@TribePlay

These days it never ceases to amaze me how quickly my 2-year-old navigates our iPad 2. We’ve created a folder for him with all of the apps appropriate for his age, and he can already flip through multiple pages to locate it. I also can’t believe how “in-tune” he is to the icons on the screen, despite not being able to read, the “kid-friendy” apps seem to jump off the screen at him and his memory for them is incredible.

The Dr. Panda, Teach Me! app, developed by TribePlay, is an educational app for preschoolers (kids ages 2-5), that is compatible with the iPad and iPhone.  It is available in the iTunes store as both a full version ($1.99), and a free lite version.  After entering the app, the child is able to either chose a learning game or they can explore the different animal habitats (meadow, jungle, farm or arctic) by touching different animals or items in the environment, then wait for their unique animated response. Dr. Panda is a spunky and cute panda bear wearing a graduation hat who narrates the directions and provides positive reinforcement to kids by clapping repeatedly when they choose correct answers, while also letting them know they chose the incorrect response. Aside from English, the language of this app can be changed exposing children to other languages such as German, Dutch, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. The educational activities encourage children to learn about various concepts such as same, different, colors, 1:1 correspondence when counting, memory, matching and spatial skills with puzzles.

The few times that I tried to encourage my 2 1/2 year old to play with the app, he touched a few of the animals watched their responses, then promptly told me that he was finished, returning back to his folder in search of his favorite car and truck related books and apps. When I tried to encourage him to participate in some of the educational games, the concepts got challenging quickly and I think this was why, in part, he chose to move onto another app. Which is also expected for his age, he was randomly picking answers with trial and error, not always understanding the directions. One of my favorite features of this app though for young children, is that there are dozens of simple cause and effect responses children can see by just tapping the various animals and elements in each habitat. Though he is on the early end of the age range for this app, I think it is something that with time he will enjoy more as he is ready for more challenging academic concepts.

During the day I also work in a school system with children who are developmentally delayed and have various learning disabilities. Often times as rewards or when I need a minute to prep our next activity, it’s not uncommon for me to hand over my iPhone for children to access an educational app for just a few minutes. Two children at school played with this app and though they were older than the target age group, because of their learning challenges, the activities were very appropriate for their academic abilities. Both children were able to navigate the app and quickly identify where the game activities were positioned. One of the children loved the clapping and positive response that Dr. Panda provides after choosing the correct answer. When he returned the following week he asked for my phone to see the panda and began clapping in imitation, just like Dr. Panda.

What I like about this app in general is that the content is basic yet educational. Once you load the app within seconds the child can activate the content and the games are relatively short so it could be a great app to encourage kids to play to pass the time in waiting areas, car pool lines, etc.

I participated in this sponsored post campaign through Boston Parent Bloggers and was provided with the Dr. Panda, Teach Me! app for free as part of this opportunity. Though I have received compensation for my time, all opinions represented 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.

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.

©Derek Wilmot Photography

How many of you remember your parents requiring that you sit at the dinner table until you eat your vegetables. “Eat your peas, then you can have dessert.” And yes, dessert in my house as a child was Twinkies, Hostess cupcakes or Swiss Miss Pudding cups.  I’m pretty sure the three pieces of corn I choked down to win my prize didn’t do a whole lot for my health in the short term. However, since we now live in the land of the organic variety, most people are trying to be smarter about the food choices we make for our family. Apparently our parents must have known something, there is one value that continues to transcend time, we have always realized how important it was to provide fruits and vegetables.

Now fast forward several years, I work with children who have feeding challenges, usually because they either don’t have the ability to control the food in their mouth for chewing, or that they have certain diagnoses like Autism where children might be very rigid and picky regarding the foods they will eat. And there are also the toddlers demonstrating their new found independence who can push food away, clench their mouths, or throw the food at you or off the side of the tray, like it’s their job. I meet parents everyday that wish their children were not so picky with foods because their children are losing weight and improving their child’s eating is seriously a matter of life and death.

June 17th is National Eat Your Vegetable Day. Here are some of the strategies I use everyday with parents that might just be able to help the children in your family have more fun eating more healthy. If you have concerns about your child’s feeding, please consult their doctor. Some of these strategies are for older school aged children, so always provide foods that are at your child’s skill level.

-Be mindful of the portion sizes you provide your child. At a recent conference I went to with Susan Roberts, MDiv, OTR/L, she reminded us that a child’s portion size is what they can hold in their hand. Showing your child a huge pile of peas might look to them like they need to climb a mountain and they might feel defeated before they even start.

-If you encourage them eat a food first, then they can have dessert or be done with dinner, keep your promises. Start with a goal they can accomplish and encourage them to eat one pea before they can get up from the table. If they earn your trust, you can raise the bar slowly over time. If you break the rules by saying, “just one more bite every time,” why would they try to please you?

-Sit with your children during meals. If they don’t see you eating it, why should they? We should positively model good behavior to our children.

©Growums

-Involve your children in the meal preparations. I’ve recently been introduced to a company called Growums. They have developed 6 different seed growing kits, complete to help children make pizza, stir fry, ratatouille, tacos, herbs and salads. Each container has all the seeds and herbs needed for your child’s favorite dish. Using the included coco pellets, you place a few seeds in the pellets, water them and watch the seeds grow. Transfer them to the backyard garden or a planting container. Harvest the food and work together as a family to make your meal from scratch. It only took 2 days for my seeds to begin to grow. Allowing your child to watch the process from start to finish and feeling a sense of accomplishment could help.

-Don’t get into the habit of hiding vegetables in mashed potatoes or other textures so that they are in plain sight. If you can puree them and add them to a tomato sauce so they can go undetectable, I think that’s a better route.  Hiding can lead to mistrust again, and let’s face it, they pretty much find it every time.

- Use dips. Ranch dressing, guacamole, yogurt, salad dressing, salsa, hummus, spinach/artichoke dip. Even if they don’t like to eat vegetables cut carrots, celery, peppers, and cucumbers into strips. They can use their vegetable almost like a utensil for dipping, at some point you might just find them taking a bite.

Growums provided a Taco Garden Kit free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own. Please consult your child’s doctor if you have concerns about their feeding abilities.

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.

Many of you know that I make my living daily as an occupational therapist working with children.  At all sorts of events I have had the pleasure of meeting so many great people and last year at Toy Fair 2010 I met a speech pathologist, Sherry Artemenko, who writes her blog called Play on Words, where she provides suggestions on how to promote children’s language.  Sherry asked me to collaborate on a guest post for her readers on a hot topic in the therapy world called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Here is a little bit of the article, but please click on the link at the bottom to head over to Sherry’s blog to read the entire post!

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

What makes us individuals in this world, as both children and adults, is that we all have unique preferences in terms of what smells we prefer, what types of tastes we enjoy, how different fabric feels between our fingertips, what type of musical beats and tunes engage us, to even the kind of movement experiences we prefer in life, ranging from bungee jumping to simply being a couch potato. This causes numerous possibilities of interests and preferences. However, in the end, despite these preferences, we are able to navigate the challenges of life with minimal difficulties. But –

- What if the smell of a certain odor was so noxious to you that you could not conceive of eating in a restaurant because you felt like you might get sick?

- What if fireworks or the unexpected sound of a train passing by was so loud and scary that it caused you to run in panic?

- What if the way a certain fabric felt against your body made it almost painful to wear certain clothing like undergarments or jeans?

Please click here to head over to Play on Words for the entire article….

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.

Mandatory Entry:

Please visit the Smarcks Website to see what these amazing blocks can do firsthand. Comment under this post which booster set you think your child would like the best.

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Additional Entries:

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Please leave a separate comment under this post with any additional entries completed.

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.

In our state of MA, this year our governor Deval Patrick is proposing a 27% cut to our budget, which would desecrate these services. So we rallied together in force to let our legislators see the children this would be impacting and to let our frustrations be heard. EI has always been on the budgetary chopping block, but this year is the worst funding cut proposed.

I have never stepped foot inside our state house before. I have never felt empowered enough to feel that my voice and my opinion would have the ability to change people’s minds in a political forum. But today, I felt heard, and it felt great. I had the ability to sit down with our local representatives on a one-on-one basis and really talk about the issues at hand. I begrudgingly vote, often annoyed that my little check marks won’t really make a difference. Today, it was so empowering to at least feel like the legislators are listening to our concerns. Thank you to those who supported our cause by re-tweeting my pleas on Twitter and even to those who sent a thought our way as we tried our best to educate our politicians about the importance of supporting these children and their families –so we can give all children the brightest future possible.

More importantly, I was proud of my individual efforts in lobbying for such a great cause. I think it’s important for all of us to show our children what it’s like to take a stand, work together for a greater initiative and fight hard for what we believe in.

If you have any concerns about your child’s development speak to your pediatrician or call your local early intervention program for an evaluation. EI is a federally mandated program in the United States.

Griffin Technology is a company you might not know by name, but you would probably recognize many of the accessories they develop to keep our mobile devices charged and secure while at home or on-the-go.

So — here is one of their newest concepts. What if you could transform your iPad so that your children could actually use a marker or crayons to safely draw on top of it? Well meet the Griffin LightBoard Case.

The LightBoard Case is a blue and green plastic outer frame with a clear plastic screen covering on the inside.  You place your iPad inside the LightBoard and after you secure it safely inside, you turn it over and attach a piece of paper under the clipboard clip. Once you download the free LightBoard Trace App, you are ready to launch any one of the games or tracing applications.  Included in the package were 50 sheets of thin paper and one free, black, washable marker. After you draw the item in black marker, children can take the paper off the iPad and color it in with all sorts of their favorite markers, crayons, etc. Only soft leaded pencils, crayons and washable felt tip markers are recommended to use with the cover.Don’t worry, you can still access the volume on the iPad through the case, as well as hook up your charger, all with the outer case attached.

The LightBoard Trace app itself involves a few different activities.With “Fishy Friends” and “Backyard Bugs,” using a color background andanimation, the app will teach you how to draw 5 different sea creatures and 5 insects in step-by-step fashion. With “Robot Mixer” and “Magical Mashup,” use different combinations of tops and bottoms to create unique monsters and robots to trace.  In “Dot 2 Dot,” the child will trace from one blinking light to another to create one of 5 different pictures.  In “Who at the Zoo,” kid’s trace small portions of a zoo animal, though you don’t trace the line’s in order, so it could be fun for kid’s to try to use their planning skills to guess what they might be drawing. The “Family Fun” activity will teach you how to draw people in the family that could include Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Baby Boy and Baby Girl. “Write it” allows kid’s to first type different words on the iPad on-screen keyboard, than it translates the letters into block letters which can also be traced and eventually colored in.

In all of the activities there is the ability to either speed up or slow down the directions, which is great for younger preschool aged children or children who, in general, require a bit more time to process directions.

I have never have an ounce of drawing ability to create anything that looks representational of what I had in mind and as luck would have it, I work with kids on drawing and tracing all the time.  I see their frustration as well where they quickly draw a boring stick and as educators we tend to ask kids for more detail. With the LightBoard App kids can practice the pictures step-by-step, so, over time they should be able to learn to draw some basic animals and people that are more representative of real looking people and objects.

In terms of future development of this app, I do wish there were a way to scale the image and resize it. That way you could create a whole scene on one piece of paper with the different characters. Otherwise, it is nice the animals are simple to draw and large, but I found myself using multiple pieces of paper. Since the pictures can’t be resized now, I would suggest tracing, coloring and cutting out the picture then gluing them onto a larger piece of construction paper where they can be pieced together as a scene.

Parents, for those of you who have children learning to hold the marker with their fingertips, you can prop up the case on a slightly inclined surface like a two inch three ring binder to help you child’s hand, wrist and forearm placement to gain more control of the marker when drawing and tracing.

I received the Griffin LightBoard case free to facilitate a review. The opinions in this post are my own. For more information on Griffin Technology and their review process, check out http://bit.ly/griffinreview

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.

Sassy On-the-Go Feeding Set

Whenever we need to pack a meal for a restaurant, for daycare, or when going to grandma and grandpa’s, this On-the-Go Feeding Set is awesome. There are two small, 1 medium and 1 large container included with individual covers and a spoon that snaps into the lid. Even better all of these containers store inside the largest one, so they take up minimal real estate in the cupboard! The smallest containers have been great to fill with Gerber puffs or Cheerio’s and I tend to keep one of these in my purse or diaper bag. The large dish is also separated so if your child is eating puree’s you can have a fruit or vegetable on one side and infant cereal on the other. Now that Gavin is older and eating more table foods, I have successfully fit 1/2 of a sandwich on one side of the large container with a snack on the other –perfect for lunch on-the-go!

Sassy Stack n Serve Nesting Bowls

There are four different sized bowls. They nest inside themselves, making for easy storage and they have no skid bottoms with deep sides, so they make great options for children around the age of one who are learning to self-feed with a spoon. I keep these bowls in a safe part of a  cupboard Gavin can reach and while I unload the dishwasher he loves to sit and practices how to nest them in the right order!

Sassy On-The-Go Fork and Spoon Set

I can’t tell you how many times I was taking dirty spoons we travelled with and wrapping them in plastic baggies before putting them back in my diaper bag. Well not any more! These forks and spoons fit back in their own plastic storage case!

Sassy provided these products to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

Good Night Scout is a hard plastic book, with a simple story and a few pages to easily turn. If you push the music button on the top it will read the book and if the book is closed and you push the button it will play lullabies. There is an on/off switch and even better it is Tag Jr. compatible. The Tag Jr. is a small handheld device that encourages literacy through “magic!” When the child places the Tag Jr. over certain places in the book, it might read the story, ask questions, and label pictures. What I love about this particular story is that it incorporates simple words that young children are learning like dog, ball, duck, bye bye, and goodnight. It plays either five or ten minutes of lullaby songs and I really enjoy watching the little ones independently explore the pages as they point at the pictures and label them.

To accompany Good Night Scout is Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout. This is a soft plush animal with a detachable blanket. When you touch the various buttons he will simultaneously play 10 or 20 minutes of lullabies while the moon on his tummy blinks as a night light. Scout sings basic counting songs and also encourages body part awareness. This has been such a great addition to our nap and night time routines. As soon as Gavin hits the hay he turns Scout on and lies down immediately. At around 15 months, he is learning to point to and say different body parts and this is a great toy to help young children with this skill. I love Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout so much , I even included him in my Top 12 Interactive Toy and Game awards of 2010. For those of you with little girls, check out Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet.

Leap Frog provided these toys free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this post are purely the bloggers own.

International Playthings provided this shape sorter free for the purpose of a review.  The opinions expressed in this blog post are purely the bloggers own.

In our state of Massachusetts, it is also state mandated that if your child is at daycare longer than 4 hours and has a meal that their teeth be brushed. Click here for more information on this program to prevent tooth decay. So why not send your baby to daycare with this fabulous toothbrush?

This product is BPA, latex and phalate free, as well as dishwasher and freezer friendly! It’s non-allergenic and is made of 100% non-toxic silicone.

I received this product free courtesy of Isis Parenting for the purpose of review. The opinions 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!