kids Archives - Page 24 of 127 - Have Sippy Will Travel

VTech Innotab Pixar Play and I-Spy

November 27, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

We’ve talked quite a bit about big-kid gaming recently- what about the little ones? With the holidays coming up, we can’t leave anyone out. Check out these new titles fro VTech, makers of innovative, fun, and educational games for children.

Pixar Play

Pixar Play is one of the newest games for Vtech Innotab tablets for kids. The game has activites and game for kids aged 4 to 7 years old. The game features some of your favorite characters from Toy Story, to Finding Nemo, the Monsters of Monsters University and The Incredibles. All these and more in one game. Not only is this game of fun but also of learning. Kids will learn spelling while fighting Zurg, Learn new words with Nemo and read an e-book of The Incredibles. These are just a few of the many games and activities included in Pixar Play. The best part is with each game you collect coins and with each coin you can play the Spaceship Crane Game with which you collect toys to fill a shelf. If you collect all the toys a special mini game is unlocked.
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Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, kids, review Tagged With: gaming, kids video games, video games

Belfry’s Christmas Gift – Children’s Book

November 26, 2014 by Samantha 2 Comments

If you are looking for a sweet book to add to your Christmas collection this year, Let me suggest “Belfry‘s Christmas Gift“, the second book in the ‘Tales of Little Overhill’ series. Written by Mike Joens, this adorable tale revolves around Belfry, a cute woodland animal who is trying to think of the perfect gift to give to Theo for Christmas. Along the way, he comes across the village curmudgeon, who he tries to befriend.

According to my son (7 years old), he says that in the book, “it shows just because you look mean on the outside, doesn’t mean that you are really a bad guy. And God loves you how you are, no matter what.”

Belfry’s Christmas Gift is a really great book for kids of all ages, to tell the true meaning of Christmas. The book is also fun for them to hear, and the animals are always a good touch for children (what child doesn’t love animals?). The book is beautifully illustrated by Len Simon, with the images and expressions just right for kids. The animals are cute and cuddly (well, most of them!) and the scenery is pretty- we all know that we are visual creatures, and that the illustrations for kids especially are nearly as important as the story to keep them interested. They will love both the pictures and the story here, and it’s available now in time for the holidays for just under $15.
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Filed Under: book review, Holiday Gift Guide, holidays, kids, review Tagged With: books, Christmas, kids books

Traditional Christmas in a Technological Age

November 26, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are quickly coming up on us, and that means preparing for Christmas. In our technological age, it’s easy to lose sight of Christmas traditions. This year, I’ve decided to focus on ways to incorporate technology with Christmas traditions. Here are a few simple tips on how you can, too:

Christmas Music

Nothing brings cheer to the house quite like Christmas music. Thanks to technology, we have access to more Christmas music than ever before. Tablets, computers, cell phones, and even smart TV’s now have the ability to stream music for hours. So it doesn’t matter if you are in the kitchen baking cookies, or in the living room wrapping gifts, the music goes where you go. Pandora has an app on smart TV’s that allow us to stream music for hours without end. Amazon Prime has free music streaming for select Christmas titles. Technology brings the tradition of Christmas music to us anywhere.

Christmas Cards

This tradition is still going strong, and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Some crafty people even make their own cards to send. For me, I intend to save time, money, and paper sending eCards. It’s easy to do. All you need are email addresses for friends and family and you can send Christmas eCards efficiently in minutes to anyone. No buying stamps. No going to the post office and waiting in line. Just import your address book, select a card, and send. Not only does it save trees, but the cards are received instantly, so if you are a procrastinator and realize on Christmas Eve that you forgot the cards, it’s not too late.
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Filed Under: family, holidays, kids, parenting Tagged With: Christmas, holiday

Mario Kart 7

November 24, 2014 by Samantha 2 Comments

And now, for a timely Mario Kart 7 review. Sure this review is taking place after Mario Kart 8, but something to keep in mind is that this is the 3DS’s Mario Kart, not the Wii U. So instead of huge races with tons of characters red shelling each other, you have tight turns and blood thirsty Princesses on your morning train ride.

Nintendo have made a new Mario Kart for every console and one of their most recent is Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS. This game sports more tracks, easy multiplayer over the internet, and a bunch of characters to zip around tracks with. As an avid Mario Kart fan, but not a very good racer, I thoroughly enjoy Mario Kart with every iteration. The fun, light hearted racing can go from item using fun at break neck speeds to nail biting close finishes in a matter of moments. Never in any series of games have I cursed so many times at so many cute characters.
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Filed Under: gaming, Holiday Gift Guide, kids, technology Tagged With: gaming, Holiday Gift Guide 2014, tech, technology, video games

Tiggly Shapes are Great Educational Toys

November 23, 2014 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Disclosure: The Tiggly Shapes mentioned below were provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information

My daugthers are at that age where they love to learn new things and explore the world around them. they were huge fans of the Tiggly Counts that we had used before that I was so excited to let them try out the Shapes as well.

About Tiggly Shapes:

These wonderful toys interact with 3 Free iPad apps – to enhance shape recognition and creativity!

Your child can now use the geometric shapes with the apps to help make their imaginations come alive.

These great educational toys help work on Shape Recognition, Creative Development, and Storytelling.

In addition to all of that, they help to Develop fine motor skills, spur creativity, and enhance spatial reasoning.

Pillow Pets New Mystical Styles

November 18, 2014 by Samantha 2 Comments

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and honest. Please see “Disclose” tab for more info.

Who doesn’t love Pillow Pets? They have so much more to their line now then the original pillow pets, like new slippers, sweatshirts, blankets, and more. Hey, ANYTHING that will make sleep seem like fun is groovy with me. Need something to keep your little ones in their own bed? Do you need a travel buddy for the car, plane, and hotel? Try Pillow Pets, they make sleep time fun and encourage little ones to get to bed.

Here is what Pillow Pets has to say;

“Since 2003, My Pillow Pets have been bringing smiles to faces of all ages. The concept for the snuggly companions was the brainchild of a San Diego-based mother of two, who had grown tired of picking up stuffed animals strewn about her children’s rooms. What began with the simple goal of transforming a traditional stuffed animal into a functional item for children has grown into an amazing jungle of popular products.
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Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, kids, review Tagged With: Holiday Gift Guide 2014, sleep, toys

Rilakkuma and Friends – a unique holiday gift

November 18, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

It’s about that time of year, where we are all looking for the perfect gift. Some people are easier to shop for then others. Kids can be easy- or not so much. Tweens and teens can be harder to shop for as well. I recently discovered Rilakkuma, a Japanese brand that is now here in America as well. With so many cartoons and toys made popular in Japan that have become hits here in the USA, Rilakkuma caught my eye.

If your kids are into anime, all things Japanese, or simply cute plush toys, you will want to hear about Rilakkuma. Rilakkuma is very popular in Japan, and is now available in the USA as well. The story of Rilakkuma is pretty simple- three friends who live in Tokyo with a hard working woman named Kaoru. They go on adventures together, and make mischief while Kaoru is working. Known as a “mysterious brand”, although I’m not sure why, honestly, Rilakkuma and friends have been “a staple in the Japanese market” for more then ten years, according to David Ringer, CEO/President of AQI. Now that they are here in the USA, you can find out what they are all about with your kids- and honestly, tweens and teens should be interested in this as well, anime and Japanese crossovers are popular with many kids in that age group.
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Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, kids, review, toys Tagged With: holiday, Holiday Gift Guide 2014

Sparkup Reader–Outstanding Toy for Kids

November 13, 2014 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Disclosure: The SparkUp Reader mentioned below were provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

I absolutely love reading to my children. Occasionally I am gone at bedtime or have to be out of town. I always want to still be able to read with my children as they are going to bed. I know that it isn’t always possible, but it would be great if it was. SparkUp Reader has made it possible to read a variety of books to your child at anytime.

About SparkUp Reader:

Sparkup is a privately-held company based in Israel. It is managed by young parents who understand first-hand the challenges facing children’s reading and playtime experiences in a digital era. The investors and management team are passionate abou enhancing the lives of children and their families.

The SparkUp Magical Book Reader is a revolutionary devices that clips directly on to any picture book and reads it aloud in your voice. You can record the book yourself, in any language, and add your own personal touches, or download professionally recorded stories, complete with sound effects, directly from the Sparkup website. While recording, Sparkup’s tiny camera takes a picture of the book’s front cover and each page. later on, when a child connects Sparkup to the book, Sparkup immediately recognizes its front cover. Sparkup follows the child’s place and reads aloud as he or she turns the pages – even out of order.