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Smart Giveaway: Enter to win a Baby Banz combo set (includes bucket hat and sunglasses) plus sunscreen for sun protection for baby by visiting their site and commenting back here with your favorite product & design. Ends 5/13/10. Read our disclosure and contest rules including winner notification.
Smart Site: Fisher Price dedicates an online site for online educational games and activities geared toward every age group from baby to toddler and preschooler.
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$34.99
Age 5 & Up
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$24.50
Age 3 and up
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$1.99
Toddler |
At the Time to Play Spring Showcase yesterday cool new Spring/Summer toys were unvailed with Toy Story 3 the theme of the day. From the Toy Story table and chair set to Playskool Toy Story Mr. Potato Head, it’s clear this upcoming movie will explode not only into the theaters but into toy stores as well. It’s extremely difficult to narrow down our favorites since Crayola’s 3D Sidewalk chalk, Jakks Pacific Disney Princess dresses and WowWee Paper Jamz and so many other toys featured are sure to be a hit, the three posted above were some of our favorites worth a second look.
Cool Tip: Check out our other toy reviews and be sure to follow Cool Baby Kid on Twitter and Facebook for our latest picks, tips and giveaways.
Although the name implies “small” Zillio Mini Mountain is anything but at 18 inches wide and 8 inches high. If you’re looking for really large, try the Zillio Mega Mountain. It’s a definite attention getter and really neat way to teach math to kids. Both our children were immediately drawn to the bright colors and interesting shape. We decided on Mountain Goat Scramble II as our first game. While our kids were a little young to test it out, our visiting nephews were perfect subjects. With two engineers and some really bright kids, our group broke out into a mathematical frenzy of multiple moves to climb our “goats” up the board. Although the game was quite competitive, I squeaked out the win, and my family insisted my mathematical wizardry was simply due to the luck of the dice. I disagree, but either way we all had a great time using mathematics without even realizing it at the time. I definitely plan on introducing both my children to the Mini Mountain Game and 2D Playground, a laminated flat version of the Mini Mountain that can be used as a game board or poster, in the near future. Being an engineer, I know the value a solid math background can provide and feel that the Zillio Games can assist in preparing the educational foundation for possibly another future engineer in our family.
Cool Giveaway: Enter to win your choice of either the Zillio 3D Mini Mountain or 2D Playground by visiting their site and commenting back here with why you think your family will love it. US Residents only. Contest ends 4/3/2010.
Disclosure Extra Entries: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Get unlimited contest entries, read our full disclaimer and frequently asked questions. Be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification and exclusive discounts and additional giveaways.
Smart Tip: Trying to decide which Zillio is right for your family? Check out a comparison and watch the overview video on their homepage.
Sid the Science Kid is the ideal companion for your young scientist. This plush toy, recommended for children ages 3-6 years old, says six different phrases and also sings. Not only does Sid make science fun but he also encourages kids by saying, “You can do it because you are a scientist!” The doll looks exactly like the character from the show and he holds a small microphone. It also comes with a DVD that has the Sticker Chart episode. This doll was created by Jim Henson, the genius behind the Muppets, and it is a great way to inspire a life long love for Science. 
Cool Giveaway: For young children (12M+) Hasbro Wheel Pals fill a much needed niche. A line of wheeled cars, animals and other creatures such as Wheel Pals Bugs, Zoomimalss, Tonka (Train, Car, Truck, ATV), Chuck and Friends, they are the perfect size for little hands. Small enough to fit into a diaper bag to take on the road, you can enter to win your own Classic Wheel Pals 3-Pack by becoming a Playskool Facebook fan. U.S Residents only. Ends 4/30/2010.
Disclosure & Extra Entries: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Get unlimited contest entries, read our disclaimer and frequently asked questions. Be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification, discounts and additional giveaways.
The Play-Doh Poppin’ Movie Snacks make playing with Play-Doh even more fun. Hasbro has taken this old favorite and created all of the great treats that the movies serves. The set includes 4 2 oz. cans of Play-Doh and 1 5 oz. can of Play-Doh. This set, suggested for children ages 3-6, includes the mold the make ice cream, hot dogs, french fries, spaghetti,and popcorn. It also includes containers for them. My four year old loved creating these snacks. The mold are well made and easy to use. As a teacher I also appreciate the way that Play-Doh inspires creativity. We had a “Movie Night” at our house and served the “snacks” that we created! This toy is priced at $10 so it would be ideal for a birthday gift. I was very impressed with both the quality of this toy and the quantity. Visit Hasbro toy shop for even more Play-Doh fun.
Cool Giveaway: For young children (12M+) Hasbro Wheel Pals fill a much needed niche. A line of wheeled cars, animals and other creatures such as Wheel Pals Bugs, Zoomimals, Tonka (Train, Car, Truck, ATV), Chuck and Friends are the perfect size for little hands and small enough to fit into a diaper bag. Enter to win your own Classic Wheel Pals 3-Pack by becoming a Playskool Facebook fan. U.S Residents only. Ends 4/30/2010.Disclosure Extra Entries: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Get unlimited contest entries, read our disclaimer and frequently asked questions. Be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification, discounts and additional giveaways.
Smart Tip: Purchase Play-doh Fun Foods Poppin Movie Snacks
- Triocéphale • Sur Le Pont d’Avignon – (France)
- The Mighty Buzzniks • Agree & Disagree – (Australia)
- Lewis Franco & The Missing Cats • Stomp, Stomp – (USA)
These songs make us want to stomp and jump around the room singing ” I like…playing in the mud, and I like looking cute” from “Agree & Disagree,” one of our all-time favorite new songs.
Listen to samples of these or any other Jazz Playground songs and get ready for fun kids music that you’ll find yourself listening to even with the kids aren’t around. And on a side note, we love giving these CDs for birthday gifts for kids of all ages and recently purchased the Caribbean Playground as a gift with 100% of proceeds donated by Putumayo to the Red Cross for relief for Haiti.
Disclosure & Extra Entries: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Get unlimited contest entries, read our full disclaimer and frequently asked questions. Be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification and exclusive discounts and additional giveaways.
Smart Tip: Purchase Putumayo Kids Presents: Jazz Playground
We’ve reviewed both the JumpStart® Virtual World and Wii games in the past and keep coming back to it as an editor’s pick as a top choice for educational games for kids. Completely customizable to your child ages 3-10, both free and paid options are available with a wider assortment of games and customizable features offered with a paid membership. As an educator, it is clear the future of education lies in the utilization of technology for learning, and JumpStart from Knowledge Adventure® has tapped into a way to seamlessly combine learning and fun.
One new feature allows user to link their JumpStart and Facebook accounts giving them the capability to find friends and link to play. Membership costs $7.95/month, $74.99/year or $149.99/lifetime. There are so many features it’s impossible to highlight even a fraction of what JumpStart has going on, but we’ll try anyway. My daughter loves the Skate-O-Rama and putting on a jumpsuit to launch from the Launch Pad. But her absolute favorite is swimming and will go out of her way to cross every waterway and stream she can find. Earning coins to spend on cool new threads, I help her “shop” and will admit to taking the mouse from her every once in a while…to guide her of course.
The educational integration at every turn along with fun adventures, interactivity and customization make this a winner with new games each month and new features being added all of the time. Like the Wii game, JumpStart for your computer is one way to let a preschooler spend some time navigating technology in a positive forum.
Cool Giveaway: Enter to win a six month online membership to the JumpStart 3D Virtual World by visiting the site and commenting back here with your thoughts. Receive bonus entries by becoming a fan on Twitter and/or Facebook. Leave an extra entry for each. Contest ends 4/21/2010.
Disclosure & Extra Entries: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Get unlimited contest entries, read our full disclaimer and frequently asked questions. Be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification and exclusive discounts and additional giveaways.Smart Tip: Visit the JumpStart blog to read about what’s new and follow the JumpStart team on Twitter.
Girl in the Know: Your Inside-Out Guide to Growing Up
Written by Anne Katz, R.N., Ph.D., Illustrated by Monika Melnychuk
This book published by Kids Can Press is a girls perfect little manual for navigating her way through puberty. Ok…so it may not have been on top of my 11 year-old’s wish list, but it was undoubtedly appreciated. Like many pre-teen girls, she is experiencing many challenges of early adolescence. For many girls, puberty is coming much earlier these days. Many important topics are simply uncomfortable to discuss with girls in this age group because they get embarrassed. I believe that providing girls with as much information as possible is essential at this impressionable stage of development. This book won’t replace the need for that parent/child face-to-face discussion, and in fact it doesn’t even cover the topic of sex, but it does tackle many topics – some I never even thought of! The book is separated into three sections – Your Body, Your Mind, and Taking Care. My daughter, who I must admit isn’t an avid reader, thought it was easy to read and understand. This clear-cut book offers 112 pages of practical and valuable information. The pages are adorned with attention-grabbing illustrations, diagrams and little tid-bits for the taking.
Book reviews written by Cecelia and Jamie
Disclosure & Contact: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Also read our full disclaimer and review frequently asked questions, subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification and exclusive discounts and giveaways. Check out more book reviews too!
Smart Tip: Check out our other Baby Kid Bookshelf picks: Baby and Toddler, Preschooler and Preschooler 2nd Editionr.
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