Toys & Games

I love this game. It is so simple that our group had a disabled child that played, an 80 yr old, some 50+ folks, several in the 20-30′s and even a teenager! There is no skill needed but if you have had a little wine you may need to stop and think about which way is left or right! I disagree that it is gambling because you don’t actually wager – you just simply pass the money the direction the dice tells you to pass it (or keep it, or put it in the pot in the middle). You can play for items (chips, candy, etc) or money (pennies, dollars, etc) and the winner takes all! The more people there are, the sillier it gets and the more everyone laughs:)Kids learn left/right and good sportsmanship. Read more »

Very educational. Bought for ganddaughter, 3, she loves it and has no problem figuring out how to use it. Plays with it for hours. She is saying all kinds of cities, states immediately. Read more »

The butterfly kit is wonderful! I am a teacher and raised butterflies with my kindergarten class and am now doing it with my six year old daughter at home. Kids love watching them change and learning about the life cycle. Be warned that there is an extra fee ($5) involved to send away for the caterpillars, but it is still worth it. Read more »

My 7 year old grandaughter started using this item at age 5 and we found it very useful. Now she loves to play Uno and this card holder comes in very handy. She liked it so much I bought several of them and gave them to the grandkids of some of my friends. Great item for little hands. Read more »

My 2 1/2 year old son really loves this toy. He loves to pick up the cargo with Cranky and then drop it in a basket or somewhere else. He also uses it to pick up his other trains since the magnet picks up the connections on the front and back of the trains. He doesn’t have any trouble using it and it made a great addition to his Thomas train set. That being said, this is our second Cranky the Crane. We gave him one for Christmas and had to return it. The top part of the Crane disconnected from the base when my son picked it up. It was defective and our new Cranky doesn’t seem to have this problem. Read more »

I purchased this toy to use at home as we are home educators. We have been using it to quiz the kids for review of Latin vocabulary, history questions, etc. The kids love this thing so much that they actually beg to do Latin vocabulary! Even the kids who are too young to participate love to be the one to clear the colors. It would also be good to use to compete against another family who is studying the same subject, which is what I originally planned to use it for. I would highly recommend this to any family – you could use it for math facts drills or any other subject. It is easy to use and has adjustable volume and timer settings. Read more »

Overall I am a fan of Melissa and Doug products. This puzzle was bought for my son’s third birthday. It sat unused for about six months until my son took an interest in using it as more than just family room fodder. As an active kid, it is amazing to see him work for 30 minutes straight putting it together without help. Although it is not age appropriate my one year old, he also loves playing with the pieces. However, not for their intended use. He chews and sucks on them a little but he is not a big chewer. Otherwise, I would have to keep it completely out of reach. The peices are pretty solid and smooth but given enough rough treatment they will splinter. I have had a few pieces chip off but that is after some major wear and tear. My son’s fourth birthday is coming up and I have already bought four more of these puzzles for him. Read more »

A whole new world for her. Haley very much wants to do everything for herself, and this pen and the excellent included books allow her to do just that. She does not need an adult to “read” her books, although very often these books are her bedtime stories, where she commands the pen, and we just listen. I like it, too. I am amazed at how quickly she is grasping reading basics, and I believe that a very good kindergarten teacher; lots of books; and a Leapfrog Tag Learn and Love to Read system are responsible for the speed at which she is learning. It is fun for her, and it drives her desire to read. I don’t know how to teach a child to read, I am not a teacher. With Haley, I observe, and I am delighted at what I see. I recommend this system for beginning readers, her age and readiness are exactly right for this system. Her 7 year old brother and 11 year old sister showed some initial interest in the pen as a gadget, but, since they can both read well, and the books are for younger children, they quickly lost interest. Read more »

Great deal on the cards! You can’t find them in stores that cheap! The assortment was good too…(I was told by my son) Read more »

My sons loves this. He got it when he was 6 or 7 months old, and at a year still enjoys playing with it. All of the information given on the page doesn’t seem to go to the same product – for starters, the warnings make no sense, there’s no small parts on this that are at risk of coming off and being swallowed. Also, there’s no lights on it, and Elmo doesn’t say anything to get the child to come back to playing with it. Unless maybe we have an older/newer version? I don’t know. Overall, this is a fun toy that keeps my son and his friends entertained. Read more »