Enjoy your toys, Jen!

Congratulations to

Rondah Stepp of Stoutsville, OH!

Enjoy your prize, Rondah!

Congratulations to

Angela Winesburg of Frederick, MD!

Enjoy your prize, Angela!

My boys, ages 9 and 7, have adored every LeapFrog toy they’ve had, from their sisters’ cast-off original LeapPads (a far different species than this latest creation) to their Leapsters, Leapster 2s, Tag Readers, and Leapster Explorers. We watched a preview of the LeapPad Explorer before it came out. After that, they were so excited to get it, they asked me every day, “Is it here yet????”

As expected, they love it. I’m thrilled that the games and apps work with BOTH the Leapster Explorer and the LeapPad because then we don’t have so many fights over who gets to play the new LeapPad.

I haven’t cracked and bought Nintendo DSs for my boys yet, even though they’ve been wanting them. They have their Leapsters and that has honestly been good enough, even when they’re around other kids who have DSs and my boys have their Leapsters instead. I’m happy because they are actually learning things and they’re happy because they get to play those all-so-important video games.

I decided to give the LeapPad a whirl myself to see what it was like. I’ve mostly relied on my boys’ input when reviewing LeapFrog products in the past, so this time, I decided to not even ask them what they like best and give my own opinion. There is no doubt that they love it.

PROS:

* A magnetic stylus, which is fairly easy to get in and out and less likely to get lost (I hope!). My youngest son cut the stylus off of every single Leapster we had in the past, which has been very frustrating.

* An EXTRA stylus, in case you do lose the original. =) (Fantastic idea, LeapFrog!)

* The Learning Path, which allows parents to keep track of their children’s learning progress online.

* Kid-friendly touch screen with nice, clear resolution.

* The camera and video recorder, which may be my kids’ favorite features. Combine those with the included Art Studio and you’ve got hours of fun for kids that like to play with their pictures. The camera is pretty low-resolution, but it serves its function and my boys don’t know any better yet.

* Art Studio! Lots of fun for kids and it gets their creativity and imagination going.

* The “All About Me” game, which allows kids to make books about themselves and share them via Facebook or email. I started my own book and had a lot of fun being creative with it.

* Ultra e-books, which are so cool! They’re interactive and give kids a new reading experience.

* It allows several player profiles and each profile keeps track of that specific child’s skill level. This is particularly nice because I remember in the small amount of time when my girls were still playing with their Leapsters (the original ones, I’m talking about here), their brothers would get on them and wreck their progress because there was no such thing as a different profile or log-in. I also love that the LeapPad, as well as the Leapster Explorer, does keep track of each kid’s progress.

* You can get new games and apps to continually challenge kids (more than 100 in the LeapFrog library!).

* Much better alternative to an iPad for younger kids. Of course it’s much more limited than an iPad, but it’s also a fraction of the cost.

* It’s educational, which is my very favorite thing about LeapFrog products. They know how to combine learning and fun in such a way that kids don’t even realize they’re actually learning something and not just playing a fun game. You can feel good about your kid using this as part of her allowed screen time because she’s not just playing mind-numbing games, but actually actively participating and stretching her learning skills.

CONS:

* Like most toys of this type, it sucks down batteries like Logan drinking chocolate milk. Thankfully, I usually have rechargeable ones ready to go.

* The apps and games aren’t cheap.

OVERALL:

I highly recommend the LeapPad Explorer. It’s a wonderful educational toy for kids and a great alternative to a DS or similar handheld game component. I want my kids to have fun, and there’s not much better than seeing them have fun AND learn something while they’re doing it.

Tomorrow, I will be reviewing several of the new LeapFrog cartridge games for the LeapPad and/or Leapster Explore, and next week, I will be doing a review and giveaway of the LeapFrog Tag Reader with a brand new book. In the meantime, here are the deets for getting in on this giveaway:

THE PRIZE:

A LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet, with ONE cartridge game and ONE App Center Download Card. This bundle is retail priced at $144!

TO ENTER:

♣  Leave a comment on my blog. Limit one comment per person, per day.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣ “Like” LeapFrog’s Facebook page. Leave a comment telling me you did it, as well as your Facebook profile name.

♣  Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣  Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a LeapPad Learning Tablet from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/44jvyw4.

♣  Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

♣  Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know.

♣  “Like” my Facebook page, Parenting By Trial and Error, and leave a comment letting me know.

PLEASE READ: Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Wednesday, November 16, 2011. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!
Have you entered my Tag Reader + Solar System Adventure Pack giveaway? Click here to enter!

Here they are:

Ann from Fort Worth, Texas

and

kolpin4680 from West Hollywood, CA.

Congratulations to you two and thanks to everyone for entering!

Hot off the press is the third book in the series, What to Expect the Second Year. Since my kids are all much older, I was, of course, completely unaware of the arrival of this book. However, evidently my blog and it’s amazingly cool design (hey, I slaved over this thing for days and days to get it perfect, so I think I deserve some bragging rights!) caught the attention of someone over at the What to Expect website and they asked me to do a giveaway of their brand new book.

I’ve got two copies in my possession and they look just as informational as their predecessor. (Disclosure: I haven’t read, nor ever even seen, a copy of What to Expect the First Year, so I have no comment on that one.) I would have loved to have this book when my girls were in their second year of life. My only question: Why didn’t they come out with these sooner???

If you’d like to win a copy of one of these excellent resources, here’s the scoop:

THE PRIZE:

One of two copies of What to Expect the Second Year.

TO ENTER:

♣  Leave a comment on my blog. That’s it! Limit one comment per person, per day.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣  Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣  Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win What to Expect the Second Year from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/5r8wehn.

♣  Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

♣  Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know.

♣  Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know.

PLEASE READ: Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Friday, June 24, 2011. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!

Here’s what LeapFrog is up to (from a press release):

Another school year is underway, Education Nation has launched, Waiting for Superman is on movie screens, and we all want to give our children the best possible school experience. Knowing that literacy statistics in recent years have been discouraging at best, in 2009, LeapFrog decided we had to do more to help our youngest kids get started on the right foot—in Kindergarten, the year when “learning to read” usually begins.

So we donated $1.5 million in Tag Readers and books to the classrooms of 10,000 Kindergarten students nationwide. And after using them for a few months, here’s what teachers told us:

o 99% of them said they’d recommend Tag systems to other teachers and to parents, because it makes a real difference.

o   96% said their students’ attitudes about reading improved.

o   95% said their students wanted to spend more time reading.

o   97% said their students’ reading skills improved.

WELL. We felt confident that Tag would have a positive effect in the classroom, but even we were amazed by this feedback. Because teachers have made it clear that Tag helps them and their students, LeapFrog has launched the Tag. Give. Read. program, empowering anyone to “give the gift of reading” by putting Tag materials into the hands of 30,000 more students.

2 ways to get involved:

1.   GIVE TO A TEACHER. LeapFrog has donated $100,000 to DonorsChoose.org, to match donations, dollar-for-dollar, made to teachers who request Tag for their classrooms. This is teachers’ opportunity to post a request for Tag Readers and books, being sure to reference “LeapFrog Tag Readers” in the request. And it’s everyone else’s opportunity to help a teacher out. Everyone can give, no amount is too little, and LeapFrog’s gift effectively doubles every dollar given.

2.   “LIKE” LEAPFROG ON FACEBOOK. LeapFrog will give a Tag book to a Kindergarten teacher for each new Facebook fan we get—it’s what we’re calling our “Virtual Book Drive.” That way even someone who is unable to contribute financially can lend a hand by becoming a fan.

Pretty cool initiative, huh?

THE PRIZE:

Tag Reading System + US Map and 2 additional books for YOU.

Tag map

Tag Reading Sytem

PLUS, choose a Kindergarten teacher to receive a Tag kit for classroom use, consisting of 2 Tag School Readers and headphones, along with 2 copies each of 15 Tag books.

TO ENTER:

♣    “Like” LeapFrog on Facebook, then leave a comment here with your Facebook name. Limit one comment per person.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣    Suggest to 10 of your Facebook friends that they “Like” LeapFrog on Facebook too. The more “Likes” LeapFrog gets, the more books they get to give away! Leave a comment here telling me you did this.

♣    Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣    Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a Leapster Tag Reading System, U.S. map & 2 books from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/25jov9h.

♣    Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

♣    Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment here letting me know.

♣    Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

PLEASE READ: Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Sunday, December 19, 2010. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. only. The winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!

Congratulations to

Ria Martin, of Decatur, GA!

As my loyal readers know, I have long been a fan of LeapFrog products, so when the public relations folks at LeapFrog chose me as one of their reviewers for the as-yet-unreleased Leapster Explorer, I was thrilled. It’s absolutely awesome. All four of my kids, ages 6-11, have been using it and they love it, even though it’s technically for up to age 9. My two youngest, especially, have been using it as often as I’ll let them, since we received it.

Since it hasn’t technically been released yet, we haven’t been able to hook the Explorer up to the computer, but all the pre-installed apps are great. My kids are thoroughly entertained and educated all at once and have nothing but good to say about the games. “The games are more fun than the Leapster 2′s,” says my 7-year-old, Cody. Logan, 6,  now refuses to even touch the Leapster 2, deeming it “boring” in comparison, though knowing the temperamental nature of kids, that will change soon, I’m sure.

Kids can watch videos, read e-Books and play games via “Leaplets,” which are downloadable learning applications. They can also go online to LeapWorld, where they can turn the achievements they’ve made in their Explorer games into tokens with which to create an online character and dwelling (similar to Webkinz, if you’re familiar with that).

The Explorer is very intuitive (it personalizes games according to your child’s grade and remembers her progress) and the screen is crisp and clear. Kids can use the accompanying stylus or just touch the screen with their fingers, and the Explorer is built to run Flash, video and 3-D graphics.

Bottom line: This is LeapFrog’s absolute best product yet! I’m very impressed with it and can’t wait to see all the games and Leaplets that come out for this new gadget. I think its price is extremely reasonable for everything it does.

The only downside about the Explorer is that, unlike with all the other Leapster models, the game cartridges are not interchangeable, which means you’ll be buying a whole new set. However, its advantages more than make up for that, in my opinion, and Leapster games have long been a staple on my kids’  birthday and Christmas lists.

So, because LeapFrog chose me as a reviewer for this new product, guess what? I get to give away a Leapster Explorer too! Here’s the scoop:

THE PRIZE:

A brand new, direct-from-the-company, Leapster Explorer PLUS the Toy Story 3 cartridge game! Retail value: Nearly $95!

TO ENTER:

♣ Leave a comment telling me about your favorite LeapFrog product. Limit one comment per person.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣ Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a Leapster Explorer & game from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/2e69j2x.

♣ Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

♣ Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment here letting me know.

♣ Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

PLEASE READ: Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Saturday, July 3, 2010. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. only. The winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!

Cindi Hoppes of Edwardsville, IL,

winner of the Fibers.com $25 gift certificate giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.