We had him open this birthday present last because I had a feeling that it was going to be his favorite. He wanted it put together immediately when he found out what it was. In fact, he couldn’t be bothered to wait for his dad to do it so he started to assemble the few parts and tried to put it together himself. When that plan didn’t work so well for him, he was nice enough to let his dad help and he was up and moving in no time.

He tried it out on our driveway first. He is in the video, going crazy (in a good way), speeding away as he tries it out for the first time. After he got off, he proclaimed that this was the best birthday ever just because he received his Plasma Car. Out of all the toys that he received, this has been the most used one of all. Every time he has a chance he is riding his car. When he is with his dad he rides it around the paths in their apartment complex or takes it down to the basketball court when no one is playing and rides it around there. Sometimes he rides it in the house, too, though he doesn’t like that as much because he can’t speed like he does outside. He’s become quite the little speed demon with his Plasma Car, but he loves it and that’s what matters!

One of the best things about the Plasma Car from a parental standpoint is that it will work for any child. A friend of Dom’s mentioned on Facebook that her child was able to use a Plasma Car. The impressive thing about this is that her child has a progressive muscle disease. The child cannot ride a bike or even walk, so being able to sit on this and move his arms to get him going is incredibly liberating. It’s great for the child and the parent because the child can just go and the parents don’t have to worry about adapting another toy.

Both young and old children will have fun with the Plasma car. This gives the toy a great sense of staying power. It’s made with high quality plastic and isn’t missing anything from the box. Just one payment and you have a toy that will work for years. Lil B turned five when he got his, though I can see him playing with it for a long time to come. As much as he seems to love it, I can’t imagine him tossing it aside any time soon. However, with the quality of the product I am sure he will outgrow it before it outgrows (or wears out on) him.

When we spoke to the folks at Plasma Car about a review, I asked for the blue or green car. Green is actually one of Lil B’s favorite colors so I was glad to see the Green car when it arrived. The other colors to pick from include Purple, Red, Pink, and Yellow. Each of the cars are available for $69.95 (the same price for Canadian buyers, as well). Considering the type of product this is and the amount of use a child will get out of it, this isn’t a bad price at all. Despite getting this for review, I would have had no problem purchasing a Plasma Car at this price.

If you have young children I highly recommend picking up a Plasma Car. Lil B loved it and I am sure your little ones will love it, too. It’s great to keep them active and on the go and it works great as a fun outdoor toy. Under the circumstances, it’s also pretty inexpensive. It’s not something you will buy as an everyday toy, but it would be perfect for a birthday or holiday.

You can check out Plasma Car at the Plasma Car Website.

Technorati Tags: Plasma Car, Toy, Riding, Birthday Bash, Review, Car Review, Toy Review, Kids, Children, Green, Favorite

I remember playing with Play-Doh when I was a kid. My mom would get this look of terror when I wanted to play with it like I was going to paint the walls with it, or something. She would put paper down everywhere and then she would get out my Play-Doh jars so I could play. I always liked having the newspapers down because I could press down the Play-Doh and make designs on it from the newspapers. I don’t remember having any toys like the Spaghetti Factory when I was growing up, but I had fun nonetheless.

When I was setting up this review with the nice folks that handle the press for Play-Doh I knew instantly that my nephew, Lil B, would love this. I wasn’t set to see him for a few days though, so Dominick and I decided to take it out and play with it a bit on our own. As Dominick suffers from a muscle disease (it can make some toys incredibly hard or impossible to use) he wanted to give the spaghetti factory a shot and to see if it was possible for him to play use. Come to find out, kids (and adults) with limited mobility in their arms and hands shouldn’t have too many problems with this as long as they have a little bit of strength and the ability to press down.

Beyond the price, which will be discussed in the sections below, I love the versatility of the Spaghetti Factory. This is a toy that can be played with by kids as young as three, but will work for kids much older. This allows younger and older siblings to enjoy the same toy, which is never a bad thing.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives:
Inexpensive
Allows for Independent Play
Easy to Cleanup (assuming you take basic precautions)
Long Lifespan (Kids remain interested in playing with this)
Suitable for Various Age Ranges
Allows for Creative Play
Fun for the Whole Family

Negatives:
None that I can think of, as long as you keep it off the carpet!

Pricing & Availability:
At just under ten dollars you really cannot go wrong with this toy. While it would work as an inexpensive holiday/birthday present, it’s also small enough to be an everyday reward should you be looking for one. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to make a rainy day special and as long as you take basic care of it, you will get your monies worth (and more!) out of it. The Spaghetti Factory is labeled for kids three and up. This toy could easily last (and keep kids at least partially interested) for years!

Requirements & Instructions:
Everything you need to use the Spaghetti Factory is in the box. You could easily pick up some more Play-Doh, but you don’t need the extra when you first begin to use this because it comes with four jars to get you started. The instructions are pretty self-explanatory, but if you need help the process of putting the Spaghetti Factory is labeled on the box. It’s really just a matter of removing everything from the box and setting up the factory, which includes the base with the cylinder and spring.

The plate goes on top of that (you have your choice of two to use) and from there it’s all set. You just put the Play-Doh into the tube and press down the levers to make the spaghetti pop up! There are over 20 added shapes on the base and the bowls to make things like mushrooms, ravioli, and other fun shapes to add to the spaghetti. This makes it unique and delicious…well delicious looking!

Durability:
This isn’t made of metal, but it won’t break unless you put some effort into it. You could easily, accidentally drop this and it would be fine. You might have to put parts of it back together again, but it wouldn’t break completely. If you take basic care of this, you should get your monies worth and then some!

Ease of Use:
Playing with Play-Doh doesn’t take too much effort. It’s about the easiest toy you can find. The only real limit you have is one set by your own imagination. Kids will be able to run free with what they want to do with the Spaghetti Factory. They can make all kinds of Italian looking dishes or other types of foods depending on which molds they are using. It makes for a simple and fun time!

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
We had tons of fun playing with this. When Dominick and I tested it out, I accidentally mixed two of the colors together (red and green). When Braxton came over to play with us, he informed me that I would be sent to Play-Doh jail because mixing colors is a No-No! He was nice enough to play with me until my jail sentence began though. We made all different colored spaghetti. I made some mushrooms and he got rid of them (he apparently is not a mushroom fan!), so then I tried meatballs.

Before I knew it, he had a plate full of spaghetti and proceeded to smash it all together. He thought it was hilarious when I told him we could be cellmates, because he will be going to Play-Doh jail with me for mixing the colors. While we will need to pick up some new colors when we get out on parole, the factory is still in good shape and we had so much fun we will definitely be playing with it again, soon!

Bottom Line:
Just about anything with Play-Doh has the potential to be a winner with kids, young and old. Budding chefs and kids in general should enjoy the Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and fun for a wide variety of ages. Maintenance is as easy as keeping it clean and all you should need to purchase in the future is new Play-Doh colors. Kids will love this and chance are, you will have just as much fun playing with them and this great, creative toy!

Price: 5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.67 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Play-Doh, Spaghetti Factory, Kids, Toy Review, Hasbro, Putty, Colors, Family, Entertainment, Fun, Jail, Color Mixing

I initially asked to review the Snow Leopard for the mere fact that it was absolutely adorable. The pictures of the black and white spotted stuffed animal won me over without even seeing it in person. We actually received the adorable Snow Leopard that I was hoping for and a cuter than it’s picture Panda, which is actually two out of the three available animals, the other being the Polar Bear.

I decided to do these reviews in one due to the fact that the animals have the same features, so when it comes time to buy one of them it will really come down to the preference of animal your child has. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure that the review offered all the information about the animals without it being repeated, so I added it in one, like this.

Before I actually begin reviewing these stuffed toys, I need to point out that this is truly more than just a toy. If used like it seems to be intended, you will notice that it teaches your child tenderness and compassion, especially towards animals. As your child rubs the leopard’s boo boos and tends to his care he or she will begin to see that you can’t be rough with animals because they need your help and love, just like everyone else.

Lil B has been playing with both the Snow Leopard and the Panda Bear since we received them. He didn’t want to play with the Panda at first, because he loved the snow leopard so much, but soon decided that he would take the Panda home with him and would keep the Leopard here. Despite this being a Barbie brand toy, Lil B loves playing with the animals and has showed us that just because it’s labeled Barbie it doesn’t mean that it’s catered mainly towards girls.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives:
-Teaches Love and Compassion
-Teaches Tenderness
-Educates about Endangered Species
-Multipurpose Toy (works as a stuffed animal or for intended purpose w/ accessories)
-Works straight out of the box
-Comes with many added extras
-Suitable for a Variety of Ages
-Fair Price
-Suitable for Boys and Girls
-Allows animal lovers to play vet safely

Negatives:
-Repetitiveness (Barbie speaks every time the child hits a button and always says the same thing)
-If not rubbed, the boo boo goes away on its own pretty quickly

Pricing & Availability:
All of the Barbie Cure ‘N Care animals are available just about anywhere that you buy toys. You can easily pick them up online at nearly any major web store from Amazon to Toys R Us. From the small amount of price checking that I did I would say that Toys R Us currently offers the best deal in terms of actual price, with all of the animals being just under $30. Amazon also offers them, but the prices range from $30 to $50 depending on the animal you choose.

At $30 with everything you need included, I feel that it is a fair price for a great product. As the price moves up, I cannot help but feel like Amazon is trying to up their own profit, but that won’t reflect on my thoughts of the pricing because as a consumer you are able to buy this a number of other places where it is more reasonably priced.

Requirements & Instructions:
Everything that you need has been included in the package with your animal. There are a number of accessories that allow your child to care for the Snow Leopard or other animals. Included in the box with the Endangered animal is a passport and certificate, bandages, a baby bottle for feeding, syringe, thermometer, and some tweezers. Everything your child needs to help heal their favorite Endangered Animal is available.

Durability:
This is one of the softest stuffed animals I have come across. You can’t help but want to cuddle it. While the Snow Leopard is the cutest in my opinion, the panda certainly grew on me, as well. The pieces that come with the animal would be the most vulnerable to destruction, but they are well made and will only be damaged if your child sets out to try and destroy them. I suppose you could squish some of them if you stepped on them, but they are large enough to notice, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

The animals themselves are soft and well made. You shouldn’t have any problem with them. From the looks of them they should manage to stay in good condition and in some cases they will outlast your children’s interest in them. It’s always nice to have toys that outlast your children, especially if you have children of different ages. This would make a perfect toy for siblings, because if one outgrows it you could allow the other child to play with it. The Barbie Cure ‘N Care Endangered Animals are good for children three years old and up, so it’s perfect for families with both toddlers and older kids.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
Four year old, Lil B absolutely loved the Barbie Cure ‘N Care animals. At first I wasn’t sure that he would because his dad thought that he wouldn’t like them. Apparently, we were both wrong. This pirate toting bad guy put away his pirate gear, so he could love on some animals! He cradled the snow leopard as they sat down to feed the animal and he petted them gingerly when their boo boo spot lit up and Barbie told him to rub it. It was fun to watch him try and flip the animal over to find one of the multiple spots that could light up so he would find it right away.

I offered to give Lil B a shot because he seemed to be thrilled that the syringe was available. He declined my offer but said that he would give it to the Panda. He was very gentle when he did it and things continued this way as he played. When anyone says that they are going to take the animals he proclaims that they are his and he wants them! From what I can tell he loves taking care of them, but when he is tired or in one of his four year old grumpy moods then he likes to snuggle them. I think he enjoys how soft and cuddly they are, which is something I like about them, too.

Overall, he played with these on his own for a few hours before tiring of them. Sometimes he would include me and other times him and the animals would enjoy themselves on their own. He never complained about the toy and the only complaint I had would come with Barbie’s continuous talking when Lil B would hit a button on the animal to find one of his red light boo boos. Still, it’s a small annoyance and it allowed us to have a good discussion on what an endangered animal is and why we need to help them.

Bottom Line:
Lil B adores the Barbie Cure ‘N Care animals and I wholly agree with his assessment of them. These toys are reasonably priced, somewhat educational, and teach children excellent lessons on the importance of caring for animals. They are also sweet and snuggly, which is never a bad thing. If you have multiple kids of different genders and ages, these will work for both children equally with boys and girls liking them just the same, despite the Barbie logo and voice over.

I highly recommend these toys to any parents of budding animal lovers or future veterinarians. You can pick any or all of these up at nearly any toy store, so if you are in the market you should definitely pick one up.

Price: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.83 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Barbie Cure ‘N Care, Snow Leopard, Panda Bear, Polar Bear, Mattel, Toy Review

Advent Calendars are not new toys or calendars, depending on what you want to call them. However, they are becoming more popular than they ever were before. If you are unfamiliar with Advent Calendars they are calendars that are generally used around Christmas time. There are boxes with tiny themed presents numbered 1 to 24. The first box is opened on December 1st and the final box is opened 23 days later on the 24th, Christmas Eve. This allows for a great way that kids to countdown to Christmas. They just open a box a day and know that when all the boxes have been opened up, Christmas will be here the next day. Kids really seem to like these and adults enjoy them, too for the same reason.

The nice thing about Playmobil Advent Calendars is that they are inexpensive, built well, and they come in a variety of fun themes. We received the Pirates Calendar for this review, but Playmobil also offers a Knights Calendar, a Christmas Calendar, and a Unicorn Palace Calendar that would be perfect for the mom and dad that have little girls in the house!

This was my first experience with an advent calendar, but I have to admit I enjoyed it quite a bit! I didn’t put in a specific request for what type of calendar, so I was very pleased when I saw that the pirate theme calendar showed up. The reason I was so excited about this was because the only thing my nephew, Lil B, likes more than Santa Claus and Christmas is pirates. He’s only four years old, but Jack Sparrow is his hero and he loves anything associated with pirates, so for him, this calendar couldn’t have been better if we’d ordered it from Playmobil ourselves!

Positives & Negatives:

Positives:
Affordable
Sparks a Creative Environment for Play
Allows for Imagination Play
Allows Young Children to Better Understand Christmas Timing
Easy Assembly Kids Can help With (in Part)
Sturdy/Durable
Fun for the Whole Family

Negatives:
Need to be Careful with Flimsy Boxes – Watch with Small Children (not a real firm negative)

Pricing & Availability:
You can purchase these advent calendars in the theme of your choice for anywhere from $15 to $20 depending on where you shop. Stores will vary based on location though if you are shopping on the Internet you can pick these up at the Playmobil website or at shopping websites such as Amazon.com. Based on the fact that you can use this from year to year this is an incredible bargain. You get plenty for your money and this is something that works well for children of most ages.

Requirements & Instructions:
An instruction booklet comes with your advent calendar. This booklet lets you know which toy pieces go together and in which boxes they should end up. The boxes all go on a cardboard hanging calendar. The boxes will match up with the numbers on the calendar. The instruction booklet makes it incredibly easy to set things up. All of the toys are in plastic baggies so they are easy to locate when it comes time to set things up.

As the boxes are opened and the toys are revealed they are able to be put on a playscape which can be assembled by the directions on the playscape (you just fold portions over and tuck them in to make it playable) or by using some basic common sense.

Other than the booklet, you don’t need anything to get things set up. All of the required pieces are in the box. The only other thing you might need is a pushpin should you decide to hang the calendar up somewhere. If not, then everything is in the box when you purchase the calendar.

Durability:
The Pirates Advent Calendar comes with a sturdy cardboard cutout calendar for all of the boxes, a playscape that you put together for all the toys, 24 boxes, and the little toys that go in the boxes so let’s look at each piece individually before making an assumption about the whole thing.

The cardboard calendar is sturdy and well made. Even when the calendar becomes heavier from all of the boxes being placed in the right spots, you do not have anything to worry about. The playscape is just a thin piece of cardboard cutout that has some hole-slices in it in order for parents (or kids) to put it into an independent, sitting position. This is probably one of your flimsiest pieces, still when used for play we did not have any problems with it. We used it on the floor and on the table where we had planned to keep it and it did fine in both spots.

The boxes are by far the flimsiest piece. Even then, the smaller ones are fairly sturdy. It’s the larger ones you might need to worry about. You just need to look out for when they are being opened. These would be the easiest to rip out of everything included in this set. The toys will be a concern for parents that have younger kids or children that like to put small toys in their mouths. Many of these toys are small enough to do a child some harm. However, assuming your child understands that toys shouldn’t go in their mouth, they should be fine. Additionally, most of the toys would not work going in a child’s mouth, but there is one or two that do make it worth mentioning.

For what you pay for this, it’s definitely a fair deal. I haven’t noticed the kids trying to hold back any of their normal play activities and it is holding up just fine. We will be able to pack it up at the end of the season and use it next year when the time comes.

Ease of Use:
It really doesn’t get any easier than opening a box and putting the toys on the playscape to play with them. Some minor assembly is required. Some of the toys need to be put together (nothing too hard here) and the 24 boxes and the playscape need to be assembled. Otherwise, everything is ready to go. Kids young and old will be able to play with this Advent Calendar. Even if you don’t particularly feel the need to play with it, you can still enjoy the excitement the kids get from counting down the days to Christmas.

I can’t speak for all the calendars, but I have to admit, I like the mix of big and little toys that are used in the order they are. Kids won’t be revealing all of the major toys first only to end up with something little in the end. One day they will reveal a tree and the next it might be a pirate, then it could be some gold pirate booty and then there could be a treasure chest or two.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
The Playmobil Advent Calendar is definitely an enjoyable addition to the Christmas season. It does not have a Christmas theme, which means it could be used at other times if you really wanted to use it then you could. Other families might want to opt for the Christmas themed calendar, but if you’re looking for something to countdown the days this one works perfectly.

My son, CT thought the concept was really cool. We had it all set up and would take out a toy as each day passed. However, on the fourth day, my four year old nephew, Lil B came over. Within a few minutes, and a back turned for what seemed like seconds, he was opening boxes at will. Being that he is a pirate fanatic, he could not wait to open anything in this lineup. I allowed him to open the boxes just because I wanted to see the kids play with the set for the review.

Well, they loved the setup. Lil B didn’t want to leave and when he had to go he wanted to take some pirates, some booty, a treasure chest, and the list goes on. They sat and played for hours with all of the various toys and when he comes back (he’s been back twice since that first day) he always asks if he can play with the pirate toys and their home (as he calls it).

Just going off the fact that this is under $20 no matter where you buy it and it is fun for such a wide age group makes it worth the money. If you have younger kids you just need to make sure they understand the concept or else they might be opening the boxes too soon!

Bottom Line:
The kids in my house love Christmas and this is one of the best ways to let them know that Christmas is coming. This is inexpensive, fairly easy to set up, and most importantly, it’s fun. It comes with a nice selection of pirate themed toys to match the motif and kids seem to love playing with everything included. As a reviewer, my job does not get easier than this Playmobil Advent Calendar. If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend you pick one up. If you don’t prefer pirates there are other themes that you can purchase that should be equally as cute as this one is.

Price: 5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Playmobil, Advent Calendar, Christmas, Pirates, Pirate Booty, Treasure Chest, Toys, Toy Review, Calendar Review, Kids, Children, Holidays

Positives & Negatives:
-Detailed, fun play mat
-A space saver
-Great for both solo play and play with others
-Easy Assembly
-Out of the Box Play
-Easy to transport
-Suits a wide age range
-Durable & Easy to Clean
-Inspires Creative Play

Negatives
-Slightly More Expensive than similar ZipBin® toys

Pricing & Availability:
The ZipBin® Chateau is not as affordable as the other bins we reviewed. Still, it isn’t going to break the bank. ZipBin® sells the Chateau for $24.95 on its website. You can purchase the ZipBin® Chateau online or you can use the Where to Buy locator feature at the website. Just put in your location information and ZipBin® will send back a list of retailers in your area that are carrying ZipBin® products. Still, the easiest place to purchase is most likely going to be online. ZipBin® is available not only at the ZipBin® website, but at other retail locations, including Amazon.

Requirements & Instructions:
The ZipBin® Chateau comes with everything your child will need to play with this beautifully illustrated play mat. There is the mat, which can be converted between a handy carrying case and a fold out play mat. There are also toys that can be used to play with the mat and create any adventure your child wants to enjoy.

Using any of the ZipBin® toys is easy. You just unzip the bin, unfold the mat, take out the toy that comes with the mat and playtime can begin. The ZipBin® Chateau comes with a doll and accessories. Your child can store the doll and other dolls and accessories that your child already has in the ZipBin® when playtime is over.

The ZipBin® was designed for easy storage. The sides of the zipper zip up to form four corners in a box and the ZipBin® Chateau comes with a decorated, Chateau themed lid. The carrying case has a handle for both storage and allowing your child to take the Chateau wherever they go!

Durability:
The ZipBin® Chateau is made of a strong, plastic material. This is the kind of plastic that can be easily wiped off in case anything spills on the mat. You never know with kids whether juice, sticky hands, or an assortment of food is going to end up on their toys. The material used for each ZipBin® makes cleanup effortless. The plastic material isn’t going to be anything that is going to rip easily. The ZipBin® won’t break if it is dropped and your kids can tug on it all they want. It isn’t easy for an adult to rip this so a kid won’t be able to rip it either.

Ease of Use:
Using this toy is incredibly easy. Just unzip the ZipBin®, take out the toys and playtime is ready to begin. As long as your child can unzip the bin, they will be able to play with the toy. This toy is actually quite disability friendly. A child with limited mobility might still be able to unzip the ZipBin® Chateau with assistance. Once the ZipBin® is open, play is open to anyone no matter their abilities or lack thereof.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
The ZipBin® Chateau inspires creativity with plenty of options for play. Essentially, the Chateau allows for any type of play in a castle. Your child can play as the King or Queen. Your child can be the princess waiting for her prince to show up at the Castle Ball. The Chateau even features a place to hold a pool party! Your child can do mundane, day to day activities or have extravagant parties and dances. Ultimately, the sky’s the limit!

The ZipBin® Chateau has three pockets in the side of it. All of the toys and accessories your little one needs to have the ultimate castle experience can be stored right in the bin. The ZipBin® Chateau will offer long lasting fun because every play experience can be a different story. This means the Chateau has excellent, longlasting appeal. Kids love the Chateau because it is such a fun toy. Parents love the Chateau because it’s a convenient toy. Cleanup is simple and this toy was made to be easy to store. The enjoyment every child who plays with the ZipBin® Chateau has is apparent, making it the perfect toy in nearly every way!

Bottom Line:
The ZipBin® Chateau is a fun, friendly toy. It can be taken everywhere and with easy cleanup, there is no worry of losing parts or excessive boredom wherever your child takes their Chateau. This toy is ideal for children who love to play in a castle setting, with dolls, and those who enjoy creative play endeavors. You can leave your child with the ZipBin® Chateau and watch them create their own castle adventures. Though it is slightly expensive compared to other ZipBin® products, the Chateau is still worth the purchase.

Price: 3 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 4 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: ZipBin Chateau, castle, princess play, queens and kings, creative play, toy, storage toy

I am happy to report that the Brainy Baby French DVD was a hit! Now, that doesn’t mean Lil B is going to be able to go over to France and strike up a conversation, unless he wants to point out that someone has two eyes or one nose! However, what Brainy Baby brings to the table is the building blocks he is going to need to move towards the next level of his French studies once he gets into school.

Positives & Negatives:
-Affordable
-Exciting to Little Kids
-Teaches French Words – Educational
-Makes Children Excited to Learn
-Something Parents can do with Kids (Learn Together)
-Easy to Follow and Understand
-Visual Cues for Words

Negatives
-English translations flash on quickly and are sometimes hard to read
-Need to pay close attention for some of the translations

Pricing & Availability:
You can find Brainy Baby products online with very little trouble. Just look up Brainy Baby on Yahoo or Google and multiple websites selling Brainy Baby products will show up. You can find all of the Brainy Baby products including the French DVD at the Brainy Baby website. The website allows you to search for stores in your area, by zip code, so you can purchase the product in person, if there is a store nearby. Whether there is one or not, you can always purchase the French DVD through Brainy Baby’s website, where it retails for $17.99.

The VHS for the Brainy Baby French DVD is available for under $5.

The Brainy Baby French Setup
You need a TV and either a DVD or a VCR to play Brainy Baby French. If you have those things then you’re set. Just open the Brainy Baby French DVD case. Pop the DVD (or tape) into your DVD player (or VCR). From there you can let the DVD do all of the work.

The Brainy Baby French DVD is self-explanatory. There are multiple listings on the Brainy Baby menu. You just select play and then you’ll view a short Brainy Baby ad before the main part of the DVD begins. Once the DVD starts you’ll get to see a randomly shown giggling baby. This baby sort of represents your child who is also watching the action and learning from the DVD. In between the baby’s giggling fits are instructional moments of French words.

The French starts out easy. A picture is shown on the screen. For example, a boy’s eyes are shown. Then the French word is said for eyes as it is also displayed in written form on the screen. In the corner a tiny, white translation of the word is said. The word is repeated and another child’s eyes are shown. Each word is repeated multiple times before moving on to a new word and a new picture.

The word section covers body parts, numbers, colors, people, objects (like the sun, trucks, and sunglasses), familiar phrases, and then finally verbs such as to eat or to sleep. These appear in their un-conjugated form. This is also the part where you’ll need to pay attention and perhaps even help your child. They might assume the object shown (such as the ice cream being eaten) is the meaning for the word ‘manger’, when in reality ‘manger’ means to eat.

Other than the ability for potential, minor confusion the Brainy Baby French DVD is perfect. Lil B was engaged and enthralled the entire time. He had fun and thought he was big and bad because he now knew French words, which he would randomly throw in with the English he spoke. My brother was quite impressed. The DVD also features the song “Mary has a Little Lamb” in French, which is fun to listen to, but it is kind of hard to keep up with, at least the first few times.

While this DVD is recommended for children aged 1-5, I could see this being quite beneficial for older children with learning disabilities and children with autism. The autistic child especially will be dazzled by the visual stimulation and the repetition. My son is 13 and autistic. While the other Brainy Baby DVDs aren’t going to suit him, this one actually helped him. He wanted to learn French, but was a very reluctant student. He relies on visual stimulation and repetition for these kinds of subjects. The repeating words and visual images were quite helpful in breaking the ice before he gets into higher level French.

Setup: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for the Brainy Baby French DVD is surprisingly good. This looks like it was shot with a professional camera and all of the images displayed are much better than some of the lower budget studio releases I’ve received in the past. The Brainy Baby team really put a lot of time and effort into this DVD. Brainy Baby French is displayed in full frames at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. For what it is, this quality suits the DVD just fine.

The sound was clear. There was no need for volume toggling, which was a major plus. The Brainy Baby French sound is available in Dolby Digital Stereo. Beneath the dialogue was some comforting classical music. This just adds to the ambiance of the learning environment. A dynamic soundtrack wasn’t going to be needed for this DVD so the stereo track works just fine.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are multiple bonus features included on the Brainy Baby French DVD. For children who didn’t catch “Mary Had a Little Lamb” the first time, there is a video sing-a-long that shows the words to the song so you and your child can learn how to sing along. Since the song is so repetitive, it won’t be long before you’ll both be singing this catchy, French version of a popular child’s tune/nursery rhyme.

There is a Behind the Scenes feature. One child that appears on many of the Brainy Baby DVDs will guide you through the making of a Brainy Baby DVD. Moms who love Brainy Baby also get a chance to show their admiration for the series. The bonuses continue with a Bloopers section. As the kids mess up their lines, their actions, and they show off their childlike antics, the video keeps recording! There are also sneak peeks for other Brainy Baby DVDs such as Left Brain, Right Brain and ABCs.

I haven’t popped the DVD into my CD Rom drive, but some of the other features listed as bonuses include a link to the website, an interactive coloring book and other fun Brainy Baby themed activities. Considering I wasn’t expecting any bonus materials on this DVD I was pleasantly surprised.

Bonus Features: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Brainy Baby French DVD is probably the best, most affordable way for your child to begin learning French. This is the way to get your young child interested in a foreign language while teaching them the fundamentals. You can’t go wrong with a CD that shows plenty of smiling children and one very happy Brainy Baby!

Overall Rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Brainy Baby, French, Preschool, Education, children, foreign language, learn, teach, DVD

With a six year old daughter, Maddie, who is obsessed with everything Hannah Montana, I knew that the Lilly Summertime doll would be a hit. Maddie received Lilly along with the Surf Shop to review for LI Kids. All I have to say is that I haven’t seen her since I gave her the doll to play with! She’s been that enthralled in playing Hannah games and re-enacting scenes from the show. The nice thing is that she can play at the surf shop with her other Hannah dolls and she’ll have the opportunity to spend the entire summer playing with Hannah and her pals thanks to this doll!

Positives & Negatives:

Positives
-Inspires Creative Play
-Positive Girl Role Model
-Comes with Multiple extras to inspire different adventures
-Something a wide age group can enjoy
-Fun and Engaging Toy
-Realistic-looking doll
-Affordable

Negatives
-Small Parts
-Younger Kids will want to play with it, but might only be allowed limited access

Pricing & Availability:
You should be able to pick up the Lilly doll at any major retailer both online and off. I checked on Wal-Mart, where Lilly is listed as the Hannah Montana Beach Fashion Doll, Lilly. The dolls should all be readily available at other stores like Toys R Us, Target, and online at Amazon. The dolls aren’t just readily available, they’re also affordable. At Wal-Mart you can purchase Lilly for just under $10 and the other stores selling the dolls have them priced in the same range! The price, especially in a time where people don’t have a lot of money, is perfect!

Requirements & Instructions:
There really aren’t any requirements for this doll. Lilly doesn’t talk or do anything where you might need batteries. She comes with everything your child will need to play with her Hannah Montana friend. Lilly comes with a beach towel, a hairbrush, a magazine (which is named “Surf Beach”), a four-leaf clover charm and bracelet, little pink sandals and an adorable outfit! Her sandals match her top perfectly.

I barely had Lilly out of the box before Maddie had snatched her up and was off to the races, playing with her. The instructions are pretty simple. You just need to take her out of the box, take out the accessories and playtime can begin!

Durability:
Lilly is about as durable as any other doll out there. I’m sure, just like Barbie, if you wanted to rip off her arms, legs, and head you could, but who does that other than annoying older brothers? Even then, you can usually snap the arms, legs, and head back on, so the trauma of losing the doll is limited. Lilly can be dropped without breaking. She’s pretty indestructible unless you’re truly attempting to tear her apart. There has to be an effort to do this though. Otherwise, Lilly is pretty much your average doll in this department.

Ease of Use:
Lilly is a doll. I don’t know how much easier playing with a doll could be. You take her out of the box and playtime can begin. Your child doesn’t need instructions to play with Lilly. Maddie loves her doll. She brings her to dinner. She takes her to bed. Lilly goes everywhere with Maddie. I can’t stress how much this toy inspires the imagination. Lilly does everything from skydiving to scuba diving (which Maddie attempted to have her do in the fish tank)! Still, you do have to be careful with these dolls. When Maddie knocked over the lamp (luckily it didn’t break) because Lilly was bungee jumping, I really had to consider whether I’d end up punishing Lilly for her misdeeds or not!

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
The Lilly Summer Stufftime is recommended for ages 6 and up. I know that this doll would be suited for girls that are in their tween years. I would also say a responsible 4-5 year old might be able to play with this doll. You know your child best so use your best judgment before purchasing the doll. For those in the age range, Lilly is great. She’s fun, adorable, and a great asset to any little girl’s (or boy’s) doll arsenal.

Lilly is a doll so there is an immeasurable amount of opportunity for play with her. You can keep Lilly in the setting of the beach or play with her at a Hannah concert. You can put any type of doll’s clothes and/or add other Hannah Montana accessories with Lilly. The opportunities are endless and the lasting appeal of this will ensure your daughter will get years of play with Lilly and her Hannah friends.

Bottom Line:
The Lilly Summertime doll is a must have for your favorite Hannah Montana fan. Even girls who may not be overly familiar with Hannah Montana will like the beach theme associated with Lilly. I don’t recommend you purchase this for a child under 5 or if you do, you only let her play with the doll and not the accessories. Overall, this was one of the best toys we’ve had the chance to review. Lilly comes highly recommended!

Price: 5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Hannah Montana, Lilly, doll, Disney, toy, beach doll, summertime stuff, affordable toy, playalong toys, jakks

Positives & Negatives:

Positives
-Creative Toy
-Hand-Eye Coordination Development
-Fine & Gross Motor Skills
-Helps with Logic Skills
-Easy to Figure Out
-Good, Non-Violent Toy
-All Around Fun Toy
-Suits a Wide Age Range

Negative
-Small Pieces – Easy to lose
-Not Suited for Small Children

Pricing & Availability:
The Lego City Police Helicopter and most of the Lego play sets we’ve come across are extremely affordable. You can find the Police Helicopter in your national retail chains, such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us. You can also find it online at the Lego Shop. Prices vary between $8 and $11, depending on where you plan to purchase the play set.

If you plan to purchase the Lego City Police Helicopter at the Lego website, you can find the play set for just $9.99. You really can’t get any more affordable for a toy that is going to be worth an innumerable number of hours worth of play.

Requirements & Instructions:
The Lego City Police Helicopter comes with an instruction manual. It shows piece by piece instructions about where to start. These instructions also include diagrams. Everything is wrapped up in its own separate package so you don’t mix anything up. This also comes with stickers that can be placed on the actual helicopter. The words on the stickers are written in both English and German.

This is the type of toy that you’ll be able to take out of the box and play with. We let our son, who is 13, but is a lifelong Lego fan, as well as his 11 year old friend, play with this. The two had a blast and didn’t have any problems. With no batteries or other extras needed, this toy is the ideal present for just about every occasion. Or you could just buy it to be nice!

Durability:
This is a Lego toy. You aren’t going to be able to break the individual parts very easily. The worst case scenario is having the helicopter break apart if it is dropped, but even then, it’s an easy fix as your child will be able to put it back together again. We don’t recommend letting your dog or young child chew on these. That might be the only way to disfigure the Legos. Other things that might destroy the pieces are vacuum cleaners, a car running over them or Dom’s wheelchair. Of course, Dom was very polite about that and made sure any dropped pieces were picked up before he attempted to run them over!

Ease of Use:
Thanks to the pictures and diagrams, this helicopter is incredibly easy to put together. Dom tried out the pieces, since he always likes to check out how disability-friendly toys are. From there, he gives his recommendation so parents that have children with disabilities know whether the toy is going to be fun or frustrating. Dom has tried many a building blocks in his day. By far, Megablocks have been his enemy when it comes to putting pieces together and taking them apart. He’s also found easy to use products like the Kids K’nex.

Dom recommends Legos in general and, more specifically, the Lego City Police Helicopter for those with limited hand strength. Dom doesn’t have a lot of dexterity in his fingers and he has limited strength due to a muscle disease. Kids with disabilities, depending on their specific condition, should have a fun time either putting the helicopter together or helping mom, dad, or siblings put it together if their strength is more limited. Still, the parts were, by far, some of the easiest to push together.

Taking it apart is the most difficult part. Some of the pieces have grooves on them so they’re much easier to pop off, but others might mean a parent, sibling or friend has to help. Overall, this set is disability friendly with minor limitations!

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
Who doesn’t like Legos? They’re the ultimate building blocks that offer fun for nearly everyone! This set is recommended for kids between the ages of 5-12. Dom is in his late 20s and I will just say, I’m older than him. Still, we had a blast putting it together ourselves. Call it a touch of nostalgia on our part, but Legos really are fun!

With so many benefits like improvement of hand-eye coordination, improvement of gross and fine motor skills and assisting in creativity and logic skills (following directions) this toy is more than just fun to play with for kids. This toy is educational, economical, and going to provide hours upon hours of fun! The lasting appeal of this toy is high. This toy will last for years to come and the Lego City Police Helicopter will make an excellent addition to some of the other Lego play sets out there including the Legos Prison Transport, Police Motorcycle and the Police Headquarters!

Bottom Line:
If your child likes to build and likes Legos, the Lego City Police Helicopter will make a nice addition to their Lego collection. We love this set and can’t help but recommend buying Legos, in general. With an affordable price, easy to follow directions and plenty of ways to expand and work your child’s creativity how can you say no to this toy?

Price: 5 out of 5 stars
Durability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Assembly: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars
Child Readiness: 5 out of 5 stars
Lasting Appeal: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.83 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Legos, Lego City Police Helicopter, Police, Toy, Play Set, Building Blocks, Creativity