or more of these great products, just leave me a comment and include your email address if you don’t have a blog or if you don’t have an email listed on your blog.
For an extra entry, Twitter about the contest and come back and leave me the link to your tweet.
Entries close December 17th at 8 pm central time. I will draw the winners via random.org or my kids will pick from a hat. Depends on how lazy I am that day.
There are chapter books that follow Katie Bennett, who is new in town and needs a little help believing in herself and her ability to make friends. Her mom and aunt suggest that she start a club and invite classmates to join. So, the Precious Girls Club is born.
The books do have a religious theme to them, which is both good and bad. We do go to church but we’re not overzealous by any means. I still feel a little uncomfortable mentioning God in day-to-day life. I’m not sure why.
In the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, Katie relies on her guardian angel to help her through difficult times at her new school. She learns that being true to herself and being friendly is the best way to make friends.
M enjoyed reading the book and seemed to like the concept of the guardian angel. That was something we had not introduced before, but I can see benefits to giving her this perceived support. I remember, as a kid, thinking of deceased relatives as guardian angels, so perhaps that’s what M will do as well.
The book had a good message, which is always a good thing.
Besides the book, there is a website that girls can log into to play games and do other activities. It reminds me a little of Webkinz in that you have a character that has a room that you can decorate and that you earn credits by playing games. It’s also a safe way for girls to chat through pre-determined sentences. They click on a button and select things to say to one another like “I just finished my homework,” or “I’m going to go play games.”
I set up M’s account without telling her what I was doing. When she saw the site with the pretty flowers appearing as just the first page was loading she was beside herself with excitement. Every time she saw another girl walking around the online “world” she practically shook with happiness. “Oh my gosh Mom! There’s another girl!”
She was able to play all the games without my help, and that is a major plus in my book. There was a code in the book that we read that offered a free one-month Rainbow membership that was supposed to have added features. However, when M tried to do some of the extra features, they were not yet available. She was disappointed that her Rainbow membership ran out before she could decorate her room or buy more clothes for her person.
The Rainbow membership costs $3.95 a month, which doesn’t sound expensive, but considering you get a year of online membership at Webkinz for $15, the $47.40 yearly dues is too much for this family. We don’t get online to play games even on the Webkinz very often, so if we paid the dues it would most likely be for one or two days a month of play.
Girls can also sign up for a free membership and still play games and chat with other girls on the site, however, the points they earn playing games will do them no good other than the satisfaction of seeing the number go up. The free membership doesn’t let the girls spend their points.
The club is also developing a line of products to go with the books that includes things like stuffed animals, snow globes and jewelry. They sent me some samples to check out, and I’ll be passing some of them on to my readers.
I have 3 copies of the book, A Little Bit of Faith, to give away, as well as some jewelry, a snow globe and a stuffed animal. I haven’t decided how I’m dividing up the prizes yet.
Each item also comes with a code for a free one-month Rainbow membership online.
I also have some codes for free one-month trial memberships that you can email me for if you’re interested and don’t win one of the prizes. (I just have to find what I did with them!)
If you’d like to win one or more of these great products, just leave me a comment and include your email address if you don’t have a blog or if you don’t have an email listed on your blog.
For an extra entry, Twitter about the contest and come back and leave me the link to your tweet.
Entries close December 17th at 8 pm central time. I will draw the winners via random.org or my kids will pick from a hat. Depends on how lazy I am that day.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Eebees Adventures
I was given a DVD, a board book and a bath book of Eebies Adventures to review through PBN.
Of the three products, I like the bath book the best even though my baby is too little to play with it much. I know that when she starts taking baths in the big bathtub by herself that she will have a blast pushing the "buttons" and squirting water. It's so cleverly designed with text that tells the child to "squeeze the sponge" which makes water squirt from the book where the sponge is located on the page.
The board book, called All About Me and You, has a fold-out mirror and text that encourages learning about baby's eyes, nose, mouth, etc by looking in the mirror and reading the words that name each part. Babies always love looking at other babies, especially when those "other babies" are themselves. The shiny mirror that is included is bright and shiny which is always interesting for a baby too. My Baby D was quickly engrossed in looking at the book. We laid on the floor and I read the book to her. We looked in the little mirror together and I could see that D was smiling at herself, and at me.
The DVD, Eebees Adventures: Figuring Things Out, shows the puppet Eebie playing in different ways. In one clip, Eebie is climbing on some foam blocks. I thought this DVD might be helpful for a first-time parent, or parents who find it difficult to find ways to play with their babies. All the suggestions seemed obvious to me, but I have 3 children. My 6-month-old liked the music in the video, but didn't really watch any of it. When she gets a little older she might be more interested in the babies and the Eebie puppet.
The bath and board books were clear winners here at the Zebra house, and in time, the DVD may become more interesting. Check out Eebie for yourself here.
Of the three products, I like the bath book the best even though my baby is too little to play with it much. I know that when she starts taking baths in the big bathtub by herself that she will have a blast pushing the "buttons" and squirting water. It's so cleverly designed with text that tells the child to "squeeze the sponge" which makes water squirt from the book where the sponge is located on the page.
The board book, called All About Me and You, has a fold-out mirror and text that encourages learning about baby's eyes, nose, mouth, etc by looking in the mirror and reading the words that name each part. Babies always love looking at other babies, especially when those "other babies" are themselves. The shiny mirror that is included is bright and shiny which is always interesting for a baby too. My Baby D was quickly engrossed in looking at the book. We laid on the floor and I read the book to her. We looked in the little mirror together and I could see that D was smiling at herself, and at me.
The DVD, Eebees Adventures: Figuring Things Out, shows the puppet Eebie playing in different ways. In one clip, Eebie is climbing on some foam blocks. I thought this DVD might be helpful for a first-time parent, or parents who find it difficult to find ways to play with their babies. All the suggestions seemed obvious to me, but I have 3 children. My 6-month-old liked the music in the video, but didn't really watch any of it. When she gets a little older she might be more interested in the babies and the Eebie puppet.
The bath and board books were clear winners here at the Zebra house, and in time, the DVD may become more interesting. Check out Eebie for yourself here.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Hot Wheels Trick Tracks Sets
I was pretty excited when the Parent Bloggers Network offered me a chance to review Hot Wheels Trick Tracks Triple Stunt Starter Set and Power Loop Stunt Zone. K chose a Hot Wheels racing set as his reward for potty training a few months ago, and at the time he had a hard time narrowing down which Hot Wheels set to get. All the sets looked pretty cool to him.
When the first set, the Triple Stunt Starter Set, arrived, the kids took one look at the box and started to jump up and down with excitement. If only their mom was better at deciphering the assembly instructions! The set up took 30 minutes, during which time the kids were asking every 2 minutes if I was done yet. The instructions were only diagrams that were not as clear to me as they could have been. I would have liked a few more words to help me as well.
However, once assembly was complete and the kids were turned loose with the toy my frustrations were lessened by the joyful sounds of my kids playing together. I heard things like “Awesome!” and “Watch this!” followed by “cool!”
The first time playing with it they played for 1 hour, and fought over who got to do what stunt first approximately 4732 times.
I didn’t really see the lure of some of the “stunts” like the crane drop. But since the toy isn’t aimed at 30-somethings I guess that’s okay. The kids still thought all 3 of the stunts were quite spectacular and had fun digging out a bunch of their cars to try in the different stunts.
When we (and by we I mean Craig) set up the Hot Wheels Power Loop, it took slightly less time than the first set took. Craig took about 20 minutes to put the toy together, abandoning the instructions in favor of looking at the picture on the box.
Once the toy was together, K especially enjoyed the Power Loop. This toy came with more tracks that K also liked to just attach end to end and slide cars as far as he could.
With the Power Loop, you put a car on the “launcher” and press the launch button. The car then does several loop-de-loops, lifts up a sort of escape hatch and the car rolls out across the floor. The first time I saw the car do that I thought to myself “cool.” Then I realized that I’m a grown-up. Ha.
Both of these sets were “starter sets” so there are several more sets that all connect together. The fun is expandable, yet still fun with just the starter sets.
Each set comes with only one car, which isn’t a problem around here since we have a giant bin full of cars, but that fact might frustrate people who are just starting their Hot Wheels collection.
These sets, once put together, offered my kids hours of entertainment so I’d definitely recommend them to other parents of car enthusiasts.
When the first set, the Triple Stunt Starter Set, arrived, the kids took one look at the box and started to jump up and down with excitement. If only their mom was better at deciphering the assembly instructions! The set up took 30 minutes, during which time the kids were asking every 2 minutes if I was done yet. The instructions were only diagrams that were not as clear to me as they could have been. I would have liked a few more words to help me as well.
However, once assembly was complete and the kids were turned loose with the toy my frustrations were lessened by the joyful sounds of my kids playing together. I heard things like “Awesome!” and “Watch this!” followed by “cool!”
The first time playing with it they played for 1 hour, and fought over who got to do what stunt first approximately 4732 times.
I didn’t really see the lure of some of the “stunts” like the crane drop. But since the toy isn’t aimed at 30-somethings I guess that’s okay. The kids still thought all 3 of the stunts were quite spectacular and had fun digging out a bunch of their cars to try in the different stunts.
When we (and by we I mean Craig) set up the Hot Wheels Power Loop, it took slightly less time than the first set took. Craig took about 20 minutes to put the toy together, abandoning the instructions in favor of looking at the picture on the box.
Once the toy was together, K especially enjoyed the Power Loop. This toy came with more tracks that K also liked to just attach end to end and slide cars as far as he could.
With the Power Loop, you put a car on the “launcher” and press the launch button. The car then does several loop-de-loops, lifts up a sort of escape hatch and the car rolls out across the floor. The first time I saw the car do that I thought to myself “cool.” Then I realized that I’m a grown-up. Ha.
Both of these sets were “starter sets” so there are several more sets that all connect together. The fun is expandable, yet still fun with just the starter sets.
Each set comes with only one car, which isn’t a problem around here since we have a giant bin full of cars, but that fact might frustrate people who are just starting their Hot Wheels collection.
These sets, once put together, offered my kids hours of entertainment so I’d definitely recommend them to other parents of car enthusiasts.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Amazing Baby
Amazing Baby, written by Desmond Morris author of the best-selling book The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal, covers baby’s development from conception through toddlerhood. The book has 9 chapters that are further broken down into one or two page sections that make the book easy to read in tiny time segments. Any parent knows that tiny time segments are often the only time we have for reading.
The book is written in a respectful, almost reverent, tone that celebrates the bond between mother and baby. I found myself actually tearing up at times while reading about the (and so the book is aptly named) amazing process that all my children have gone through and that I am witnessing now with my third child.
This book is not only aesthetically pleasing, with striking images of beautiful human babies and carefully formatted text, but it is also filled with interesting facts about human development.
For instance, in the section on bonding I recognized what Baby D is currently going through with separation anxiety emerging:
For the first few months after birth, human babies are not particularly choosy. They are happy to be cuddled by any caring adult who happens to pick them up. In this respect they are slow starters, because with many animals the newborn becomes tightly bonded with its mother from day one. Usually by about six months (although this may vary from four to eight months) the process begins in earnest for the human infant and he starts to become highly selective in whom he trusts.
Baby D is definitely highly selective about whom she trusts, and her little lip comes out in protest if someone picks her up when she’d rather be with Mom!
My two older kids were intrigued by the paper overlays of the baby’s skull, skeletal system, musculature and eye. M requested to look at the skeleton and recalled how she had learned about the body in Kindergarten last year.
The book itself is substantial both in size (9 x 10) and heft (208 pages) and qualifies easily as a beautiful coffee table book. But the book would also make a wonderful gift for any mother, whether she’s just had her first child (or is expecting her first) or had her children years ago.
In this video, the author tells a little more about his latest book:
Amazing Baby can be purchased online at Amazon. Visit the Parent Bloggers Network to read what other bloggers thought about Amazing Baby and other products.
The book is written in a respectful, almost reverent, tone that celebrates the bond between mother and baby. I found myself actually tearing up at times while reading about the (and so the book is aptly named) amazing process that all my children have gone through and that I am witnessing now with my third child.
This book is not only aesthetically pleasing, with striking images of beautiful human babies and carefully formatted text, but it is also filled with interesting facts about human development.
For instance, in the section on bonding I recognized what Baby D is currently going through with separation anxiety emerging:
For the first few months after birth, human babies are not particularly choosy. They are happy to be cuddled by any caring adult who happens to pick them up. In this respect they are slow starters, because with many animals the newborn becomes tightly bonded with its mother from day one. Usually by about six months (although this may vary from four to eight months) the process begins in earnest for the human infant and he starts to become highly selective in whom he trusts.
Baby D is definitely highly selective about whom she trusts, and her little lip comes out in protest if someone picks her up when she’d rather be with Mom!
My two older kids were intrigued by the paper overlays of the baby’s skull, skeletal system, musculature and eye. M requested to look at the skeleton and recalled how she had learned about the body in Kindergarten last year.
The book itself is substantial both in size (9 x 10) and heft (208 pages) and qualifies easily as a beautiful coffee table book. But the book would also make a wonderful gift for any mother, whether she’s just had her first child (or is expecting her first) or had her children years ago.
In this video, the author tells a little more about his latest book:
Amazing Baby can be purchased online at Amazon. Visit the Parent Bloggers Network to read what other bloggers thought about Amazing Baby and other products.
Friday, November 7, 2008
My Baby A to Z
We may have a bit of a DVD problem at our house. I think we have about 100 DVDs at our disposal. And these are just the kids’ shows. But we don’t have cable so that’s how I justify the movie habit to myself. Just let me live in my little fantasy world there.
So, when I was offered the chance to review a DVD, I jumped at the chance for some fresh scenes. I received the first title, My Baby A to Z – Come Explore Shapes With Me, in what is expected to be a series of DVD offerings. This first DVD focuses on basic shapes and is aimed at children 2 to 5 years old.
Mom’s impressions
The stars of the show are two puppets named Moo and Beans that are learning their shapes. The puppets were cute and engaging and attracted the kids’ attention immediately.
I really liked how each shape was repeated several times and drawn with different media. First, each shape was drawn with a marker; second it was painted, and last drawn in the sand. Then the characters tried to search for and point out shapes like that in the objects around them, which again reinforced the shape.
Kid’s reactions
D (5 months) talked and cooed but not necessarily at the show. She seemed to enjoy the music but was not really engaged with the show. She’s obviously too young for movies anyway.
K (4 years) talked to himself, murmuring the answers that the puppets posed during the program. There were several get up and move break during the 23-minute program, which I liked. However, K didn’t actually get up and move until about the third break. I don’t think he understood that he should actually get up and move like the puppets said to do. The second time we watched the show, K was up and moving with every break.
Verdict
This DVD was a good introduction to shapes for young kids. It encouraged participation and included a lot of the repetition that is key to learning.
Buy it - Win it!
I have one copy of the DVD to give away. If you’d like to win a copy, please leave a comment on this post and tell me for whom you’d like to win the DVD. (Remember to include your email address if you don’t have a blog with one listed.) This giveaway is open to those with U.S. or Canadian addresses. I’ll draw for the winner on Saturday November 15th.
If you don’t win or if you’d like to just order a copy for yourself you can get a 20 percent discount from the $19.99 list price by entering this code during checkout at http://www.mybabyatoz.com/: K4K5878T
PBN also has 5 more copies up for grabs so if you don’t win here so head over there and enter too!
So, when I was offered the chance to review a DVD, I jumped at the chance for some fresh scenes. I received the first title, My Baby A to Z – Come Explore Shapes With Me, in what is expected to be a series of DVD offerings. This first DVD focuses on basic shapes and is aimed at children 2 to 5 years old.
Mom’s impressions
The stars of the show are two puppets named Moo and Beans that are learning their shapes. The puppets were cute and engaging and attracted the kids’ attention immediately.
I really liked how each shape was repeated several times and drawn with different media. First, each shape was drawn with a marker; second it was painted, and last drawn in the sand. Then the characters tried to search for and point out shapes like that in the objects around them, which again reinforced the shape.
Kid’s reactions
D (5 months) talked and cooed but not necessarily at the show. She seemed to enjoy the music but was not really engaged with the show. She’s obviously too young for movies anyway.
K (4 years) talked to himself, murmuring the answers that the puppets posed during the program. There were several get up and move break during the 23-minute program, which I liked. However, K didn’t actually get up and move until about the third break. I don’t think he understood that he should actually get up and move like the puppets said to do. The second time we watched the show, K was up and moving with every break.
Verdict
This DVD was a good introduction to shapes for young kids. It encouraged participation and included a lot of the repetition that is key to learning.
Buy it - Win it!
I have one copy of the DVD to give away. If you’d like to win a copy, please leave a comment on this post and tell me for whom you’d like to win the DVD. (Remember to include your email address if you don’t have a blog with one listed.) This giveaway is open to those with U.S. or Canadian addresses. I’ll draw for the winner on Saturday November 15th.
If you don’t win or if you’d like to just order a copy for yourself you can get a 20 percent discount from the $19.99 list price by entering this code during checkout at http://www.mybabyatoz.com/: K4K5878T
PBN also has 5 more copies up for grabs so if you don’t win here so head over there and enter too!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tackle it Tuesday
When I received my bottle of CLR to try I thought I would use it to clean the bathtub and bathroom sink. The kids have some of those bathtub markers and just water never gets all the red marker off the tub surround. But the night before I was planning to clean, Craig cleaned it using the standard cleaner he always uses. (Sorry ladies, he's taken. Handsome, and he cleans a lot more often than I do.) Sorry you won't get to see the purdy baby blue tub and sink.
So instead I thought I'd tackle the kitchen sink. It's one of those things that sort of gets cleaned every day when we (Craig) wash the dishes, but it still gets soap scummy and rather icky-looking. (Those are technical terms.)
So here's the before:
So instead I thought I'd tackle the kitchen sink. It's one of those things that sort of gets cleaned every day when we (Craig) wash the dishes, but it still gets soap scummy and rather icky-looking. (Those are technical terms.)
So here's the before:
Mid-way through the cleaning: See I even did the dishes. First time for everything, right Craig?
I have my blue rubber gloves ready to put on before I use the CLR.
Here you can see how stained the drain is:
And after:
The CLR didn't get all the stains out, but it's much improved over what it did look like.
And here is the shiny finished product:
So my impressions?
The CLR worked well. It did what it claimed to do. However, it's a little harsh for my taste. When you have to wear rubber gloves and use in a well-ventilated place I have a hard time. So everyday cleaning, I'll use something easier on the nostrils and the hands. When I have a deeper clean in mind, I'll grab the CLR.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
This costume is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Wouldn't D look beautiful in it? (when she's a bit bigger)
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
VSmile Cyber Pocket
When the UPS man rang our doorbell and left the package it was like Christmas come early to our house. Even though there was only one Vsmile Cyber Pocket in the package, the kids immediately insisted they would take turns using it and wouldn’t fight. I hoped the game and the kids would live up to their promises.
Packaging and Contents
I was happy to see that the package was easy to open. I know I’m not the only parent that gets annoyed by having to undo 400 zip-ties and unscrewing toys from cardboard. There was one strip of tape over the edge that I could peel off easily. Once that was open it was a matter of cutting open the plastic tray. I would have loved it even more if I didn’t need a scissor to open it, but I’ll take what I can get.
The Cyber Pocket comes with a wrist strap (which can be attached to the left or right side of the unit), a TV hook-up cord, one Smartridge, the new V.link (more on this later) and manuals for the game system and the Smartridge. Four AA batteries are also included so you can get started right away, however they recommend switching them out for alkaline batteries for longer life and optimal performance.
Set up
Set up was minimal to get the kids started. Just insert the batteries (no screwdriver required – yay!), attach the wrist strap, plug in the game and you’re set.
However, if you want your kids to start using the V.link right away, you have to set up your accounts online first. I didn’t set it up immediately as the kids wanted to just play the game. I actually used the TV hook-up option and put the game on the big TV so both kids could see it easily while I set up the V.link.
V.Link
So what is this V.link business? The V.link is essentially a USB drive that you plug into the game console. It saves your child’s games and records their points and progress. Their points get transferred to their accounts online, which can be used to unlock MORE games. I like to think of it as motivation for them to get better at the games… which, by the way, are educational.
The set up for the V.link took about 5 minutes. It probably would have taken less time, but the user name I wanted to use for my daughter was rejected because it contained “inappropriate language.” I wanted to use the word butterfly.
Kids’ impressions
The system says it’s for 5 years and up, and the game that came with it was a little beyond K, but he still had fun playing around with it. He was able to do some of the game and we took it with us to M’s swimming lesson. K sat still for the first time ever at her lesson. The Cyber Pocket is likely to become a regular at swimming lessons now.
M would have played all day if I’d let her. She was practicing putting sentences in correct syntax order and having fun doing it.
Mom’s impressions
The unit itself seems sturdy so that perhaps even Destructo Boy might be able to play it for a while without ruining it. Both my older kids liked it so much they were fighting over it, which I guess means it’s a good toy. The price tag however, at a hefty $70, makes it unlikely that I will be able to spring for 2 units so both kids could have their own.
We already owned the original Vsmile console, and all the Smartridges that we have for that also work in the Cyber Pocket, which is a big positive with me. K can play some of the easier games until he learns more reading skills.
Verdict
Great toy! It held my kids’ attention, they had fun and they were learning instead of beating up cartoon characters. If you’re looking for something to ask Santa for, this might be just what you want.
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Check out other bloggers’ impressions of the Cyber Pocket and other products at PBN.
Packaging and Contents
I was happy to see that the package was easy to open. I know I’m not the only parent that gets annoyed by having to undo 400 zip-ties and unscrewing toys from cardboard. There was one strip of tape over the edge that I could peel off easily. Once that was open it was a matter of cutting open the plastic tray. I would have loved it even more if I didn’t need a scissor to open it, but I’ll take what I can get.
The Cyber Pocket comes with a wrist strap (which can be attached to the left or right side of the unit), a TV hook-up cord, one Smartridge, the new V.link (more on this later) and manuals for the game system and the Smartridge. Four AA batteries are also included so you can get started right away, however they recommend switching them out for alkaline batteries for longer life and optimal performance.
Set up
Set up was minimal to get the kids started. Just insert the batteries (no screwdriver required – yay!), attach the wrist strap, plug in the game and you’re set.
However, if you want your kids to start using the V.link right away, you have to set up your accounts online first. I didn’t set it up immediately as the kids wanted to just play the game. I actually used the TV hook-up option and put the game on the big TV so both kids could see it easily while I set up the V.link.
V.Link
So what is this V.link business? The V.link is essentially a USB drive that you plug into the game console. It saves your child’s games and records their points and progress. Their points get transferred to their accounts online, which can be used to unlock MORE games. I like to think of it as motivation for them to get better at the games… which, by the way, are educational.
The set up for the V.link took about 5 minutes. It probably would have taken less time, but the user name I wanted to use for my daughter was rejected because it contained “inappropriate language.” I wanted to use the word butterfly.
Kids’ impressions
The system says it’s for 5 years and up, and the game that came with it was a little beyond K, but he still had fun playing around with it. He was able to do some of the game and we took it with us to M’s swimming lesson. K sat still for the first time ever at her lesson. The Cyber Pocket is likely to become a regular at swimming lessons now.
M would have played all day if I’d let her. She was practicing putting sentences in correct syntax order and having fun doing it.
Mom’s impressions
The unit itself seems sturdy so that perhaps even Destructo Boy might be able to play it for a while without ruining it. Both my older kids liked it so much they were fighting over it, which I guess means it’s a good toy. The price tag however, at a hefty $70, makes it unlikely that I will be able to spring for 2 units so both kids could have their own.
We already owned the original Vsmile console, and all the Smartridges that we have for that also work in the Cyber Pocket, which is a big positive with me. K can play some of the easier games until he learns more reading skills.
Verdict
Great toy! It held my kids’ attention, they had fun and they were learning instead of beating up cartoon characters. If you’re looking for something to ask Santa for, this might be just what you want.
****************
Check out other bloggers’ impressions of the Cyber Pocket and other products at PBN.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Once Upon a Potty
I have to come clean up front and say that when I agreed to review Once Upon A Potty K was still pooping in his pants. He has since decided that the potty is the best place to do such things. However, we still sat down to look at the materials together so I could see what he thought of it all.
But before I showed it to him, I looked at it myself. Chances are, if you’re a parent of a potty training aged child or older child, you’ve seen or heard of these books before. I’d heard of them, but never looked at them before. Perhaps these books would have assisted in getting my kids to use the potty sooner than they did!
This year, Firefly Books has released a new board book edition that is accompanied by an audio CD. The CD includes the original story by Alona Frankel and three songs.
I love that the book is a heavy board book, especially since my children tend to be potty training for many, many, many (did I mention many?) months. The book will likely stand up to the wear and tear of such extended use. The cover is also slightly padded and has a waxy coating on it that looks like it would wipe clean easier than a strictly cardboard board book would. That’s a handy feature to have considering it’s likely to find its way into the bathroom for those attempts at using the potty.
I like that there are two versions of the story, one for a boy and one for a girl. Even my 6-year-old daughter who has been out of diapers for years wanted to check out the girl version since her brother got to read the boy version.
When we sat down together to read the book, my son was still excited to read it even though he’s been using the potty consistently for a few weeks now. M joined us as well and listened to the story. They both sat still and listened intently. I thought perhaps the wee-wee and poo-poo words would get them giggling, but they just listened without the silliness. After we finished the book I asked K what he thought of it. “It was really, really good mama!” he exclaimed.
Then we put the CD in and listened to the songs. The kids enjoyed the first song, then the story started over. We listened to part of the story, then the kids moved to the window to look outside and my daughter said, “we just read that!” So I skipped over the rest of the story. Note to self: the kids no longer want to read the same story 400 times in a row. They seemed to enjoy the songs and did some dancing while we listened to the music.
I’d say the book would be another tool in the arsenal that parents need to help their children along the road toward using the potty consistently. It explains how the child uses diapers at first, but then learns to use the potty. It also illustrates that there will be accidents which K found quite interesting. He even commented, “just like I did!”
When you’re potty training, you’ll take any help possible, right?
But before I showed it to him, I looked at it myself. Chances are, if you’re a parent of a potty training aged child or older child, you’ve seen or heard of these books before. I’d heard of them, but never looked at them before. Perhaps these books would have assisted in getting my kids to use the potty sooner than they did!
This year, Firefly Books has released a new board book edition that is accompanied by an audio CD. The CD includes the original story by Alona Frankel and three songs.
I love that the book is a heavy board book, especially since my children tend to be potty training for many, many, many (did I mention many?) months. The book will likely stand up to the wear and tear of such extended use. The cover is also slightly padded and has a waxy coating on it that looks like it would wipe clean easier than a strictly cardboard board book would. That’s a handy feature to have considering it’s likely to find its way into the bathroom for those attempts at using the potty.
I like that there are two versions of the story, one for a boy and one for a girl. Even my 6-year-old daughter who has been out of diapers for years wanted to check out the girl version since her brother got to read the boy version.
When we sat down together to read the book, my son was still excited to read it even though he’s been using the potty consistently for a few weeks now. M joined us as well and listened to the story. They both sat still and listened intently. I thought perhaps the wee-wee and poo-poo words would get them giggling, but they just listened without the silliness. After we finished the book I asked K what he thought of it. “It was really, really good mama!” he exclaimed.
Then we put the CD in and listened to the songs. The kids enjoyed the first song, then the story started over. We listened to part of the story, then the kids moved to the window to look outside and my daughter said, “we just read that!” So I skipped over the rest of the story. Note to self: the kids no longer want to read the same story 400 times in a row. They seemed to enjoy the songs and did some dancing while we listened to the music.
I’d say the book would be another tool in the arsenal that parents need to help their children along the road toward using the potty consistently. It explains how the child uses diapers at first, but then learns to use the potty. It also illustrates that there will be accidents which K found quite interesting. He even commented, “just like I did!”
When you’re potty training, you’ll take any help possible, right?
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