Just Simply Holly

Yes, I know that Thanksgiving was yesterday, but since I’ve been gone since noon yesterday I thought I’d fill you in on a few things that have happened. I was recently chosen by Learning Resources® to do a product review of some of their educational toys. Yes, I know, my own children are teenagers, but I have a 6 year old niece who was held back to repeat kindergarten, so my thought was that if I could find something that would help her in school while having fun at the same time, I just might be able to help my sister win the battle!

The first game up was one called AlphaBall™ Electronic Word Game.

This was the game that I looked forward to the most because one of my niece’s biggest struggles is learning her alphabet and spelling. AlphaBall has several different games to play, and since you play using a trackball, and my niece loves a computer mouse, I thought this would be an awesome game that might hold her interest. This was a HUGE hit with my niece, and I’d post the picture of her laughing and having fun while playing it, but unfortunately I left my digital camera up in Michigan, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. But even my sister commented that she loved the fact that my niece was learning but having fun while doing so! As all parents know, if learning is made fun, the kids learn even better!

Next up was a game called Spill Your Guts™ Human Body Game.

My thought behind choosing this game was the fact that what kid doesn’t like things that seem GROSS! And no, I don’t mean gross on a bad level. We’re talking about pretend body organs that look so very authentic, even though they are much smaller than real size. Although she’s a bit young for science, my niece, as well as her older sister and my own two children, gave this game a total of eight thumbs up for being fun!

Finally we have my personal favorite, a game called Gears!Gears!Gears! ® Lights & Action Building Set. It’s relatively basic packaging gives you no idea of the fun your children will have when they open it up!

And although this was my personal favorite to begin with, the four kids playing it each gave it two thumbs up at least a dozen times! I cannot even begin to explain the many different creations kids can make with this set, the options are endless if you let your imagination run wild! I can tell you that besides the actual gears, there are also lights, stickers (some of which glow in the dark), as well as a battery operated motor to make everything work once your child builds to their hearts content! The kids enjoyed all four games, but this one kept them busy for over 2 hours alone, which says a lot considering that three of the for are teens with ADHD!

So my message to parents out there is this: Right now we are all worried about the toys that our children play with. There have been many toys that have had recalls because they make your children sick, there have others that have been recalled because pieces break off them. To alleviate your worries I recommend you check out the Learning Resources® website! Their toys and games are not only very well made and durable, but they also help your children expand their imagination and help them learn! Add all those things together and you honestly cannot ask for a better gift for your gift giving dollars!