Learning Resources Prepared Slides Combination Set Reviews

Learning Resources Prepared Slides Combination Set, 48 Specimens
From Learning Resources

Customer Reviews

An inexpensive way to add prepared slides to your collection, but durability an issue.
Learning Resources Prepared Slides Combination Set, 48 Specimens provides young scientists the opportunity to view the world in a new and different way. For a reasonable cost ($16 for me...) I'm able to share something fun and interesting with my daughter which elicits "look at this Mom..." and "what do you think a 'blank' looks like under the microscope?" Glass slides are ideal, but they also break and can injure. These slides are not made of glass, thus there's no real chance at injury, but they can tear and don't offer the ideal clear view every time. It depends upon what you are looking for, but for a cheap starter set, I think it's a good buy. Just be gentle and don't bend them!

Very nice
I bought this product and a microscope for both of my grandsons for Christmas. They still enjoy them. They are both 8 years old and it introduced them to a whole new world.
Nushka

Great beginner slide set
I purchased this slide set for my 8-year old daughter and she loves it. She has spent alot of time using it. There is a nice assortment of specimens. She is now looking forward to making her own slides. I just asked her how she likes it and she says that "I recommend them for kids who are interested in science or tiny squashed up bugs". Of course they are glass and should be handled with some care.

Features

• Learning Resources Prepared Slides Combination Set for Microscope, 48 Specimens.
• Ready for your microscope (sold separately), this 48-specimen Prepared Slides Combination Set from Learning Resources® contains 48 individual specimens of microscopic samples of animals, plants, insects, textile fibers, tiny creatures, pollen and spores.
• Ages 6 & up.

Estes Viper RC Airplane with Motion Sensing Control

Estes Viper RC Airplane with Motion Sensing Control
From Estes

Product Description

Estes RC Viper Stunt Plane uses the latest and greatest motion - sensing control technology! The revolutionary motion-sensing remote control puts you in the pilot's seat like never before. Flying your Viper® is just like flying a "real" airplane: When you tilt the flight-stick-style remote to the left or right, the Plane responds to your movement, instantly and intuitively! There's nothing like it! Twin-motor design; Aerodynamic, lightweight and agile; Does loops, barrel rolls and other great maneuvers; Built-in charger; Variable-speed throttle; For ages 10 and up. Plane is 12 1/2 x 4" with 21" wingspan and weighs 3 ozs. Control is 5 ozs. 6 AA batteries required (not included). You've got to fly it to believe it! Get yours now! Estes RC Viper Stunt Plane

Features

• Just tilt your wrist to turn your plane left or right and steer your plane
• Controlling your RC plane is easy and intuitive with M.A.S.C
• Powerful twin motors for climbs, dives and maneuvers
• M.A.S.C makes RC flying easy for beginners and fun for experienced pilots
• Screaming jet sounds

LeapFrog Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum

LeapFrog Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum
From LeapFrog

Customer Reviews

This toy is still a hit 2 years later
My daughter received this drum when she was 6 months old. She still likes to play with it 2 years later. The music is catchy and not annoying. I don't think it helped her learn her letters, numbers, or Spanish, but she enjoys playing with it.

My son loves this toy!
I gave this to my son at 4 1/2 months. His touch was too soft then, but he enjoyed when I hit the drum for him. Once he could do it on his own, it was a favorite toy for a while. He still plays with it now, at 16 months old. Now he switches between English and Spanish, which I think is great!

Product Description

Get in the learning groove with this delightful drum. It displays light-up ABCs so your little one can learn the alphabet while playing, singing and dancing to the beat. Features three fun learning modes: Alphabet, Dance Along and Musical Play. Teaches language, creativity and physical movement in both English and Spanish. Requires 3 "AA" batteries (included). Measures 8" tall.

Features

• Tap the drum for learning fun!
• Features three ways to play: Alphabet, Dance-Along and Music Play learning modes.
• Letters of the alphabet light up when baby taps.
• Music Play allows baby to explore creativity and develop gross motor skills with tapping, crawling and moving to the music.
• Introduces the alphabet in English and Spanish.

Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium Reviews

Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium
From Celestron

Customer Reviews

Celestron SkyScout
Truely amassing !

Very simple and straight forward to use.

I use this with a telescope I have to locate what I want to look at, works extremly well.

good quality product.

Glenn

GPS Issues?
I purchased the unit brand new, installed good quality batteries and installed the software on the computer and updated the software on the unit to newest version. in a clear field with NO METALS, power lines, watches ets. it displayed a magentic error icon as well as an odd lat/log. using another gps i entered the gps cord.from this unit and it shows that my field in maine has been telported to south eastern CHINA!!! I rebooted it many times and same results, new batteries same results. the moon i could see was indicated as not being present.
entered in the correct gps cord. manually and it worked perfectly. also the magnetic icon dissapeared. however after shut down and startup it said i was in china and all needed to be reentered. gps, time and date.
would also be nice if it could accept a low power eye piece of some kind.
keep your reciept and use fresh batteries.

We love it!
Very happy with the SkyScout. Worked perfectly out of the box, easy to use, lightweight and sturdy. Was a huge hit with the grandkids. It was helpful to have a simple star chart with us as well, useful in finding the entire constellation once a single star was identified. Very fun, I can see getting a lot of use out of this great product.

Features

• Locates and identifies over 6,000 stars, planets, and constellations with GPS technology
• Red LED backlit display for easy-to-read information
• Accepts SkyTour SD multi-media cards for interactive tours of the night sky
• Includes USB port for easy download of database updates
• Measures 7.4 x 2.5 x 4.0 inches (W x H x D)

My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope Reviews

My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
From C&A Scientific

Customer Reviews

Great microscope! Good for my 5 year old now and for the next 5 years!
This microscope comes with everything you will need for the budding scientist. My son loves it! It has great focus and with the provided prepared slides, he quickly got the hang of setting up his own. We love that it has the ability to view slides or solid items. Great buy! Highly recommend!

No Instructions
The microscope is great and fairly easy to use. But it came with no instruction booklet! You really need an instruction booklet for a microscope. I checked to see if the company had the booklet on line - not this model. But I did find lots of people who never got the instruction booklets with their microscopes. Now I have to see what I can do about getting the instructions. I would not order this item unless you already know how to work with slides and microscopes. Chances are, you won't get directions!

My First Lab Duo Scope Microscope
Got the toy in time for my kid's recognition day at school. He was amazed by the toy's capability! The magnification was okay up to the 10x option but image is a little blurred when you crank it up to the 400x. Just be careful when rotating the magnification knob, it might get loose easily. Also the light below the slide blinks a bit . Sort of loose I guess but with proper adjustment, it will work fine. Get more of those pre-prepared slides for continual enjoyment with your kids. Great scientific experience for them!

Features

• 10X Eyepiece
• 4X, 10X, 40X Objectives
• 40X, 100X & 400X Magnification
• Real optical glass lenses
• 2 LED lights, above and below

Snap Circuits PRO SC-500 - Best Christmas Toys

Snap Circuits PRO SC-500 - Best Christmas Toys
From Elenco Electronics Inc

Customer Reviews

Donald's choice
Snap Circuits PRO SC-500 Bought it for our Grandson who is 11 yr. old. He had the SC-100 and wanted a bigger one. Was very happy. He likes building and creating things.

Snap Circuits are fun!
I wasn't sure if this product would be good for my son's 11th birthday, but decided to go for it. He couldn't stop playing with it. This 500 project set had three books of "projects" for him to put together. Each project has easy to follow directions with a description of why it works. The science teacher at our middle school is requesting the PTA to purchase several of the smaller snap circuits sets for her science lab, so it must be good education.

It's all he wants to do!
I bought this as a 7th birthday gift for my son, who is the kind of kid who wants to know how everything works. It comes with the plastic board to build circuits on, many, many circuit pieces, and three books of projects. It's been almost a month, and he is using this, and I'm not exaggerating, 3 or more hours per day -- first thing in the morning, after school, before bed... he just loves it. He quickly moved from following directions in the book to trying to modify the circuits (what if I put the speaker on instead of the fan). He's starting to ask questions about what a resistor is, and such -- thankfully, the books have clear explanations.


I give it a 4 for durability because the battery compartment cracked when it fell from the kitchen table onto a carpeted floor, then bounced onto a wood floor. It still works fine -- it was just the casing -- but kids will drop things, so I'd hoped the plastic would hold up a bit better than that.

Features

• AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products
• Contains over 75 Snap-Together parts. Build over 500 exciting projects.
• Clear and concise Illustrated Manual Included and Available Online.
• Build 500 experiments.

Wooden Folding Barn - Best Christmas Toys

Wooden Folding Barn - Best Christmas Toys
From Melissa and Doug

Customer Reviews

Fold and Go Barn - love it
My daughter wanted a barn with farm animals so badly at Christmas. Since she was 5 years old I figured she would forget about it. When she didn't get it for Christmas and then the Easter bunny didn't bring it she was upset. So, for her 6th birthday she finally got a barn with some animals. The structure is strong and animals are fine. She really likes playing with it and adding all her other animals and horses to her farm too. I was slightly disappointed that it didn't have more gates or moving parts (locks even). It is really neat and I would recommend it. It only took about a week to get it too. My daughter loves it and that's what is most important.

Old Fun
This set has a hard time competing against Legos, Star Wars figures, Bionicles, and video games but it's well built, has a good variety of animals and is nice throwback to simpler days.

Wonderful barn!
My two-year-old son got this barn for Christmas and he loves it! I love that it encourages creative, imaginative play and is just a basic wooden toy, no batteries required. It will be a favorite for a long time I'm sure. So far, it appears very well made. There are lots of 'pens' to put the animals.
The animals that come with it aren't as nice. They are very lightweight and they have red eyes which is strange. My mom found some really nice farm animals at a local farm store and I know Target has some nice farm animal toys. However, the barn is so nicely contructed that you would think they would include better animals. The only other thing I would say is I kind of wish they had done a little more with the inside because it's just plain wood. A little paint would have been nice. However, this does not bother my son at all...he loves his barn and plays with it a lot.

Product Description

You're the farmer at this make-believe barn, and there's lots of work to do. Keep the barn tidy and clean, and make sure all the animals are happy and well-fed. This solid, colorful wood barn is ideal for endless hours of imaginative play. Comes with several wooden animals. When playtime is over, fold all pieces inside barn for easy storage and transport. Measures approximately 14" x 16" x 10.5".

More Melissa and Doug Blocks : Melissa and Doug Blocks

Fisher-Price Toddlerz Spiral Speedway - Best Christmas Toys

Fisher-Price Toddlerz Spiral Speedway - Best Christmas Toys
From Fisher Price

Customer Reviews

Fun toy
My son loves this toy and could play with it for hours! He uses the cars that came with it, but also uses other matchbox cars. In fact, that's part of the fun...the weight of the different cars varies so that adds some suspense to which car will make it down the ramp the fastest. The winner is then paired up with another car, then the winner of that race is paired up with another, and so on. We'll have about 25+ matches to come up with a grand prize winner, and then we do it all over again. It's a lot of fun and it keeps him entertained for a long time!!

My Review of the Toddlerz Spiral Speedway
We purchased this product for one of our son's Christmas gifts.

Pros:
Well built and durable
Makes racing sounds
Easy to use (1+)

Cons:
Kids get bored with it quickly
Sounds go off my themselves sometimes and can be annoying
Odd shape makes it difficult to put away in a toybox

Good gift
My son loves this toy. My son also races his hot wheel cars and his Thomas trains down it. I don't know why the other reviews said that only the cars that came with it work, we had only postive with all the cars we have tried. The only problem with this toy is, it is so loud. But I just took out the batteries. And that fixed that problem. We love this car racer.

Product Description

Place the cars in the starting gate, flip up the ramp and they're off. Side-by-side racing excitement gets a special twist as two cool race cars race down the spirals and turns. Kids can hear the engines start and rev by pressing the back of starting gate, or press the front lever for "supersonic" racing sounds. Features an easy-carry handle. Requires 2 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included). Measures approximately 18 inches tall.

LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo - Learning Toys for Christmas

LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo
From LeapFrog

Customer Reviews

Fun Toy to Grow with
Fun toy for babies of all ages. My son started enjoying this at 3months and still likes it at 27months.

Incredibly annoying
After purchasing this online, I realized that all musical toys should be heard first and never bought untested; the songs drove my husband and I nuts. We couldn't stand listening to the woman singing and finally we just hid it; I'm planning to take it to a neighborhood toy swap and be rid of it altogether. We also thought that the animal sounds were not convincing or recognizable. Of course, to each their own- we loved the Munchkin Mozart cube. I see lots of people like this toy, so it comes down to a personal (musical) preference.

keeps him busy
I bought this for a 15 ms active toddler. It's become his car toy. He sits and spins it very contently for about 1/2 an hour at a time. Excellent!!

Product Description

Animals go 'round and 'round while little tots learn their names and sounds. Whizzing motions, sparkling lights and cheerful songs introduce kids to the alphabet, from "alligator" to "zebra." Three engaging modes help them learn: Letter, Animal and Music. In Letter Mode, the wheel stops on a letter and sounds out its name. Animal Mode lets little one discover 26 animals, along with their names and noises. Music Mode plays the alphabet song while little ones spin and play. Requires 3 "AA" batteries, included. 6" x 6.5" x 7.25".

Nerf-N-Strike Bundle - Best Christmas Toys

Nerf-N-Strike Bundle - Best Christmas Toys
From Electronic Arts

Customer Reviews

Prevent Destruction of Property
Thanks Nintendo and Nerf for this product!! It means no more children running around the house shooting Nerf guns and breaking stuff. ...you shoot at the TV instead, but don't worry it shouldn't crack your LCD or Plasma. I personally do not play this, but got it for my nephews, and they really enjoy it, although the game gets a bit repetitive. ...this makes a great gift too, it's like buying a Nerf gun and a video game at the same time.

Word to your moms
Bought this for my wife for her birthday. She loves it. Tons of fun multiplayer action. It only comes with three microdarts, too easy to lose them all. Good game, though.

nice gun
THE GAME:
The game is ok. There are many types of game to play, and many types of guns to use and unlock. The voices can get annoying after awhile. The comic book style in-game movies are done well and are neat as a style.

THE GUN:
The only retail store I've seen the gun by itself for sale is Toys R Us, for around $15. This is a nice gun accessory for the Wii. I use rechargable battery packs in my wii-motes which won't fit in other gun accessories-but they fit in the Nerf one just fine. The removable dart gun part is fairly easily modified to shoot further (if you have a small saw and an appropriate adhesive). I increased the range of mine about 30-50% by removing the air restrictors and sealing a couple of holes in the barrel.
WARNING: MODIFYING THIS TOY VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED TO BE PERFORMED BY ANYONE. YOU MAY NOT HOLD ANYONE BUT YOURSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY RESULTING FROM ANY NON-HASBRO APPROVED MODIFICATIONS YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE TO THIS TOY.

Product Description

The Search for the N-Strike Elite Begins... Through the din of a popular arcade, one player has emerged as the best N-Strike gamer his friends have ever seen. But even as Shane smashes through the game's record, something far more mysterious is happening: his success is being tracked and recorded. Shane is the perfect candidate for an ultra-exclusive invitation to become an N-Strike Elite. Later that night, he's awakened to find the Nomad C Series Recruitment bot hovering silently over his bed. "B.O.B." has a challenge for Shane. Join the quest to become an Elite Striker and he'll have access to Top Secret Blasters. It's all the incentive Shane needs, and as the one controlling Shane, it's your opportunity of a lifetime....

LeapFrog® Tag Reading System - Best Christmas Toys

LeapFrog® Tag Reading System
From LeapFrog

Customer Reviews

Favorite toy till broke
My two year old learned so much using this tag system. IT would keep him busy for hours. THen out of no where the pen doesnt "read" any of the pages. I tried uininstalling and reinstalling and still nothing. It will play the stories but the interaction with the book is shot. We have only had this three months and for the price it really should have lasted longer. Anyone else have this problem?

I also wish they had more basic learning books, like learning the alphabet and numbers.

We Love the Leap Frog Tag!
This product is awesome! I love it and so does my 4-year-old son. I really can't say enough good things about it.

My son enjoys using his "Magic Pen" every night to "read" his two books - Ozzie and Mack and Cars Tractor Tipping." Many nights, after I put him to bed, I will hear the pen talking to him and the characters of the book come alive. He reads these so much that he will tell me as soon as he turns the page "Oh, it's Frank!" ... or make the sound effects that the characters make before even placing the pen on the pictures. He also enjoys turning the pen on and just listening to the story without the book.

I really like having the ability to see his progress by going online and checking out his learning path. I can see which questions he answers correctly and how many he gets right. I can even see how long he uses the Tag books.

My son got this system for his birthday in July and the books and pen are still holding up wonderfully - with one exception of one ripped page.

We love this product so much I'm asking for more Tag books and the activity cards for Christmas! I'm super excited for him to get the "I Spy" book.

I would highly recommend this product.

Deka Bakugan (Bakugan May Vary)

Deka Bakugan (Bakugan May Vary)
From Spinmaster

Customer Reviews

Do-able
Bakugan seems to be the "it" toys for kids over 7. Never understood the whole thing but the kids seem to love it.

Deka Bakugan (Bakugan May Vary)
Deka Bakugan (Bakugan May Vary)

I bought this for my grandson's 8th birthday last week and had never heard of this toy before. He told me what he would like a Bakugan Ball for his birthday, so I went on Amazon to find it. He loved it and was the first to get one of the bigger Bakugan Balls. All of his friends now want one! The product is the current rage for children, in this age group, or collectors. This would be a great addition to children that do not have one or to others that have the smaller Bakugan balls. The seller sent this to my grandson right on time, as I requested. I would purchase a product from this seller again. (Five Stars)

Bakugan Brawl!
My son purchased one for himself and for his cousin with gift cards from his birthday party. We went to the playground and all the children were following them around to see the "Big Bakugans". They were a big hit! I found out from the other parents that they were really hard to find, and all the kids wanted them!! My son and my nephew love Bakugan.

Product Description

Answer the call to brawl and decide the fate of the galaxy! This giant sphere magnetically morphs into a powerful Bakugan warrior when it rolls ? just like its smaller Bakugan counterparts. Includes one Deka Bakugan and one blister card. Figures measure 3".

Features

• Giant, collectible Bakugan that work just like their smaller counterparts
• Includes one Deka Bakugan and one card in blister card
• Battle and play for hours, and see who wins the most marbles
• The hottest new action figure line on the planet
• Age recommended 5 and above

More Bakugan Toys : Bakugan Starter Pack

Littlest Pet Shop Carry Case - Best Christmas Toys

Littlest Pet Shop Carry Case - Best Christmas Toys
From Hasbro

Customer Reviews

Littlest pet show cary case
It is a christmas gift so we have not been able to see it played with. However the person I purchased it from was very prompt. thanks so much for that.

Nice storage case
I bought this for my daughter for her 9th birthday. The case is very cute and holds quite a bit. They only fault I found is with the compartments on top of the lid, one of them does not stay closed very well. Overall this is great storage for LPS pets and accessories.

Pimped out tackle box...
I'd have to agree with the others who have said that this could have benefitted more if it had more 'compartments' on the inside to hold the characters. You open it and it opens up to one big open box - no trays, no compartments, no little sections for some of the accessories that some of the critters come with, and that would have been quite an added bonus.

I do have to admit though, after buying some nice tupperware in hopes of my five year old keeping her Pet Shop critters organized, it didn't do the trick. I caved and bought this, and boom - she keeps them all inside, organized, and has them all ready to go at a moments notice when we have to head out. The portability is awesome, and it's quite sturdy as well. The top has a couple of little doors so you can display some of your faves, and that's been a favorite aspect of it for my daughter as well.

Overall this has served it's purpose and is quite a simple concept. The only thing missing, again, is the lack of trays or compartments inside, but aside from that, this is a great idea for any Littlest Pet Shop lover.

Product Description

Never loose your pets again! This massive carry case can hold more than 150 of your favorite Littlest Pet Shop pets, and has a number of compartments to keep them all safe and secure. As an added bonus, it even includes an exclusive pet you won't find anywhere else! This is the best gift for the Littlest Pet Shop lover in your life.

Features

• The purr-fect way to carry your favorite LITTLEST PET SHOP pets anywhere you go!
• This collector's carry case hold more than 150 pets (pets sold separately)
• Makes it easy to keep track of all your bobble-headed friends
• Deluxe "tackle box" design for easy portability and storage
• Rugged plastic will stand up to many adventures away from home!