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Cranium Bloom Toys
Let’s be honest here. Playing long games with children can be equated to torture, depending on the age of your children and their mood. Interactive activities are great, but when they take two hours, any activity can get tiresome for both parent and child. My daughter has one game in particular that drives me insane. One needs a degree from Harvard to even begin to understand the proper way to play and it takes forever to complete the game. That is just one of the reasons why the Cranium Bloom toys are so fabulous.
We received the Cranium, "Let’s Play Count and Cook" game and it is fun, educational, and quick! The lid promises you’ll be finished in about 10 minutes, and that is absolutely true (of course it may take a bit longer if you have a two-year old who likes to trash the board occasionally like mine does). Players begin by placing the various ingredient tokens on the game boards. It doesn’t matter where they go, so this part is stress free for parent and child. Then, you choose a little chef and choose a recipe. There are recipes for spaghetti, cookies, macaroni & cheese, sandwiches, etc. Players roll the dice and move around the board, adding the proper ingredients and a surprise ingredient or two if you land on a star token.
My girls, ages 2 and 6, thought this was great fun. The best part is that if your children are feeling a little ornery, you choose a small recipe and if they’re settled in for the long haul, you can choose a longer recipe to complete. Interspersed with the recipes for the game are other learning activities. Complete will actual recipes for cookies and activities having to do with measuring, etc. the cookbook can keep a little one busy for quite some time.
The best part about the actual real recipe is that it details out which parts the adult should do, and which parts are kid friendly. If you’re a control freak like me, this will help you greatly to release some control in the kitchen and let your kids join in on some good cooking fun. Although the box says this game is for ages 3 and up, my 2-year old was able to follow along and play quite well. It was a quick and fun game that we certainly won’t mind playing again and again. The ingredient tokens also make great confetti for a final celebration when the game is over. Just ask my two-year old.
The Cranium Bloom "Let’s Play Count and Cook" game can be purchased online here or at Target, and retails for $12.99. If you have a budding little chef in the house, you won’t want to miss this game.
If you have a puzzle fan, the Cranium Bloom "Let’s go to the Zoo Seek and Find Puzzle" will surely be a hit. This puzzle is for ages 3 and up. My little one had a bit of trouble doing the puzzle part by herself. There are 24 pieces, but with help she enjoyed putting it together. My 6-year old also thought it was great fun. This is a puzzle that is truly for all ages.
Once the puzzle is together, it’s time for the real fun. The puzzle comes with two activity books, a beginner and an advanced book. My 2-year old enjoyed finding the zebra, lions, and objects that were certain colors. Once found, she was able to use the erasable marker to circle the items she had found. (O.k. maybe not circle, but rather just scribble over top, but you get the idea.)
When my little one was done with scribbling, my 6-year old took a turn using the advanced book. The advanced book asks kids to find items that start with certain letters. Parents can show them pictures to help them out or make it even more advanced by keeping the pictures a secret. My 6-year old thought the puzzle was a lot of fun too. There’s enough action happening on the puzzle to keep the attention of both a 2 and a 6-year old and that is saying something.
The puzzle retails for $9.99 and can also be found online here or at Target.
Both of these toys are unique in that they can be adapted to real life quite easily. Want to make cookies with the kids? Take the recipe part of the game with you to the store and let your children find the ingredients. Going to the zoo? Take the notebooks along with you and have your children find the real deal in the zoo.
For being fun, interactive, applicable to real life, and speedy, BBM gives the Cranium Bloom toys. . .
Baby Jamz Contest Winner Announcement
Before you hit play, please keep in mind a few things. First, it took Mr. BBM and I several hours to get this 10 second video done. Why? Vista sucks. That’s right. Here’s my review of Vista. Vista sucks. Because Vista sucks, I ripped half my hair out. I don’t usually look that horrible. The lighting is bad on purpose because the webcam adds 10 lbs and 4,000 wrinkles, and also pops blood vessels in the head from searching over and over again for "webcam video plays but no sound." That being said, I give you the winner of the Baby Jamz dance mat. . .
Thank you to all who entered the contest; and thanks to Child Play Communications for sponsoring the contest! Make sure you check back for future give-aways!
What to Expect: Guide to a Healthy Home
You know that book that was pretty much your Bible for the entire time you were pregnant, "What to Expect When You’re Expecting"? Well now there’s a much smaller guide from the "What to Expect" people that includes tips on how to have a healthy home. The best part? You can get yourself one for free (details below).
I first sat down to read it while I was eating my lunch. I wouldn’t recommend eating while reading, since there are frequent mentions of "snot," "feces," and other icky terms. The guide is divided into two sections: "Keeping Your House Healthy," and "Healthy Habits for Your Family."
My first impressions of the guide went something like this: "What? I’m supposed to actually wash my curtains every once in a while?" The guide offers great tips for those with allergies and asthma, on how to combat the dust mites and the irritation they can bring to everyday lives. For anyone with allergies, this guide is a must-have. Did you know that you can stick non-washable stuffed animals in a bag in the freezer overnight to kill dust mites and other allergens? I certainly didn’t. You can also do the same with other materials that can’t be easily washed.
The guide also discusses the playroom and how to make sure germs aren’t spread from toy to toy and child to child. Kitchen safety is also addressed, and I am happy to say that I would have scored an A+ on this section. My curtains may be dusty but my cutting board is clean y’all.
The "Healthy Habits for Your Family" section is your anti-flu and cold companion. You know how Barney, that loveable purple dinosaur, encourages children to sneeze into their elbows? Yeah, do that. It helps if there’s not a tissue around to do your business to eliminate germs on hands. There are also tips on how to get your kids to 1. use soap and 2. wash for a long enough period of time. Singing the ABC’s twice or even three times if you have a singer on fast forward is a great way to get those germs taken care of in the sink. There are also other great tips for avoiding the flu, and keeping germs from spreading throughout the entire family.
The most exciting part of the guide for me was the very useful information about the 3-second rule. You know, the one where you can drop a piece of food on the floor and still eat it if you can bend quickly enough? That one. Let me break it down for you. The 3-second rule (and even beyond 3 seconds is o.k. too) applies as long as whatever you’ve dropped is dry onto a dry surface, and as long as we’re talking about indoors. If the dropped item is wet or dropped outside, don’t go there. It’s that simple.
There are also plenty of handy tips for children in child care situations, and even includes help on how to choose a daycare that’s not flu-friendly. This guide was published by the "What to Expect Foundation." If you’d like to get your own copy, you can do so at the Clorox website.
For addressing just about every possible place that germs could thrive, and for being 100% free, BBM gives "What To Expect: Guide to a Healthy Home". . .
Baby Jamz
***Leave a comment at the end of this post for your chance to win a Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat. Comments will stay open for one week. At the end of the week, a random commenter will be chosen and sent a dance mat!
Holidays come and your baby or toddler is inundated with all kinds of noisy, annoying toys from well-meaning relatives. What’s a parent to do?
This year, a parent has some cool options! Baby Jamz is not your typical line of baby/toddler toys and the music that the toys play is certainly not your Mother’s nursery rhymes. From a reggae "This Old Man" to a version of "Skip to my Lou" that makes you want to jam more than skip, Baby Jamz delivers a fabulous line of toys that parents won’t mind hearing played over and over again. In fact, you might even find yourself singing the reggae version of "This Old Man" when you’re all by yourself. Shh, I won’t tell if you won’t.
This line of toys isn’t cool by luck alone. Solange Knowles and her father Mathew Knowles (Beyonce’s sister and father) created this line of toys that does not disappoint. Baby Jamz features Solange Knowles singing a multitude of children’s songs with an upbeat flair.
The Mix Master Music chair (12-36 months, $24.77) quickly became one of our favorites. Sit on the chair and all the buttons light up in wave like fashion. Children can choose one of three different songs on the one arm and then choose from four different sound effects on the right arm of the chair. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Timbaland was consulted on this chair, because the sound effects are ones used in contemporary songs you hear on the radio today. While some children may enjoy sitting in the chair to play, my daughter (two years old) enjoyed happily pushing the buttons while she made her little people dance on the seat of the chair. A little people dance club was born. The Mix Master Music chair required only minimal "construction" (screwing two leg pieces onto the chair) that took only about a minute.
Lil C also got to try out the Funky Tones Cell phone ($16.86-sold in bundle with Jingle and Jam Keychain) . Unlike a lot of baby/toddler cell phones that are super loud and annoying to the point that I have actually become concerned about my daughter’s hearing and have taken them away, the Baby Jamz cell phone is quiet. It’s loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to harm, and features the songs "Old MacDonald," "Buckle My Shoe," and Mary had a Little Lamb." The top buttons make realistic cell phone sounds and the bottom buttons feature ring tones that are way cooler than my Verizon. It also lights up and is a cool flip open design. I can’t find it right now because I believe Lil C has put it in her purse so I stop playing with it.
The Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat (2 yrs and up, $19.84) is also very cool. If you’re looking for a way to tire out your little one for nap time, this toy is the way. Buttons on the main console play a variety of different songs ("Mary had a Little Lamb," "Bingo," "and "This Old Man") and when your little one "dances" on one of the seven different areas of the mat, they can make their own upgraded mix version of the song. They call it the "Move ‘n Groove dance mat" for a reason.
The Baby Jamz line also features the following items:
Jingle and Jam Keychain ($16.86-sold in bundle with Funky Tones Cell phone)
Boppin’ Tunes Boom Box (6-36 months, $14.76)
Nursery Tunes Volume 1 CD ($10.47) which you can buy or Walmart, or download onto your MP3 player at Amazon ($9.49).
This collection of toys is unique because they don’t play the tired old nursery rhymes. In addition, although the toys do not have volume control, the level of volume is perfectly set and a nice change from many baby and toddler toys that blast too loudly. The toys also come with batteries already in them, which is oh so nice for the parents of an anxious toddler when the screwdriver is no where to be found. We, at the BBM household, only have one suggestion for the Baby Jamz line. The Mix Master chair would make a fabulous little potty! With plenty of buttons to push on the arms, it might actually be possible to keep a potty-training toddler in one spot long enough for something to happen, if you catch my drift.
The toys are available for purchase only through Walmart. You can find all the information you need to know at the Baby Jamz website, including samples of all the featured songs.
For a Mom whose children have always been more acquainted with Beyonce than the Imagination Movers, this line of toys is a breath of fresh air.
BBM gives the Baby Jamz toy line:
For more information on The BBM Review rating system, go here.
***Enter for your chance to win a Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat by simply leaving a comment below. Comments will close in one week and a winner will be randomly chosen! Good luck!
Jump Start World
Jump Start World states on its packaging that it is "The New Way to Achieve 1st Grade Success." After watching my daughter use the program for the past week, I can definitely understand why they make that claim.
The program uses a curriculum based on National and State Standards, and includes lessons and games based on language arts, math, critical thinking and social skills. It’s not just rote learning. I was surprised to see that Jump Start World is very much like a video game. Children start by choosing a character to use in the 3D world. There are four girl and four boy choices. Once you have your character, you go to the "world" where there are math and language arts "arcades" as well as billboards, friendly interactive characters, an art studio, paths, ponds and waterfalls.
Children are also given a "communicator" which gives them messages about where to go and what to do. Children accumulate "gems" based on completing lessons. They are then able to "buy" things in the local store such as maps, books, and other tools that can be used throughout the world.
When I saw the format, I assumed that my daughter would just run her little fairy character around the world, never really stopping to do any real learning activities. It is very much like a video game in that you can control your character and maneuver him/her around the world. Characters can run along paths, jump off mega-jumping pads that make sounds like the bionic woman series, and can even take a swim in a fountain area.
Because of this, I made sure to stay nearby while my daughter completed Unit 1’s math lessons. I didn’t need to worry about the lessons keeping her attention though. With the exception of a few games that really frustrated her (probably due to her lack of video game playing experience since they were very arcade like), my daughter continued to go from lesson to lesson eagerly. Some lessons were more challenging than others, but she continued to stick with it.
On the day she decided to visit the language arts arcade, I left her explore by herself. Parents can safely do this because Jump Start World is not connected to the internet at any time. It’s also possible to check your child’s progress at the Parent’s area of the program. The parent area shows percentage scores for each activity that your child has completed so it’s very easy to track their progress, and see how they’re doing. It’s also possible to choose holidays for your child to celebrate and upload pictures for the art studio in the Parent Studio.
The art studio can be customized with pictures for your child to use, or they can start from scratch and create their own. After children create their masterpiece, they can add their picture to a billboard that is displayed in the Jump Start World. There are also characters (called scouts) who hang out along the paths and interact with your child. Scouts congratulate children on a job well done when they earn gems and provide helpful hints to your child about where to go and what to do.
There are 12 units in each grade of Jump Start World which includes over 80 learning games and missions that teach more than 40 skills. There are also upgrades available. For $7.99/month, parents can download additional adventure packs (two) each month that will automatically be added onto your child’s "world." The program itself is sold for $19.99 and includes the first two adventure packs. It is possible to buy the entire 12 units at a time for $74.99 directly from the Jump Start World store. Jump Start World has programs for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades.
There are many positive things about Jump Start World. The world is 3D and interactive which makes playing fun for a child. It has the feel of a video game which will make it appealing to many children. The lessons seem to reinforce learned skills and each unit certainly offers plenty of lessons. In the first unit there are about eight math lessons, seven language arts lessons, and five additional critical thinking/social skills lessons. The area for parents is a big bonus as well, since progress reports are right at your fingertips.
There are a few negatives to the program. Because some of the games are arcade-like, my daughter got extremely frustrated when she knew the correct answer, but had trouble getting her polar bear across a series of moving logs. For kids who are not familiar with video games, this can certainly take some getting used to. She did improve as the lessons went on, but we found that particular aspect to be a bit frustrating. My only other critique is the help available as your child is completing a lesson. During a particular lesson on being able to read a calendar, my daughter was struggling a bit. When she clicked on the question mark to get some help, the "helpful hints" weren’t very helpful. Instead of giving her hints as to how to complete the lesson, they simply told her to just click the check mark when she was finished. This seemed to frustrate her a bit more. However, if you plan to be available to help your child, that should solve that particular problem easily enough.
Despite a couple frustrations, my daughter continues to ask if she can play in Jump Start World on a fairly regular basis, so I’d say that overall, we are both pretty satisfied with the program.
For more information on Jump Start World and for a free trial, visit the Jump Start World website. Click here if you’d like to purchase the program for Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade.
BBM gives Jump Start World. . .
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