Review: The Savvy Source & LeapFrog

As a parent of a child who has a love learning, I was very interested in finding out more about The Savvy Source for Parents.

The Savvy Source is a place where parents can go for endless resources on topics such as educational resources, toys & games, classes & activities, books, and many other helpful topics. This site is geared towards parents of younger children and also includes interactive educational quizzes to help you identify your child's strong areas as well as those they need a little help with.

The cool thing about The Savvy Source is the Preschool Assessment Guide. It's a tool where you answer a few questions and it will produce a customized guide of books, games, & activities based on where your child's development is right now. There are different areas to explore which includes visual arts, science, abc's, music, early math, social skills, movement & coordination, and time & space. It will also keep track of the child's progress throughout the program.

We tried a couple of the quizzes - visual arts & music. The quizzes consisted of about 10 multiple choice questions long and didn't take very long to complete. Once you're done, you'll immediately get your results and a list of books & activities gears towards your results.

As a part of this campaign, I was also fortunate to be able to review the Leapfrog Tag Reading System. Basically, it's a computerized wireless pen-type instrument that reads as your child points to the words.

Installing the program wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and it took longer than expected to download and set-up. However, once that was done, everything worked perfectly. My older daughter loved that she could use the pen to figure out words she didn't know without having to ask for help. My younger girl was amazed that it "talked" to her and help to reinforce her alphabet recognization. It came with a few books including Kung Fu Panda which was a big hit with my girls!

Finally, you see that cool Savvy Widget in my sidebar? Answer those 2 questions and you're on your way to improving your child's learning skills with fun activities for the whole family!

Thank you to the Parent Bloggers Network for this cool review opportunity!

Review: Highlights High Five Magazine

When I was a kid, I used to love to go to the doctor's office just so I could read the Highlights Magazine. My favorite feature was the hidden picture puzzles. So when I had the opportunity to review their new version called High Five (aimed at 2-5 year olds), I was curious to see how different this magazine is from the original.

Highlights High Five's mission is to "celebrate the early years of childhood by helping parents, educators and other caregivers encourage a child's natural sense of wonder about the world - for children are the world's most important people."

They strive to accomplish this through:

• Promoting reasoning, problem solving and creative self-expression
• Fostering a love of language and a rich vocabulary
• Inspiring young children to be kind, to get along with others and to grow in self-confidence

I received the first three issues of 2008 and looking through them brought back so many wonderful childhood memories. These magazines are every bit as fun, colorful, and educational as I remember. And guess what? They still have the hidden picture puzzle!

I was so excited to introduce this part of my childhood to Girlie Girl and not surprisingly, she loved it, too. Her favorite part was the Let's Do It section where there's all kinds of hands-on activities for our family to enjoy. Even Baby Bug took an interest in the stories and simple illustrations.

All in all, Highlights High Five is just as good if not better than I remember it to be. I'm so thankful to the Parent Bloggers Network for re-introducing me to this great educational resource!

BTW, The Parent Bloggers Network will be holding a Blog Blast on March 7th where you can enter to win a subscription for your children. Don't miss out!

Review: Discovery Channel's Spark Talking Telescope

Ever since watching The Zula Patrol, Girlie Girl has been very interested in astronomy. That's why we were so excited to review the Discovery Channel's Spark Talking Telescope.

Setting it up was a no-brainer. You basically just take it out of the box, install the 4 AA batteries (not included), insert a slide, turn it on, and you're ready to go. It comes with 20 amazing slides which shows the moon to the space shuttle and everything in between. These slides are actual NASA photos, so you know they're authentic.

As a Mommy, what I really like is the drawer on the bottom of the telescope that keeps all the slides in one place. Organization is very important to me.

Girlie Girl liked that she could read and enter the three-letter code (located on the slide) all by herself and the telescope would then start to recite facts pertaining to that slide. The cool part is that the recording is short and to the point. This is very important in keeping a child's interest! It will then quiz you on what you've just learned.

All in all, we really liked this product. It kept Girlie Girl entertained for a reasonable amount of time and she learned a few new things along the way. Gotta love that!

If you're child is interested in astronomy, this would make the perfect gift. It retails for $34.95 and is geared for kids ages 5 and older.

Thank you to The Parent Bloggers Network for this great review opportunity!

Review & Giveaway: Comfy Easy PC

This giveaway is now closed.Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Beth K. @ yahoo!
Congratulations!

I'll be honest. I've been researching the Comfy Easy PC for a while as a possible Christmas gift for Baby Bug. Initially, it looks like a great product since she's very interested in computers. After all, she sees me constantly at my laptop! My only concerns were if it would hold her interest long enough to make buying it worthwhile and if it was kid friendly where she could use it on her own.

So when I was asked if I'd like to review the Comfy Easy PC, I couldn't believe my luck! I felt like I just won an amazing giveaway!

"The Easy PC System has been designed with toddlers in mind, and fits their motor and cognitive skills. The System allows young children to enjoy and learn from various activities, without requiring reading skills or the ability to use a computer mouse. Children progress at their own pace according to their own level, interest and growth."

The initial system comes with the keyboard, installation/software CD, USB cable, and instruction manual. The set-up was easy and we were up and running in minutes. This is very important especially when you have a child anxiously waiting to play it!

The great thing about this system is the bold and colorful Comfy Characters that encourages your child to play along and interact with the program. Baby Bug was thrilled with all the sound effects and I could hear her constantly laughing as she pressed each button to see what would pop up on the screen. And speaking of buttons, the large and colorful buttons on the keyboard make it easy for her little fingers to use.

This system is geared for children from ages 1 - 5 years old and there is a wide variety of software available for each age group. This means that Girlie Girl and use it, too! The cool thing is that each software comes with it's own overlay that you place on top of the keyboard so that the pictures on the buttons will always correspond with the software. How great is that?

If you'd like to try it out for yourself, you can visit their online demo here. Find out why PC Magazine named the Comfy Easy PC one of the top 10 hottest kid-friendly gadgets!

Now comes the fun part! The generous people at Comfy Easy PC would like to give away a system to one lucky winner! In addition, they'll also include TWO software titles of your choice for a total value of $110! Wouldn't this make a great Christmas gift?

To enter, just stop by the Comfy Easy PC site before midnight December 5th and browse through the available software titles. Then come back here and mention which two you'd like to receive if you won. That's it! A random winner will be selected and notified on December 6th.

For extra entries, just subscribe to my feed or mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Comfy Easy PC. Please let me know if you're doing/did the extra credit so I can make sure you're entered properly.

Please make sure you leave a way to contact you in case you win!

This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only.

Review: Jump Start World

In this age of technology, it's important for kids to learn how to use a computer. When the program is fun and educational, then it makes the learning experience even better!

I was sent a copy of JumpStart World - Kindergarten for Girlie Girl to try out. The installation was easy and we were up and running in a very short time.

At first, I just let Girlie Girl play with the program on her own to see how kid friendly it was. She found it very easy to understand and use. I didn't have to explain anything to her at all. The graphic were bright and colorful which helped to hold her interest. Her favorite part was being able to receive Gem Rewards when she completed a task.

I liked that parents can receive progress reports on how your child is doing. It helps you to monitor which areas your child has mastered and what areas they need more work in. This is something that you don't normally see in other kids computer programs.

We enjoyed this program so much that I purchased a copy for both my nephew and niece for Christmas ($19.95 each). If you want to give it a try, they're offering a free trial download. Your child will love it!

Thank you to Parent Bloggers Network for this great review opportunity!

Review: School Zone Publishing Company

Educational products are always a big hit in our home. Combine that with fun and you've got yourself a winner!

We were sent 2 items from School Zone Publishing Company and we really enjoyed both of them.

Kindergarten Magnetic Tin ($15.99) - Being a flight attendant, I love things that are compact and easy to take-along. This magnetic tin is perfect for the airplane, car rides, or grocery shopping trips. The entire container is made of tin including the front cover. This makes it so much easier to use and ensure that pieces don't get left behind. It comes with 12 activity pages which are used with the various animal, letter, number, and shape magnets that are included. What a great way to learn and have fun at the same time!

Start to Read Level 1 Kit ($17.99) - When we first open this kit up, I couldn't believe at how many things were in it! It came with storybooks, journals, CDs, song books, activity pages, stickers, stencils, pencils, dry erase pens and eraser. What I loved best was the folder that it came in. Talk about organized! Everything had it's own place. Another great item to take along with you when you're traveling.

Girlie Girl's favorite items were the simple storybooks because of the word/sound repetition. Once she figured out one sentence, she could easily read the next. It made her feel like she was accomplishing something and felt encouraged to continue on. The bright and colorful pictures also enhanced the learning experience.

I would highly recommend these and other educational products from School Zone Publishing Company. They really know how to make learning fun! Thank you to them and to the Parent Bloggers Network for this opportunity.

Review: Blast Off to Planet Zula

Science has never been one of my favorite subjects. In fact, I sometimes can't even answer Girlie Girl's questions. I know the basic ideas but I'm not great at explaining how things work.

That's why I was thrilled when The Parent Bloggers Network gave me the opportunity to preview a new soon-to-be released show called The Zula Patrol which is targeted towards pre-kindergarteners to third graders.

The Zula Patrol is about a group of animated aliens who travel through space to solve science-based problems as well as develop character-building lessons in a way that's fun and interesting. Their comical voices and colorful scenery help to keep kids tuned in. In fact, even my 20 month old was fascinated with it.

In the first episode, we learn about how 3 different types of rocks are made- sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. In the show, these 3 rocks represent a rock group (get it?) who are about to perform a concert. An argument ensues and they split up and go their separate ways. By thinking about the properties of each rock, The Zula Patrol is able to figure out where they went and convince them to perform.

The second episode is about an active volcano named Fielding who does not want to erupt. He's afraid of his neighbors being mad at him if spews lava over everything. Now, living in Hawaii, this was a great episode for Girlie Girl in helping her to understand how volcanoes really work. All she usually sees is the eruption. This gave her an insight into what happens beneath the earth's surface.

In the end, we found The Zula Patrol to be fun and educational especially since there really isn't many science based kids shows out there. However, it is not scheduled to air in all states. If you're interested in having your local PBS station consider this as part of their their fall line-up, give them a call. I know I will.