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You are here: Home / Archives for educational toys

Kids & Money Prosperity 4 Kids Review

July 1, 2011 by Momstart 13 Comments

My oldest son is 4YO and we’re at the stage in our lives and his that we feel I needs to start earning his money. We want him to understand that money isn’t free; it’s a trade! I’ll pay you for your time and labor if you complete the task. Money isn’t free so we don’t believe in just giving kids money; they have to earn it. My husband and I don’t get free money, every penny is earned.

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As parents where do we begin? Our first thought was a responsibility chart. We made one on the back of our art easel on the dry erase board, but we were having problems since everything can be erased so easily – good for the end of the week when it’s payment time, but not good for mid-week when we’re trying to keep track.

During this time of wonder and questioning between me and my husband, I was approached by Prosperity 4 Kids to try out some of their products. Here’s what I got and what I think:

Allowance Chart

clip_image004“It’s only a dollar … until you add to it!” The Prosperity 4 Kids Allowance Chart is GREAT TOOL!!! It has parenting money tips directly inside the cover. It opens like a calendar and really is a calendar of only one week; each day is split into morning and afternoon. In the back is a sheet of cling stickers with chores and/or reminders of the day’s duties. Then there are cling stickers of money from 5¢ through $5. There is also a dry erase marker for removable notes on pages. This is a much better product for readers (my 4YO is starting to memorize the works and phrases so he can read each day) as there aren’t any PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) of the expected responsibilities. This will help your child realize their actions and work earn money; this is my FAVORITE element to this chart as each chore can have its earnings directly next to it; feed the dog and get a 25¢ next to that item. This product is for ages 4+ due to the chart being words only. At the end of the day (depending on the math skills of your child), they could total up what they’ve earned.

The Money Mama Smart Piggy Bank

clip_image006Not just a cute little piggy bank. This mama has three little pigs to teach your child about spending, giving, investing, and saving. Once your child earns money from their allowance chart where will the money go? Help them understand their money and its power. Mama pig gets 70% while each pig is given 10%. For my 4YO we’ve been allowing him to choose what goes where and reading the Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs book is helping him understand the difficult concepts of spending on valuable things and not junk, giving is not buying something for your brother, and about investing and saving. Investing and saving are very still sticky for him as he can’t understand what’s happening to the money yet. I believe this bank will help my son understand better about dividing up his money and help him transfer this learning to his life. I think this is an “it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks” bank; teach your young children and it’s a lifestyle but any later and it won’t be natural and possibly difficult.

clip_image008The Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs Book

This book is a partner for the Money Mama Smart Piggy Bank. Each pig is described and lets children know what their money can do. The illustration help children understand some concepts they might not get such as deforestation and animals no longer having a home. Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs isn’t a onetime read; this is repeat to learn fun “text” and winner of the iParenting Media Award. And if you don’t have the time to read it to your child today, then pop in the included CD so your child can enjoy the book solo. Both of my sons, 4YO and 23MO, like me to read the money book, and I’m glad they’re taking interested because managing money is one of the most important life skills.

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If your children are older or younger than mine this is a great investment in their further as your child will love learning about and earning money.

I also think this is a great tool for continuing summertime math skills for children who have learned about money in school already. Allow your child to total up their daily and weekly earnings by converting change into higher denominations. Children can then divide their money into the 70/10/10/10 for spending, giving, investing, and saving.

Need more money help? Check out the Prosperity 4 Kids website. You can find tidbits on Lori Mackey’s (Owner/Founder/Mom) blog. Connect with Prosperity 4 Kids on Facebook] and Twitter @LoriMackey] too. You can also catch Lori Mackey and her financial tips on Money Mama. Prosperity 4 Kids can be reached via phone at 1-866-PIGGY-4-U.

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About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: education, educational toys, Prosperity 4 Kids

Gaming for Toddlers VTech MobiGo Touch Screen Learning System Giveaway

June 1, 2010 by Momstart 548 Comments

VTech LogoI keep forgetting to get a picture of Zoe actually playing with it. VTech sent us their new MobiGo Touch Screen Learning System. It’s amazing technology because it’s a touch screen that doesn’t make a child lose it. I mean, most touch screen cell phones make me want to drown them in the ocean. So Vtech has mastered something here with a piece of technology aimed at a 3 year old.

What is it?

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MobiGo is like a video game, but it’s all educational for ages 3-8. You buy cartridges or download games from the web onto it through the USB cable hooked up to your computer. Everything about it is geared at 3+. My daughter can turn it on and off, she can select her game, the level of difficulty, except we had to tell her that two stars means hard and to only select one star. She just thought two stars was more fun. She has a little difficulty opening up the keyboard, all you do is slide it up, and I have a feeling it’s more of I’m not showing her how to do it, but rather doing it for her. They can upload their score when they are done and collect a prize.

She knows how to exit a game and select a new one and she enjoys playing all of the games. We have been working a lot on letter recognition so she was trying the letter game. She has no knowledge of the qwerty keyboard, so it’s been a great learning experience helping her find the letters. I just have to remember to let her do it. She won’t learn as long as I’m doing it. But we are having some good time together and she is learning.

The games all improve dexterity, some of them are logical problems while others are categorization. One of them she has to pick which animal is different, then another she has to pick the next number in the sequence. Numbers have not been something that I have worked with her on very much so we’re going to be working on counting and number recognition here in the near future. The most endearing thing she did was share it with her brother and she showed him how to use it. She’s three and he’s two. He was actually able to trace the lines for the “squirrel game”.

Compare the size to other controllers or games out there:

 

 

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Zoe will be very excited to see who they have initially 11 licensed title game cartridges with:

Ben 10
Disney/Pixar’s Cars
Disney Fairies
Disney Princesses
Dora the Explorer
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mr. Men & Little Miss
NASCAR
Shrek
Super Hero Squad
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3
SRP: $19.99

MobiGo will be available exclusively at Toys R Us stores and online beginning June 7th.

Enter to Win:

One MobiGo Touch Screen Gaming System.

To Enter:

Visit VTech and tell me what other product you would love to have.

Extra Entries:

Like VTech on Facebook

Follow VTech on twitter

Tweet or hit the RT button up top:

MobiGo Touch Screen Learning System #giveaway #contest http://bit.ly/bVTSBn

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Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, your blog, or your facebook page and tell me where you advertised it or Use any of the share options below, digg, stumble…2 entries each

The contest will run until June 14th  11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules. This is a compensated post all opinions are my own.

 

 

I was given a MobiGo by VTech for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: Children's Learning Toy, educational toys, Learning System, MobiGo, Touch Screen, vtech

Discovery Toys Gift Guide an educational toy company

December 17, 2009 by Momstart 2 Comments

As I mentioned in an older post. Discovery Toys sent me some toys as a donation to my Toy Drive. I want to thank them with a gift guide. I just feel guilty that it’s such a late gift guide.

Gift Guide:

For Infants:

 

GO GO CATERPILLAR

One gentle press sends this little guy zooming across the floor! Whirling rainbow beads in the wheels cause baby to gleefully chase after his frisky friend. The cause-and-effect action builds baby’s early thinking skills, while the rolling motion prompts baby to strengthen his little "scoot around" muscles

 

 

 

 

 

BABY GROOVES

hake, rattle and roll! This playful rhythm band is designed to create pleasing sounds that promote sensory stimulation, hand-eye coordination nad beginning musical awareness. Instruments feature different shapes and textures that are safe for tiny fingers and mouths. Set includes: Cage Bell, Baby Maraca, Cymbal Shaker, Bead Roller, Play-Along Music CD and BONUS Skill Card with ideas for extra playtime fun! from 6 mos to preschool

 

 

 

For Toddlers:

 

RAINFALL RATTLE

Move it just a little bit – then watch and listen! Your baby’s touch is all that’s needed to treat little eyes and ears to a stream of colorful, melodic beads that cascade gently from end-to-end and back again in this fascinating to

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY BUSY DAY

Ten touch-and-feel building blocks, each highlighting a different part of your little one’s day. From the breakfast block with its bumpy placemat to the naptime block with a fuzzy teddy, little ones experience their own story in 3-D. Big colorful blocks can be stacked, balanced and nested easily

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Pre-School:

 

PLAYFUL PATTERNS®

It’s an early childhood pre-math and pre-reading learning center in a box! Set includes 132 geometric shapes made of slip-proof foam plus 34 progressively challenging designs on 6" x 6" cards. Your child can use the shapes to match the card designs or to create open-ended, original patterns and pictures.

 

 

 

BUSY PETS

This tactile set of brightly colored pet manipulatives provides children with hands-on learning, beginning with concepts of color, matching, sorting, counting and classification. Add in the 2-sided spinner and numbered die for a series of fun counting games. The activity guide offers progressively challenging pre-math activities to grow with your child. 6 pet styles in 5 colors.
from 3 years to primary school

 

 

Donations they made and also great additions to the gift guide:

 

IMG_3451The Caterpillar Shape Sorter (15),

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3452 Busy Farm (20) and

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3425Flip Flop Faces (23)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to Discovery Toys for the donations and review items that I have saved for my daughter’s birthday. I will write up the review after her birthday.

Filed Under: christmasguide Tagged With: Discovery toys, educational toys, teach play inspire

Leap Frog Learning DVD Set Donation

November 9, 2009 by Momstart 2 Comments

leapfrog

I am a bit irritated at myself because I wrote this post once already and instead of hitting publish I hit delete. Do you know how long it takes to write a good post/review with links and information about my family. I’m so angry at myself, esp since I didn’t even notice until last night that it wasn’t published. I was looking for the link to send to the rep who was kind enough to send us this from Lionsgate. MMMM.

So, Leap Frog Learning DVD set take two….

We were sent a copy of LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set to review, but what’s to review. We already reviewed two of the three DVD’s and then there are 26 alphabet Flash Cards that come along with the set. I know that we would get a lot of use out of them but at the same time I can see how this makes such a great addition to the Toy Drive. It is a great learning tool and well disguised as something for for kids to do.

Included are:

Leap Frog: Let’s Go To School my Let’s Go To School Review

Letter Factory (we have not viewed this one)

Leap Frog  Talking Word Factory my Talking Word Factory review

26 Flash Cards

LeapFrog logoWe love Leap Frog and Lionsgate. They are both excellent at making learning tools for children. Leap Frog products aid children in learning the alphabet, numbers, math, reading, and problem solving skills. I have been very impressed with all of the products we have purchased from them so far. Of course, they do have a hard time standing up to the toddler year, but we don’t pay any attention to “recommended age”.

Filed Under: charity, christmasguide, donation, review Tagged With: educational toys, Flash Cards, Leap Frog, Learning DVD Set, Let's Go TO School review, Lionsgate, Talking Word Factory Review

Linenkids Wooden Toys #giveaway

September 15, 2009 by Momstart 235 Comments

Linen KidsLinenkids contacted me for a review and I’m booked up on things I need to review so I offered to do a giveaway for them. Do you like letting your kids play with wooden toys? I do, I have found that some of the most educational toys are made out of  wood. So here is one from Linen Kids that helps your children learn how to tie laces.

Shoes and Laces Wooden Toy

linenkidsMeasurements (Width X Height X Length)

  • 3,5 X 11 X 7 centimeters (1.4 X 4.3 X 2.8 inches)
  • 100% Wooden (Lithuanian Birch)
  • Eco friendly toy
  • Colored with child friendly, water based paint Allendo Pulverbeize
  • Handcrafted in Lithuania [European Union]

 

.

To Enter:

Visit Linen Kids and tell me what other products you might like.

Extra Entries:

If you liked this post or wish to gain and extra entries please vote for me here.

Parenting

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Non-bloggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
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Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until October 5th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: educational toys, linen kids, linenkids, wooden toys

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