Check Out the Latest from LeapFrog (Creativity Camera Protective Case and Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil Stylus) Review

Children's educational toys and learning products have changed so much since my oldest daughters (now 14 and 11) were little; compared to their older sisters, Lil Man and Lil Diva seem to have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips and so many creative and fun products to help them learn everything they need to learn to be ready for whatever the world throws at them.

LeapFrog has long been one of my go-to brands when it comes to educational toys for my kids, I love that they make learning so much fun for little ones by providing them with toys that are actually learning tools in disguise, like two of their newest offerings the Creativity Camera Protective Case & App and the Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil™ Stylus & Writing App. 

About the Creativity Camera Protective Case and App.
 

• Designed for little ones, the Creativity Camera Protective Case and App combines the camera power of iPhone® and iPod touch® with creative learning fun! The case protects your iPhone or iPod touch device and the information stored in it while your child enjoys hours of play. To use, simply download the free creativity learning app, and place your device into the protective case for hours of games and activities. Children can edit photos to make silly pictures, go on photo missions to create special albums and even play an exciting augmented reality game. This innovative app toy turns your device into the ultimate creativity camera that kids will love!
  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

About the Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil Stylus and App.

 

•  The Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil™ app toy gives kids a fun, engaging way to interact with the world of Mr. Pencil and the citizens of Doodleberg as they learn writing and drawing skills! Children can use the adorable stylus to unlock an adventure-filled app with more than 85 interactive activities, and practice writing letters and numbers along with drawing skills in a fun way.. And don't worry about the safety of your screen - this kid-friendly stylus is specially designed not to scratch it! This breakthrough app toy helps turn your iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® into the ultimate learn-to-write tool.
  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

 

Thanks to MomSelect and LeapFrog, we had the chance recently to try out both of these cool new offerings from LeapFrog and my little ones, couldn't have been more excited!  With a number of Apple products in the house, I couldn't wait to get the kids started playing with these two products and they were both adamant about starting with the camera.  One of Lil Man and Lil Diva's favorite things to do is pick up my iPhone (or my oldest daughter's iPod Touch) and take photos, they love capturing their own silly faces as well as the occasional awkward shot of mom in the kitchen cooking (not very cool kiddos, not very cool).  While I don't always love their choice of subjects, I do love seeing them have such a deep love of photography and the creativity that it can and often does, inspire.  I did hesitate for an instant when taking my iPhone out of it's protective case and placing it inside the Creativity Camera, but the instant I closed the door, I knew that it was well protected no matter how rough the kids were with it, which definitely made it easier for me to hand it over for the kiddos to go create. 

 

It didn't take long before both Lil Man and Lil Diva were snapping pictures of everything from the cats to the floor, but their favorite subject seemed to be themselves, as you can see below, Lil Diva was having a lot of fun with the editing aspect of the Creativity Camera app.  Lil Diva loved that she was able to snap her own picture and then go in and add silly colors and frames and even cute little stars and hearts and flowers, she actually spent the better part of an hour walking around the house taking photos and then editing them, the two below are a couple of my favorites. 

 

 

 

 

I honestly can't remember Lil Diva having this much fun with another educational toy, unless of course, you count her beloved LeapPad. 

 

What I love about the Creativity Camera Protective Case and App:

 

*  It's easy for Lil Diva to use!  The size and shape of the protective camera case, is perfect for Lil Diva's tiny hands, while the camera itself is bigger than most traditional cameras, Lil Diva had no trouble at all carrying the camera around and snapping pictures with it.

 

*  It lets Lil Diva become familiar with taking photos and editing them within an app that is specially designed for little ones.  I like that my little ones can take photos (without limitations) and edit them within one app, without having to go into the photo albums on my phone, choosing a photo and then opening another app to edit.  The editing options available are simple to use and perfect for Lil Diva's age range. 

 

*  Lil Diva can be creative without me worrying that my iPhone will be destroyed in the process...I really love the piece of mind that gives me!

 

 

Next up is my personal favorite of the two, the Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil Stylus and App.  I decided not to enroll Lil Diva in preschool this year, mostly because she's my last child and I wanted to spend some more time just the two of us before she starts kindergarten next fall, but the decision not to enroll Lil Diva in school meant that I would have to work with  her twice as hard while she's at home to get her ready for kindergarten next year.  I'm constantly picking up new educational tools and trying new activities to keep Lil Diva interested and excited about learning, but keeping a four year old's attention isn't always easy.  The one thing Lil Diva does always love to play with is my iPhone so I knew that chances were good that she would really like using the Mr. Pencil Stylus along with the app on my phone...and I was right!  Check out the video below of Lil Diva using the Learn to Write with the Mr. Pencil Stylus and App.

 

 

As you can see from the video, Lil Diva is excited about playing with the Mr. Pencil Stylus and app, but it doesn't take long for her to become frustrated when the app doesn't respond the way she wants it to.  It took a little practice on her part, but Lil Diva quickly caught on to how the stylus worked and was able to navigate through the tasks with ease. 

 

What I love about the Learn to Write with Mr. Pencil Stylus and App.

 

*  Lil Diva is learning to write her letters, shapes, and numbers the correct way, but in a way that is also fun for her.  I really appreciate that the app forces the child to write the letters and numbers in the correct way and will not let them move on if they haven't, this of course, was also the one thing about the Mr. Pencil Stylus and app that Lil Diva often became frustrated with, but her desire to move on throughout the tasks, had her quickly figuring out the correct way to write each letter.

 

*  I really love that the Mr. Pencil stylus is so portable, Lil Diva can open the app on my phone from virtually anywhere and as long as she has the Mr. Pencil stylus (which easily fits in her bag) she's ready to play and learn.

 

I'm really glad that we were able to check out these two new gadgets from LeapFrog, not only have they become a big part of Lil Diva's everyday play, they've also become two great learning tools, which I can definitely appreciate.  Though Lil Diva has no idea that she's getting one, my husband and I bought her an iPod touch for Christmas, I just know that these two toys will become an even bigger part of her everyday learning and play when she has her own device to play with them on.  If you have a little one in the 3-6 age range (and honestly, Lil Man in 6 and loves the Creativity Camera), then I definitely suggest checking out these great new toys from LeapFrog, both of them would make excellent holiday gifts for the little ones in your life!

 

Disclosure:  I received the items above from MomSelect and LeapFrog to review...all opinions are 100% my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 







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Our LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock’ n Learn Party!

When it comes to deciding which educational toys to buy for my children, there are a couple of brands that I know, without doubt, I can depend on to deliver the educational aspect that I expect and the fun factor that my kiddos crave and one of those brands has always been Leapfrog!



LeapFrog has always been one of my top choices for educational toys, I can’t tell you the hours of fun (and learning) my children have had thanks to LeapFrog’s innovative, engaging, completely awesome toys.  I’m always excited when I have the chance to work with LeapFrog for a blog review or party, no matter the campaign or the product, I’m never disappointed.  So naturally when I had the chance to host a LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock’ n Learn Party I was super excited to invite a few of Lil Man and Lil Diva’s friends over and rock out! 

As part of our role as hosts for our LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock’ n Learn party we received a couple of the new Touch Magic toys to try out…the kiddos really loved that perk!  We received both the Touch Magic Learning Bus and the Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar to review and share with our friends and Lil Man and Lil Diva couldn’t wait to be front and center in their own Rock Band, thanks to LeapFrog Touch Magic. 

Before I tell you all about our Rock’ n Learn Party, I want to tell you a little more about the stars of the party…LeapFrog Touch Magic’s Rockin’ Guitar and Learning Bus.

The LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar brings musical fun and develops preschool skills with every little touch.  Kids can chose to play solo without a backup, play along with a band or select electric or acoustic guitar to plat sons including:  The Alphabet Song, Rockin’ Robin, Itsy Bitsy Spider and more.  Plus, they can customize their play experience by adding guitar riffs (something that my little ones love doing), silly sounds and drums.

LeapFrog’s Touch Magic Learning Bus helps teach little ones their ABC’s, a crucial skill for early reading.  The Touch Magic Learning Bus takes children on a musical journey filled with educational discover and games.  With a simple touch, preschoolers can use the six piano keys and two drum pads to play along with songs that including Wheels on the Bus, ABC Song and an original rockin’ School Bus.  The interactive surface with glossy, smooth graphics encouraged exploration and features more than 40 touch points that allow kids to play their way through core learning skills.

Since our Lil Man’s birthday was earlier this month, we decided it would be the perfect occasion to have our LeapFrog Touch Magic Rock’ n Learn party.  As soon as all of the kiddos arrived, Lil Man and Lil Diva went to work assigning each of them roles in their band, the other kids didn’t mind and they seemed super anxious to play the instruments.  While all of the little ones were making beautiful music, I decided to give the mommies and daddies the lowdown on the Touch Magic products that they were playing with.  After seeing their little ones rock out with the guitar and play music and learn the alphabet with the Learning Bus, all of the parents were impressed with both products and a couple even mentioned adding them to their kiddos holiday list—I’d say that’s a major success!



Honestly, the Touch Magic products from LeapFrog that we received have been two of Lil Man and Lil Diva’s favorite new toys, which is a-ok with me, I mean, what’s not to love?  LeapFrog’s Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar and Learning Bus provide my children with hours of fun and they inspire imagination, as a mom, that’s a win-win…thanks LeapFrog!

Before I go, I wanted to let all of you know about a really cool contest that LeapFrog has going on right now…the Rockin’ Guitar Contest where you could win $500!  You can find out more about LeapFrog’s Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar Contest by visiting the LeapFrog website…happy rockin’!

Disclosure:  I received free LeapFrog products in order to host the LeapFrog sponsored Rock’ n Learn Party.  The opinions expressed are my own!

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LeapFrog ‘Learn, Create, & Share’ Party!

As a blogger I have had the opportunity to participate in some of the most fabulous campaigns and host some of the most amazing parties, but the LeapFrog party that I hosted this past weekend was definitely my favorite!

 

We recently had the chance to host a “Learn, Create & Share” party sponsored by LeapFrog!  And what better time to party than for Lil Diva’s 3rd birthday?!? 

 

For our party we were sent several LeapFrog products including:

 

One LeapPad learning tablet

    -Pre-loaded with Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 ultra e-book

    -LeapSchool Reading Cartridge game

One Tag Reading Sytem

    -Interactive World Map

    -Learn to Read Series 1 (short vowels)

 

We also received lost of great coloring and activity sheets for our guests and coupons for all of the mommy’s who attended! 

 

Since I decided to hold our "’Learn, Create, & Share’ party alongside Kinley’s birthday party we decided to have kind of a show and tell demonstration of all of the LeapFrog products and instead of the standard Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs games that are played at most birthday parties we let the kids take turns playing with the LeapPad and Tag Reading System and their accessories! 

 

I was amazed at how interested and involved all of the children were in the products; my four year old son who doesn’t normally have the patience to set down and play with most educational toys sat and played the different games and read the stories on the LeapPad for hours!  The other moms who were there were equally impressed with how interested their own children were in the LeapPad and the Tag Reading System!  Many of the moms commented that they had never even considered buying their children a LeapPad because they were unsure if it would keep their children entertained and interested, but quickly changed their minds after seeing the products at work!  One of the moms at the party told me that she actually had bought the Tag Reading System for her daughter a while back and that it was one of the best investments she has ever made! 

 

 

All of the LeapFrog products laid out for the children to play with at the party!

 

 

A few of the party guests playing with the Tag interactive world map (a favorite at the party)!

 

 

Playing with the LeapPad by LeapFrog!

 

 

 

I was honestly amazed at how my son took to the LeapPad; he has had plenty of educational “toys” before and never seemed half as interested in them as he was in the LeapPad!  My three year old daughter was more interested in Tag, and loved the interactive map and even amazed me by remembering the names of a couple of the countries within 10 minutes of playing with it!  I was not alone in my amazement either, throughout the party as the children took silly photos with the LeapPad and read whole books with Tag, I had parents come up to me and comment on how interested and engaged their children seemed to be and in many cases the parents admitted that the behavior was unusual for their child.  In my mind that’s the mark of a great product!

 

There are so many things that I love about the LeapPad; I think that it matches the way that children learn today—it’s in an easy to understand format that resembles products that there parents use—in my opinion that’s genius!  The fact  that both my four year old and three year old can sit down and play a game, practice their reading skills, or even draw a picture completely on their own with very little help from me blows my mind—they seem to know exactly what to do and how to do it with the LeapPad and that’s a feature that as a very busy mommy I can definitely appreciate!  I also love that with the LeapPad you have the ability to download more apps as easily as you can with most adult devices, the ability to constantly update the tools that my children are using to learn with is a big plus in my opinion. 

 

The Tag Reading System is a product that I had seen before our party, but had never purchased or used for my children—now I definitely wish I had one sooner!  My three year old loves books, but she also doesn’t like other people reading to her (except for me of course) so the Tag system is great for her because she get’s the actual feel of doing it herself, but she’s also having it read to her so that she’s doing more than just looking at the pages!  I also love that the Tag system allows children to go beyond the words and tag and click on images in the story—that’s one of my Lil Diva’s favorite things to do!

 

I can’t begin to express how happy I am to have found both of these products; both Lil Man and Lil Diva will be starting school next fall and I have been searching high and low for products that will get them interested in learning in preparation for school—and I’m fairly certain I found them in the LeapPad and Tag Reading System!

 

Want to see what I really think of these LeapFrog products?  Check out my video below!

 

 

 

Check out the LeapFrog website to learn even more about these products and many more!  Also make sure you Follow LeapFrog on Twitter and “Like” them on Facebook!

 

*I received the products mentioned above in order to host a LeapFrog '’Learn, Create, Share’ Party…products were provided to be by LeapFrog through MomSelect.  All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced by the sponsors!*

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Learn Math with LeapFrog

It’s not always easy to gauge when your children are ready to actively learn math, with each of my children the timing and approaches have been different while still remaining similar.

My oldest daughter learned counting and simple math fairly early, we incorporated music into our teaching approach and she picked up the concept quite easily. My middle daughter however, needed more time and a different approach in order to become interested in learning, but when she did finally become interested she was a math wiz in no time (and still enjoys math more at 7 than any other subject). My two year old son is very smart (yes I know, all mothers think that their children are smart, the difference is that mine IS smart) and very eager to learn. From watching children’s television shows aimed at learning to watching and trying to participate with his older siblings when they are learning he at two is just more eager to learn than any child I’ve seen. When I decided to start teaching my son math he was already so eager and knew so much that it made my job even easier and the fact that I utilized some great LeapFrog products to help me didn’t hurt either.

Recently I was given the opportunity to review some great learning tools from LeapFrog, given the fact that I was beginning to teach my son math it was a perfect fit. Leapfrog is a brand I’ve known and trusted for years, when it comes to educational toys Leapfrog gets it! We had the opportunity to review a few items from LeapFrog; Math Adventure to the Moon DVD, Learn and Groove Counting Maracas, and the Chat and Count Cell Phone.

We own several LeapFrog DVDs and I have to say that I am more than pleased at the approach they take to teaching and making learning fun. Not only did my son and one year old daughter have a blast watching the DVD, they both were quickly counting along with the familiar characters.

My favorite item of the three is definitely the Learn and Groove Maracas; my one year old daughter loves that they make music and I love that they are teaching her to count with each playful shake. I especially appreciate that when in counting g mode your child is encouraged to count to 10 not only in English, but in Spanish as well. While learning is different for every child I’ve found that mine respond better to learning when music is involved and in my opinion the Learn and Groove Maracas are an excellent learning tool!

My kids’ favorite product from the trio is undoubtedly the Chat and Count Cell Phone, there was really never any doubt as they both love everything that resembles a phone. My son loves “chatting” with Scout and in no time was singing along and counting with the smart phone. I think incorporating math skills into a playful,, fun cell phone is a great idea and one that both of my younger children responded very positively to.

To learn more about these products you can visit the LeapFrog website.

I was sent the above mentioned products by LeapFrog to review. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by the company.

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LeapFrog Letter Factory Review

As my son gets older I notice his need for educational stimulation more and more when it comes to the movies and television shows that he watches. If he's watching a television show and there's no music or interaction then nine times out of ten he'll walk away to find something more interesting to do! There are a number of brands that are go-to brands for me when it comes to incorporating fun and education but the one brand that never fails to fulfill both needs is LeapFrog. So when I was asked to review one of the LeapFrog DVDs I jumped at the chance!

Starting May 12 Lionsgate is teaming up with Leapfrog to release two of their best selling titles, LeapFrog Letter Factory and LeapFrog Talking Words Factory. The LeapFrog brand is known for producing high quality, entertaining, and educational products for children and these DVD's combine music and stories to help children become excited about learning to read. Both titles are available today and retail for $14.98 each.

We were able to review the LeapFrog Letter Factory which teaches letters, phonics, and listening skills. The popular Leap, Lily, and Tad (we love Tad at our house) have a crazy adventure in the Letter Factory and its non stop energy from beginning to end! I was amazed at how quickly Gaige picked up on the songs and started saying the letters. Of course I was very pleased that everything was set to music because Gaige won't usually pay attention to a television show or movie unless there is music and singing. Overall we were very pleased with the LeapFrog Letter Factory my son laughed, sang, danced, and best of all learned several letters of the alphabet that I have been having a difficult time teaching him. So if you're looking for a great DVD that's both fun and educational I would absolutely suggest this title!

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