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.

These cars are targeted for children ages 1-3, and there are 3 pieces in each box.  Their suggested retail prices is about $3.99. The bottom piece includes the four wheels, and the other two pieces fit together like a puzzle to create the car on top. If you have multiple cars, the pieces are interchangeable, so you could have the front of a police car and the back of a fire truck. They are a perfect size for little hands and even teach kids on a very simple scale, the process of trial and error to figure out simple puzzles. Developmentally, right at the age of one, Gavin loved putting them together and taking them apart, first with help to turn the pieces until he figured out how to do it on his own. They are plastic, but I’m not a huge fan of the diecast metal cars at this age anyway, because of the amount of mouthing play children do, making these also pretty easy to clean with a wipe.

There are many different types of these little cars, and there is even an entire town you can put together to zoom these little cars in, complete with trap doors and stunts! All the pieces fit inside the container and it’s easy to take with you to a playdate, on vacation, or to family events. Check Toys r’ Us for these cars in the United States.

Mega Bloks provided a few of the Tiny n’ Tuff vehicles and the Tiny n’ Tuff Buildable City free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

www.ToyQueen.com interviews Rory Story Cubes game inventor at Toy Fair 2011

Let’s Rock Elmo comes with drums, tambourine, and a mic. Plays six songs and will retail for around $69.99. Additional instruments that can be purchase separately are Keyboard, Mic, and Guitar. Retail price for additional instruments range between $14.99 to $19.99.

Hasbro Scrabble Alphabet Scoop for ages 6 and up. 2-4 players.

Hasbro ToyFair 2010 Event

These snowy days in Boston have been filled with researching and planning our Toy Fair 2011 plan in New York City, starting February 12th through the 16th, 2011. Last year attending Toy Fair for the first time was such an exciting and overwhelming experience, as we were honored amongst the first to preview some of the newest and most exciting toys and games that had yet to hit production or the stores! You can read about my favorite celebrities of Toy Fair 2010 last year here.

As the days draw near, we are contacted daily by both large and small companies gearing up for one of the largest toy shows in the Western Hemisphere! Please let us know if there are specific products or companies you would like to know more about!

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - Keri WIlmot from www.toyqueen.com at the Disney preview of Toy Story 3 in New York City gets shown some of the new toys for 2010 by one of the Disney executives

Like last year, we hope to bring you interviews with company executives and imagery of these new products to help you as a parent or caregiver make more informed decisions about the products that you purchase for the learning enhancement of the children you love.

Here is a link to some of the other Toy Fair coverage from ToyQueen.com in 2010!

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.

These little guys are flying off the shelves in stores this holiday season! Squinkies are tiny squishable toys that live inside small plastic bubbles. Once these bubbles are opened they can be squished, used in dramatic play, attached to the top of the pencil, hidden in a pocket, played with using one of the adorable playsets, traded, collected or made into jewelry. The Squinkies Cupcake Surprize Bake Shop comes with 9 Squinkies.  It works just like a real gumball machine so when a nickel or a dime is inserted, and when the handle is turned, a Squinkie prize is on the way! Not to mention, the playsets are a great place to store these little guys, because they are very small and definitely not intended for children who place toys in their mouth.  There are multiple playsets that are part of the Squinkies collection, as well as different Bubble Packs that include 12 Squinkies.  Little girls will love to play with these toys imaginately, as well a share and trade these collectibles with their friends.

Squinkies were provided free for the purpose of a review. The opinions expressed in this blog post are purely the bloggers own.

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.

Tisha from International Playthings demonstrates toys from the Ecotronic Brand. Kids love toys with electronic features, but batteries contribute a ton of toxic waste into the environment so Ecotronic brand includes the lights and sounds without batteries! It uses the power of kids play to power the toys. The monkey flashlight is activated by squeezing the handle and this powers the rechargeable battery inside. The monkey’s nose will then light up and it’s an LED flashlight. Perfect to put in a handbag, works on hand strengthening and is great for Halloween, camping and to place in a child’s bedroom.

The Rocketship is activated by cranking the handle. To power it up you hit the button and it’s a NASA recording of a space shuttle lifting off. It has long lasting LED lights.

The EcoRadio is easy to charge up. It’s an FM radio but it also comes with adaptors for cell phone charging! It’s entertaining at sports games, the beach or picnics! It’s good for safety and great for on the road when you need to charge your phone!

In an effort to not become cluttered with baby items I put a lot of careful consideration into my choices.  I did not register for a full size high chair, borrowed a friend’s old travel swing and bought an Infantino playmat that folds up to be stored to save on floor space.

This morning I was thinking of a way to entertain my 2 1/2 month old so that I could get a few household chores done in his presence with the use of my own two hands! So I decided to open up the First Years “Infant to Toddler Feeder Seat.” Don’t let the name fool you, he’s not ready for food for another two months or so, but he’ll get a great deal of use of this item before then, I know it! Love it already and so doesn’t Gavin.

Within two minutes it was hooked up to my dining room chair with two straps. I would suggest a towel underneath it to cover your chair for later on when food is introduced. The seat has three positions, so I reclined it all the way back.  At 2 1/2 months, Gavin is doing well developing his trunk (midesection) strength, but he does not have the ability to sit straight up just yet without my help or side (lateral) support. Being reclined, this helps him to be well positioned so he can use his hands to play.  As his strength improves he’ll progress to a more upright position. I put him in the seat with the tray and put a few of his favorite rattles in front of him.

Voila! The recline of the tray puts the items in a better perspective for him to view them and he entertained himself for a good 20 minutes banging away at the toys.  Not to mention he played so hard and so well he’s napping and you’ve got the benefit of this blog post, too!

Check out the new rattle on the tray he got for the holidays.  Sassy has just revamped their infant rattle line and this is one of the three that I purchased at Babies R Us.  Love it! It has a spinning ball on the inside that lights up when you barely hit it, which is great for teaching simple cause and effect at such a young age.  He can easily spin the ball already if I hold it up for him and the light is great in my diaper bag when looking for smaller items that may have been hidden. My friend’s 6 year old enjoyed it as well over the holidays pretending it was an airplane and a rolling car!

So don’t let the young age of your infant and the name of the tools fool you, just because it is a “Feeder Seat” doesn’t mean it can’t be used for entertainment and fun too!

This song is dedicated to the hardest working people on the planet – moms! By Go Fish Guys

Dr. Michael Shore from Mattel is interviewed by ToyQueen, Keri Wilmot regarding some of the developmental aspects that have been included in Mattel’s process of toy creation and development to promote emotional benefits, imagination, empowerment, and the sense of discovery in the design process. Toys featured include the Fisher-Price Trio Building Set, Preschool game Uno Moo and Matchbox’s Rocky the Robot Truck.

The Trio Building System, for 3-5 year olds, was engineered with concepts in mind such as the auditory feedback that is provided when the blocks are successfully snapped or connected together.

Uno Moo was developed to make a compelling game for young children, that were not able to hold a large deck of cards. It’s a matching game that incorporates color and animal matching with manipulatives that are more appropriate for the preschool age. Game play sessions were created to be brief, it’s active and comes in a nice storage container.

Rocky the Robot Truck is a fully interactive truck, great for boys ages 3-6. This type of construction vehicle play brings a whole new magic to the truck, as Rocky was developed with a personality and movement. Rocky makes over 80 statements, that are rewarding and encouraging, that also invite children into the play pattern. The children are also able to activate many of the features themselves through the use of buttons, etc.

Can You See What I See? Gamewright game review by ToyQueen. Educational card game that helps you learn how to visually scan images & match.