Category Archives: Toy Reviews

Looking for a toy that’s both fun and educational? Look no further than www.leapfrogstore.co.uk. Their touch magic rockin’ guitar is suitable for ages 3 years and upwards, and I have to admit, my husband loves it as much as my son!

It plays all the old familiar songs like ‘Pop goes the weasel’ and ‘Itsy-Bitsy Spider’ and many more. It also includes percussion and special effect sounds. My son loves the ‘Applause’ as he takes a bow.  What distinguishes this guitar from the rest is the unique gesture recognition. Yes, it actually works like a real guitar, so my son has discovered his ‘inner rock star’ many times! The lights are super too, lighting up in time to the music.

It is so important children have toys like this, which promote music and creativity and I have always tried to limit the time spent watching television and playing computer games! However, since this guitar has arrived, the playroom has been transformed into a ‘stage’ and the dressing-up box is out every day. I would highly recommend it, and will be purchasing another one soon (for daddy!) He connects to the online Leapfrog learning path where they have customised learning insights – yes, Leapfrog have thought of everything!

Exceptionally well priced at £19.99.

Chat & Count Smart Phone.

Just last week my mum was asking where she could buy a phone for my niece. There are lots of play phones where you lift the handle and dial the numbers, but Trinity wasn’t happy unless she had her own smart phone like mummy’s!

The Chat & Count smart phone is just that – its’ as close in appearance to a real smart phone as you could possibly get. In fact, it could pass as a real phone!

The screen lights up when you use it, and there are 25 different learning activities. These are brilliant for introducing numbers and encouraging counting, not to mention roll play – very important for development in the early years. The phone itself is super colourful, and has a host of fun animations and sing-along activities. This definitely sorted my little niece out and mummy’s I phone is now safe!

Suitable for ages 18 months and upwards for £12.99.  Available from http://leapfrogstore.co.uk/

The Gruffalo Hide and Seek Mini Game.

Is there anyone who has not taken a stroll through the deep dark woods with the Gruffalo?  I don’t think so! Every parent I know enjoys this series of books from the talented Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The Gruffalo is one of my children’s favourite story time characters, and this mini game provides hours of entertainment. Can you find Fox and Snake? Follow the path and the first who finds three characters and the Gruffalo wins! A perfect game for travel and for storage as compact with the added bonus of NOT having a dice (we always lose this anyway!) Children use a spinner instead to take turns.

The game itself is beautifully illustrated and well made. It is geared for children from 3 yrs up but both my boys, although older, enjoy this game and the race to find familiar characters from the award winning Gruffalo books.  RRP £8.99.

That addictive song, ‘What’s that coming over the hill?…. It’s a …HEXBUG!’ once again sounds out on our screens 24/7. WHY? They are simply addictive!  The new range includes trendy colourful micro-robot’s  behaving like real bugs – the Warrior range.

Warriors, suitable for 6+ yrs, (but dads have been known to enjoy them too!), have real running motors, snap-on weapons and armour and a shock sensor inside! These battling robots have 2 modes of play to keep the kids entertained for hours. Battle and play mode – health decreases with every strong hit until robot deactivates.   They can even be customised for battle!

An absolutely fantastic addition to the already superb range of robotic toys.

If you haven’t heard, one in 40 of us already have a Hexbug!  Favourites we already know include the Larva, a bright blue bug suitable for children 8yrs + and a favourite with my daughter. The likeness to real larva and the slithering movement keeps her intrigued for hours!

The Nano, liked by parents probably because of its low price and vast educational benefits, has been the most popular recently.

This compact but entertaining habitat system consists of modular parts to build with special construct pieces and detachable walls! My kids love it, along with my husband!  The family spend hours designing their own mazes and re constructing the different habitats. Each set has its own rare mutation inside – all the more reason to buy one for all the kids!  And to top it all – they have the added allure of having a unique code to register and play online – what every child loves these days!

So, prepare for a ‘robotic battling 2013’ with the ever expanding Hexbug range, a great toy with educational benefits enjoyed by adults and kids alike.