Category Archives: Educational Toys

ItzaBitza Educational Reading Game for kids + giveaway – this game is so much fun!

Educational Toys, , , , , ,

This is one of the most entertaining game I've played in a long time.  Yes, I admit I played ItzaBitza.  My kids weren't even around.  The concept of ItzaBitza is awesome..I've never seen anything like it.

ItzaBitza promotes reading comprehension, artisitic and imaginative creativity and provides an exciting gaming experience for kids ages four and older.  I was amazed time and time again by how the game responded to my drawings and made them come to life.  

Here are just a few things you can do in the first ItzaBitza scene:

  • Draw a tree, apples grow on it.  
  • Draw a moon and stars light up the sky and your Sketchie goes inside the house you drew, goes upstairs and goes to sleep.
  • Draw an envelope and your Sketchie takes it to the mailbox.
  • Draw a cup and watch your Sketchie drink out of it.

The Sketchie your child chooses at the beginning of the game (a boy or a girl) asks your child to draw things, including a house and a tree, then the drawings become part of the animation and story.  An example would be when I drew a tree with leaves, the game added apples to the tree.  You can see my award winning drawing (ha!) below.  Click on the image to view the larger version.  I didn't draw the flowers.  When I drew the sun, the flowers grew!  How cool is that?

Through out the game, the Sketchie gives you ideas and little games to play via a little word bubble that pops up when you click on him or her.  If your child has trouble reading a word in the bubble, all she has to do is move
the mouse over the word and it is sounded out for her.  Great reading practice!

Itzabitza1

There are several scenes that can be unlocked as your child progresses in the game including a camping scene and a naunted house.  You'll have to buy the game to find out what happens in each of the scenes!

Buy a copy of ItzaBitza at Amazon.com for $17.99 (current price) OR buy and download the game here.

Giveaway details are coming soon but until then you can subscribe to our updates and you will be notified with giveaway details as soon as we get them up!

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Toy review: Balancing Coral toy from Plan Toys

Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Educational Toys, Games, Toys, Wooden Toys, , , ,

Plan Toys Balancing Coral gamePlan Toys makes some of the nicest looking and well made wooden toys I've seen.  

Made of earth-friendly and replenishable rubber wood, Balancing Coral, is a game for up to 4 players ages 3 and up. The idea is to take turns putting pieces of coral on the coral base and see who makes the coral topple by not keeping the coral balanced.  Madelyn works very hard at putting a few pieces on but manages to topple the coral within a few tries.  That is to be expected though as she is only 2. 

Balancing Coral is great game for young kids as it will help develop good cognitive and fine motor skills.  I always supervise Madelyn when playing Balancing Coral because the pieces could potentially be a chocking hazard for children 3 and under.  Madelyn stays too busy putting the coral on to try to put the pieces on her mouth.

Plantoys-firestationGIVEAWAY!
We have a Plan City Fire Station
 to giveaway to a lucky reader!   Go to Plan Toys website and tell me in the comment box below what you think makes Plan Toys stand out and tell me what other product (1 only) you would love to have of theirs and why.  You just might get it too!

You can buy Balancing Coral at Plan Toys or at Oompa Toys, one of my favorite online toys stores, for about $35.

Check out some of our other givewaways running now (Expire Dec. 31, 2008):  invisibelt giveaway, Little Tikes Rated Green products giveaway, Fisher Price Zen Collection Swing giveaway, Precious Girls Club book and goodie bag giveaway.

Toy review: architecture abc blocks by Parents®

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Educational Toys, Toys, , , , , ,

Madelyn loves, loves, loves Parents® abc architecture blocks.   TParents® abc architecture toddler blockshese blocks are colorful, squishy soft and stack easily.  One of my favorite things about the abc architecture blocks is because they are soft, they don't make a loud crashing sound when they are knocked down.

Parents® abc architecture blocks can even go in the bathtub.  They float making them lots of fun.  Just be sure to sqeeze all of the water out when the kids are through playing with them.

There are 9 different shapes including squares, columns, and curvy pieces that can go on top of the column pieces to make a cool tower.  Each block has an animal and/or a letter of the alphabet molded on it. 

Parents® also makes wooden toys including a Doctor's play set that Madelyn is getting for Christmas.  I am so excited.. she'll have so much fun with it.  Something that I really appreciate about Parents® toys is that they are all practical and educational.

Recommended for ages 6+ months.

You will find Parents® ABC architecture toddler blocks at your local Target (check first) or Target.com here for about $19.

smart-e-bear: click, connect, and cuddle for ages 2-6

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Educational Toys, Toys, , ,

162_2438A super snuggly bear for kids ages 2-6, smart-e-bear is a huggable, loveable friend that plays award-winning kids music, fun games, and interactive stories right out of the box!

Madelyn’s favorite activity is listening to Five Little Monkeys and Head and Shoulders which Sebastian also loves.  They both crack up and have a blast when smart-e-bear starts singing really fast.  Madelyn is learning songs and stories and Sebastian,  9 years old, is learning things like Head and Shoulds in Japanese!

He’s the only bear with a computer interface, a lesson plan that you can customize, AND he’s totally wired into the children’s music scene – with access to thousands of songs by artist like Sara Hickman.

To set up smart-e-bear, plug him into your computer’s USB port for download, and he’s ready to engage and interact as your child sings and reads along, while answering questions by squeezing his paws.

smart-e-bear asks Madelyn questions such as “Do you want to play simon says?  If yes, push my hand, if no push my foot”.  Then smart-e-bear says “simon says push my yellow foot” and she pushes his yellow foot.  She loves that smart-e-bear interacts with her when she pushes his hands and feet.  Madelyn finds smart-e-bear very easy to understand and follow.  smart-e-bear’s interactive design lets Madelyn decide what games to play, or stories to hear, with a squeeze of his hands or feet.  When she first got smart-e-bear she had to push around on his hands and feet to find the sensor but after a couple times of playing, she knows where they are without a problem.

smart-e-bear speaks English and Spanish, and calls your child by name. I can select age-appropriate content, customizing Madelyn’s learning experience with thousands of songs, stories and games.  Like iTunes, most songs and activities are .99 to download.

smart-e-bear is soft and cuddly.  Other than having a small module box stuffed way into his back, he is a regular super soft and plush bear and can be squeezed just like any plush animal.

Learn more about smart-e-bear here.  You can buy smart-e-bear at amazon.com here.  There is also a smart-e-dog or smart-e-cat.

Watch a short video of smart-e-bear singing.

Jumpstart 3D Virtual World – My First Adventure

Educational Toys, , , , ,

JumpStart Virtual World My First Adventure

JumpStart made the first PC games I had for Sebastian years ago.  8+ years later, JumpStart still rocks the computer game world for kids. 

Their new PC game, 3D World, My First Adventure, combines a whimsical 3D world of imagination, and adventure, with interactive learning.

There is a Movie House where players complete missions to unlock storybooks providing the player with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Skill and activities include ABC's, counting, planting flowers, sing-along music videos, and games that are appropriate for kids ages 3-5.  I have to admit though, that Sebastian, my 9 year old, enjoyed this game a lot!

Parents have access to personalized progress reports and advice from educational experts.
The Virtual World concept adds extra excitement as kids love to interact with characters and feel like they are part of a larger adventure!

Price: Can be purchased for about $10 at Amazon.com