Angelina Ballerina Dance With Me Game

Some of you may recognize the familiar mouse from television, Angelina Ballerina.  Aside from the Angelina Ballerina television show, there is an adorable Angelina Ballerina game for preschool aged girls, entitled Dance with Me by Wonder Forge.

This board game, recommended for kids, namely girls, ages 3 and up, not only teaches children all about taking turns, but it also includes learning over 20 different ballet moves in the process. There is only 1 moving token, so everyone takes a turn being Angelina Ballerina. I love the idea of only one moving token. Many times when playing games with multiple children, especially in this age group, since kids this age are just learning to count, it can be a full-time job making sure every advances correctly!

The game board itself looks like a stage and stands upright. When a player lands on a “New Move” space, they pick a dance move card and place it on the stage. For attempting the move, the player can earn a star. Kids can collect stars (1-2) along the gameboard for attempting new moves, practicing the moves in order, or landing on a space that offers stars for various reasons.

At the end of the game, the first person to advance Angelina Ballerina to the “It’s Showtime” space is the first to perform all of the dance moves from the game in order, from memory!  For each move completed, the child earns a star. The remaining players then take a turn to see how many stars they earn.  The winner of the game is determined by whoever has the most amount of same colored stars. I think this concept is fantastic, because this allows anyone to win, as long as they put forth effort for trying, in some cases irregardless of athletic or physical ability. It’s a great way for young kids to unite on a common interest, even if it’s just that they enjoy the Angelina Ballerina character.  If you have a CD player nearby, there is also a musical cd included in the game for use when playing and definitely when, “It’s Showtime!”

If you enjoy Angelina Ballerina DVD’s, these are some of the DVD’s we’ve been lucky to preview over the last 6 months.

- Angelina Ballerina The Nutcracker Sweet DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Shining Star Trophy DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Love to Dance DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Ballet Dreams DVD

The Angelina Ballerina Dance With Me Game, as well as the above mentioned DVD’s were provided free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Fisher-Price

The Fisher-Price I Can Play Basketball Hoop

Geared for kids ages 18 months and up, this hoop is toddler friendly! There are 4 different height positions, which are very easy to change. There is an additional rim making it easier for kids to score at younger ages!

©Fisher-Price

The Fisher-Price Grow to Pro Basketball Hoop

Geared for kids ages 2 and up, it grows to 4 different heights, 3 ft., 4 ft., 5 ft., and 6 ft.

©Discovery

Discovery Kids Bubble Bouncer

This is a folding trampoline for kids ages 12 months and up to work on their gross motor skills for bouncing and jumping!

©Derek Wilmot Photography

YBike Pewi

This is a ride-on toy for kids ages 12 months to 36 months. It can hold a maximum weight of 44 lbs., but it’s 4, quiet caster wheels are amazing indoor since they do not scratch, mark or damage wooden floors.

Fisher-Price provided the  I Can Play Basketball Hoop and YBike provided the YBike Pewi to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

The game includes a very large, plastic game mat (30″ wide x 100″ long), 1 inflatable shape cube, 1 inflatable color cube, 40 game markers (with 4 categories), and an activity guide. Multiple preschool aged children ages 3 and up can play at the same time. Winner is the first person or team to cross the creek to the grassy area on the other side.

The game board is very long, so you will need a pretty large amount of floor space to unfold the mat. Because it works on multiple educational ideas, this game can be used with both young children and older children at the same time depending on the level they are at.

Game play is simple. For younger kids, use only the color dice. They can place their game marker at start, roll the dice, then put their marker on the closest space that matches. Roll a crocodile and lose a turn. If they end up on a numbered space they can earn an extra roll of the dice if they can name the number. Older kids roll two dice, one for color and the other for shape, placing their game marker on the nearest space that matches. Roll a Crocodile on the color or the shape cubes and it’s a Wild Crocodile for that cube, allowing the child to pick any color they chose. Roll two crocodiles on both cubes and it’s a Wild Wild Crocodile where they can move the marker to any color and shape space.

When unfolding the game to test it out, it is vinyl and does have a bit of an odor. The mat does easily fold again after use and fits back in the same box for storage. My toddler has no awareness of colors, shapes or numbers, but it’s a very bright and inviting game board, so even he loved looking all over the mat for the stars, geese, turtle and fish. The one concept I thought there would be more of was the hopping, because there wasn’t any mention of jumping from log to rock in the directions. When playing, I would add having each child begin at start and hop to their game marker along either a rock or wood path before they move the marker, just to build in a little more physical activity and coordination.

We are giving away a Crocodile Hop game (SRP $17.50) to 1 lucky winner. Contest ends Sunday August 21st, 11: 59 p.m. EST.

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Learning Resources provided this toy free to facilitate the review. The opinions are my own.

The YBike Pewi, which my husband assembled easily in about 30 minutes, has been the answer to our prayers. It is a small, stable, very lightweight (4 lbs), aluminum frame. Since Gavin has perfected the use of a ride-on toy, it has provided him with a totally new experience that provides speed and with multi-direction castor wheels, he is able to turn the bike quickly, smoothly, and in circles! Initially on the Pewi, until he gained his balance, he has slipped off the sides a few times and one time went forward over the front. No fear on this kid, he couldn’t wait to get back on and keep riding. So for those of you with daredevil toddlers like myself, a shiny new bicycle helmet might also be a good idea for safety. This bike is recommended for children ages 12-26 months and for those kids who weight less than 44 lbs.

We own several multi-use ride-on toys that were great push-toys for Gavin in his early walking stages, when he was learning to gain stability on his feet. Now that Gavin has transitioned into the toddler phase, we still allow him to zoom all around the hardwood floor with ride-on toys in our living area. He is an active little guy where moving, pushing and pulling things are right in his line of interest these days. However, as he has grown taller and heavier, it makes riding some other plastic ride-on toys a bit more challenging. Many ride-on toys are low to the ground, which as he has grown taller, puts his body in an awkward position when he propels his feet to move it forward. This also makes for a challenge when navigating indoors between carpet and hardwood, but he has quickly learned to lift the toy up when riding to gain clearance. Plastic ride-ons seem to move great, as long as you ride them straight. None of these things seem to bother Gavin, but the main drawback I have found with other ride-on toys is that though he is quite happy, the large plastic wheels can be really loud on the hardwood floor with the rest of us in the room.

I have not yet used this bike with a toddler learning to walk, but the instructions state that it can also be used as a push-toy. I would definitely suggest, due to the smoothness of the wheels, that you find a way to weigh this toy down, because it is FAST! Either wrist or ankle weights might be wrapped around the legs of the toy to slow the wheels down until your child has the control to maneuver it on their own. Or, you might consider using it on carpet first, before letting a new walker push it on a smooth surface like a hardwood floor, tile or linoleum.

The YBike Pewi was provided free to facilitate this review. The product image is courtesy of Derek Wilmot Photography.

Fisher-Price provided the Lil Zoomers Shake and Crawl Racer free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

These 70 plastic blocks arrived in a nice, big, blue storage container. For all extents and purposes, these look like ordinary stacking blocks (similar to a Mega Blok), except that they have unique imprints on the top of each block.  When I say technology, there are booster block packs that you can purchase that will bring the blocks to life through sound. The are 6 different booster packs that can be purchased and each pack comes with three blocks. There are Nursery Rhyme Blocks, ABC Shape & Counting Blocks, Music & Dancing Light Blocks, Math Blocks, and two packs (Purple, Pink, Orange & Red, Yellow, Green)  that encourage color recognition and manners through the use of rhyming.

Some of these special blocks in the booster packs have LED lights and special chips that allow for numerous possibilities when stacking them. You have to see the SMARCKS website to really appreciate the amount of technology that has gone into creating these blocks, honestly I was completely amazed and I will admit, slightly overwhelmed at first!  For all you tech savvy people and engineers, a lot of love and dedication has gone into the process and development of this product, there is no doubt they will intrigue parents too.

I am a huge fan of products that stand the test of time and I love that young children can initially use them as young as one like regular stacking blocks while their older siblings and parents will be baffled trying to figure out all the possible puzzles and combinations that will also make these blocks laugh, count, sing, rhyme, light up, add and subtract.

My son and some of the children that I work with, in true toddler fashion, have enjoyed the old classic songs included in the Nursery Rhyme Blocks like Pat-a-Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Gavin can open the container himself and knows how to stack them on top of each other. When I give him the nursery rhyme block, he will even start to sing-a-long with some of the songs in his own way (usually Ya-Yo, Ya-Yo is his version of requesting EI-EI-O!). He loves it if I start singing along with the block, too! He does a few little sways and bounces to dance along with the songs! I would definitely suggest, choosing only a few of the special blocks to incorporate at a time with the younger kids. If you activate to many of them at the same time, you can’t differentiate the sounds and it doesn’t do the blocks justice, it just makes for a lot of noise.

If you have multiple children in your household these blocks have entertainment value for everyone. Definitely go online, download and print out the Puzzle Building Guides, older children can follow the step by step building instructions to unlock the secrets of these special blocks by placing the block in different locations in sequence to sing an entire song.

Ways to help your children use all the functions these blocks have to offer:

- If you are using the puzzle guide, depending on their age you may need to help them sort out only the blocks they will need for that specific puzzle and place the remaining blocks back in the storage container

- The puzzle building guides go in all sorts of paths like left to right, right to left and circular, which is great for attention, memory and the visual tracking skills that are helpful to develop when children learn to read

- After they have completed the puzzle  a few times using the guide, see if they can remember the sequence required to play the song themselves as this works on their visual memory

- These blocks are great for older children to work collaboratively together at home or at school to learn how to share, take turns and communicate with each other if you have more than one child following the puzzle guide together

Guess what! ToyQueen.com is giving away a set of the Learning Special Smarcks valued at $76.95! Here is what the giveaway includes: 

The original blue container, housing 70 Smarcks Smart Blocks, along with the talking blue block. Included in the Learning Special set are the Math and Counting Blocks which provide children a way to see, touch, and hear what they are counting and adding. The Learning Special also includes the Spelling, Shape, and all 7 Color Blocks.

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Giveaway ends April 13th, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Smarcks Smart Blocks provided these blocks free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Keri Wilmot from ToyQueen.com appears with Fitarella on Fitarella TV, talking about toys and products that promote health and wellness. General development tips for all ages are discussed, as well as toys and family games that enhance movement, strengthening, balance, coordination and fitness. Toys and games are featured from companies such as Hasbro, Sassy, Infantino, Fisher-Price, Leap Frog, Gamewright, Barefoot Books, VTech, Gymnic, Street Surfing, Shred Sled, Swinxs, Nintendo, XBox, & Wild Planet.

Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym
The Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym is a great infant play mat. With the quick twist of the top, the gym folds up, umbrella style to be easily stored, moved and travelled with. Play mats are excellent for young infants to develop their visual skills for focusing on a toy, their upper body strength and coordination through reaching up for the toys while lying on their side or on their stomach. If you are developing a baby registry or buying a baby gift, this is a great option.

This year we are highlighting what are my Top 12 Interactive Toys and Games (I-TAG) of 2010.   These are toys and games that not only provide the child with pure fun, but can be utilized to promote their education and learning in many different ways over the course of time.

1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout/Violet by Leap Frog (newborn and up)

These adorable plush toys play music and are great to incorporate into a child’s bedtime routine from infancy.  Scout is blue for boys and Violet is pink for the girls. This toy plays both environmental sounds and lullabies, while also promoting counting skills and body part recognition.

2. VTech 3 in 1 Zebra Scooter (12 months to 36 months)

When children are learning to walk, the VTech 3 in 1 Zebra Scooter starts the fun as a push-toy and as the child’s skill progresses with a few simple clicks, turns into a ride-on toy and ultimately a scooter. There are several buttons on the Zebra’s mane that engage the child in learning as well.

3. Mega Bloks Pirate Ship ( 1 year and up)

This musical pirate ship promotes interactive building at a young age with Mega Bloks. However, incorporated into the pirate ship are multiple compartments to store blocks which are great for children learning dump and fill play in infancy.  As children learn to walk they can also pull the pirate ship behind them.  As their pretend play and imaginative skills blossom, these pieces can be designed into new play schemes.

4. Pop on Pals by Spinmaster (2 years and up)

Not only can children have fun popping their people into a bus, airplane or amusement park, they also have the ability to personalize their person along the way making combinations like a fireman ballerina!

5. Play-Doh Sesame Street Shape & Spin Elmo by Hasbro (3 and up)

3 things I love – Elmo, Play-Doh and learning! Elmo encourages children in a turn taking game to find and make different shapes                                                                        with Play-Doh!

6. Stinky The Garbage Truck by Matchbox (3 and up)

I fell in love with Rocky the Robot Truck last year and this year I love his pal Stinky the Garbage Truck. He says over 90 sounds and phrases and encourages preschoolers to sing, feed him and play along.

7. Velcro Kids Pirate Ship and Royal Princess Castle (ages 3-8)

Using patented Hoox technology by Velcro brands, using fine motor skills and imagination, your child can design their own 3 dimensional pirate ships and princess castles!

8. Zoobles (4 and up)

These cute little animals curl up into little balls and when they are used in their interactive playset, spring to life from magnetic action! Built by Spinmaster for little girls which grew from the design of their Bakugan lines for boys, they appeal to many age groups and encourage both pretend play and imagination.

9. Lego Games (ages 5 and up)

Starting at ages 5 and advancing all the way up to 10 years of age and beyond, Lego has created a variety of new games where children use Lego blocks to create the actual gameboard.  The dice is changeable and so aren’t the rules along the way in these creative games! Some of my favorites include Robo Champ, Creationary, & Harry Potter Hogwarts.

10. Perplexus by Plasmart (ages 6 and up)

We met the inventor of this cool spherical game back in October! There are three different tracks where you maneuver the small marble throughout with the twists and turns of your hands! Encourages attention, logic, memory and lots of problem solving!

11. Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright (ages 8 and up)

I have had so much fun with these tiny cubes over the past year encouraging children to create and write their own imaginative stories.  Each dice has different pictures on them and groups of people work together to develop wacky, and creative stories. Many children have really enjoyed working on the daunting skills of writing by creating their own unique silly stories.

12. Rubik’s Slide  by Technosource (ages 8 and up)

I was not a very successful Rubik’s cube user, until we fell in love with Rubik’s Slide at our house! Lights on the cube will flash to indicate what the puzzle to solve is.  By pushing and twisting the Rubik’s Slide you maneuver the lights into the proper locations to solve the puzzle.  Addictive for sure and since it has volume control, great for travel!

So “I-Tag”ged these toys – your turn to now bring the fun and education to all the children you love!  Did any of these toys make your child’s holiday wish list this year?

These toys have been provided by the above companies free to facilitate a review. The opinions in this blog post are purely the bloggers own.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Isis Parenting store at the Prudential Center in Boston, MA to film a video promoting some of the new educational toys Isis Parenting is selling in their stores. Cindy Meltzer, Community Manager at Isis Parenting and I discuss some of the educational benefits of these great toys. Toys featured in this video include: Green Toys Blocks which are great for stacking, taking to the beach and for use in sand, water and sensory tables; Educo Wonder Walker that is a sturdy wooden push-toy with fine motor activities on the side where kids can push around their favorite toys; Educo Switchback Racer a wooden racetrack that promotes cause and effect play for infants and toddlers; and the Mini kickboard Scooter, a stable scooter that helps young children gain the concept and balance of scooter riding!

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Isis Parenting store at the Prudential Center in Boston, MA to film a video promoting some of the new educational toys Isis Parenting is selling in their stores. Cindy Meltzer, Community Manager at Isis Parenting and I discuss some of the educational benefits of these great toys. Toys featured in this post include Skip Hop Stroller Toys, the Sassy Wonder Wheel, Alex Jr. Stack a Cake. All of these multi sensory toys are great for infants and young children to encourage the development of a child’s vision, sense of touch and auditory discrimination.

This is a very sturdy push toy for young children! Many push toys very easily tip backwards when walking behind them due to instability, especially when children are learning to develop their balance on their feet. No matter how hard I tried to tip it back, all four wheels remained on the ground.

I am a huge fan of multi-use products and this toy will grow with your child for many years. I’m sure VTech has their reasons behind identifying 18 months as a starting point for this toy, but I do believe that with appropriate supervision, it could be used for younger children. Gavin has been walking since 10 months old by himself, as well as maneuvering push-toys.He was very easily able to push and maneuver this toy when walking. He is already able to sit on this in “ride-on mode” and use two feet to push it backwards, as developmentally maneuvering backwards is easier than using two feet to propel it forward.

When in scooter mode the music will play faster the faster you ride. As is always recommended, make sure your child is using a helmet and wearing shoes under your supervision when using this toy.  I personally think it is easy to maneuver between a push toy, ride-on and scooter. It does often require the use of two hands to make the adjustments, so children will will most likely require adult assistance to switch between play modes.

I felt like the batteries were drained rather quickly, but considering that this is a fabulously manufactured toy with so many gross motor components, I wasn’t too concerned. Every toy has a cost benefit analysis and I would purchase this toy solely based on the large motor fun it provides. The lights and sounds are an added bonus, but can be a little overstimulating at times, especially as kids often just start arbitrarily pushing buttons rather than taking in the educational pieces they are geared directly for. There is an attached basket with three items, a compass, a flashlight, and a walkie talkie that can be placed on top of the Zebra’s head. In terms of the language stimulation, there are many different settings that play songs, recite colors, and identify animals. There is a volume control and an automatic shut off!

VTech provided this toy free to facilitate a review.  The opinions expressed in this blog post are purely the bloggers own.

On Monday November 22nd I had a blast appearing on a segment of Digital Dads with C.C. Chapman on the Pulse Network! We talked about all sorts of holiday toys for different age groups Dads might like to purchase for their kids! Toys featured included Leap Frog Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout, Leap Frog Fix & Learn Speedy, Whiplash Scooter, Air Hogs Hawk Eye Helicopter from Spinmaster, Bakugan Dragonoid Collossus by Spinmaster, Zoobles by Spinmaster, U-Build Games by Hasbro, Mega Bloks Musical Pirate Ship, Rubik’s Slide, Tron by Disney, Helmtops, Sassy Baby Rattles, Lego Games, Paper Jamz, Stinky the Garbage Truck by Mattel, Zhu Zhu Pets by Cepia, Sumo Ham Slam by Gamewright, Battlestrikers by Mega Brands, Squinkies!

Here is an updated link to imagery for Helmtops and the Mega Bloks Pirate Ship!

How can you not love it? All of the pieces store inside the table and it completely folds flat for travel. It takes up very limited space in the car, is very lightweight but sturdy and has a handle for easy carrying. We have used it both outdoors and indoors, and it cleans up very easily with disinfectant wipes. It is true to MegaBloks creative fashion, allowing children to build up with multiple platforms and any other MegaBloks pieces we have at home are compatible with the table.                                          

I love multi-use toys that are cost effective. It’s a great toy for children that are learning to pull up to a standing position, as long as you are nearby to supervise and keep it steady. It grows with your child through their age span where first they can work on basic dump/fill play, then simple stacking for more precise grasping and letting go, and eventually creating their own intricate pretend play scenes. I also think this is a great travel sensory table, add water or sand to the inside for something a little different when you are at the park or the beach!

MegaBloks provided this table free for product review. The opinions expressed in this post are purely the bloggers own.