reviews

Pop on Pals

My 2-year-old son and I just got introduced to Spin Master 's new Pop On Pals – a wonderful world of fun pals, pets, vehicles and playsets! We got to try out the Pop On Pals Amusement Park and it was a hit!

What they say:

• Pop on Pals (ages 2-4) is a world with endless mix n' match 'popabilities'
• Just press down on the pal and pop-on mix n' match rings - its that easy!
• Endless, unique and wacky combinations
• Encourages imaginive play and helps little ones develop fine motor skills.
• Perfectly sized for little hands

What we say:

My son has had an absolute BLAST playing with thePop On Pals Amusement Park. He loved putting the little pal on the roller coaster and the ferris wheel the most. Being only 2, he wasn't that interested in "popping" on the different possibilities for this little pal. He just wanted to put her on the ferris wheel and he loved - LOVED - the light and sound action. He would clap and giggle hysterically when he made things happen!

As a parent - and former preschool teacher - I really liked this toy. I hate - HATE - toys that don't let kids use their imagination. Pop on Pals provide a great balance of cool features (like sounds and music and lights) without being something that the child just sits and watches. Colin was totally engaged the entire time he was playing with it. He was talking to me, telling me about what his pal was doing and how she liked the different rides and remembering the rides that he liked at the amusement park. It was very sweet! Everything is sized perfectly, so its easy for him to play with on his own. I really appreciate when toys are truly age appropriate!

I need to add that we brought this in to donate to the nursery at church because they were looking for some new toys. And the Pop On Pals Amusement Park is withstanding a classroom with TEN 2-year-olds - EIGHT of whom are boys. This is the true test of a well-made toy, people!

I recommend this one!

Pop on Pals can be purchased at Toys R Us, Target, KMart, Sears, Amazon and more!

disclosure: i received a pop on pals amusement park to facilitate this review. i was not compensated financially and - as always - all opinions are mine. affiliate links were used in this post.

encouraging my girls with K'NEX

My two girls are pretty much the girliest girls out there. We have a very barbie-pink-ruffley-tutu intensive household. But I really have a desire to encourage my girls to break away from that and explore other play options besides jewelry making, tea parties and playing with dolls. When they were little, we bought them things like trucks (which they turned into doll cradles)  and then we gave up. But now they are getting older and the toy options are becoming much more fun!

So when two tubs of K'NEX arrived on my doorstep last week, there were little-girl-squeals of joy. They grabbed the tubs, ran up to their room and disappeared for two whole hours.When I checked on them, I discovered they had combined all of our K'NEX to make a huge tower that reached taller than their bunkbeds. We already had this 400 piece tub (which they really like to play with) and with our two new tubs, the K'Nex 350 Piece Value Tub and the tub o' blocks, the building possibilities are endless!

I love it!! I was so proud of them for thinking big and being so creative!  I love that K'NEX have become one of my girls favorite toys to play with. I have spoken before on this site about how much I dislike toys that don't allow for kids to use their imaginations. I perfer toys that allow them to create something and stretch beyond the obvious to really use their imaginations. Plus, K'NEX are so great for building fine motor develoment and teaching them to plan, focus and be creative.

If your kids love K'NEX, they might be interested to know that K’NEX is inviting kids to design a creative, original model made entirely from K’NEX parts. Three imaginative children – one from each of the three age groups: 5 to 6-year-olds; 7 to 8-year-olds; and, 9 to 12-year-olds - will each win a $10,000 savings bond for college. The models made entirely of K’NEX pieces are judged on creativity, uniqueness and detail.

In addition to $10,000 for college, the three grand prize winners will also receive a trip for three to K'NEX headquarters near Philadelphia, PA for the K’NEXpert Award Ceremony, where they can meet each other and discover, through company designers and a factory tour, how K’NEX is made. Seven finalists will each receive $1,000 savings bonds and all ten winners will receive $250 worth of free K’NEX Building Sets, and their very own photo gallery page at www.knex.com.

The 2011 K’NEXpert Search will run through September 10, 2010. Children can enter by printing out the entry form available at http://www.knex.com/club/images/becoming/2011-KNEXpert-Search-Details-Rules.pdf and mailing it in.

The K’NEXpert Search is open to U.S. and Canadian residents and there is no purchase necessary. And - much to my engineer husband and his co-workers dismay - they do not have an adult age division. Maybe next year. For more information on K’NEX, the contest and previous winners, visit www.knex.com.

Melissa talks fashion at b*Stylish and family on her personal blog, Girlymama.

disclosure: i recieved two tubs of k'nex to facilitate this review. i was not compensated financially and, as always, all opinions are mine.

 

bella sara miniature series 3 and sunflowers collectible cards

Bella Sara recently sent me, I mean my horse-crazy daughters  two sets of Bella Sara's new Sunflowers collectible cards and collectible Minis from the new Signature Series 3 set.

What they say:

• Featuring 20 new velvety figurine horses, the Miniatures set includes a secret code in each pack to expand online play through Bella Sara Adventures.
• The beautifully illustrated Horse Keepsake Cases are complete with four collectible card packs, one secret code that unlocks Sunflowers adventures and Horseshoes at BellaSara.com, and one exclusive collectible promo card.
• The new Sunflowers collectible cards series from Bella Sara invites fans to join Emma and friends in a captivating search for Herd Sunflower. Using secret codes found in the set of 55 collectible cards, featuring horses, characters and stories, girls will be able to unlock the exciting Sunflowers adventures and experience the new features of the mesmerizing online world, including the ability to customize their own avatar on BellaSara.com.
• BellaSara.com offers a private user experience, creating a fun and carefree place for children to play online where parental controls allow parents to decide their child's appropriate level of access.

What I say:

 My horse-crazy girls thought these were super cool. They love teeny-tiny toys and just thought these little horses were the neatest thing. (My 5-year-old even brought hers to show and tell this week because it was "U" week and her horse was a unicorn.) They thought the online game was fun too. My 5-year-old had trouble with it, but she isn't reading yet. The 7-year-old was able to navigate the site with only a few questions about where to enter codes and such. She loved being able to create a home and caring for her own foal.

Beyond my kids enjoying the mini-horses (what little horse-crazy girl wouldn't?) may I say kudos to Bella Sara for coming up with a online world that is safe for kids. Interactions with others online is not possible at BellaSara.com, so your child will have a completely private user experience. I LOVE that parental controls allow you to control what level of interaction you feel is appropriate for your individual child - you can even turn your child's account off if you wish. With all the cyber-worries out there, I really appreciate this as a parent. 

Bella Sara products are available at Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and at BellaSara.com. At BellaSara.com, there are fabulous horse-themed Easter baskets, filled with stuff for under $15! So cute!

disclosure: i was provided with bella sara sunflowers collectible cards and collectible minis to review. i was not compensated financially for this post.

k'nex - for budding engineers *giveaway*

**Giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to Brandon, comment #57! Enjoy!!**

My engineer of a husband was just about as excited as the kids when we opened a big box to reveal two boxes of K'NEX! My kids love building and creating with blocks and Legos and such, but we've never tried out K'NEX before because I thought my kids were too young!

My son was screaming in excitement when he saw the K'NEX Sesame Street Collection Building Set, designed for ages 2-5. It lets children build and then play with their favorite Sesame Street friends, including Elmo, Cookie Monster and Ernie. We got this Sesame Street Police Car Building Set featuring ELMO, much to my son's delight. His big sisters helped him put it together. The pieces were easy for little hands to handle, being nice and big. And the directions were clear enough for my 5-year-old to follow with minimal questions. He LOVED it! He loved it so much that he insisted on taking it into the bath with him and took a nap with it. Really.

While he played with his police car, the rest of us tore into the K'NEX 400 piece tub. The girls poured over the instruction book that has ideas for 20 different models and decided they wanted to build the swing. We all worked together and pretty soon we had this:

Next, they decided to make the most complicated model in the book. Of course! So we tackled the Ferris Wheel with amazing results:

We loved K'NEX! When we opened the tub up, my 6-year-old daughter said, "Yuck! Boy toys!" But she changed her tune quickly and had a great time playing! K'NEX are fabulous for developing fine motor school, creativity and problem solving. And everything is interchangeable with Legos and other K'NEX sets, so you can really expand your building possibilities with these K'NEX sets!

During the months of November and December, K'NEX (a Philly company!) is donating 10% of online sales on knex.com to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. How awesome is that?

K'NEX is offering a lucky Girlymama reader a K'NEX 400 Piece Tub AND a set from the Sesame Street Neighborhood Collection!! Here's how to enter: 

1. Contest ends Friday, December 18.
2. Entry #1: Leave a comment just saying you want to win.
3. Entry #2: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me what Sesame Street character is your favorite.
4. Entry #3:  Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, Tweeting about it, emailing  friends, and/or subscribe to my feed by email or in a reader).
5. Winners will be selected by Random.org, announced back here on this post, and notified via email with further instructions.

Good luck!!