| Wild Planet Hyper Dash |
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Company: Wild Planet
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List Price: $29.99
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Amazon Price: $19.99
 | It's the electronic game that's as fast as you are. Test your speed and agility in a race against time using five targets and an electronic handheld unit. To start, set up your targets on the table, around the room, around the house or throughout the yard. Then, follow the announcer's commands as you zip around your racecourse to tag your targets with the handheld unit. The fastest time wins. Features four game modes that challenge your speed, skill, memory, coordination and teamwork. Includes ergonomically designed Hyper Dash unit and five labelled targets. Requires 3 "AAA" batteries, not included. Measures 4.5"L x 12"W x 10"H.
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| Fisher-Price® Fun 2 Learn™ Laughtop™ |
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Company: Fisher Price
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List Price: $32.79
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Amazon Price: $12.99
| Preschoolers will laugh and learn a lot with their very own kid-sized laptop. Through engaging activities, they'll build key academic skills like phonics, upper and lowercase letters, letter recognition, and letter order. Features three modes: Letters, Phonics Fun Mouse Game and Tunes. A green backlit LCD display makes the screen interesting and fun for kids. Requires 3 "AA" batteries (included). Measures 8" x 10.75" x 8.25".
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| LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System - Green |
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Company: LeapFrog
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List Price: $59.99
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Amazon Price: $47.95
| Here is one handheld gaming system that both parents and kids will be able to agree upon. The Leapster Learning Game System takes the brain-building principles that Leapfrog laid out in its earlier electronic learning devices (which have an interactive book format) and applies them to a video-game format. Leapster draws kids in with familiar video game templates—all of which have a secret weapon: a built-in learning component. LeapFrog hopes that kids will become so engaged in the gaming aspects and familiar television and movie characters offered by this toy that they won't even notice that they're learning and reinforcing valuable reading, math, and language skills.
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| LeapFrog Leapster® Educational Game: Kindergarten |
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Company: LeapFrog
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List Price: $24.99
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Amazon Price: $21.25
| Leapster Software: Kindergarten will help your children learn crucial educational skills, while they play fun games! It's time for the famous Monster Review at Carnival Marvel -- each learning activity kids finish earns thema ticket to buy monster parts. If they finish every game they'll get to build a monster&teach it silly dances!
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| LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System - Pink |
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Company: LeapFrog
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List Price: $79.99
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Amazon Price: $43.95
| Here is one handheld gaming system that both parents and kids will be able to agree upon. The Leapster Learning Game System takes the brain-building principles that Leapfrog laid out in its early electronic learning devices (which have an interactive book format) and applies them to a video-game format. Leapster draws kids in with familiar video game templates—all of which have a secret weapon: a built-in learning component. LeapFrog hopes that kids will become so engaged in the gaming aspects and familiar television and movie characters offered by this toy that they won't even notice they're learning and reinforcing valuable reading, math, and language skills. With the Leapster Learning System children can play games, read books, create art, and watch videos. Aimed at kids ages 4 to 10 years, the 6-by-4-inch Leapster is sized for little hands and comfortably shaped with safe, rounded edges. The 2.25-inch touch screen is ample for most of the gaming activities; although a little cluttered when used for the art and drawing modules. Buttons are suitably placed on either side of the unit for thumb-operated control. The right side features "A" and "B" buttons for selecting settings and answers, while the left has a multi-directional gamepad for game play. A stylus is also attached for drawing, selecting tools and settings, and dragging and placing objects. The 3-inch backlit display makes games visible in the dark (although parents will prefer that the Leapster is shut off at bedtime) and the animated graphics, while not completely state-of-the-art, are well done and suitable for this age range. As with the manufacturer's LeapPad products, the Leapster does require the purchase of additional cartridges to expand its capabilities. Kids can choose from a star-studded list of their favorite characters to play educational games with, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, Nemo, Cinderella, Batman, and more. Leapfrog's own cartoon star, Tad, narrates a few as well. While stocking up on the extra software titles can get expensive, it gives parents some control and input on which characters they'd like their kids to learn from. Plus, characters for these titles are appropriately matched to the maturity of the targeted grade level (pre-K through 4th grade). This handheld system is a perfect fit for small hands and easily portable. Starting up or hitting the Home button takes players to the main menu. There is one pre-loaded game that children will likely come back to again and again. Rabbit River is based on the Frogger game format but with an additional learning element. In letters mode, kids guide their bunny to hop floating logs to the other side of the river while jumping on specific letters to identify them or spell out a requested 3- or 4-letter word. In numbers mode, the bunny must land on specific numbers on the logs to skip count by twos or form a correct equation. Another pre-loaded activity is Color Corral, an interactive coloring book designed to boost creative problem-solving skills. This module is like a kid's version of Photoshop and offers a variety of scenic templates, colors, tools, and moving icons that kids can combine for an infinite number of possibilities. The included manual gives suggestions on how to reinforce these math, reading, and art concepts in the real world. Each game offers multiple skill levels so kids can ease into new territory at the beginner level, then challenge themselves with more advanced learning problems as they understand the concept. If kids are stumped at any point during a game, they can hit the Hint button and receive a friendly push in the right direction from an animated tutor, Edison the firefly. Edison also appears automatically if kids answer a question incorrectly several times in a row and coaches the child to reach the correct answer. The Pause button lets kids stop the game for a snack break and pick back up again where they left off. Designed for portability, the Leapster fits easily in a backpack or tote bag and is ideal for more purposeful edutainment on the go, whether a quick game on the bus to school or hours of playtime during vacation travel. This learning system runs on four AA batteries or on a rechargeable battery pack when combined with the Leapster L-Max Recharging System (sold separately).
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| LEGO Mindstorms NXT |
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Company: LEGO
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List Price: $249.99
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Amazon Price: $236.99
| Sure, Mindstorms NXT is a toy, but it is an important toy, like a piano or a chemistry set. It's one of those items that engages an imagination and possibly opens doors to new interests. Since our future is surely to be shared with robots--it's already started happening, just look at Roomba--those robots will need, at least initially, humans to program and maintain them. Those people, years from now, will likely remember their experiences with Lego Mindstorms. Out of the Box The main part of the kit is the NXT itself. It's about the size of an iPod (though a bit thicker) with a a loudspeaker, a monochrome LCD, and navigation keys on the front. This is the controller for the robot--it's brain, if you will. It has three ports on top for connecting to the servo motors and four ports on the bottom for connecting to four different sensors: Touch, Light, Sound, and Ultrasonic (see detail below). The NXT: the computer-controlled brain of the Mindstorms robot Touch Sensor: enables the robot to feel and react to its environment Sound Sensor: enables the robot to react to sound Light Sensor: can detect light and color Ultrasonic Sensor: allows the robot to measure distance and react to movement Servo Motors: ensures the robot moves with precision The set includes Ethernet-like wires for connecting all of these to the NXT, as well as software and a basic USB cable for downloading programs from your computer. Then there are all the Lego parts, hundreds of them, and most are very small. It would be a good idea to get a plastic organizer for the different parts--it would not only make construction and storage easier but also part loss less likely. Hitting the Bricks The instructions for MNXT are simple, illustrated, and they gently take the new user on an introductory path through the system. The quick start guide promises a 30-minute robot building and programing intro, though for me it was closer to 50 (I'm a little old and slow). It starts with a simple diagnostic routine which shows you how to test the function of all sensors, then proceeds to step-by-step picture instructions for building a basic first robot. It's about as complex as building a piece of Ikea furniture. Programming is the real gem in this system. It has a drag-and-drop interface using pre-programmed objects that you pull from a palette and snap to other objects. Next, I installed the software. Be sure to check the system requirements (below). The software is well-designed and very intuitive. It comes with built-in video instructions on how to create your first simple program and download it to your NXT. Bringing It To Life Programming is the real gem in this system. It has a drag-and-drop interface using pre-programmed objects that you pull from a palette and snap to other objects. Each object is configurable. For example, the Sound object brings up a sub-window that allows you to choose between a tone and a list of sound files, set the volume, set duration, and so on. Little Lego bricks between the objects reinforce the idea that building a NXT program is like building a Lego model. Programming this way is much easier than, say, creating a web page from scratch. Lego even offers a software development kit for getting deeper into the programming. Mindstorms NXT "challenges" from top: Tribot, RoboArm, and Spike. There comes a genuine thrill from seeing something you've created--even something simple and silly as my first program--come to life in a robot. It's akin to seeing yourself on TV for the first time. I played that program a dozen times. The software contains "challenges," which are similar step-by-step instructions for creating and programming more complex models, such as a robotic arm that can "perform simple tasks and react to different colors." Each challenge is divided into smaller tasks with step-by-step building, programming, and testing guides for each task. Accessing your latest program once it's downloaded to the NXT is pretty easy. Lego has set it up so that you can execute it by pressing the big orange center button four times in a row after start-up. I was surprised to find out that you don't need a computer to program the NXT. You can program directly into the NXT Program submenu. Bluetooth Ready The NXT also has built-in Bluetooth wireless technology. If your computer has Bluetooth, you can test and download programs to the NXT without connecting the USB cable--a really handy feature if you're programming a complicated dance routine and you don't want your robot getting tripped up in cables. If your phone or PDA has Bluetooth, you might be able to use your device to control the robot. Best of all, Bluetooth allows you to create a network of up to three NXT devices. Think of the possibilities: three NXTs plus three sets of blocks and sensors equals bigger, more complex robots. My one and only complaint is that I wish the sensors had more "studs," those little round parts that allows Lego bricks to interlock. --Porter B. Hall
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| ThinkFun Zingo |
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Company: ThinkFun
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List Price: $15.99
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Amazon Price: $9.98
| This fast-paced, energetic variation of Bingo is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Kids get a kick out of pulling the Zinger forward to reveal two mystery tiles and attempting to be the first to call out the tiles that match the images on their cards. The first player to fill his or her card wins! Ages 4 to 8. 2 to 8 players. 2 levels of play. 8 double-sided Zingo! cards and 72 picture tiles. 8 inches x 10.5 inches x 3.5 inches.
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| Vtech - Tote 'N Go Laptop Plus |
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Company: V Tech
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List Price: $21.99
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Amazon Price: $21.99
| Program your preschooler for early learning with the Tote and Go Laptop Plus. This realistic looking computer features big style for little learners. Complete with a colorful keyboard and detachable mouse that's designed for both left- and right-handed users, the Tote and Go Laptop Plus features 30 engaging activities that teach language, math, games and music. Comes with a nifty handle for easy fold-up-and-go learning. Requires 3 "AA" batteries, included. Measures 11" x 14" x 3.5".
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| LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Wall-E |
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Company: LeapFrog
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List Price: $24.99
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Amazon Price: $22.50
| Help Wall-E find his place in the universe! Ride a rocket through the solar system and use your letter recognition, spelling and mathematic skills to blast robots, form constellations and sort recycling stacks. Leapster2 players can connect online for extra activities and rewards. And with the LeapFrog. Learning Path, parents can see what their child is learning. Compatible with Leapster Learning System and Leapster2 System, sold separately.
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| Fisher-Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage | 
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Company: Fisher Price
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List Price: $55.99
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Amazon Price: $39.99
| .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; } Bring out the performer in your little one with the Fisher Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage. Your child will enjoy grooving to fun songs with the "magical" microphone and pretend musical instruments. Designed for children ages six months and older, this toy provides several developmental benefits, such as encouraging motor skill development and problem-solving skills, and provides visual and auditory stimulation. From 6 months of age and up the stage is just the right height to sit and play. Each mode offers just enough difficulty for your little one to be challenged and have fun at the same time. View larger. Flashing Lights and Fun Music The Sing-Along Stage features five fun songs for you and your baby to sing along with. It's easy and fun for your baby to play with: Just shake the "magical" microphone to start the music! While the music plays, your child will delight in the four dancing spotlights, the pop-up audience of friendly smiling fans, and the big picture mirror to watch him or herself groove. Four musical instruments sit along the bottom of the stage: Baby just presses the horn, the xylophone, the drum, or the guitar to hear them play. You and your child will have great fun singing and dancing together with all of the songs! Different Stages to Grow with Baby The Sing-Along Stage includes two levels of advancement for babies and toddlers. Each mode offers just enough difficulty for your little one to be challenged and have fun at the same time. For babies from 6 months of age, the stage is just the right height to sit and play. He or she can discover how to shake the microphone to make a song play! Your baby can also learn how to press each musical instrument to hear it play a solo, learning to differentiate between the different sounds. Musical lyrics are provided for you to sing along with the songs, providing quality interactive time with your baby. As your child gets older, he or she can stand, dance, and groove with the magical microphone while the music plays. In this more advanced secondary mode, the toy allows your child to get creative with the music. Start the song by pressing the button. Shake the microphone to add voice. Press each instrument to add their sounds to the song. This toy requires three AA batteries, which are included in the package. Adult assembly is necessary and requires a Phillips screwdriver (not included). What's in the Box 1 Fisher Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage, play microphone, and 3 AA batteries.
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