Christmas Toys For Kids | Top Toys For Christmas 2009 » learning

LeapFrog® Leapster® 2 Learning Game System – Green

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:43:33 +0000

Put innovative creativity and fun at your kids' fingertips -- and watch them learn in the process -- with the The LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System. This battery-operated handheld game system goes where your children go, and brings plenty of learning fun along. It comes with two pre-installed educational games, and many more are available: purchase an optional SD card separately for access to additional online games and to take advantage of other online features; or you can purchase game cartridges to add to your Leapster 2 repository. The included games have skill levels suitable for children ages 4 to 8. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.think { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; border-bottom: 1px dotted #000000; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; } td.glance { height: 100%; background: #9DC4D8; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-top: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; } Children will love playing the educational games. View larger. Insert different game cartridges (sold separately) for endless fun. View larger. What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Battery-powered console goes where your child goes, offers versatile, educational fun. The Bad: An SD card, which must be purchased separately, is required to take advantage of some Leapster 2 features. In a Nutshell: Handheld game console offers fun, educational games that accommodate your child's learning curve. At a Glance Ages: 4 to 8 Requires: Four AA batteries The console has a comfortable, curved shape, although it may be a tad large and heavy for smaller hands. It features a full-color touch screen and sound that's a far cry better than the beeps of old-school handheld consoles. (Parents will appreciate the volume control and a jack for headphones!) Control and manipulate the console with the included stylus and with the videogame-style D pad and other buttons. We found the initial set-up to be relatively easy: install the four required AA batteries, and navigate through the self-explanatory screens to create user profiles for up to 3 children (which come in handy for accessing online features). After this quick set-up, a menu screen will appear, where you can choose to play the pre-loaded games, go online, or insert a game cartridge. Fun and Learning Leapster 2 games are designed to grow with your child ages 4 through 8. The console is pre-loaded with two games: The "Dragons to the Rescue! Learning Game," is a "video game" type activity with four different levels, the first helping kids identify letters and numbers, the most advanced giving them spelling and multiplication practice, all while navigating a dragon past monstrous storm clouds and scrambling to collect magic crystals. The "Creativity Castle Art Studio" is a rather low-tech art program. Players can select a background scene to "color" using the stylus and "decorate" with fun animated stamps. While it does foster creativity, this program is somewhat clumsy -- your Paint program on your PC does a much better job. But "Dragons" was fun enough to keep even an adult tester enjoyably diverted. Unfortunately, an SD card is required for taking advantage of some of what the Leapster 2 has to offer -- which is a drawback, because it must be purchased separately. For example, without the SD card (which offers more memory) you cannot save artwork. In the meantime, without the SD card, you can still purchase game cartridges, as well as download new games, or take advantage of the online "Learning Path". (This online program allows you to register and upload your children's Leapster 2 profiles to show you their learning activities and their progress.)Â And you still can plug your console -- with the included USB cable -- into your PC for your children to view and print "rewards" for completing different game levels (for Dragons to the Rescue, they're certificates of achievement) or to print pictures to color with actual crayons (to encourage some "old-fashioned" creativity!) You must first install the Leapster 2 software on your computer, which comes on the included CD-ROM. What's in the Box Leapster 2 Game System, USB cable, CD-ROM PC Requirements All Leapster games work with all Leapster systems. PC Requirements Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systemPentium III 500 MHz processorMonitor resolution of at least 1024 X 768Available USB port256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended)300 MB free disk spaceInternet connectionMicrosoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higherCD readerMac Requirements Mac OS X 10.4+PPC G4 or any Intel-based Apple computerMonitor resolution of at least 1024 X 768Available USB port256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended)300 MB free disk spaceInternet connectionSafari applicationCD reader

Fisher Price Learning Home

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:20:24 +0000

Baby loves crawling through the big blue front door into a two-sided playhouse that encourages exploration of everyday activities and introduces the alphabet and numbers. With soothing music, traditional sing-a-long songs and sounds, the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Home with shape-sorter and two interactive play modes makes the experience of learning a joy. Baby will learn from cause and effect activities and be rewarded for taking risks. It measures 29" x 22" x 32 and it requires 3 "C" batteries, which are not included.

LeapFrog Zippity High-Energy Learning System

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:42:40 +0000

Rainy days and indoor playtime don't have to be boring: with the Leap Frog Zippity, preschoolers can get on their feet and get moving, all while playing interactive, educational video games that feature favorite Disney characters. The Zippity is designed for children ages three to five. Zippity Learning System Ages: 3 to 5 years Requires: 8 "C" batteries Phillips screwdriver for battery installation Television with standard video/audio input What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Video game features calibrating levels that customize to preschoolers' ability The Challenging: Younger preschoolers may find games challenging but will grow into them In a Nutshell: Video game system gets preschoolers jumping and dancing while making learning fun Featuring Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, this interactive video game system plugs directly into your TV. View larger. With 8 different games, the Zippity encourages kids to be active and helps develop skills like coordination and memory.View larger. Giant Joy Stick Get Kids Moving Designed to get kids moving and learning, the Zippity is an educational video game system that preschool-age children play by stepping, dancing, and jumping, and moving their arms. The system consists of a main unit, which the child uses to control the onscreen game, and a console that plugs into any television with a standard video/audio input. Both the main unit and the console require four "C" batteries each, as well as a Phillips screwdriver to install them. The main unit, which requires minimal assembly, is essentially an oversized joy stick--so instead of sitting sedately with a game controller in hand, kids play the Zippity game with their whole body and get plenty of gross motor coordination practice. It consists of a large activity mat with different colored sections, and the "bopper," which is a joystick-like pole that requires big arm movements for moving backward, forward, and side to side. Play and Learn The Zippity's eight games feature favorite Disney characters in quality, three-dimensional animation. All are designed to introduce preschool-age kids to a wide range of learning skills--not least of which is practicing listening and following directions. The game system starts out with Mickey Mouse teaching your child (and you!) the basics of how to use the controller, and each game is introduced with either a narrator or a character giving instructions. Listening, memory skills, and coordination skills are also developed in several games, such as "Darby's Honey Pot Jam," "Goofy's Fancy Dancing," and "June's Twist n'Twirl." These games ask the child to do certain "moves" in a short sequence to create a dance, for example, to step on the green section of the mat or to push the bopper in a certain direction. The Zippity introduces plenty of other learning skills through the eight fun games, including color recognition, letter and number recognition, and even introduction to classical composers and world cultures. In games featuring Handy Manny, kids get a little introduction to Spanish vocabulary; and in "Super Sleuths on the Case," kids put their problem solving skills to use by helping Winnie the Pooh collect clues to answer questions. The "Learning Path" in the system's onscreen main menu provides a bit more information about the learning skills the Zippity introduces to your child. Leap Frog also has a more robust online Learning Path Web site, which is touted as a complement to all of its products, including the Zippity. We found, however, that the Learning Path Web site is better suited to use with Leap Frog's other Internet-connectable toys and doesn't augment the Zippity experience in a substantial way. Different Learning Levels Customize to Child's Ability Each game features two levels of difficulty, and at each level the game calibrates itself to the child's level of advancement, so the games can grow with your child. We found that our three-year-old toy tester is just old enough to start using this toy. She required an adult to reinforce the directions given by the game--more practice would make the process easier, and older children would also be able to catch on more quickly. Be warned: although the picture on the box shows a child energetically leaping on the interactive mat, the pace of the games is much slower, especially at Level 1. But the slower pace and the level of challenge doesn't make them any less enjoyable. Although our toy tester found the games challenging, she had a lot of fun trying-- and she would only get better with practice. And once the included games are mastered, other game cartridges are available for separate purchase. What's in the Box Zippity main unit with "bopper" and interactive mat; console with attached AV cable