Reviews: Toys

Review of Melissa & Doug See & Spell Game for Preschool

Right before he turned three last fall, Froot Loop really started getting interested in spelling and reading. I bought some letter construction sets (see post here). I also bought some spelling games such as Boggle Junior (see post here), Spill and Spell (I found a vintage version at a garage sale! - it’s this one!), and bananagrams (see post HERE). 

Review of VTech Go Go! Smart Wheels & Animals Toys for Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers

I’ve found a new line of toys that both of my boys absolutely love, although Froot Loop doesn’t seem to understand that they are Cocoa Puff’s toys and he gets first dibs on them. Being a 3 year old sure is tough!

Review of Leap Frog's Educational & Fun Musical Activity Table For Babies and Toddlers

It seems so quickly that babies go from just lying there to sitting up, then crawling! Then suddenly they're standing up and holding onto things. Soon, they're walking and it seems like just yesterday they couldn't even roll over... It also seems that there are so many toys out there that encourage babies to develop these skills. One of my favorites is the LeapFrog Musical Activity Center.

Review of Learning Resource's See Through 3D Geometric Shapes for STEAM Learning

Froot Loop loves his shapes. He was identifying and naming them very early. When I decided to introduce three dimensional shapes to him, I was looking for a set of geometric shapes that I could use to compare the 2D and 3D shapes (like the base of a cone is a circle, etc.), as well as compare volumes and be able to “build” with them too. I looked at tons of different sets and decided on these. 

Review of Educational STEAM Letter Construction Sets

Froot Loop and I pick out some of his Amazon.com wish list items together for his last birthday. Since he was really close to reading and writing and already knew all his letters and sounds, we put these letter and number construction kits onto his list, and he got them for his birthday (Thanks, Great Grandma!)

Review of Learning Resources' Plastic Pattern Blocks For Learning Colors, Shapes, and Math!

One of my all time favorite things to play with was the pattern blocks we had in elementary school. I remember sitting in the back of the classroom and making things all the time. I made houses and dogs and stars and flowers and all sorts of fun things. I wanted to relive that experience with Froot Loop, so I put them on his Christmas list. 

A Review of Step 2's Octopus Spinner Water Table: Perfect for Outdoor Fun!

In a previous post (HERE), I told the story about Froot Loop and the Great Bathroom Disaster and us buying a water table so he could play with water OUTSIDE in an acceptable manner. 

Review of Leap Frog's Sing & Spin Alphabet Zoo Educational Toy

I found this toy at our local thrift store and I snatched it up. It was one of the toys the kids loved in the Special Education room at the school I subbed for.

Review of Baby Einstein's Take Along Tunes Classical Music Toy for Babies

This toy should be on every baby registry. Froot Loop wore his out because he played with it every day for over 2 years, so I put a new one on Cocoa Puff’s list and I’m so glad I did. This toy is perfect for the car and for diaper bags. It lights up and plays music, so it keeps baby’s attention when they’re strapped in that car seat!

Review of Kidoozie's Light Up, Musical Toy Drum (An AWESOME SENSORY TOY!)

I am going to highly recommend a toy today that both of my kids played with practically nonstop as babies. 

This is the Kidoozie (International Playthings) Flash Beat Drum! I first discovered it when I was substitute teaching. One of the Special Education classes I would frequently sub had one of these drums in it and it was a favorite toy by all. So when I got pregnant with Froot Loop, I put it on his baby registry and we received it for his first Christmas.