educational toys...

[minnie4me]

as Christmas draws nearer, I need some help/advice on some educational toys. DS will turn 5 this month (OCT) and I would like to upgrade his educational toys. Right now he has a "my first" leap pad, which is cute and he enjoys playing, but he has almost outgrown the games. Meaning they don't challange him anymore. He also has a V-smile, which he also enjoys and that game does grow with you. I would like to find something that is portable if possible, like for the car (trying to avoid a dvd player) and he could take to other houses. I am considering the v-smile pocket version since he already has several games. But, every year so many new things come out, I want to stay on top of the action.
Let me know what you think , or what your kids seem to enjoy. No gameboy type things though, I want some sort of education value in it.

 

[pantherlj]

as Christmas draws nearer, I need some help/advice on some educational toys. DS will turn 5 this month (OCT) and I would like to upgrade his educational toys. Right now he has a "my first" leap pad, which is cute and he enjoys playing, but he has almost outgrown the games. Meaning they don't challange him anymore. He also has a V-smile, which he also enjoys and that game does grow with you. I would like to find something that is portable if possible, like for the car (trying to avoid a dvd player) and he could take to other houses. I am considering the v-smile pocket version since he already has several games. But, every year so many new things come out, I want to stay on top of the action.
Let me know what you think , or what your kids seem to enjoy. No gameboy type things though, I want some sort of education value in it.

My almost 5 year old plays with her leapster daily. She has the LMAX which can be played as a handheld or plugged into the TV. Lots of educational cartridges - made by LeapFrog, the same people that make My First Leap. My DD is bored with My First Leap too. My 8 yr old has had one for 4 years and she still sometimes plays with it. They keep adding new cartridges so it should grow with him and his likes (ie they just added Deigo, one of my 5 yr old's favorite shows).

 

[tinkandpan]

we really love the leapster lmax around here.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We love the Leapster too! We have the Lmax, but we have never hooked it up to the TV. It is mainy for the car.

 

[kldmom2000]

Yet another vote for the leapster

 

[MNdisneymom]

...The leapster really is great. We have a rule that my 4.5 yo DS (5 in Feb.) can only play it in the car, or special occasions. (like the yarn store when mommy needs to shop ) He got the v-smile (not portable) for christmas last year, and isn't that interested. I'm not sure why. I think the educational content is slightly better on the Leapster.

The "big kid" Leap Pad is good too--I found ours last year on sale it k-mart. The books are getting harder to find, as that aisle in the toy department becomes more crowded with all of the newest electronic educational gadgets--I've bought some online, including a really neat phonics program.

Another electronic thing I'm getting him for Christmas is the v-tech nitro notebook--it's a play computer, for ages 5+--it has a mouse and everything, and comes loaded with oodles of educational stuff. It's on sale at Toys R Us this week. (I know he'll like that because he has the one for younger kids and uses it all the time.)

The following is one of my favorites...it's called Tangoes Jr. ....if you know what tangrams are, it's the kid version--you have a set of shapes, and different pages of puzzles that you have to fit all the shapes into. The puzzles are 2 sided, one side has the solution (shows where the pieces go) and the other side doesn't. You can buy expansion packs of more puzzles as well. It is a great travel toy--the pieces are magnetic and fit in a little built-in drawer, and it has a nice carrying handle. *really* good for long car trips. (Or in my son's case, a long choir concert at church that Bad Mommy dragged him to ) I ordered mine from leaps and bounds.

Hope that helps...

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

The leapster is great - my girls love it and they have so many educational games. My oldest dd is really liking the math ones right now....