©Patch Products

The traveling season is upon us and whether we are leaving for a weekend or a week, Gavin always has his bag of toys and games. It can sometimes be a challenge to pack a lot of fun into only 1 bag though, and in all honesty, I never bring many of his absolute favorite toys with us because I don’t want to worry about replacing them if pieces get lost along the way, so I look for some fun but inexpensive additions.

Patch Products is a family owned company headquartered in Wisconsin. One of my favorite Patch Products is the Lauri Pegboard. Recently they sent 2 of their new Big Little Games for review, Spurtle Turtle and Flingin’ Frogs. These are games recommended for kids ages 3-4 and up, but I’ve had fun using them with the kids at school up through first or even second grade if multiple kids, especially different ages, are playing together. The price points of these games are around $8.99, so they are also great birthday gifts for this age group.

Flingin’ Frogs includes 12 plastic frogs, that when you push down on the back with your index finger, they will fly towards the lily pad if you can figure out how to flick your finger just right. All of the pieces of the lily pad come apart and store with the frogs in the container. There are numbers on the lily pads to keep score. There’s a little bit of a learning curve on flicking the frogs, so some kids have been initially frustrated, but have welcomed the challenge to persist. I’ve found if you place this game in front of a wall for young kids who are struggling with landing them on the lily pads, the wall is a great rebound surface and many kids have had more success that way.

Spurtle Turtle is a token matching game with cute sea creatures. All the tokens are placed inside the turtle. By pushing the button 2 tokens will fly out. The child then has to turn them over and look for a match. If they don’t get a match, they put the tokens face down on the table and it includes a memory game as well. Spurtle Turtle’s button was a little sensitive and it if it’s not pushed with just one finger, fairly quickly, the pieces often jam in the bottom stalling the game play. The kids were so excited to bang the button, pieces were flying out everywhere and on flat floor surfaces, let’s just say the memory game became hide and seek! For younger kids who need less steps, place the tokens inside the turtle picture side up and they won’t have to worry about flipping them, they can just quickly look for matches.

What games will you bring on your family vacations this year?

Patch Products provided these toys free to facilitate this review, the opinions are my own.

©Kristins Gifts

Learning the letters of the alphabet can be difficult for some and easy for others. Some kids love letters, while others want nothing to do with them, leaving their parents angered and frustrated on how they are going to master this critical life skill for reading and writing. Many parents often tell me how their children don’t like to sit with them and work on pencil and paper tasks but they will with their teachers and other professionals. So my little nugget of information in this area is to find a tool that is not always pencil and paper and combine it with activities kids like to do.

These Alphabet Smart Blocks by Kristin’s Gifts have found a permanent home inside my OT bag. These small yellow interlocking blocks have various uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks and blank spaces. I’ve essentially got 1 bag of portable educational toys and games that I can modify for a variety of age groups as I travel from building to building throughout the week working with kids ages 4-14.

The blocks also come with a Writing Trainer which is a tracing template for both print and cursive where children can use a pen in the plastic template and trace the letters for kinesthetic multi-sensory learning (pictured in pink above but mine is yellow). I’m personally not a huge fan of tracing unless you immediately follow it up with the child trying to make the letter on their own right after. Tracing your letters and templates without reinforcing the actual skill for some kids becomes nothing more than a dot-to-dot activity where they live for the next clue. The cursive template looks to be crafted from a D’Nealian type handwriting program. Check with your child’s school to find out what their curriculum is so you are consistently teaching them using the same language and stroke formation of the instruction they are receiving from others . None-the-less, while I’m not the biggest fan of the Writing Trainer, the blocks in this pack have been an amazing tool for me and the kids fight over them.

These are some of the fun activities I’ve done with the Smart Blocks letters:

-For preschool aged kids and Kindergarten students learning letters, hide a select few around the room that make up their name and see if they can find them, then sequence them in order.

- You may need to write their name for them to match first before and eventually see if they can do it on their own. Mix in different letters over time and see if they can differentiate what’s in their name or not. Then work to adding their last name.

-The empty spaces in these blocks are great to teach older students (Kindergarten and First Grade) about leaving spaces between their words and punctuation

-The numbers can also be used for recognition, just like when learning the letters for a child’s name, or then configured for some multiplication, division, addition and subtraction problems

-I use them a lot for kids who hate to write, they voice their answer to me, we craft the sentence using the blocks, then they copy it on to the paper from this as a model

Don’t go looking for these in stores, you can purchase these online direct from KristinsGifts.com, Overstock.com, flash sale sites and places like Zulily.com.

What ways have you creatively helped your children to learn about letters and numbers?

Kristins Gifts provided this item free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©LEGO

Have you thought about buying LEGO’s for your child or as a gift? I can’t believe how many kids love to construct with LEGO’s. I said it before when I reviewed the LEGO Duplo Creative Sorter, my son sits with my LEGO media kit binder, flipping through it like it’s the Bible, consuming every picture, asking questions and commenting on the characters.

Today I brought the LEGO Duplo My First Build Kit into school. LEGO Duplo’s are larger blocks, geared for younger builders ages 1 1/2 to 5. I decided I’d give it a whirl and use it with a few kids, all boys, 2 seven-year-olds and a 6-year-old. I took a chance giving it to 3 kids out of the suggested age range, but they all really enjoyed their time with the kit. I was shocked in all honesty, that I didn’t hear anything about this being for little kids or “babies.” I was more concerned with some of the comments they made about their ability to build with LEGOS.

This particular set is neat because it includes 59 multi-colored pieces, but there are 4 double-sided cards. One side has a picture of something that can be built out of the included DUPLO’s. The other side includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a different item. Kids can either follow the directions, or similar to the Creative Sorter, they can place the pieces on the card like a template. I’m a concrete learner, step-by-step directions and pictures are my best friends, and for some kids, this is also true. Others are imaginative and have the ability to create from scratch and wow you with their final product. So this feature alone allows 2 different types of learners or children with different skill levels to customize their experience and build at their level.

While we were building I started asking the kids questions about LEGO’s. 1 child reported he had one of the LEGO video games and that he had a Star Wars kit at home that he plays with, but that his father built for him. Another child,  stated, “I don’t have any. I’m not a good builder.”  Now my opinion might be swayed in that I was using this kit with children who are having some visual spatial skills at school. However, this got me thinking, in general, as a parent even though your child may have a specific interest prompting you to head to the store looking for pirate ships, Avengers characters, Star Wars sets, you name it, something big with loads of pieces that all their friends are asking for. But what if they don’t have the skills to build it? Meaning, what if they can’t follow the instructions, or they don’t have enough hand strength to push the pieces together? Even the kids I worked with today had poor awareness of their force, they’d push to hard, part of it would fall, bumping into another structure they had already built with a piece that would then fall off like a domino effect. Then comes the frustration and anger, turning something fun into a disaster.

Here were some ideas I had on how you can gauge your child’s ability level with LEGO’s and help them be happy, successful constructors.

- For kids in that borderline age range like 5 or 6, they are bridging between a Duplo and the regular sized LEGO bricks. If you are purchasing the smaller LEGO’s, opt for a smaller set that has fewer pieces to save on cost and really get a sense of how much help they may or may not need with larger sets, that is unless you are a closet LEGO loving adult who is happy to build all of the structures yourself!

- A few years ago I attempted to put together LEGO Ramses’s Pyramid with another child and we way underestimated how much time it would take to build the structure nevermind learn how to play the game included, so set a reasonable time limit, and complete the project in stages

- Many would say, searching the  floor or pile for the correct brick is part of the fun of the process, but for some kids, this can be completely visually overwhelming. Pre-sort the pieces and give them only the pieces they will need to follow each instruction, guiding them with verbal clues along the way for placement

-Switch off, they place a piece, you place a piece to share in the process and build stamina, what ever the case, allow them to place the first pieces and the last pieces so they can have a sense of initiation while finishing a project to completion

Do you have any strategies that are helpful when building with LEGO’s in your family?

LEGO provided this toy free to facilitate this review. The opinions provided are my own.

©Hasbro

I wasn’t sure what the kids at school would think of the new BOP IT! XT game from Hasbro. If you aren’t familiar with the BOP IT line of games, it is essentially a handheld gaming device that shouts out directions pretty much at rapid fire. As the player you are responsible to follow all of the directions by manipulating various buttons on the game, at lightning speed, or you will lose.

On the new BOP IT! XT, the directions include not only “bop it, pull it and twist it, ” they have added “spin it,  flick it, and shake it.”  There are various modes for game play that include Solo Mode, Party Mode, Pass It Game and One on One.   Solo mode you follow the directions and it will tell you what the high score to beat is, or how many directions the best player has been able to follow before being disqualified. Party Mode has you activating the buttons with various body parts. Pass it Game has you complete a few commands before passing it to the player on your left.  The One on One game is new, and allows 2 players to play against each other by dividing the device essentially in half, as each player is responsible for completing 2 of the commands. For those who are really coordinated and fast, there are Novice, Expert, Master and Pro levels that can be unlocked that incorporate colors and sounds into the game play.

Considering it took me about an hour to master getting 15 commands correct in succession, I don’t think I’ll be advancing to the Expert, Master or Pro levels anytime soon. The kids at school all recognized the game from television and couldn’t wait to play. Just like me, as excited as they were to play, they got frustrated really quickly when they were disqualified the first few times almost immediately. What was really fun to see was the learning curve though. With persistence the kids were able to improve their scores fairly quickly and it brought out a healthy sense of competition. This game not only requires quick reflexes and coordination of both hands, but some serious focus and memory. It’s been a great way to incorporate some breaks for kids that not only exercises their body, but exercises their mind and their memory in the process. BOP IT is recommended as a family game for kids ages 8 and up.

Would you like a BOP IT! XT? At ToyQueen.com we are giving away 1 game to 1 lucky winner. Make sure you follow all of the directions, there are 2 mandatory entries. Prize fulfillment is being provided by Hasbro games.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hasbro provided a free BOP IT! XT to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

Here’s a preview post I wrote here on ToyQueen.com after getting my first look-see at the LeapPad learning system almost one year ago.

What types of LeapFrog toys have you invested in for your children in the past? Many parents have told me their children have learned many of their letters and letter sounds by playing with their toys. Do you have any learning stories to share from your family with their unique toys?

If you haven’t already, please Like the ToyQueen Facebook Page and the AboutToys Facebook Pages. You can also follow me on Twitter as @ToyQueen and @AboutToys. If any of your friends and family members are looking for unique toys, I’d love for you to share my Facebook pages with them. Gaining more readership allows me to continue to write unique content and run fun contests.

LeapFrog provided a free LeapPad to facilitate my review. The opinions are my own.

©Hasbro

Beyblade’s spinning tops have been very popular amongst little boys for several years. Children “Let it Rip!” by pulling the rip cord and battle against their friends in an arena, with the last top standing being crowned the winner.

This year Hasbro introduced a new Beyblade line at Toy Fair, Beyblade Beywheelz. Beywheelz will spin on their sides, similar to that of a rolling tire. Beywheelz can not only battle, but complete various stunts as well.

The video below highlights the Beyblade Beywheelz Crash Course in action, and some of the capabilities of the Beywheelz. The Crash Course is recommended for kids ages 8 and up and will retail fro $34.99. It will be available in Fall 2012.

Video Transcription:

Announcer: You’ve got to watch. You don’t want to miss this.

Sharon Osbourne: It’s a yes from me.

Man 1: Of course, yeah. Do you want to see it action?

Man 2: Absolutely.

Man 1: Where will I not be in the way?

Man 2: Right there.

Man 1: Just here?

Man 2: Yeah.

Man 1: Okay. Three, two, one, let it rip. This is the Beyblade
Beywheelz. It comes with the crash course arena, as you can
see here, two ripcords with two wheels, everything you see
here with the stunt goal and the stunt pillars for added
fun. Unlimited amounts of fun should I say. Three, two,
one, let it rip. Oh, did you see that sneaky one? It was a
little ricochet. Who saw that coming?

You can buy the assortment of individual Beyblade wheels at $10.99
apiece. That’s very cool stuff.

Man 2: How much is the set?

Man 1: $34.99, and that comes with two wheels, two launchers, the set
you can see here, the course arena, the stunt goal, and the
stunt pillars, and two collector’s cards so you can play
online at BeybladeBattles.com.

Ruckus Media Group, a fabulous creator of great ipad apps for kids, has been producing a variety of children’s apps that are very interactive in nature, educational and many are based on some great traditional stories. You can read some past reviews on Tom Thumb, Pecos Bill, The Velveteen Rabbit and Chuck the Truck here.

A Present for Milo is an interactive storybook where children can follow Milo the cat on a chase after a mouse in his house. There are all sorts of interactive spaces where kids can touch different pictures in the book that come to life. Gavin’s favorite page is one of the first pages where it says, “Knock Knock Knock!” He will then start banging wildly on the iPad screen repeating it. With the flick of a finger kids figure out real early these days, they can easily turn the page. The only thing that’s hard with a toddler is that once they figure out the ability to activate different pictures their impulsive little selves rear their ugly heads and before you know it they are pushing the home button on the iPad and flipping back and forth between pages like crazy, at least driving me a little nuts. I did find this app to be a little sensitive on the page flip, but the interesting piece for me is how smart and resourceful even toddlers can be. Gavin has figured out that I can activate certain pictures on the page easier than he can and he’ll often take my index finger in his hand and guide it to a picture on the page that he wants me to help him with.

What I love about this book, which is why it’s great for toddlers and preschoolers, is that not only can it help them to learn some basic vocabulary, but it allows children to learn even more specifically about “cause and effect,” which gives them a sense of curiousity and control in their lives as they remember that by touching a certain place on the page, something happens, which causes them to do it again, again and again. There are great sound effects in this book with dozens of experiences on each page. This book is also great to teach kids about those hard to learn prepositions: in, under, across, through, and down. I won’t spoil the surprise of the story, but if you are looking for a real inexpensive birthday gift idea to share with your child on their birthday, this is a great book and app to help celebrate that special occasion. Apps are definitely way cheaper than actual cards these days, they don’t end up in the trash and can provide memorable and educational experiences for your whole family day after day.

Ruckus Media provided this app free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

@Mattel

At Toy Fair last year, one of the coolest toys I saw were the Hot Wheels Wall Tracks by Mattel. These plastic tracks adhere to any wall surface with Command 3M velcro tabs, allowing the brackets that hold the tracks to be removed with the pull of a tab. I really liked the concept of bringing the toys off the floor and up onto a totally different play surface, especially since I live in a smaller home where we are short on floor space.

Kids can place their Hot Wheels cars on the tracks and watch them complete stunts as they fly down the interconnecting ramps to the floor. There are also different buttons that can change the direction of the car route. My son is only 2 and much younger than the recommended age range which is 4 and up, but he was mesmerized by them, trying to bring every car he had to the tracks to see if it would fit. The ramps are fairly delicate in that they come apart pretty easily, so keep that in mind when using it with the younger age group.

We tried a non-conventional installation and my husband decided we’d hang it on a wall we have that is covered with IdeaPaint. IdeaPaint is whiteboard paint that is used to turn any ordinary wall into a whiteboard. After a search for the biggest whiteboard we could find, without any real luck, we found this alternative and it’s our lifeline for organization in the office. My husband Derek thought it would make a cool backdrop for the tracks and after he installed it he enjoyed drawing all sorts of trees, boats and mountains to turn our Wall Tracks really into a masterpiece of art. In the end, using the IdeaPaint surface was not the best idea, because one of the brackets got stuck because the 3M Command tab broke during removal.   About a two inch area of sheetrock came off with the bracket, leaving us with quite a repair job in ahead of us. However, in the suggested installation, I’m hopeful that this would not happen. You can view Derek’s video here of the Wall Tracks Installation on our wall. It took him about 10 minutes start to finish.

Mattel provided Wall Tracks free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

Video Transcription:

I am constantly on the look out for new and fun educational iPad Apps for kids. I recently tested out two of the Stella & Sam apps,by zinc Roe Productions. Stella and Sam, brother and sister, embark together on magical, imaginative adventures. Apparently these apps stem from a picture book and television series for preschoolers in Canada by Marie-Louise Gay. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be familiar with the books or show in order to fall in love with these adorable apps.

I tested out the “Go-There-Square” app, as well as “Backyard at Twilight.” In the “Go-There-Square” story, you can even see one of my favorite fingertip toys and games called the “Go There Square” (aka Cahootie)! The iPad app includes storybook video content that is embedded with different concepts, great for preschoolers that include counting sequences, number recognition and vocabulary. The apps themselves are mainly animated storybooks that play for a few minutes before stopping three different times within each app to allow kids to participate in different activities. The activities encourage hand-eye coordination and motor planning as kids use their index fingers to match dandelion puffs, pop bubbles, and build a path of flowers across the water to make a bridge.

In the “Backyard at Twilight” app, Stella and Sam are camping out in the backyard, waiting for the Night Giant. The activities include using their finger to search the screen for hidden insects, while exhibiting hand-eye coordination to catch fireflies that form different shapes and connect stars to make constellations that transform into familiar animals. These activities are very interactive, and I found my toddler, though he is younger than the targeted age group for this app, so excited to shout out the animal transforming in the sky with his developing vocabulary.

The Stella and Sam apps are among the best ipad apps, because they are great to encourage kids to attend to pictures and begin to visually discriminate details with their eyes. These are all skills that are great for young preschool children to develop to advance their educational skills for reading and writing in later school years.  These Stella and Sam apps are very sweet and almost soothing, making them a great bedtime story experience for your children.

Zinc Roe Productions provided this app free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Morphology Games

My family and I attended an event about a month or so ago at the opening of Marbles: The Brain Store.  This store is new to Massachusetts but originated in Chicago, and lots of new stores are opening now in the North East.  It’s a great family store that includes many  different board games, party games and software, all aimed at challenging a person’s mind to enhance thinking skills, creativity and coordination.

At the event a few of us played a party game together, called Morphology. It’s geared for kids ages 13 and up and is an absolute blast.  It’s a fresh new take on the game of Pictionary, where instead of drawing, players use different materials such as beads, rings, blocks, string, a barrel, and sticks to build the word that is on their playing card while their team tries to guess. However, the game gets even sillier and more challenging when the dice is rolled and players that are building might have to build with their weak hand, their eyes closed, only with a piece of string, directly against the other team at the same time, or only 5 items. The cards also contain both easy and difficult words.

I first played this in a group with some people who were merely acquaintances and it was a blast. So if you are looking for an office ice breaker, don’t play those silly group games where people have to say something special about themselves for team building, purchase this game and get to know your friends, family and co-workers in a more fun and creative way.  Each person’s individual personality shined through and I think it’s a great way to learn about your teams strengths and weaknesses, that is so much more fun.

I even brought this to a friend’s house for a long weekend, where we had a great guys versus girls game, where of course, the ladies prevailed! Though the game is geared for teenagers and adults, I love the concept of also trying to pull out some of the easier cards from the deck and giving your kids the opportunity to create the item, without the pressure of the timer while you take turns guessing. It’s a great way for kids to work on their problem solving and creativity until they are ready to play the entire game with the family.

If you are starting your holiday gift giving lists and you are looking to find something unique and different, Morphology is definitely a game to give where you won’t have to worry about someone else giving the same gift. I’ve seen a lot of toys and games, but there is nothing else like it out there, you won’t be disappointed.

Visit the Morphology website to find out where you can purchase this game.

Morphology games provided this game for my review. The opinions are my own.

©Spinmaster

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am a huge lover of Aquadoodle, especially when working with toddlers, because I think it’s one of the safest ways to teach kids about coloring without the worries or fears of damaging any walls or furniture. Using the water filled pen, kids draw on the large white mat, and their lines magically appear. In older versions of this toy, the lines drawn were always blue. Now, with Aquadoodle Color, colors magically appear when the child uses the pen to draw on the mat! Then, once the water dries on the mat, the drawings disappear. This is a great toy that can be used repeatedly, involves no mess other than water, and it folds up easily, so it’s perfect to take on an outing to grandparents’ houses, to the park or to playdates.

The mat itself has a variety of drawings on the side paired with their corresponding letter of the alphabet. The drawings are comprised of simple curves and shapes, making them easy for older elementary school aged kids, as well as adults to recreate. My toddler loves watching us draw the pictures and likes to guess what the picture is, which is a way to also build his vocabulary. Thankfully, I can actually use the drawings to create something he can identify, because drawing is definitely not my strong suit! We also like to draw a big race track on the mat, he loves zooming his cars on the path.

If you are looking for an even smaller travel alternative, Aquadoodle Doodle Buddy comes as either a bear, bunny or penguin, which children can use the pen to draw accessories onto the face or tummy.  The toy’s hand includes an elastic attachment which stores the small pen.

Spinmaster provided Aquadoodle Color and an Aquadoodle Doodle Buddy free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

So what if you are a child at school, and life hasn’t yet taught you about all the “normal” and “acceptable” ways to fidget. So at school maybe  you chew on your collar or shirt sleeve, impulsively leave your seat, fall out of your chair, rock back in a chair, doodle, bite your finger nails, have a hard time sitting with your class during morning meeting on the floor. To some people these ways of trying to focus attention are perceived as annoying, and sometimes attention getting behaviors. So as more teachers and educators recognize that these are warning signs that a child is trying to pay attention, fidget toys have become a mainstay in many classrooms.  Many people have found that if kids are provided with a more appropriate way to fidget, with strict rules and regulations on what is an acceptable way to use these great toys in a classroom setting, kids can actually use these small toys to help them focus their attention on learning. Though the tricky part is, what sensory experiences I like, might be very different from what another person likes, so here are some great items that have a lot of different sensory attributes.

Aside from those hard to squeeze stress balls, here are some of my favorite fidget toys. These toys are not recommended for children under the age of 3.

The first 3 choices are from Tangle Creations. The original Tangle Jr. is a fidget with a series of interlocking pieces that can be pulled apart and put back together. It is also fun to twist and turn on it’s own, without pulling the pieces apart.

Tangle Jr. Hairy - 

The Tangle Jr. Hairy, places a soft, hair like covering over the Tangle Jr. for added sensory awareness, but still allowing smooth twisting and turning.

Tangle Jr. – Textured -

This Tangle Jr. has pieces that are grooved, bumpy and textured.

Tangle Jr. – Fuzzies -

Instead of having grooves and bumps, this fidget is covered in a soft, fuzzy texture.

Orbo by Popular Playthings/Plasmart -

Use your fingers to push the balls back inside the Orbo and mix them up. Then use your brain and finger strength to match the colors back up again! Though when the balls click into place, they are kind of loud, so best to not use this toy in real quiet situations.

Wikki Stix

These different colored, wax covered strings of yarn can be cut, squished, twisted, squeezed and molded. One Wikki Stix can be easily placed in your child’s pocket  or wrapped around the end of a pencil so they can fidget with it very indiscreetly. They are non-toxic and do not contain latex or other allergens. Pictured here are Super Wikki Stix, but these can be purchased in a variety of sizes.

Tangle Creations, PlaSmart and Wikki Stix provided free samples to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Giveaway includes:

Boon Frog Pod valued at $34.99

Learning Curve Captain Calamari’s Color Adventure valued at $17.99

Learning Curve Sir Prance-a-lot valued at $13.99

Learning Curve Tale of Sir Prance-a-lot soft book valued at $14.99

Sassy Wrist Rattles valued at $6.99

Sassy Crib & Floor Mirror valued at $19.99

Sassy Fascination Station valued at $5.99

ALEX Peek & Link valued at $10.95

ALEX Yum Yum Teether valued at $8.95

Jewel CD The Merry Goes ‘Round valued at $12.99

Mandatory Entry: (Please leave separate comments under this post with each entry and make sure to identify that you subscribed to the newsletter) Giveaway ends Monday September 5th, 11:59 p.m. EST

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Thanks to ALEX, Boon, Learning Curve, Sassy and Fisher-Price for helping me put together this amazing giveaway and providing these toys and baby items free to facilitate  reviews.

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Here are some great features of the new LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer which is available for pre-order, now!

- The device has different applications that will encourage children to read interactive books, play games and learn to write letters

- The device is geared for children ages 4 to 9, and it can be customized for up to three different children

- By the end of the year, there will be over 100 learning experiences available for use on the device through online downloads, or cartridges available for purchase at big box retail stores

- There is a magnetic stylus that nicely stores on the side of the device

- A microphone, camera and video camera will allow children the ability to take pictures and movies

- Similar to the Leapster Explorer, if using the stylus, kids can draw pictures and stamp directly onto photos that they take

- Kids can hold the Leap Pad and move it from side to side for motion based game play

- I got a sneak peek at an exciting new Disney illustration program where children can learn to draw different Disney characters step by step. It can be then be colored in using the stylus and when it’s all finished the drawing comes to life!

If you are wondering what other toys were highlighted, stay tuned, for an upcoming post!

I attended an event by LeapFrog and was provided with a demonstration of the device. Any opinions are my own

Recently we have been using some of the 3D sparkling paints from the Creativity for Kids 3D Paint Activity Kit, which is recommended for children ages 6 and up. There are so many different ideas included in this kit, we’ve had a great time at school redecorating the windows to our room!

Included in this kit are 10 different colors of 3D paint (including 1 silver and 1 black outlining paint), 30 or more patterns to trace, 2 plastic paint sleeves, gemstones, googly eyes, glue, ribbon, cord, a trinket box, craft sticks, green chenille stems, glitter gel and craft glue.  I know many people think arts and crafts kits are more for little girls, but to be honest with you I used this at school with mostly boys.  Granted I didn’t have them making flowers and decorating the trinket box with gemstones, but the tracing patterns were pretty universal, so they had a great time using the paint to make window art.

For the Window Art, place  a plastic sleeve over one of the pages of tracing patterns. Outline the pattern in either silver or black, then let it dry for at least 30 minutes.  Once dry, squeeze the paint into the outline to finish off the design. Let it dry, then remove it from the plastic and it will adhere to a window.

©Creativity for Kids

We worked in a small group of 2, and each child could have their own outlining paint and plastic sheet covering. Only issue was that they had to wait their turn if they wanted to use a pattern that was on the same template. However, if I had planned ahead, the kids could have drawn their own designs, or I could have made extra copies of the templates and this would have not been an issue!

Included in the box are directions to also use this paint to make jewelry, design a trinket box, make suncatchers and create 3D sculptured designs like a horse, ice cream cone, and flower.  The instructions included in these kits are pretty easy to read as an adult, but I would definitely use this kit initially with your child if they are insistent on doing some of the more challenging 3D designs. Initially it was hard for most of the children to coordinate squeezing the paint while tracing along the line at the same time using even pressure. When they are finished you might want to make sure their outlines are even so that after they fill in the colors and let it dry, it can easily be removed from the plastic.

©Creativity for Kids

Parents always ask me for suggestions of kids’ crafts they can complete over the summer so they won’t regress in the areas of hand strength and writing. Before you go into mommy mode, worrying about the mess that it might make, set up a plastic tablecloth outside on a picnic table in the shade, and rest assured knowing that your children will be using many of the skills they have learned in school that require following directions, step by step planning, creativity, and control to have a little fun along the way.

Check out my other Creativity for Kids posts:

Create Your Own Enchanted Storybook

Diva Puppies

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Creativity for Kids, a Fabell Castell company, provided this kit free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.