LeapFrog Learning Toys Review

LeapFrog Tag Activity Storybook Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Air Penguin

Jessica — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:13:12 +0000

Use your tag reader to bring this story to life as the penguins and monkeys discover teamwork
With its amazing touch technology, the tag reader makes learning to read an exciting experience as words talk, pictures sing and stories live out loud
The Tag library includes more than 25 books and games featuring characters from TV, movies and classic tales
Children can build vocabulary and reading skills throughout the story and with interactive learning activities Madagascar: escape 2 Africa air penguins introduces synonyms, antonyms, character motivation, reading comprehension and vocabulary skills
Children can earn online rewards and parents can connect the tag reader to the online LeapFrog learning path to see what their child is learning

Product Description
Tag Storybook Madagascar… More >>

LeapFrog Tag Activity Storybook Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Air Penguin

Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder

Jessica — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:13:01 +0000

Build over 325 words with magnetic letters that teach and sing!
Includes letters A through Z, plus three additional letters so kids can spell words like MOM.
Features three ways to play: Load a Letter, Word Builder and Word Hunt learning modes.
Lights follow letters to reinforce the learning.
Helps develop rhyming skills and teaches word building for three-letter words. Help reading skills rise and shine with this magnetic letter set!

Product Description
LeapFrog Fridge Words Magnetic Word builder Turn your refrigerator into a fun learning center for your little one with the LeapFrog Fridge Words Magnetic Word builder. Children can learn to build over 325 words through three different levels of play: Load a Letter, Word Play and Word Building. Using the included 29 letters your child’s reading skills and self confidence can take flight. All pieces attach securely to any magnetic surface and provide hours of learning… More >>

Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder

Traveling to Oaxaca With Children

Jessica — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:13:51 +0000

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B

Oaxaca has traditionally been known as an adult travel destination, steeped in ruins, colonial churches, museums and a tradition for fine art and handicrafts. But having been visiting the region regularly since 1991, always with our daughter, and now having been living here for a few years and regularly toured friends and family with young children around the city and outlying sites, without a doubt young families contemplating a visit should set aside any lingering trepidation regarding both the well-being of their young progeny, and their parents’ ability to have at least somewhat of a romantic getaway.

Concerns might include wondering if there will be enough sites to hold your child’s interest, if you’ll be able to visit the vestiges of pre-Hispanic civilizations without the kids being bored to death, if you’ll ever be able to sneak away for a dinner on your own, if you’ll have to pay a premium to find accommodations with a pool — the guarantee of an afternoon swim is always the best bribe — and the wisdom of perhaps just having a beach vacation and saving Oaxaca for another time when you can do it without the family.

Having pondered such considerations from time to time, I can now offer valuable suggestions regarding where to stay even without a pool, what tour routes will definitely hold the interests of children and teens, and what activities exist in and around the city on a regular basis, geared to youthful vacationers.

Where to stay, and swim

Suburban Hotel San Felipe is a welcome change from the downtown hustle and bustle…the outdoor pool is in a picturesque setting flecked with rural neighborhoods and rolling hills. Several friends have also enjoyed Holiday Inn Express, at the north end of the downtown sector. But many visitors to Oaxaca prefer a more quaint and traditional environment to the somewhat sterile Americanized accommodations yet can’t rationalize the cost of hotels such as Camino Real or Los Laureles, impressive in their own right.

Most of the smaller family-owned and operated hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses do not have pools, but should not be discounted out-of-hand. Some have made arrangements with nearby pooled hotels for their guests to attend.

Each lodging should be able to point you to alternatives to an on site pool such one of the water parks located along the highways entering the city. These facilities have pools of varying sizes and depths, large water slides, and other appurtenances to keep the kids there for the better part of a day. A short taxi ride from downtown are Las Brisas and La Bamba.

There are two additional alternatives. Consider attending one of several “balnearios” located about a half hour out of Oaxaca in the village of Vista Hermosa, catering to entire families rather than to predominantly children. During the hot season you’ll find families and friends around the pools, playing volleyball, or sitting under palapas eating an array of local fare available from the small comedors.

Then there’s Hierve el Agua, at the end of one of the out-of-town touring routes. The site consists of two large pools fed by natural bubbling springs, in a spectacular mountain setting with a petrified mineral “waterfall.” They are safe for kids, and large and deep enough to satisfy the aquatic yearnings of any adult. Most tourists don’t get to Hierve el Agua, probably because of the distance, but in my book it’s a must for families with children, in particular if it’s done in conjunction with a couple of other stops en route.

Oaxaca relies solely on tourism for its existence, and accordingly accommodations which claim to welcome children should bend over to provide families with “the little things” such as a stroller, crib with accessories, car seat, highchair for use in their dining room, and a reference for a reliable babysitter who can come to the hotel while you’re out for an evening. At the time Hotel San Felipe provided babysitting when our daughter was pre-teen. If you search in earnest you should be able to find smaller hotels and guest houses similarly accommodating. If your child can read and the babysitter has only a limited grasp of English, give your child a series of phonetically prepared questions and suggestions [tén go ám bray (I’m hungry); key árrow na dár (I want to go swimming)]. If your child is too young, the niñera should have the experience to determine any pressing issues. All lodgings should have an English-speaking doctor on call in the unlikely event of illness.

Two child-friendly tour routes

1) Hierve el Agua:

The promise of Hierve el Agua at the end of one of the two main tour routes is the best possible means by which to keep children in check during the first half of this day trip. On the return to Oaxaca from this site they’ll be sleeping in the back of the car or van, no doubt having been exposed to too much sun and water activity.

Your morning begins with a stop at el Tule, the massive 2000 year old Cyprus tree. Make sure you get a child tour guide dressed in a Robin Hood suit to show you the innumerable images in the trunk, with the aid of a mirror. Encourage your children to trade words in English and Spanish with the little Hoodettes. A key to holding the interest of young children is to give them the opportunity to interact with others of similar ages…and it provides a good lesson in cultural diversity.

At Teotitlán del Valle, the rug village, ask your guide to take you to where you can have a demonstration where the weavers’ children and grandchildren will be present. Your kids will be able to play, touch the raw wool, try spinning it, and even get their hands wet and dyed in large vats of natural vegetable material used in the process of coloring the spun wool. While you’re searching for a floor covering or wall hanging, let the kids look for a piece with fanciful imagery suitable for their bedroom, or a mini-rug (i.e. woolen coaster) with a fanciful design. They’ll spend as much time choosing as will you. Our daughter grew up with periodic visits to Casa Santiago. It seemed like as Sarah got older, there were always two or three Santiago children or grandchildren on hand to occupy her time and keep her in tow. One of the Santiago relatives offers an afternoon weaving course, suitable for children eight years of age and older, where children can both learn and make their own small carpet or wall hanging.

If you travel the route on a Sunday, there’s no better place to keep the kids in awe than at the Tlacolula market…the colors, array of sale items, sweets, live turkeys, music, hawkers, and the handicraft market. It takes at least an hour and a half to get through the market, so the promise of a dishful of ice cream (actually a healthier sorbet referred to as nieve) while in the marketplace does the trick. One area has several stationary parlors where you can sit and enjoy a cone or plate of one of several tropical fruit flavours.

The two main ruins along this route are Yagul and Mitla, the latter more grandiose and famous. Each has excavated burial chambers to intrigue the most youthful of Tomb Raider. Since it’s unreasonable to expect children to go to two ruins in one day, regardless of the parenting tactics employed, I would opt for Yagul. It has two tombs which can be descended by all. There’s a labyrinth in which the kids can run around and get temporarily lost. Children tend to enjoy climbing the steep mountain pass leading to a fortress. At the top there’s what archaeologists claim is a bathtub hewn out of stone in which the kids will enjoy sitting. Finally, the site should be of interest to all adults, with its pre-Hispanic ball court and vista of the valley from the pinnacle of the fortress. It might be blasphemous to even suggest, but thinking of young children in particular, why not save Mitla for another trip. After all, you’re probably going to schlep them to Monte Albán, the granddaddy of the region’s ruins.

Unless you forego some the sites already noted, you probably won’t have time to visit the zoo along this highway, nor should you feel compelled to do so. The kids can always go to the zoo back home.

Regardless of which of the two roadways you take to get to Hierve el Agua, your final destination, you’ll pass goats, sheep and/or cattle being herded either at the side the road or right in front of you dictating that you yield to the flocks. Stop and encourage the kids to get out with you. Ask if it’s safe to hop on the back of one of the beasts or at least stand alongside for the photo op.

There are reliable restaurants both en route to Hierve el Agua (i.e. Doña Chica at Mitla, and roadside El Tigre at the cutoff to San Lorenzo Albarradas) as well as at the site, but if you tend to be extra cautious with the children, there are benches at the pools where you can eat your own picnic lunch. Alternatively you can relax and munch away while sitting on the rock outcroppings.

The more you permit your kids to swim, the greater your assurance that the ride back to the city will be peaceful, relaxing, and above all quiet.

2) Crafts and more crafts:

San Bartolo Coyotepec provides an extremely appealing beginning to another full day of touring. At one of the many workshops, watch a demonstration of the ancient craft of making fine black pottery without the use of a wheel or modern tools. This artistry should hold the attention of children of all ages. However, for further assurance ask your guide to take you to a studio such as Doña Rosa, where Maestro Don Valente permits children to go off to a table close to the demonstration and work with the very same clay. While the children are dirtying their hands while molding, you’ll be learning how to fashion a bowl out of freshly mined clay, water, heat, and little more. Browse the showroom and select from a broad array of both sleek and modern, and traditional pieces, while the kids look for ceramic forms of their favorite animals.

In nearby San Martín Tilcajete, some of the workshops producing carved and brilliantly painted wooden animals permit you to make advance arrangements for your children to select and then paint the animal of their choice, with guidance from one of the facility owners. Once again there will likely be an opportunity for the children to chase after and pet animals and play with kids of their own age.

For lunch, try Azucena Zapoteca, on the highway at the entrance to San Martín Tilcajete. The food is good, traditional and safe, and the grounds are spacious and include a swing set to occupy your children, within your site range, while you dine.

The village of Santo Tomás Jalieza is known for production of cotton table runners, placemats, napkins, belts and purses using the primitive back strap loom, and bedspreads and tablecloths using much larger machinery. One of the cultural experiences for children in this setting will be noticing how their counterparts from about 10 years of age help with the family trade and its financial sustenance.

At Ocotlán you’ll drop by the homes of the Aguilar sisters, who fashion clay painted figures with scenes representative of markeplaces, religious imagery, comedic love depictions and colorful fiestas. At least one of the workshops generally has a quantity of unpainted figures on which each child can express his own creativity.

Finally, a couple of minutes down the road your family will have an opportunity to witness Ängel Aguilar hand-forge knives and cutlery using only recycled metals in a rudimentary hearth. The setting is fascinating, primitive, and safe for the kids. In only a few minutes, right before your eyes, Ängel can engrave your child’s name and a fanciful drawing on a souvenir knife with a 1 inch blade and leather sheath, and more importantly the inscription can be whatever your child selects.

If you follow this itinerary on Friday, you’ll have an opportunity to wander through the Ocotlán market, similar to the Sunday Tlacolula market, though smaller.

Each of these two routes has additional stops, but this particular selection highlights sites which maximize experiences which your children will recall for a lifetime.

And don’t forget the city

Throughout the year there numerous local and international celebrations, with color and pageantry, song and dance, some specifically designed with a youthful audience in mind. The website http://www.oaxacacalendar.com should be consulted just before leaving for your trip. In addition to listing weekly events such as where and when the mariachis and the state band of Oaxaca can be heard, as well as particulars of a number of museums and galleries, it details specific upcoming fiestas and performances, when the Guerreros baseball team will be playing (a treat for sports enthusiasts of all ages), fireworks displays and most major upcoming events.

A Saturday morning bilingual hour for children is held at the Oaxaca Lending library ( http://www.oaxlibrary.com ). The library sometimes sponsors additional programs for children. From mid-July to mid-August there is a summer camp offered in San Felipe for kids of all ages, and seasonally there are courses and similar offerings through the Textile Museum. Art and music classes are also available.

Many of the Spanish language schools have a specific curriculum for kids, so if you’re contemplating brushing up on your Spanish, there’s no need to worry about how the children’s morning time will be occupied. Casa de La Cultura also offers courses for children. Finally, there are a number of charitable organizations where foreign youth are given an opportunity to assist disadvantaged or struggling local children.

Speak to your tour guide or hotel manager for more specific suggestions geared to children of particular ages and passions. Youths with a strong interest in the fine arts might be thrilled to visit workshops of a couple of local artists, or perhaps go on an alternate tour out of the city which takes in the studio of a sculptor, a hand-made artistic paper factory, and the Center for The Arts housed in a 19th century mill. For those who have been sensitized to environmental issues or who have been exposed to camping and the outdoors, the family can spend a couple of days in a rustic mountain setting in the Sierra Norte…hiking, biking, horseback riding, and learning about how particular industries in the state are making inroads in terms of environmentally friendly production.

The options are innumerable. It’s simply a matter of doing a bit of homework, asking, and then committing yourself to a vacation dedicated in large part to your children. The inevitable rewards will include your own memories of the region’s richness and cultural diversity, and a greater appreciation of the magic of Oaxaca.

Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, thereafter embarking upon a career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin now resides in Oaxaca, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sites, is a consultant to film production companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ) .

LeapFrog Tag Activity Storybook Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Kai-lan¿s Super Sleepover

Jessica — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:13:45 +0000

Use your Tag Reader to bring this story about Kai-lan’s super sleep-over to life
With its amazing touch technology, the Tag Reader makes learning to read an exciting experience as words talk, pictures sing and stories live out loud
The Tag library includes more than 25 books and games featuring characters from TV, movies and classic tales
Children can build vocabulary and reading skills throughout the story and with interactive learning activities. Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Kai-lan¿s Super Sleepover introduces rhyming, social skills, Chinese vocabulary and sorting and classifying skills
Children can earn online rewards and parents can connect the Tag Reader to the online LeapFrog Learning Path to see what their child is learning

Product Description
Tag Activity Storybook… More >>

LeapFrog Tag Activity Storybook Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Kai-lan¿s Super Sleepover

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book: Pooh Loves To

Jessica — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:13:35 +0000

Join Pooh and his friends as he think-think-thinks of all the things he loves to do
Touch your Tag Junior book pal to any part of any page and discover more than 130 audio responses in this book
More than 24 playful activities encourage toddlers to take charge and explore, while helping build confidence with books
Each Tag Junior board book focuses on a different preschool skill Pooh Loves To focuses on action words and also introduces counting and friendship
See your child’s progress through the online LeapFrog Learning Path, and get printable activities to expand the learning

Product Description
“Join Pooh and his friends as he think-think-thinks of all the things he loves to do. This Tag Junior board book springs to life when you touch the Tag Junior book pal to any part of any page. More than 24 playful activities and 130 audio responses encourage little ones to explore while helping build confidence with books. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path to see their child’s progress and get printable activities to expand the learning. Appro… More >>

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book: Pooh Loves To

What to Search For When Teaching Preschool Spanish

Jessica — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:13:39 +0000

With thousands of different programs, books and CD’s available, it is getting harder and harder to choose the most effective and easy method to teach your child preschool Spanish. Children are easily able to absorb materials when they are at a young age, so it is important to start teaching your child a different language as soon as possible.

In fact, studies have shown that if parents want their children to learn a foreign language, they need to start with lessons before they child has mastered English. When children are young, they are able to absorb information at a faster rate. That is why teaching them a foreign language before they can even read can be incredibly helpful.

If you are interested in teaching your child to be bilingual starting at a young age, there are many things to search for. First, you need to find a program that will be fun. Teaching children should not be boring. Children do not want to sit around and read words all day. This should not be a boot camp. Make sure to find a program that incorporates games and activities. When children enjoy learning, they are more apt to pay attention to the information.

Also, make sure to search for a preschool Spanish program that is easily accessible and cheap. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a program, when it simply does not cost that much to teach a language to your children. There are many programs that do not cost much at all, but still supply valuable tools to the children. Cost should always be taken into consideration before selecting a program.

It is also important to select a program that teaches kids in a way that they are able to learn. When kids are young, they are still learning different things. Some programs incorporate that learning into teaching them another language. When preschool Spanish programs do that, it is much more effective. Kids can learn a lot of information if it is taught to them in a manner they can grasp.

It is also important that the parents are also able to grasp the lessons. Even if the parents are not bilingual, the lessons should be given in a way that parents who only speak English are still able to teach them.

The program should also be easily accessible. There are many programs that are offered online. When people pick an online program, they do not have to wait for things to come in the mail, and they do not have to go to the store to purchase other supplies. It is a much more cost effective way to learn. Also, materials can be transmitted directly to the user, so they can also get started sooner.

Our Spanish Lesson Plans Online offers all of these things to users. Their learning style is fun for kids and adults alike. Their preschool Spanish program is incredibly affordable. It teaches kids in a way that is easy for them to learn, and it is offered online. For more information, visit them online at http://www.ourspanishlessonplansonline.com.

We’ve written the lesson plans, did them with our children, and every day I beam with delight each time I hear my children use Spanish with each other at play. For more information on preschool Spanish visit http://www.ourspanishlessonplansonline.com.

LeapFrog My Pal Scout

Jessica — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:13:22 +0000

Download your child’s name and favorite things to this cuddly customizable puppy, Scout (Internet connection required)
Listen to any of 5 pre-loaded songs, 4 learning songs and 3 playful melodies or select music from an online list of 30 songs (Internet connection required)
Press Scout¿s paws for lullabies, learning songs and activities with numbers, animals, food and more
Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning ideas and insights from LeapFrog

Product Description
LEAPFROG 19156 MY PAL SCOUTAmazon.com Review
The LeapFrog My Pal Scout is an interactive companion that helps children learn with an entertaining twist. Recommended for ages six months to three years, the cuddly Pal Scout’s music, lights, and singsong voice appeals to kids whether they are barely crawling or talking in complete sentences. As an added feature, you can personalize the toy to match your child’s preferences through the LeapFrog Connect applica… More >>

LeapFrog My Pal Scout

LeapFrog Tag Storage Case – Pink

Jessica — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:13:18 +0000

Sturdy storage case lets you keep all of your tag storybooks and the tag reader in one place
Kids can carry their books and reader with them on the go

Product Description
Use this handy storage case to take the Tag Reading system (not included) with you wherever you go. Premium plastic casing ensures your Tag reader and books are protected while you are on the move!… More >>

LeapFrog Tag Storage Case – Pink

Learning Spanish: Begin By Listening – Part 3

Jessica — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:13:27 +0000

The way in which adult Africans, and I believe many of the adults I’ve met in the resort areas of Mexico, have developed a high degree of spoken fluency is the same way in which we learned our native tongue as children-Passive Listening. If ever there was a “natural way” to learn a second language, this is it. If ever there was a way that one should use as the primary step to second language acquisition, this is it.

Passive listening would be the direct opposite of how we are taught to approach the learning of math, history, or science. It is not the cramming, drilling, cold memorizing of facts, or mindless repetition of vocabulary words. It is, rather, the silent assimilation and consequent registering of sights, noises, smells, and action pictures within the new language. It is something that goes on even when a conscious effort is not being made to pay attention to things within the language. I know of one language school in the States that uses the Learnables products with children and suggests playing the tapes while the kids play and sleep.

During the period of silence in which children say little in the new language and play a lot, passive listening is happening. There is no classroom in which a teacher is instructing the child in the language. The need to fit into play with the foreign children whose language must sound like gibberish at first is so great that lots of passive listening is happening.

As adults, we have to engage in purposeful activity, one that is designed for massive exposure in the new language (acquisition first, learning second), as well as passive activity. I not only use home study courses that offer me “comprehensible input” in the language, but I watch lots and lots of television in Spanish. This can be done in the States as well as in Mexico where I live. The Simpson’s is an ideal program for this. It used to be available on Univision television as well as other Spanish cable networks.

Learning a New Language Has Never Been Easier

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book: Curious George Color Fun

Jessica — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:13:28 +0000

Discover all the colors of the rainbow with the world¿s most curious monkey, Curious George
Touch your Tag Junior book pal to any part of any page and discover more than 130 audio responses in this book
More than 24 playful activities encourage toddlers to take charge and explore, while helping build confidence with books
Each Tag Junior board book focuses on a different preschool skill, curious George Color Fun focuses on colors and also introduces action words and more
See your child’s progress through the online LeapFrog Learning Path, and get printable activities to expand the learning

Product Description
Tag Junior Book Curious George… More >>

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book: Curious George Color Fun