Discovery Kids Puterbugs Game

Geared for children's ages 8 and under Discovery Kids Puterbugs is designed to take kids beyond apps and playing games.  This new website teaches kids how to use technology as a tool in a healthy way. 

It works like this- there is a virtual, cowboy hat wearing teacher, "Mr. Scott",  (my daughter thinks he is hilarious) and a set of little bugs called,  'Puterbugs' for each letter on the keyboard.  It's that simple but watching my child play it showed a whole lot more.  Mr. Scott takes her on a self-guided tour of games, activities and missions on the Puterbugs site that goes with only her level of knowledge.  Everything unfolds in various ways and avenues based on her level of competency.  Games like "Frozen Pizza Pops" have her using the mouse, space bar and learning all the letters on the keyboard in no time.  While she normally plays games on other television websites it usually results in her watching videos or designing cakes and dresses.  Not collecting microchips, driving with a mouse or using learning to spell, add and work all the components at one time.  Words like 'luau' are now part of her vocabulary and list of words she can spell.  Call me happy and impressed.  I love that the site keeps her focused while building concentration. It is beyond anything I have seen her do on other websites. 

Imagine Tomorrow along with the experts at Discovery Kids (Discovery Channel) identified the 'Top 100 Tech Skills' that children should learn.  Concepts like typing, texting, swiping and more are definitely involved and used frequently in Puterbugs.  While I am still limiting her time this game is now at the top of hers and my 'favorite' list. 

MPR Rating:  Five Stars. 

Disclaimer:  MPR was not paid for this post.  Products received are for review purposes only.  Opinions are MPR's only.



Trade in Your Old Board Games with Hasbro!

Give us your tired, your huddled masses.... I'm ridiculously paraphrasing there but Hasbro has come up with a great idea to help get Family Game Night (Sept. 26) off to a great start. It is time to trade-in and recycle those old board games that are worn out, tired and missing pieces.

Working with Recyclebank, Hasbro asks you to participate in the Great Games Trade-In. It makes recycling and upgrading games easy! Throughout the month of September, visit FamilyGameNight.com to print up to $83 in coupons, as well as prepaid shipping labels to easily recycle your old games. You’ll learn how to recycle your old, worn-out games with Recyclebank to make plenty of room in your freshly cleaned game closet for brand spankin’ new games! The 22 Great Games Trade-In coupon offers can be redeemed at mass merchandise retailers nationwide through October 9. And with all of these savings, you’ll even have extra spending money for treats and decorations for your big National Family Game Night celebration!

Have fun!

Image from cdn.screenrant.com

Friday Giveaway- Kids Grab Bag

This week I am offering up a few things in one prize pack!


Two sets of Silly Charmz (two per pack)
One sample of Moon Dough
A grey Kiddie Catch All for the car
A Wii 'The 1,000,000 Pyramid' Game (rated E for Everyone)
Two purple Damage-free Hanging hooks from Command Brand
A Parking Pal
A five mini-pack of Party Dough (think play-doh).

Enter to win by commenting, tweeting or following this blog. If you have already done that- follow this blog. Let me know what you did and don't forget your email so I can contact you. I will choose a winner at random on June 3, 2011. Good Luck!

**Congratulations to Tiffany! She won the Kid's Grab Bag!

Discovery Toys- Board Games

If you are a parent you have probably been invited to a Discovery Toys party.  I know I have been to quite a few parties.  Each time I have purchased a toy and been quite satisfied. In fact, the toys I bought with my first child are still in nearly perfect condition and working order after five years and two kids.  They are ready for the third child to have her go at them.  However, these were all baby toys. I hadn't ventured into the older kid category until Discovery Toys sent me two board games.  I'm still impressed.

Sounds Like Phonics -Letter Fun Lotto ($17.50) is perfect for the 3 and up set.  A little pricier than your average kids board game it contains a full educational but fun punch.  The game helps the new to school set explore their thinking, reading and language skills by finding hidden letters within the illustrations of boards and cards.  It's matching, alphabet skills and spelling all in one game.  It includes four lotto boards, 36 cards and 50 plastic markers.  My kids love this game and it makes a great gift too.

Friendship Island ($25.00) is great for ages five and above.  It encourages communication in children, which I think is a true find.  This unique game is set up to teach social skills and emotional awareness while kids explore the issues behind making friends.  It seems so simple in concept but it works well.  It's a good game that the whole family can play too.  There is an easy and a more challenging level and a parent guide for encouraging dialogue with your kids. 

Discovery Toys covers all ages of a child's growth and development. Their toys last a long time and can be passed from child to child.  You can purchase them from a consultant or online. 

MPR Rating:  Four Stars.   

Disclaimer:  MPR was not paid for this post.  Products received are for review and testing purposes only.  Opinions are MPR's only. 

Wiglington & Wenks- A Virtual World for Kids

The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks Virtual World - a massively fun online virtual world for kids (6 and up) that allows them to travel to places around the world, through time and space, meet famous historical people, play games, own exotic islands, build culture-inspired houses, wear cool costumes or create their own clothing while exploring secret locations and solving ancient mysteries.  Whew!

We had a free trial membership to test this virtual world out and as soon as we logged on my four year-old daughter became entranced.  It's vibrant and exciting to enter the world of Wiglington and Wenks. We created a character to look like her and in under ten minutes we had started our journey.  However, it quickly became clear that this was a bit too advanced for her four year-old self.  There is reading required and an overall thought process and game playing that she has not achieved yet.  I think ages six or even eight would prefer this game and really enjoy all it has to offer while becoming a legendary traveler. View a video presentation here.

While on Wiglington and Wenks your kid can be part of the only virtual world which allows kids to travel and explore locations around the world. There are more than 200 virtual world scenes with more coming later this year. It's all very educational too.  They learn about historical figures from all over, many countries, inventions, plant life, animals and even environmental issues.  Despite being too young for the site overall my daughter loved browsing through the site with my help and seeing all it had to offer.  She loved picking a country to visit as well as learning about historical people.

Don't just take my word for it though- “Wiglington and Wenks is so much more than your standard virtual world, it has a rich story line with well developed characters, plot, mystery, and quests. Students are dropped into the story and invited to participate, learning through exploration, problem solving, and critical thinking.” - Winner of the Edublog Award 2009

MPR Rating:  Four Stars.

Giveaway Alert!  Five readers will get one month complimentary memberships as well as some sponsored virtual items to Wiglington and Wenks!  Just comment to enter and follow this here blog as well.  Already a follower?  Simply comment to enter. I'll choose five winners next Wednesday, August 18, 2010. 


Disclaimer:  MPR was not paid for this post.  All products received are for review and testing purposes only.  Opinions are those of MPR only.

FamilyTimeFun Dinner Games

Five years ago, John Pandiscio, founder of FamilyTimeFun and his wife discovered that the simple question, "What's the best and worst part of your day?" could start rounds of dinner time fun. Even better was that by the time they had finished playing games and talking the kids had also finished all their food. It gave John the idea to create Dinner Games. I count us lucky and blessed to have been given this game. It has been a dinnertime sanity-saver ever since we obtained it.



FamilyTimeFun has four different games for varying ages-

-Beginner Dinner Games -- 51 wholesome dinner games for young kids ages 3-6.

-Original Dinner Games -- 51 educational games for kids ages 6-12.

-Gather 'Round Dinner Game -- 132 engaging dinnertime activities with push-button action for ages 5 and up.

-Gather 'Round Restaurant Game -- A great travel game with 96 games to play at restaurants and 36 games for car rides. Ages five +.

Naturally, Beginner Dinner Games ($15.95) was the best fit for us. The small metal box that holds the cards is practical and easy to store. It is also light so it will not take up space or add much weight if you want to bring it with you to a restaurant or on a trip. The first night we played this card game, we had success. Not only did we have fun as a family, but also our three-year-old ate all her dinner without huffing, puffing or tears. The next day and every day after that she continued to request the Dinner Game. While we don't play it every night it has certainly been a blessing and loads of fun. The games are educational, inspiring and they create simple mealtime conversation that would not always occur with the preschool set. It is a chance for us to be silly as a family and show our children that dinnertime is a fun, relaxing, enjoyable time and not a form of torture. In fact, I love this product so much that while writing this review I purchased a set for another family with small children.

Play sample games here.  Dinner Games can be purchased online via the company's website or at stores near you. 


 
MPR Rating:  Five Stars.
 
Disclaimer: MPR was not paid for this posting. Products were received and kept for testing purposes. The opinions in this review are solely my own.

Wii's Band Hero

Band Hero (rated E10+) is, dare I say it? It is a rockin' good time. I am not musically inclined and I feel bad for the people who have to sit near me in church. My singing is just that bad. When I was sent the Wii version of Band Hero ($149-179), I was excited, but hesitant about actually taking it out of the box and using it. Then I had a brilliant idea. I invited my girls night group over, took out some bottles of wine, sweet and savory snacks and in no time we were jammin'!


Initially, it did take us a bit to gel together as a group. Each of us tried the guitar, drums and microphone (OK, I spared everyone that part) and after a few tries we began to do really well. Band Hero, from the makers of Guitar Hero, features chart-topping songs from artists like Fall Out Boy, Lily Allen, the Jackson 5 and more. Taylor Swift and Maroon 5's front man Adam Levine are also playable characters. It is pretty cool. Band Hero is an excellent party game and has been fun trying it out during the holidays. Whenever we have people, over we break it out and after a few awkward moments of shyness, guests really get into it. I like how Band Hero lets you customize and interact with everyone easily and you can "take five" at any given time without interrupting a 'performance'. Beyond the Party Play mode, Band Hero has eight other ways to use the game including competitions, Sing Any Way You Want and the ability to make and share music.

Band Hero is a fun game to play with friends and family. Our oldest child loves using it, even at the age of four. According to my friend, Wii's version has better graphics and character selection than the Nintendo 360 Xbox too. Band Hero is a perfect family gift as well as one for you and your friends. It is not too late to pick one up this holiday season! Band Hero works for Wii, Xbox 360, DS Lite and more.  It is available online, at Target, Toys R Us and other toy and game retailers.

As for me, I am much better on the drums than I ever thought. It earns a spot in the MPR Holiday Gift Guide too.


MPR Rating:  Five Stars.

Disclaimer: MPR was not paid for this posting. Products were received and kept for testing purposes. The opinions in this review are solely my own.

Fun Holiday Finds- Winter's Tail Nintendo DS & Gotta Catch Santa DVD

Rated E for Everyone is Winter's Tail ($29.99) the new Nintendo DS game.  This interactive game based on real-life events is educational fun that the whole family can enjoy.  The story based on Winter, a real life dolphin, is heartwarming and true.  And now it is a one of a kind game.

It features-

An Interactive Story - Based on Real Life Events

Play Mini-Games that reinforce the meaning of each chapter

Fun Fish Facts

Interact with Whale Words - pronunciation and definitions

Customize with the Storybook Editor, Paint and Color Mode and more

Gotta Catch Santa ($15.99) is one of those fun family DVD's that
children of varying ages will enjoy.  Your children will love watching the story of Trevor and his skeptical friend Veronica as they try to find Santa (voiced by William Shatner) and save Christmas from the clutches of the meddling monster, LeFreeze.  The CGI-animation is quite good and while we found this movie entertaining I think it was a bit above my preschooler's head.  It would go best with a family who has elementary age children.  It is sure to be a big hit with them. 

Leapfrog's Zippity Learning System

Leapfrog has teamed up with Disney to create the Zippity Learning System, which is geared for age’s three to five. Using Leapfrog's learning expertise and Disney's winning storytelling the Zippity ($79.99) can help kids learn core preschool skills in music, math and language.

The Zippity comes complete with eight games (each with two levels) featuring many Disney characters like Goofy, Winnie the Pooh, Little Einstein’s and Handy Manny. The rounded pad and giant joystick ("bopper") are easy to use and only took my three-year-old a few tries to figure out and learn. In fact, it really helped her in deciphering her left and right, which she originally had a hard time remembering. Thanks to the Zippity, she is remembering it. I found the whole system easy to install. The mat and bopper, which interact with the wireless console, took mere minutes for her to use. I was impressed.

My daughter loves using the Zippity. She dances, twists, turns and stops her feet with the games and music. Each time she plays she is acquiring memory skills, culture, learning her letters, numbers, shapes and a thing or two about art and music. It is perfect for a rainy day when we need to burn off some energy and she loves all the characters and games that come with the system. I only wish that there were more games available. Besides the eight pre-loaded games there are only two other games available for purchase. I hope that more will be available soon.

Leapfrog also makes it possible for parents to track the skills their children are practicing by visiting the Leapfrog Learning Path, an online resource that is free. The easy use and the fun and educational properties have earned the Zippity a spot in the MPR holiday guide too.

The Zippity Learning System is available online at the Leapfrog website, at Amazon and in a variety of toy stores nationwide. Additional games ($24.99) such as Disney Princess: Magical Movement and Learning or Disney Pixar Cars: Driven to Learn are available too.

MPR Rating: Four Stars.

Disclaimer: MPR was not paid for this posting. Products were received and kept for testing purposes. The opinions in this review are solely my own.

Rubik's World

Formatted for Nintendo DS ($29.99) and Wii ($39.99) comes the innovative and challenging Rubik's World game. Two separate puzzle games that are fun for the whole family. Geared for ages six and up this game consists of eight puzzle games that are all very different from the DS version.

Similar to the classic Rubik's cube this game combines the abstract world with the fun and unique puzzles. It allows multiple players to make their own background music (five sounds from piano to bass) which can be saved and sent to other worldwide Rubik's players.

Key features include:

Play 8 unique games which mix puzzles, quizzes, music and sound activities – as well as the classic cube solving game!

Multiplayer games allowing you to share the fun with family and friends. Compare your stats and progress, share environments, music compositions and more!

Each game requires forward thinking and involves complex mechanics but a simple interface – all based on the idea that every reaction can have multiple reactions
Expand your Rubik’s universe. The better you play, the more cubies come to life, unlocking new challenges and activities.

Since I have a Wii I found it fun to post my creations and share with others online. It is pretty amazing what you can do with this game. It gets more and more difficult (read: challenging) to play as you enter the different levels. I liked how you can engage and interact with other "cubies" (cubes in the game) as you advance in the game. It adds up to one game that is always changing and never boring.

Rubik's World can be purchased online at Amazon or at stores like Target and Walmart.

MPR Rating: Three Stars.

Nintendo Wii's- Build a Bear Workshop Game

Rated E for everyone, Build a Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons (ages 3+) is the latest in Wii games from Nintendo. The game, which everyone in the whole family can play, has two game modes- island adventures and playground mode, 20 mini-games like ice skating and snowman building, six secret treasure spots and a whole lot of shopping. Children create their own characters (a puppy, cat, rabbit, turtle and the classic teddy bear) to go on their journeys with them by naming them, dressing them up and giving them a heart and a voice.



My daughter, who is almost three, had no idea about the Build a Bear Workshop. She's never been to a party there or created a furry friend. This game was completely new to her but she does love to play games on the Wii occasionally. When we first loaded 'A Friend Fur All Seasons' into the Wii she got really excited. She created a furry puppy friend named Roxy complete in a pink outfit and all her inner girlishness broke loose. She wanted Roxy to have sunglasses and a back pack too. She couldn't wait to accrue medals to purchase these items from the Build a Bear Workshop. This sort of blew my mind as I was not anticipating the shopping gene to be so strong or so prominent within the game. However, this quickly dissipated and she enjoyed finding the hidden puzzle pieces within the four island adventures and figuring out new ways to work the Wii remote. After a few tries she was a pro and now wants to play this game all the time.


The premise behind the game is to accompany your created friend along with Bearemy and Pawlette to the Palace for a party by sailing on the boat, the Friendship. To get to the palace you have to visit four islands and find hidden games to play. It's not a complicated game by any means and in fact feels quite natural to play and figure out. The graphics are what you would expect out of a Wii Nintendo game. The colorful characters and brightly colored and seasonal islands really appeal to children. I liked how no matter where my child guided the Wii remote there was always something for her to do and play. Her imagination and natural inclinations led her along and the game progresses from there. It makes it easy to play and way more fun.


If your child is a fan of the Build a Bear Workshop ($39.99) or you know a child that is then A Friend Fur All Seasons is an especially great game for them. Even if they are not 'in the know' about Build a Bear they will still love to play this interactive and imaginative video game.

I'm giving away TWO copies of this game to TWO lucky readers! Just head on over here first (and if you want to comment there too- YEAH!) and then comment back here about your favorite post from this past week. Don't forget to leave your email in the comment section so I can get in touch with the winners (chosen at random) on December 26.

Congratulations to ChefDruk and 3BoyzMom for winning the Wii game!

VTech V-Motion Gaming System for Kids

I admit that I'm new to the whole kid gadget thing. My daughter is almost three and can still be easily amused and/or swayed by bright shiny objects. A blinking ring from the dollar store can make her day.

When I met VTech at Blogher this summer I was skeptical and a bit in awe of all their gadgety toys for the tots age on up. Would my kid even dig a machine like this? She likes our Wii though, so why not? I tested out the new V-Motion Active Learning System (Ages 3-7 years) with her and found out a few things.

First, my kid does have an attention span longer than a gnats and two, it only really applies to video game, computer-like toys such as the V-Motion Active Learning System ($69.99). This device is fairly easy to set up. It only took about fifteen minutes and the whole time she was clamoring for it. The chunky box and bright colors really work their magic and entice the little ones. I loved how the remote was large and easy to use. The buttons are not hard to press and the joy stick moves around nicely. The games teach skills in math, spelling, reading and science. It is designed to keep your kid active while playing too. It not only stimulates their brain but their body as well. My daughter stayed engaged as she played the Dora the Explorer balancing game for way longer than I thought possible. While it took her a bit to figure out how the whole thing worked, I was amazed at how fast she navigated the games and device as a whole. Then again she knows how to work the DVD player and can pause the television now. The V-Motion Active Learning System is simply wireless, action-required, motion-activated play done right.

The only drawback I saw to it was that while my kid did not notice or mind the graphics on the screen my husband was dismayed at the quality. He likened it to old Atari trying to look like a Wii game. Maybe, but the bright colors on the screen and familiar characters were all that mattered to my child. Also, the fact that a USB cord is not included with the game was a bit of a drawback. However, the system is compatible with the V.Smile Smartridges library ($19.99 each) so there are a many games to choose from. Overall, it's a great system and my child loves playing it. I just have to monitor how long she plays with it.

This would make an excellent gift for a family with kids this holiday season or to surprise a child on their birthday. With that in mind, VTech has offered to giveaway a system to ONE lucky reader from this website. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address (I need to get in touch with you!) and I'll draw a winner at random by Saturday, October 4!

Friday Fun Find- MonkeyBarTV

MonkeyBarTV is a free website by Hasbro for kids. It features loads of games, videos, and comics for children of all ages to browse and play. The bright colors used will surely attract a kids attention. I know they got mine. I spent about 20 minutes one day playing Star Wars. I duked it out with Obi Wan as I played Anakin. Such fun!

It's not just games like Star Wars, there are sites specifically for girls as well such as, Dream Life and Littlest Pet Shop. There kids can create a magazine, send e-cards, Buddy Loons, and wallpaper for their computer. These are just some of the fun, creative and highly interactive items to choose from on MonkeyBar. Let me tell you there is LOADS to do. Even Trivial Pursuit for kids.

So next time your kids want something new to do on the computer direct them to this safe, kid-friendly website. They'll have hours of fun!

For All You Poker Playing Mac Users

Are you a Mac user? Do you like to play online poker as well? Have you even heard of or tried Mac Poker Online? If not, you should.

Mac Poker online is not just a place to online game. It's a resource site chocked full of information for Mac users. It's organized to reveal the best sites to play poker if you own a Mac. There are frequent blog updates, major playing sites, and even handy rules and regulations.

The best part of Mac Poker Online is the rating system page. Here players can find a multitude of sites for their Macs and they are all rated and reviewed extensively. You can feel confident that you are dealing with a good poker site. There is a lot of information on Mac Poker Online. It can seem overwhelming, but it's a good resource and wealth of gaming information if you love to play online poker and own a Mac.