Nickelodeon Dora Explores Cooking Play Mat

December 9, 2012 by Momstart 11 Comments

Our kids love Dora and our kids love pretend cooking, they love real cooking too. When I’m making dinner they go into their play kitchen and cook up dinner by my side. It’s a nice thing for us to do and it gives me some peace while I’m cooking. They come up with the best coffee flavors ever.

Now they can combine the world of Dora the Explorer with their cooking masterpieces. They can make chicken, cake and apples and any combination of them. Plus they get an apron, and yes my kids love to get all dolled up in their pastry hats and chef aprons. Next thing I know they’re going to be sharpening knives and dicing veggies faster than I can. That’s where imaginative play can take them. It could carry them into their first career. Who knows! Let them play and get creative.

Explore the world of cooking with Dora. The Dora the Explorer Cooking Play Mat is an on-the-go play set that features a play mat, chef’s hat, apron, and 2-sided cardstock plates of food. Whip up a delicious meal for Dora, Tico, and Boots. Serve your friends cake, chicken, apples, or empanadas – the double-sided cards show the “before” and “after” plates for a full range of fun. Clean up is easy – mat folds into a tote so you can set up your next party anywhere you go.

Play mat folds into a tote for on-the-go fun
7-pc set features play mat, double-sided cardstock food plates, apron, chef?s hat
Ages 3 and up

We received a sample to donate to charity.

Dora’s Garden Gazebo Mega Blocks Playset Review

April 29, 2011 by Momstart 1 Comment

Miles and Zoe just adore Dora. I think all 2 – 5 year olds have a thing for Dora at one time or another and I don’t see any way to avoid her. She’s everywhere, we don’t even have TV and my kids know all about Dora the Explorer. Of course, we do have a few of her DVD’s and over at Tully’s where I like to get a cup of coffee, there are some Dora toys there and the kids always rush over to the kid table to see who can get to Dora first.

Mega Bloks has two new Dora playsets that let children build and rebuild with their favorite cartoon character in many different ways. Each set has a Build a Dress feature that Zoe is just in love with. We received the Dora’s Garden Gazebo and Zoe loves having the ability to take doll clothes off and put them back on and switch them. I actually thought that was the most creative part about the playset, the ability to change the skirt.

Miles played with it first and he needed a little help to build the playset but Zoe came home and put it right together and it looked like my husband did it. I even asked him, did you help Zoe put that together and he said nope. She did it all by herself. Dora’s Garden Gazebo comes with everything little girls need to have a garden party of their own. There is a sunflower to water, and a table with an umbrella along with a bird. Zoe put the bird in the flower pot and said that it was building a nest there and that the flower had to go somewhere else. I thought that was pretty creative of her.

That’s something that Mega Bloks is really great at. Mega Bloks inspire kids in role playing while helping them to develop their hands on coordination. They build and rebuild and play.

For ages 3 and up, Mega Bloks has new Dora Buildable playsets that let children build and rebuild in many different ways. Each set also includes a Build & Dress Dora with fun accessories.

We received samples from Team Mom on behalf of Mega Bloks to facilitate this review.

Dora The Explorer: Let’s Explore! Dora’s greatest adventures

January 28, 2010 by Momstart 2 Comments

With Over 3 hours of entertainment this is the DVD to get for your Dora Loving kids. Dora The Explorer: Let’s Explore! Dora’s Greatest Adventures will be released on February 2, 2010 full of Dora. There are 8 different episodes and each is filled with a different lesson. In one episode Dora and Boots must create a map of their own to save their friend the map.

Dora has been teaching my son a few words. He can say, Dora, Boots, Backpack, purple backpack, map. When it’s time to use the map, he says map, louder and louder. The Map, The Map. I would probably still not like Dora if it wasn’t for her educational value, and the fact that my kids want to watch her all the time. I just can’t hate her.

My daughter has decided to call this one Yellow Dora, I think it’s because the packaging has quite a bit of yellow on it. I was sure that she would be calling it Purple Dora, because the third Episode is Journey to the Purple Planet. Dora teaches Spanish, colors, shapes and counting. Zoe can count all the way up to 14 and can say her entire alphabet. I’m not saying Dora is responsible, I did a little work.

So here is the episode line up:

Dora The Explorer: Let’s Explore! Dora’s Greatest Adventures

Lost Map: When a goofy bird mistakes Map for a stick and puts him in a nest, Dora and Boots need help to draw their own map and rescue their good friend.

I liked that in this episode Dora and Boots made the map.

Hide and Go Seek: To win Senor Tucan’s trophy, Dora will need your help finding her friends in the Spooky Cave, the Squirrel Trees, and the Rainforest!

I liked Senor Tucan most in this episode.

Journey to the Purple Planet: Blast into space with Dora and Boots to bring five lost space creatures back home to the Purple Planet!

I liked the little aliens, and their cute little names even though I can’t think of them right now.

Rescue, Rescue, Rescue: Baby Jaguar is stuck in a tree! Isa is stuck in a hole! And Benny is stuck atop a geyser! Will you help Dora and Boots race to everyone’s rescue?

I liked watching them decide who to save first, how does a person make a choice like that?

Star Catcher: Abuela gives Dora a Star Pocket making her a Star Catcher! But when Swiper swipes it, Dora needs help from you and the Explorer Stars!

I liked my kids learning about shapes in this one.

Star Mountain: Oh, No! Swiper swiped Dora’s necklace and threw it to the top of Star Mountain! To get it back, Dora needs your help, and the help of some Explorer Stars too!

I liked that there were also shapes in this one too.

Boots To The Rescue: Dora wrote a song for music classs, but she left it in Boot’s room! Will you help him on his big solo adventure to school?

I liked the song about speaking Spanish in this one. It’s very catchy.

Swiper the Explorer: To help a lost baby fox get back to his Fox Hole, Dora and Boots get help from an unlikely hero….Swiper.

I liked that Swiper wanted to be helpful.

Yes this DVD was sent to me by Nickelodeon for purposes of this review. The link above is an affiliate link, I think I’m required to tell you that.

Dora the explorer Christmas Carol DVD Review and #giveaway and furniture?

November 4, 2009 by Momstart 357 Comments

The Dora Christmas Carol DVD comes out soon or is out or I have no idea except that we are watching it today. Ok, so you can purchase it at Amazon.

Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure

We’ve been listening to Dora’s Christmas CD for a few weeks now and my son has all the songs memorized and now that we have watched the DVD the CD makes sense. All the songs on the CD are from the DVD. It’s crazy but I’m singing the songs all day long now too. Good Grief I just can’t get away from her.

The DVD is very cute and is teaching kids not to swipe. It seems that Swiper has made the naughty list this year and if Dora can’t teach him to stop swiping then he’ll never be good again. So Dora and Swiper travel through time learning to be good for Christmas. My husband and I were actually talking about all the different cartoons that are out there and what we watched and how the cartoon re-makes aren’t as good as the new cartoons like Dora. You know, she is teaching good lessons and helping the world while care bears and my little ponies don’t do that anymore. They are all about themselves, yes they still have moral lessons but it’s not past them. I’m not sure if that makes sense.

My other News is that Lazy Boy and Nickelodeon have teamed up to make furniture for kids staring Dora and Diego. Lea Furniture is putting out Nickelodeon MyRoom. This new collection was developed in cooperation with Nickelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products and will feature characters from shows including Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, SpongeBob SquarePants, as well featuring graphics based on the network’s signature Slime.

Parents will find that the Nickelodeon MyRoom furniture supports creativity, independent play and customization, which are all part of kids’ development. The collection addresses these elements in six ways:

· Multi-dimensional, open-ended materials and functionality

· Furnishings that form environments and encourage different kinds of play

· Scalable when size matters

· Personal ownership

· Encouraging independence and independent play

· Play time is OK time

Enter to Win Dora’s Christmas Carol

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Christmas Cafe – Dora’s Christmas

October 25, 2009 by Momstart 2 Comments

Now, knowing that I have the smartest 18 month old in the world (yes I am a biased loving mother) I warn you, he knows all the words to this CD.

As a family we have listed to this CD more than any of our other Christmas Albums so far. Why, because it comes highly requested and my husband and I love to listen to our little music man sing.

Hearing him say “Wiggle Wiggle Giggle Giggle” is hilarious. Then when we laugh at him he’ll smile and say it twice as fast and with a smile on his face. I mean he is a crack up.

Here he is throwing a fit and all I want to do is laugh at him again. Oh, the joys of being a mom, even in the pits of darkness at times make me laugh my bum off.

So back to Dora’s Christmas, the CD has 16 songs that keep us singing for quite a long time because we listen to it over and over again. The songs like Wiggle Wiggle and Shake Shake Shake keep us moving and smiling. We sing in English and Spanish along with Dora, Boots and Swiper. I never wanted to be a Dora loving family but now we are.

I like how some of the songs are about teaching great lessons, no swiping, and about cleaning up. Mom needs help keeping that house clean. Now being one I completely understand why chores exist.

Dora Dora Dora, Christmas CD, Saves the Crystal Kingdom DVD, Toys and mora #giveaway

October 12, 2009 by Momstart 282 Comments

Dora’s Christmas CD
Available: 9/15
Preschoolers can share the holiday spirit with Dora and her adventure-loving pals as Nickelodeon and Sony Music Entertainment release the CD, Dora’s Christmas. Available in stores nationwide and on iTunes on Tuesday, Sept. 15, this perfect stocking stuffer includes 16 new holiday songs performed by the world’s most beloved Latina heroine, Dora the Explorer. The disc features classic carols with a Latin twist, including “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus Is Coming Aquí!” The CD also includes bonus songs from Nickelodeon’s upcoming TV special, “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure.”

Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom DVD
Available: 9/22
Enter the magical, musical world of the Crystal Kingdom in the all-new Nickelodeon feature-length adventure Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom. Along with this never-before-seen title episode, the DVD includes two additional adventures from the top-rated preschool series.

Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom , Dora continues her magical storybook adventure from last fall (“Dora Saves the Snow Princess”), when the magic crystal that the Snow Princess gave her brings to life another character in her storybook – Allie of the Crystal Kingdom. A greedy king has stolen the crystals that give Allie’s kingdom color. Dora and Boots must help Allie locate the crystals and turn the pale gray kingdom back into a colorful wonderland before it’s too late.

Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom Wii Video Game

A Greedy King has taken all of the crystals that make Crystal Kingdom colorful and without them the Crystal Kingdom is starting to lose its color! Join Dora, Boots and Allie on an adventure through storybook lands to recover crystals and save the Crystal Kingdom!

Dora and friends jump, climb, swing, slide and explore their way through the Crystal Kingdom!
Authentic character voice of Dora and other characters from the Dora the Explorer TV Show!
Grown-ups can join in using the Helper Feature and a second controller.
Help restore the color to the Crystal Kingdom by finding all of the color crystals throughout different locations like a butterfly cave, cloud castle and dragon land! Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom
Kid-Tested approval by children and moms for age-appropriateness, fun-factor and quality!

Dora’s Explorer Girls – Dora Links

The Dora Links doll is the cornerstone of the entire new Dora’s Explorer Girls collection, featuring an older Dora who lives in a rich online world with her new friends and attends school in the big city. An exciting addition to the realm of ever-popular, preschool-focused Dora the Explorer dolls and products that are available, this brand-new doll line by Mattel features dolls and accessories that allow girls to interact with and influence the online adventures of Dora and her new friends. This new collection, based on characters and storylines created by Nickelodeon, is innovative, diverse, wholesome, bi-lingual and entertaining. At www.DoraLinks.com, girls can explore, play games, customize and–most importantly–solve mysteries with Dora and her friends! By plugging the Dora Links doll into a computer, girls can access Dora’s brand-new, exclusive interactive online world. And, through this exciting new innovation in computer-connected play, as girls are playing with Dora in her online world, they can customize their doll and watch as she magically transforms right before their eyes. $59.99/ 5+

The Dora Loves Puppy line
Today Kmart and Nickelodeon announced the launch of "Dora Loves Puppy" – an
exclusive apparel, toy and specialty goods line designed around top-rated
preschool series, Dora the Explorer. Available exclusively at Kmart stores
nationwide and at www.kmart.com beginning today, "Dora Loves Puppy" takes
kids on a new adventure with Dora and her canine companion Perrito, and
opens up a brand-new personalized online experience at www.dorapuppy.com.
The product launch follows the storyline of Dora’s adoption of her new pet.
Kmart will offer deals and free offers at the launch of the line, including
a free "Dora Loves Puppy" poster personalized with their child’s favorite
picture courtesy of Shutterfly.com (from Sept. 13-26), and the "Dora Loves
Puppy" DVD for $4.99 with a $20 Dora Loves Puppy purchase (from Sept.
27-Oct. 10). Mom Start's Christmas Guide

We were sent Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom on DVD and Dora’s Christmas CD to review. I think my daughter is now in love with Dora and I don’t find Dora so annoying anymore. I didn’t used to like her, maybe it was because I always wanted to take a nap and her singing always woke me up.

I love Christmas music and was happy that I could add another children’s Christmas CD to our collection of Christmas Music. Zoe loves it too. She always requests it when we are in the van and when I put it on the other morning she didn’t like that mommy added some other CD’s to the playlist. She only wanted to listen to Dora, not even our Mickey Mouse Christmas CD would do.

I have one copy of the Dora saves the Crystal Kingdom DVD to giveaway and one copy of the DVD to giveaway.

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Dora The Explorer Super Babies Dream Adventure

June 2, 2009 by MomStart 1 Comment

Released on 5/26/09

DVD SRP: $16.99

Super Babies Dream Adventure DESCRIPTION

Dora will take on naptime in the all-new DVD Dora the Explorer: Super Babies’ Dream Adventure. Including four interactive episodes, the DVD features Dora as she reads to her baby twin brother and sister a special Super Babies story that takes them on an exciting naptime adventure. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, Dora the Explorer: Super Babies’ Dream Adventure will be available on May 26, 2009 for the suggested retail price of $16.99 and just 11.99 at Amazon.com.

In the featured episode, “Super Babies’ Dream Adventure,” and Dora has a special naptime story! Once upon a time, the Super Babies were getting ready for their nap but the Dream Fairy never showed up because she was still asleep! With your help, the Super Babies try to wake the dream fairy so she can deliver all the happy naptime dreams. The DVD also includes three other new-to-DVD adventures including “Dora Helps the Birthday Wizzle”, “Pirate Treasure Hunt” and “Benny’s Treasure.”

My Daughter’s Opinion:

“Watch Dora, Need to watch Dora!” That’s what she tells me now. I say no way. Only because I was trying to take a nap and I could hear Dora’s voice the entire time I was trying to sleep. (Dora is not written for adults in any way, it is for kids and they love her). She, my daughter likes watching babies and Dora delivers for her as Dora is trying to help the super babies with nap time. I suppose it is cute and perfect for young children. I don’t suppose it is cute. It encourages imagination and the Pirate Treasure Hunt is my favorite of the four adventures. Children are glued to Dora.