The zoo opened at 10 and we had planned to get there around 11 a.m. trying to lag a bit behind the craziness of the morning traffic commute, full well knowing that it would probably be “crowded.” What we didn’t anticipate was that traffic would be backed up 2 miles away, just getting off the highway. After we safely made it off the highway, it was a one lane road getting to the zoo, which ultimately took us an hour to drive in bumper to bumper traffic. By this point it was noon and Gavin was screaming “out, out” from his car seat.

We probably should have taken a clue from the droves of people parking on residential side streets a mile from the zoo that parking would not be available in the main lot.  Instead we decided to keep going with the hopes that since the Stone Zoo is not all that big, fingers crossed some people might have decided to leave early. When we reached the entrance, a few cars in front of us were granted permission to enter the parking lot, but we were instructed by people waving their arms in large circular motions to keep driving. We drove about 1/2 mile past the zoo until we could turn around because there was a large island in the middle of the road, preventing this any sooner. We weren’t actually sure if there might have been another parking lot up the road, but I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the case.

We drove past the zoo in the opposite direction, sitting in traffic again, and waved goodbye, deciding that we’d find a local playground for Gavin to run around for a bit, even more annoyed that we could have saved 3 hours doing this in the first place or planning another excursion all together. I’m definitely sure my friend and I were more disappointed that we couldn’t experience Gavin’s excitement and reactions to the different animals. I’m also pretty sure, thank god, he was just tired of being in his car seat and couldn’t understand the disappointment. My thoughts jumped to all the other kids sitting in traffic with their parents as we drove away, who were old enough to understand that the zoo just would’t be possible that day.

So I learned a few valuable lessons along the way this weekned.

1. Free pretty much will never equate to fun, especially if you can’t even find parking to get in the door.

2. Next time, I’ll try to get a pass from my local library if I want to save money.

3.  When Gavin’s old enough to understand where we are going, I might just not ever really tell him where we are going until we get there, because I couldn’t bear to bring that much disappointment to a child.

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.

Despite actually being a really sweet and cute movie, this was the first movie that my family got to see together, so just because of this sentimental fact, it will always hold a special place in my heart.  Yes, we were the crazy ones who decided that we’d try to take a 20 month old toddler to the movies at 7:00 p.m. at night, for the first time. Could have been a disaster, but thankfully it wasn’t and to any of you who were there, Gavin was one of the many little voices chirping throughout the theater, who could also be heard clapping and yelling “Yeah” and “Bear” after some of the adorably silly scenes and musical scores.

The movie itself was short, only 68 minutes, and with a toddler in tow, it was still a bit long for him. He was great for the first 30 minutes, but the moment that there was even the hint of a pause, he was trying to engage the kids in front of him and behind him in a game of peek-a-boo. Though I can’t remember the last time I actually watched Winnie the Pooh, it had a nice pace, with several great, but not overpowering musical sound effects that thankfully kept drawing Gavin’s attention and interest back to the big screen. In case you might be bored at the thought of attending this movie with your kids, there was plenty of adult humor to go around. I found myself laughing out-loud on several occasions, especially when Winnie the Pooh’s tumbly gets all rumbly.

Winnie the Pooh and his friends, Christopher Robin, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga and Roo all work together to help find Eeyore’s lost tail, all for the reward of a one, gigantic, sweet pot of honey. There is also a lot of drama that ensues as the crew worries that Christopher Robin has been taken by a monster, called a “Backson.”

Overall, I really enjoyed the soothing sound of the character’s voices and accents throughout the movie and it was definitely one, “sweet” and memorable performance, our family enjoyed together.

Here’s a little clip of all of the cute ideas that were suggested to replace Eeyore’s old tail:

Here’s the official movie trailer:

Will you and your family see the Winnie the Pooh movie?

Disney provided our family with a free showing for Winnie the Pooh. All 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

2 Winners Will Receive Their Own Creativity for Kids 3D Paint Kits!

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Giveaway ends Tuesday June 28th at 11:59 p.m. EST

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

So we’ve been through several show phases starting with the Backyardigans, The Wiggles, Sesame Street (Elmo’s World specifically) and now our “go to” guy of the month is Barney. Yes the hopping, leaping, goofy purple dinosaur, whose best friends are Baby Bop and BJ, and the dinosaur who has had all sorts of awful songs created about him. Let the innocence of childhood prevail because Gavin has no biases, he is just as happy to see Barney appear on television sometimes, as he is when my husband or I come home at the end of a work day. So I put on my educational hat and have rationalized why we continue to watch certain shows in our house. No matter what anyone says, these shows mostly involve real people or even animals that talk conversationally and have real personalities. They sing real songs, some which have been around for decades that we learned as a child and there is  some element of promoting real life skills by teaching letters, numbers, how to have manners and how to be a good friend.

I can say, Gavin is honestly learning from this show. He loves trying to imitate the hand gestures to familiar songs like the Itsy Bitsy Spider along with the show. Even more adorable is that he loves the song Barney sings at the end, “I love you, you love me, we’re a great big family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too.” Not only is he singing along, but he is giving these tremendous squeezes and wet sloppy smooches in the right spots, everytime. We sing it now before he goes to bed as part of our bedtime routine, which he emphatically requests multiple times over and again saying, “more YOU!” So Barney, right now I am forever indebted to you for how absolutely stinking adorable my little man is –every time we share this moment together.

In honor of our love for Barney we are giving away two DVD sets, the Barney Playdate Pack (3 DVD’s shown above) AND the Thomas the Train Playdate Pack (3 DVD’s)!

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Giveaway ends June 27th, 11:59 p.m. EST.

These DVD packs were provided free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

I love the versatility of this game, because even young two year olds who don’t know how to play the game will enjoy squishing the bag and labeling the pictures that become uncovered from the beads.

Here are some other ideas of games older children might enjoy:

- Call out a picture from the key on the back of the game and be the one to find it first

- Find a picture by color or category like animals or vehicles

- We all want to keep our kids writing over the summers without causing a battle. Have the children practice their writing and keep track of all the pictures they find in a 5 minute time frame. The first one to write down the most pictures in that time frame wins! (A little helpful hint: there is a key on the back of the bag that includes a picture, paired with the written word of all the contents in the bag– so this is great for children entering first grade who can copy simple words and they won’t have to ask you for the spelling!)

- Encourage the kids to use crayons, colored pencils or markers, to draw a picture that they find hiding inside the bag and use it to inspire a quick game of “Pictionary”

- For older children who can write sentences, let them write silly sentences with the pictures they have found, as a family vote on who wrote the craziest

International Playthings provided this game free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

Each playset comes with:

- 2 or 3 different containers with different color Play-Doh

- Unique Play-Doh molds that allow children to create accessories to their story. For example, Hansel and Gretel has a plastic candy house included that once opened has molds inside where extra candy pieces can be made.

- A laminated play mat, that opens like a book, with one side that has a picture of the fairy tale in action, the other side includes the actual written story of the fairy tale. Pictures of the play pieces are included in the written story as symbols, so young children learning to read can act out the story, using the characters and the accessories in the right order.

Here is my opinion:

- I think this is a fantastic concept for children learning to read. I love how a very simple version of the fairy tale is included in the package. I really like how digital images have been inserted as symbols into the fairy tale.

- However, I wish there was a key to what you would call specific items in the playset. For example, in Hansel and Gretel, I hadn’t read that fairy tale in probably 20 years, I couldn’t remember for the life of me who the scary lady was that lived in the candy house. Was she a wicked witch or crazy stepmother? Honestly, it got me so annoyed I had to google the fairy tale and read it for myself to get the sequence right! I know imagination is key, but I am kind of a rule follower.

- At a retail price of about $6.99, similar to the price of a book, it’s a very unique and different way to engage children in reading. Especially for those children who might not like to just read a story, this provides a totally different multi-sensory experience.

- I would suggest using this Play-Doh activity one-on-one with your child, they may need a little help to sound out the words and figure out the story sequence initially.

Hasbro provided these samples free to facilitate a review, the opinions are my own.

Dear Mr. Mark Teague,

I recently had the pleasure of reading your latest book LaRue Across America: Postcards from the Vacation. Being a dog lover, I am really not very fond of cats, so I can totally sympathize with how the dog, Ike LaRue, really feels. His mother, Mrs. LaRue tries to be a “do gooder,” so when her neighbor faints and falls ill, instead of taking Ike on a Mexican cruise, she decides to drive across country taking the neighbors two devious furballs along with them. Believe me, throughout the entire roadtrip, I would have sent postcards from every remote location in the United States to the owner begging for their return, as well. I would say, Ike does have some pretty valid points. I mean, for crying out loud, those cats pretty much turned the gift shop upside down at Dino-Land in South Dakota! I really found Ike’s sarcastic humor very entertaining.  Even better, I love how he actually writes real letters and postcards. Kids these days don’t really know what an actual letter even looks like as they often communicate in short texts and emails. I think many children and their parents will enjoy looking at your beautiful illustrations together while they read about such a unique cross country adventure.

All the best,

Keri Wilmot

ToyQueen.com is giving away 2 copies of LaRue Across America. The winners will also receive a LaRue branded backpack!

Please click here to find out information on the giveaway!

Under this post, comment on where your family’s favorite place to visit here in the United States is that you get to by taking a driving roadtrip.

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Giveaway ends Monday May 2nd at 11:59 p.m. EST

A free copy of this book was provided to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Last night, Gavin and I read one of our favorite board books “Who’s in the Garden.” For the first time, I brought along a few Folkmanis puppet friends for the read. I can not describe to you the giggles and laughter that followed, when a soft little bunny puppet popped up behind the book, and out of the garden into Gavin’s hands. Tonight, we read the same stories again, though since my husband was home, he took control of the puppets while I read the story.  For older children who have favorite stories they have committed to memory, why not rejuvenate them with a little something different? Words can not describe to you how enjoyable it was for all of us to take part in such pure, simple, fun. If you haven’t ever paired your bedtime stories up with some finger puppets, as a special bedtime treat give it a try, the smile and laughter that followed were absolutely priceless in my book.

What are your favorite bedtime stories that encourage your family to do a little something silly?

Barefoot Books provided a variety of books and a few Folkmanis puppets free for my review. The opinions in this post are my own.

Inventors of GUBS at Gamewright Booth ToyFair 2011

The biggest difference I remember from both of my previous trips was how much Sea World had expanded into a park with a variety of marine based amusements while they continued to provide animal encounters and experiences like no other place I had ever been. Recently, my husband and son attended a local event in Boston, sponsored by Sea World, where we not only learned about Sea World’s exciting attractions, but all the behind the scenes conservation efforts Sea World is dedicated to.

Did you know that:

• SeaWorld maintains the largest animal collection in the world — more than 65,000 animals, including 200 endangered, threatened and at-risk species — and is a global leader in animal husbandry, veterinary care and training
• SeaWorld has also contributed $50 million to conservation, wildlife rescue and environmental stewardship programs worldwide
• Nearly 20,000 animals have been rescued by the park’s animal experts including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, sea turtles and birds. This is the equivalent of helping one animal a day — every day — for 45 years.



• SeaWorld has established thriving breeding programs for most all of the species in its care, including killer whales, dolphins and sea lions.  The success of these programs is evidence of healthy and well-adapted animals, and the data gained has added immeasurably to the scientific understanding of marine mammal biology and reproductive physiology
• SeaWorld supports more than 100 environmental organizations worldwide. Ranging from local community initiatives to global wildlife research and conservation programs, these partnerships allow the parks to share animal expertise, strengthen on-the-ground efforts to protect wildlife, and educate millions of people.
• SeaWorld’s animals also serve as ambassadors. More than 385 animals interact with guests in the parks, and also make numerous media and public appearances throughout the year to raise awareness for conservation and species in danger.

At the Boston event, Sea World brought a few friends who made public appearances. We hope you enjoy some of the photo’s from our experience.

My husband and son attended an event sponsored by Sea World that provided an information session, animal encounter and lunch. The opinions expressed in this blog post are purely my own.

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 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.

Many children have a variety of learning disabilities that make it challenging for them to organize their thoughts and handwrite them effectively on paper with good legibility. Some children, after years of occupational therapy, due to a variety of disabilities and reasons, still have difficulty with the coordination of their fingers for typing. Typically at the middle school level, we make recommendations to teachers and parents for children to begin to access technology as an alternative form of written communication.

Dragon Dictate software is not only a great way for adults to improve their productivity, but a fabulous alternative for students with either learning or physical disabilities to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts in an organized way so that others can read their creative ideas. Not to mention that once the students get the idea of the software program, they may be able to complete their work assignments much faster than typical. Wouldn’t it be easier for you as a parent to find a faster alternative for your child who could more happily and independently complete their homework?  Many kids are more efficient at telling you their thoughts, but can get roadblocked by the motor skills of handwriting. As a result, they often choose to take short cuts in their work to accommodate for their disabilities and as educators we know they might not always be working to their fullest potential.

I did complete this review using the Dragon dictate software. So I will have to admit, it has been an adjustment to get used to speaking out loud without a template- when for many years I’ve been used to organizing my thoughts in a typed way. However, as long as you follow through with the calibration of the microphone, I have been very impressed with the accuracy of what has been typed, as well as the speed at which it is typed. After you download the software, to calibrate the microphone system you need to read lengthy passages, which could pose a challenge for those kids with a reading disability. However, this software is intuitive and over time we have been able to utilize this program successfully.

There are also two modes with the dictation software – dictation mode and command mode. Command mode will literally run your computer without the need to even touch the mouse. With a simple command you can open, close and access all sorts of programs. Though I wasn’t all that successful myself transitioning back and forth between each mode and there is definitely a learning curve to remembering and using the commands appropriately, I did see some nice video’s on the Nuance website demonstrating the capabilities of this awesome software.

Being that I am very busy with working full time, raising a family and creating this blog, I am hopeful that I can learn to dictate more effectively – so at the very least I can use it to quickly create my blogposts. I do wish I had used this when Gavin was an infant while I tried to learn to type fast while using the one free hand I had available! If you decide to purchase this product for our use, please be aware there is a Windows version and a MAC version.

Nuance provided this copy of Dragon Dictate free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.