November 7, 2009 10:57:34 AM
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Recent Reviews:Name: SPEECH PARADE! Sounds Are All Around DVDCompany: GASP VIDEO Age: 1-6 Price: $19.99 Category: Videos & DVDs What It Is: Designed to support language development in young children, "SPEECH PARADE!" shows footage of animals, activities and familiar environmental scenes while a speech-language pathologist and young children speak identifying sounds. It´s set up to encourage imitation through repetition and includes tips for parents and caregivers at the end, so they can help their children develop solid language skills. What We Thought: By offering three rounds of the same content with varying audio explanation — one with the speech-language pathologist speaking and pictured, one with children speaking the sounds, pictured, and the other displaying just adult audio with the natural sound — viewers have ample opportunity to pick up the emphasis of words and begin to identify sounds with their counterparts in the natural world. The production´s real-life footage of people, animals, objects and natural scenes, as opposed to animated reel, reinforces proper identification. Although a 1 1/2-year-old boy and his two older sisters viewed this video, "it didn´t seem to capture them," their mother said. Improvements could be made to the packaging, with its basic font usage and a large photo of a parrot that doesn´t necessarily convey the video´s purpose. For that reason, consumers might need a recommendation before purchasing. The moderator’s head pops up in a bubble during the first round of sounds, which may seem a bit awkward; however, this visual, along with the later ones of children speaking, is important for kids to see how the mouth is shaped for the formation of words. What Others Thought: Consumer reviewers on Amazon.com and the company’s website praised this DVD for being visually engaging, relating well to everyday sightings, and prompting kids to repeat the words and sounds they hear. Per numerous comments from parents, it has been a hit with children in the toddler and preschool age range. Why They´ll Want It: This video was created by a professional who works with children in the field of language learning and understands their developmental needs. It fills an educational and developmental need for content that targets sound association and progress in basic speech patterns. — Julie L. Jones, 11-3-09 Learn more about SPEECH PARADE! Sounds Are All Around DVD  Name: Safe Sizer™ Choking Prevention PlateCompany: MIDWEST MONKEYS Age: All Ages Price: $4.99 Category: Infant & Toddler Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Safe Sizer™ Choking Prevention Plate  Name: Rubbabu RubbabloxCompany: PLASMART INC. Age: 2 and up Price: Not Specified Category: Plush Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Rubbabu Rubbablox  Name: Cory CaterpillarCompany: HABA USA/HABERMAASS CORP. Age: 2-5 Price: $50.00 Category: Infant & Toddler Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Cory Caterpillar  Name: Boikido Wooden Shapes TrainCompany: BOIKIDO Age: 1 and up Price: $39.99 Category: Infant & Toddler Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Boikido Wooden Shapes Train  Name: RiNGLEY KnottedCompany: RINGLEY NATURAL TEETHING TOYS Age: All Ages Price: Not Specified Category: Infant & Toddler Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about RiNGLEY Knotted  Name: Have You Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat?Company: KIDS CAN PRESS Age: 4-7 Price: $14.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Have You Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat?  Name: Caillou Boxed SetCompany: CHOUETTE PUBLISHING INC. Age: 3 and up Price: $19.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Caillou Boxed Set  Name: There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub: Fact and Fancy About Curious CreaturesCompany: DAWN PUBLICATIONS Age: 7-12 Price: $8.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub: Fact and Fancy About Curious Creatures  Name: Origami Fun: Paper Folding for BeginnersCompany: BARRON'S EDUCATIONAL SERIES Age: 9 and up Price: $11.99 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Origami Fun: Paper Folding for Beginners  Name: Grinning StreakCompany: LINDA SEVERT Age: 4-12 Price: $13.00 Category: Audio & CD Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Grinning Streak  Name: Global Wonders: Around the World MusicCompany: GLOBAL WONDERS INC. Age: 2-7 Price: $9.99 Category: Audio & CD Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Global Wonders: Around the World Music  Name: MeltdownCompany: SANDMAN RECORDS Age: 4-12 Price: $12.98 Category: Audio & CD Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Meltdown  Name: Classic Water Garden Starter Kit Eco-AquariumCompany: WILD CREATIONS Age: All Ages Price: $30.00 Category: Science & Nature Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Classic Water Garden Starter Kit Eco-Aquarium  Name: Pairs in PearsCompany: BANANAGRAMS Age: 6 and up Price: Not Specified Category: General Games Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Pairs in Pears  Name: Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping SkillsCompany: KIDS CAN PRESS Age: 5-10 Price: $16.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills  Name: In the Trees, Honey BeesCompany: DAWN PUBLICATIONS Age: 3-12 Price: $8.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about In the Trees, Honey Bees  Name: A Practical Guide to FaeriesCompany: MIRRORSTONE Age: 8 and up Price: $12.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about A Practical Guide to Faeries  Name: Shopping with DadCompany: BAREFOOT BOOKS Age: 3-7 Price: $16.99 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Shopping with Dad  Name: Global Green Pals™ Pink Coral LaurelCompany: RESTORATION GALLERY LLC Age: 3 and up Price: $29.99 Category: Dolls Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Global Green Pals™ Pink Coral Laurel  Name: BANDthology - The Board Game for Music LoversCompany: BANDthology Inc. Age: 8 and up Price: $30.00 Category: Board Games Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about BANDthology - The Board Game for Music Lovers  Name: You Are Weird: Your Body’s Peculiar Parts and Funny FunctionsCompany: KIDS CAN PRESS Age: 9-14 Price: $16.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about You Are Weird: Your Body’s Peculiar Parts and Funny Functions  Name: Painting the TownCompany: CRYSTAL PRODUCTIONS Age: 3-7 Price: $15.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Painting the Town  Name: green start™: one treeCompany: INNOVATIVEKIDS Age: 3-6 Price: $6.99 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about green start™: one tree  Name: Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!Company: RAW JUNIOR LLC Age: 6-10 Price: $12.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!  Name: Mama’s KissCompany: CHRONICLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Age: 3-6 Price: $14.99 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about Mama’s Kiss  Name: The Imaginary GardenCompany: KIDS CAN PRESS Age: 3-7 Price: $16.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about The Imaginary Garden  Name: A Pirate’s Quest: For His Family Heirloom Peg LegCompany: CARL R. SAMS II PHOTOGRAPHY INC. (STRANGER IN THE WOODS) Age: 3-11 Price: $19.95 Category: Books Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about A Pirate’s Quest: For His Family Heirloom Peg Leg  Name: ArtiSands Mini Geometric kitCompany: ARTISANDS Age: All Ages Price: $14.95 Category: Arts & Crafts Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product. Learn more about ArtiSands Mini Geometric kit  Name: SphereXyzCompany: LA1PRODUCTS Age: 8 and up Price: $19.95 Category: Puzzles & Skill What It Is: SphereXyz features two hemispheres and two sets of colored tiles that can be moved within canals on the face of the puzzle. Once the tiles are mixed up well, the goal is to rotate the hemispheres and move the tiles along the two axes until the white tiles are at opposite poles and each hemisphere houses only one collection of colored tile — green or purple. What We Thought: Similar to the method of mixing the puzzle, solving the puzzle requires one to continue rotating the tiles and hemispheres, but in a controlled, purposeful direction. Drawing from my experiences with the Rubik´s Cube, I understood that I might become distracted in trying to fill in one particular corner, just to end up realizing my other corner had been shifted to a point of no return. I might also become disoriented and lose track of what goes where. My strategy was to go at it in a structured, methodical way. I knew the beginning would be the easiest. The hard part is toward the end when you have a small collection of colored tiles remaining and you don´t want to risk gambling your set pieces in hopes of getting the miscellaneous floaters in their correct spots. Well, I gambled, and it paid off, as the pieces I had already stayed safe and the remaining pieces fell in correctly, solving the puzzle on the spot. Mixing the tiles around sometimes required precision by making sure all were aligned correctly; otherwise, you would run into a tile jam. The rotating hemispheres fell victim to the same situation, but overall, not something that was too cumbersome. I tried my best to purposely mix the two colors in certain arrangements that I felt would come back to haunt me when it was time to solve the puzzle. Why They´ll Want It: It took roughly 20 minutes to solve the puzzle, which seems to lean on the easy side of things. Ask my coworker, though, and she´ll tell you she struggled with it to the point of giving up — so it can offer a significant challenge! Also, it may be tougher to the minds of children between 7 and 14, where it presents itself as a challenge requiring cognitive functions such as predicting outcomes, visualizing the actions of all the moving parts, and understanding how the puzzle interlocks together with all its components. I feel that with more time spent on this puzzle, it would reveal a more recognizable sequence of techniques, allowing the solver to continually change or improve upon his or her approach. This puzzle is a solid production that can serve as a good brain teaser. Its ever-changing configuration of piece layouts increases its shelf life, and it's nice to have around just to exercise the brain. — Allen Tran, 7/24/09 Learn more about SphereXyz
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