leapfrog

Kids Love Learning with the LeapStart Activity Book System-Giveaway

July 26, 2016 by Kathryn 130 Comments

As a parent, there are a few skills that I believe are essential to my boys’ proper development, so I’m passionate about ensuring they’re developing those skills. And in my mind, the absolute most essential skill to ensure a child’s future success is a love of learning. I use all kinds of different tricks, techniques and toys to make learning a fun and rewarding experience for my boys. That’s why LeapFrog products have always been a favourite in our home.

From the earliest baby days to the school years, LeapFrog has used innovative electronics to help kids gain proficiency in a variety of different areas, from math and science to reading and writing. And the brand new LeapStart system is the perfect example of why I’ve always loved the brand. The system uses a library of activity books that let kids have fun while developing STEM skills, problem solving, shape recognition and, of course, literary skills! I recently received the brand new LeapStart to review and Benjamin was only too happy to help me test it out. [Read more…]

The LeapFrog #LeapTV is a Holiday Gift that Gets Kids Moving and Learning #LeapFrogMomSquad

November 20, 2015 by Kathryn 7 Comments

My boys love gaming systems and while I understand the appeal (I’m a bit of a gamer myself), I don’t like how long they sometimes spend sitting and staring blankly at the television. As for the games themselves, some have cleverly incorporated educational content into the games, but others provide almost no intellectual benefit. So what’s a mom with two game-crazy kids to do?

Turn to the LeapFrog LeapTV, of course! My boys have had LeapFrog hand-held gaming systems for years now and I’ve seen for myself how effectively the systems combine fun and learning. Now, LeapTV is taking the benefits one step further with a gaming system that’s designed to get kids moving as they play and learn!

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Learning Through Pretend Play with Toys from LeapFrog #LeapFrogMomSquad

November 4, 2015 by Kathryn 20 Comments

While I do love the modern and trendy LeapFrog gaming systems and tablets, I have to admit that I’ve always had a special fondness in my heart for the company’s toddler toys. LeapFrog has a special talent for turning pretend play into a learning experience, and the brand new Number Lovin’ Oven and Scout’s Build & Discover Tool set are perfect examples of that.

The LeapFrog Number Lovin’ Oven not only lets kids pretend to cook just like mom and dad, it introduces basic number concepts including counting and fractions. With sixteen different food items to cook, little ones can pretend to make all their favourite treats. And with more than thirty songs and phrases from the talking oven to engage kids, learning to cook is more educational than ever!

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Give Your Child an Epic Android Tablet Experience with the Kid-Safe #LeapFrogEpic

October 23, 2015 by Kathryn 13 Comments

I’ve shared many times before how much I love LeapFrog and its innovative, educational toys and games for children. We have a house full of LeapFrog toys including the brand new LeapPad Platinum tablet and my boys play with them all. But when I received the LeapFrog Epic to review, I wasn’t sure what benefits it would have that our current LeapPads didn’t already provide.

Of course, I should have known that LeapFrog had innovations planned that I hadn’t even realized I wanted. And that’s exactly what the LeapFrog Epic is…an innovation! Rather than a tablet-style gaming system running software specifically designed for the device, the LeapFrog Epic is a genuine tablet for children, complete with the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system! [Read more…]

LeapFrog LeapPad Platinum, Imagicards and Word Whammer Build Literacy for Life

September 28, 2015 by Kathryn 25 Comments

I remember when my oldest son was about six months old and it occurred to me that he didn’t really have any baby toys. He had stuffed animals and a few rattles, but nothing interactive with buttons and music. I made a trip to the local store and found a toy that I could hang on the crib with handy rubber straps. Featuring a butterfly, caterpillar and ladybug, it had music, sound effects and talking characters. Zackary absolutely loved it.

That toy was a LeapFrog toy and though I didn’t know it at the time, that was when we took the first step to becoming a LeapFrog family. In the years that followed, my boys have learned and played with countless LeapFrog infant and toddler toys, the Leapster Explorer, the Tag Reading System and every single LeapPad tablet.

Needless to say, I was thrilled when I was chosen as a member of the LeapFrog Mom Squad, since it would mean even more chances to experience the toys my boys have loved since they were babies. And sure enough, my very first LeapFrog package was one that had my youngest son Benjamin in paradise! Even better, these newest toys from LeapFrog are the perfect choice for building literacy skills, something my Grade 1 boy is going to be doing a lot of this year! [Read more…]

Learning is Fun this Christmas with New Toys from LeapFrog-Giveaway

December 3, 2013 by Kathryn 137 Comments

If you’re looking for a gift for your child that’s lots of fun and still educational, LeapFrog Canada toys are always a great choice. From toys for infants right up to school-age children and tons of educational value, a gift from LeapFrog is always a hit.

My personal favourite toy from LeapFrog this year is the new LeapPad Ultra. Both of my boys have older versions of LeapFrog’s gaming systems, but the LeapPad Ultra takes educational gaming to a new level with benefits including a rechargeable battery, an on-board MP3 player, 8 GB of memory and built-in kid-safe Wi-Fi. Best of all, the LeapPad Ultra works with Leapster Explorer games and the educator-approved library of more than 800 games and apps. [Read more…]

Turn Learning into a Game with the LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer

December 14, 2012 by Kathryn 2 Comments

My family has always loved the interactive and educational products from LeapFrog. From the time my oldest son was just a toddler right up until today, our toy collection has always featured the hottest new LeapFrog products and our Leapster Explorer is the boys’ favourite gaming system years after receiving it. So I was delighted when I received the new LeapPad2 to review this year.

We don’t own the LeapPad, but I did a little reading up on it and I noticed a lot of upgrades that kids and parents will both love. The big difference is the camera. Pictures are utilized in many of the games and apps on this device and the previous LeapPad had a fairly basic 0.3 megapixel camera. The LeapPad2 features 2.0 megapixel cameras on both the front and back of the device. That means that not only are pictures bright and beautiful, but kids also now have the ability to take pictures of themselves!

The memory also increased quite a bit compared to the first LeapPad, from 2GB to 4GB. I loved that the LeapPad 2 worked with my boys’ Leapster Explorer games and, as always, my boys both adored the many apps that we could download to use on the device. The LeapPad2 comes preloaded with two apps and features one free app available from the App Centre, but there are hundreds of other great apps, games and videos that can be downloaded for the device as well. [Read more…]

Holiday Gift Guide-LeapFrog Peek-a-Shoe Talking Octopus-Giveaway

November 30, 2011 by Kathryn 92 Comments

Holiday Gift for Toddlers

Educational toys are always a great choice for children when the holidays arrive and while kids are pretty good about turning any playtime into a learning experience, there are some toy companies that seem to instinctively understand how to create toys that can both teach and engage children. LeapFrog is just such a company and if you have young children in your house, you probably have already experienced how much fun LeapFrog’s toys are for kids.

leapfrog peek-a-shoe talking octopus

This year, one of the most popular LeapFrog toys for the holiday season has to be the adorable Peek-a-Shoe Talking Octopus. This clever friend features something almost every toddler loves…lightweight plastic balls! When a child drops a ball into the top of the Peek-a-Shoe Talking Octopus, it rolls down into one of the shoes. Then the child can search for the ball by lifting up the shoes one by one with encouragement from the talking octopus himself.

The shoes are different colours and feature numbers on the front, so by choosing either the numbers or colours mode, the toy helps little ones learn about these two early learning concepts. And there’s even a fun musical mode with songs about sea creatures!

Benjamin’s favourite feature of the Peek-A-Shoe Octopus is definitely searching for the balls. He just loves being able to lift up the shoes and hear the friendly octopus tell him “Peek a boo!” And I love that the cheery comments are followed up by comments about the colours and numbers on the shoes! The only issue we had with the toy was that it got knocked over fairly easily when it was on the floor, so we generally put it up on the table when Benjamin wants to play with it so that it doesn’t accidentally get knocked down and interfere with his fun.

The LeapFrog Peek-a-Shoe Talking Octopus is available at major retailers across North America and can also be purchased online at www.leapfrog.ca. Check it out for yourself and see for yourself why the Peek-a-Shoe Talking Octopus won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Toy Award. It’s a toy that will be sure to give your child hours of entertainment while they learn!

ARV: $39.99

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