©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.

©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.

©LEGO

After my most recent visit to Toy Fair previewing the latest and greatest toys, I came home with a large spiral bound book of all the new LEGO toys for the year.  I’d love it if LEGO would do a research study to find out of the love and enthusiasm with these iconic construction bricks is somehow just built into people’s DNA, because my 2-year-old sits with the  press guide and looks at the pictures like he’s studying for a test.

Just due to my experience as an OT, I’m always drawn towards toys that encourage fine motor control and coordination, so when I saw the new LEGO Duplo Set, which is also a shape sorter toy, I was thrilled. However, what’s really unique about this toy for kids ages 1 1/2 to 5, is that what are also the shape sorter plates, are removable templates that teach kids how to sort by color, sort by shape and begin to build simple animals from  a step-by-step picture. I’m certainly creative, but when it comes to LEGO’s, I live and die by the directions. I’ve never been a drawer by any means, and I just am not skilled at free drawing and free building. Neither are some children, and that’s okay, we certainly all have strengths and weaknesses that make us unique individuals.

This set is great to grow with children as they develop in their thinking and problem solving skills. Small children can have the experience of stacking the blocks on top of one another, while toddlers and preschoolers who are ready for more of a challenge, but are looking for a recognizable end product or the structure of an activity that has a beginning, middle and an end, this is a great toy for that.

In terms of storage, all of the 23 pieces are stored inside the green bucket and all 3 templates stack on top of themselves and fit on the top of the box.  If you are using the templates, they are definitely best used on a hard, flat surface like a floor or a tabletop. Different than a traditional puzzle, the pieces will fit into the template on their sides which took my son a little getting used to. With a SRP of $19.99, it’s a great price point for birthday party and holiday gifts.

Do any of you have budding LEGO lovers at a young age at home to? For those of you with older children, when did their love for LEGO’s begin?

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

Floppets are really collectible, wearable pets or charms with a velcro closure, so they are easy for young children to attach and remove. The animal can also be removed from the velcro tether strap. Floppets could potentially be attached to backpacks, flip flops, shoelaces, ear buds, and pencils. They can also be worn as rings, toe rings, and since they are velcro, they can also be attached together to make bracelets or anklets. My husband thought they would be great to put on luggage so they could easily be identified at the luggage carousel. I will say, kids also love a little something for a job well done and these will also make great gifts for the prize bin at school and home.

There are dozens of choices for Floppets that include Boticons (robots), Petlets (animals), Fairwees (fairies),  Dragkins (dragons), Woodlets (elves), Rockits & Ninjas.  For avid collectors, children can look online to the Flopedia and find out more information about their Floppets. Floppets retail for $1.99 and are sold on Amazon.com and select Toys R Us locations.

Floppets provided samples free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

@Discovery Bay Games

When you were a child did you receive Highlights magazine in the mail? I didn’t, but my neighbors did and I’ll always remember wanting to get a nice colorful marker to search for those special Highlights hidden pictures. There are some great Highlights educational games on the market now,  like Buzz Blast, that are in part inspired by their hidden pictures games.

Buzz Blast is a really simple, portable game for kids ages 7 and up. There are 4 different types of challenge cards in the deck with categories that include Silly Sentences, Tongue Twisters, Check and Double Check and Brain Play.

12 cards are taken from the deck. 1 card is placed on the device. The timer is activated with a simple push of a button. The first person follows the instructions for the challenge on the card, then passes it to the next player. The person left holding the buzzer keeps the card. Who ever has the fewest cards at the end of the game wins. The challenges are honestly a lot of fun. Silly Sentences allows kids in “Mad Lib” form to fill in the blank to make a silly sentence. Tongue Twisters has kids repeating tongue twisters 2 times before they pass it on. Check and Double Check cards include those really fun Highlights hidden pictures where children need to spot 1 of the 12 differences before passing it on. The Brain Play card encourages kids to answer a challenging question. The timer will make a sound the entire time and ends with a silly sound like a cow mooing or cat meowing. The person left holding the timer takes the card. Whoever has the fewest cards after all 12 are played is the winner.

I was able to have a lot of fun using this game, even when working with 1 other student. I stacked the deck with cards I knew he would like, and focused more on using the Check and Double Check and Silly Sentences cards because they were more closely related to the goals we were working on. At the end of the game he wrote down his favorite silly sentence, drew a picture to illustrate it and loved sharing it with his friends. This game has a lot of versatility, and can be modified to play with multiple children. It can be played in a short period of time and the instructions are very easy for young children to read and follow.

Discovery Bay Games provided this game free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©WOW

There aren’t many toy companies that you meet along the way that boast a ten year satisfaction guarantee with their toys, and that is the first “WOW” we learned about WOW brand toys at Toy Fair. Originally from the UK, these toy vehicles and playsets geared for kids ages 18 months to 5 years are now available here in the United States and distributed by the well known German puzzle company, Ravensburger. WOW brand toys are designed using classic themes, that will last through pretend play with multiple siblings and possibly even passed on from one generation to the next.

We received the Jurassic Jimmy toy vehicle (pictured left) for review. My son was “WOW”ed so much by this toy, he took it to bed with him for the first few days.  Jurassic Jimmy the caveman, drives his off-road vehicle, trailer and 2 baby dinosaur friends. There is even a large dinosaur egg that the dinosaurs fit inside and rests on the back of the trailer. The egg can can be hatched or opened and closed repeatedly. The trailer attaches to the truck using a magnet, so it was easy for my 2 1/2 year old to attach without any frustration. There were absolutely no stickers to attach on this product, which I loved. Once it’s out of the box it’s ready to roll. The car itself has a “push and go” friction motor, so it is a little loud when it drives, but it doesn’t take a lot of strength for it to drive far on carpet or wood surfaces.

The price tag did WOW me a little given that these toys generally MSRP for about $30.99 – $49.99, but they are well made, built on classic themes that won’t go out of style, and they do come with a 10 year guarantee.  One piece of feedback I have is that I wish the dinosaurs would fit in the driver seat of the car to expand imaginative play themes even further. Cavemen didn’t really drive cars in that era, so I don’t think it’s that far off base that the dinosaur could drive the car, too!

©WOW

©WOW

Additional WOW brand toys in this line include Ryan’s Road Trip (a 7 piece vehicle with towable tent), Casey Camper Van (an RV that pops open), Cupcake Chloe (Chloe’s bakeshop, delivery car, and removable cupcake), Whiz-Around Amy (5 piece play set that includes a pink motorcycle and sidecar), and Mario’s Pizzeria (8 piece playset that has 3 pizzas, vehicle and special oven).

Ravensburger provided this toy free to facilitate this product review. The opinions are my own. Click here for additional information on WOW Brand playsets.

©Hasbro

A few years ago, I remember walking the aisles of Target, and there at the end of the row was a giant horse toy, Butterscotch, who was literally a life size pony. This year in Fall 2012, Hasbro, again as part of the Furreal Friends line, is launching Baby Butterscotch.

This smaller version is a miniature pony that young girls can care for. Baby Butterscotch, has animated facial expressions, posable limbs, moves her head, blinks her eyes, and makes lifelike sounds. This Furreal Friends pony has sensors on her head, back and nose, so she responds in different ways. She is cuddly, nuzzles her owner, nibbles on her own carrot and makes snoring sounds when sleeping. 4 “CC” demo batteries, a toy carrot and brush will be included in the purchase. This toy will retail for $119.99 and be available in the Fall 2012.

Here’s a link to the video we created at Toy Fair, featuring the Furreal Friends Baby Butterscotch horse toy in action.

We are running a contest at ToyQueen for some Richard Scarry Busytown toys that you can receive in time to fill your child’s easter basket. The toys in this prize pack are recommended for kids ages 3 and up, all details are listed below. These mini-figures and plush toys are great stand-alone toys or accessories for the other Richard Scarry Busytown track system playsets.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are some additional posts I’ve created in the past that include:

Easter Basket Ideas Without the Candy or Chocolate

Easter Basket Toy Ideas

Cookie Jar Entertainment provided free samples of the Richard Scarry Busytown products to facilitate this review. Any opinions are my own. These toys can be purchased at Toys “R” Us.

©Charisma

At Toy Fair this year, for the first time, we met with Adora Dolls. Adora dolls include some of the most beautifully handcrafted baby dolls that for boys and girls of all ages and races. The video highlights some of the different types of Adora dolls including the new Adora Giggle Time baby doll who arrives with a magnetic pacifier and baby carrier, as well as the Talking Dorothy Doll inspired by the Wizard of Oz, who is interactive, speaks 35 phrases and sings the Wizard of Oz songs.

Adora dolls provided a free Giggle Time doll to facilitate additional reviews. See my review of the Adora Giggle Time doll on the About.com Toys site.

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.

©Neat-Oh

My 2-year-old, like many other boys I know, is a car nut. Maybe it’s because when we take a trip to Target, small cars make the best impulse buys for this age group because you can purchase them for $1.00. I never worry about losing them and because they are small enough to fit in Gavin’s coat pocket, they provide entertainment anywhere.  On several occasions I’ve  even found Gavin placing 4 or 5 of them in my purse before we leave the house. When we go for day trips to his grandparent’s house or on long weekends to other relatives these cars must come with us and he ends up filling his own bag to take along.

At Toy Fair, I met up with an amazing company, Neat-Oh, that designs some of the most innovative toy storage solutions for kids I have ever seen. Not only do these back packs, toy boxes, lunch boxes and travel totes functionally make it easy  to store and transport toys, many of them, like the Zip Bin Full Throttle Backpack unzip to make on-the-go play mats. Genius. This backpack was easily adjustable to fit my toddler with the two straps. It’s also not as bulky as most traditional backpacks, and the material is durable and sturdy so it doesn’t sag or become awkward to carry as some of the other custom cloth bags do. It’s also easy to wipe clean with a disinfectant wipe. There’s a great carrying handle strap at the top of the bag. There are two zippers located on the backpack, that make it easy to zip and unzip quickly. We have been able to fit several small cars (at least 10), a few diapers, a travel wipes container and a sippy cup in this backpack, it’s a fantastic diaper bag alternative and Gavin can carry it all on his own, making it a great toddler back pack.

©Neat-Oh

Neat-Oh also partners with several companies with regard to licensing, so if you child has a personal attachment to all things Barbie, LEGO, Hot Wheels, Dinosaurs, Cars, Farm Animals or Princesses please check out their very cool line of products at Neat-Oh.com.

Neat-Oh provided this backpack free to facilitate this 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.

@Disney

Minnie Mouse is a very well recognized household Disney character. Based on a popular episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a new series of shorts entitled Minnie’s Bow-Toons  features Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck running Minnie’s Bow-Tique. The speciaty shop sells only bowties and bows.  In conjunction with this show, a whole series of toys that were developed by Disney Consumer Products debuted at Toy Fair in New York City. Little girls will enjoy new role play toys and accessorizing with one of the most recognized and well loved Disney characters.

Here’s a video from Toy Fair, highlighting some of the new toys from Disney’s Bow-Toons.

Video Transcription:

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

Keri: Well, thank you.

©Mattel

Barbie, a popular fashion doll, made her debut this year at Toy Fair 2012 with an integrated digital camera. The images are displayed right on Barbie’s stomach, and the doll can store 100 images. Not only can girls dress up their Barbie dolls, they can now accessorize her with images!

Here’s a video from Toy Fair 2012 with Mattel highlighting the Barbie Photo Fashion doll.

Video Transcription:

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

Sharon Osbourne: It’s a yes from me.

Keri Wilmot: Big theme for Barbie this year is going to be fashion, and
this is the Barbie Photo Fashion doll. Inside she has a
digital camera (Holds over 100 images and images can be customized online). So kids are able to, through the viewfinder
in the back, hit the button, and take a picture. The
picture will display right on her belly, and she will be
here in the summer of 2012. It retails for $49.99.

©Spin Master

Let me introduce you to Air Hogs, a brand part of Spin Master, that has designed some of the most innovative remote control cars and helicopters available to purchase. This year at Toy Fair 2012, we were introduced to the new Air Hogs Battle Tracker.

Recommended for kids ages 8 and up, and being made available for purchase in the Fall 2012 for about $99.99, this is definitely an item that your sons and husbands will go crazy for this holiday season.

Remote control items have often been so unilateral, allowing the controller to fly their own aircraft or zoom their own speeding car. The Battle Tracker has brought a whole new level of interaction with 3 or more ways to play with this fun toy. Take control of the disc firing helicopter, while the missile firing Automated Robot Turret (A.R.T.) fires back, or take manual control of the turret launching the 12 missiles via remote control.

Here’s a video we took at Toy Fair 2012 of the new Air Hogs Battle Tracker in action!

Video Transcription:

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

Keri: Oh, and price point?