Editorial Review

For kids who want to experience the magic of growing their own garden, this kit is a fun andinventive experience. It contains everything you need to grow a small terrarium complete with an entirecommunity of tiny fantastical inhabitants. Paint the special planter with the paints (three primary colorsincluded), fill with soil, and then plant the enclosed beans and grass seeds. Then it's time to arrange the tinyfairy cottage, use the green pebbles to make a tiny path, and decorate the garden with the rocks, shells, and plastic animals that come with the kit. As the beans sprout and grow, you can cut and shape them sothey look like miniature trees--and for variety, add pepper, lemon, cantaloupe, and tomato seeds and watchjust what comes up. --John Longenbaugh ... Read more

Reviews (20)

AWESOME GARDEN!
I bought this for my 5 year old for christmas, and she had a ball painting the planter and then planting the seeds. Once it started to grow, we have had a ton of fun trimming and caring for the garden.I let her play with her polly pocket dolls on it because it belongs to her and she uses it as her "enchanted fairyland."So what if a little dirt gets on the floor, it cleans up.This is by far one of the few times I have not felt like I wasted my money.My 8 year old son even likes to be the landscaper.

garden
according to my 10 year old daughter"This little garden is a great thing to have . I love coming home from school each day and seeing how it had grown since morning. It grows so fast you almost don't have to wait. the grass comes up fast and the beans soon follow.it looks cute in the window . I love it !! "

Erin"s Jungle
I bought this for Xmas for my 6 yr. granddaughter. I wanted to have something to do while I was visting, and that she could enjoy once I went home. I let her do it herself. Grass and beans were planted wherever she decided. Of course she planted both everwhere. Within 2days the grass was up. The beans appeared the next day.My son just sent me a picture. The grass is taller than the house and the beans are everywhere. You can hardly see the house. I laughed my socks off. She doesn't want to cut the grass. Now if I could find out what grass they used,maybe I could get some to grow in my yard. Great gift. She invites her friend over to view the jungle. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play    3. Gardening    4. Arts and Crafts    5. Craft Kits   

Editorial Review

This little wheelbarrow is the tool of choice for hauling flowers, grass clippings, toys, and other treasures. Not only does it look like a real wheelbarrow, it is a real wheelbarrow, with a red steel tray, a black triangular steel undercarriage, and finished hardwood handles. The tray has no-scratch edges and is 20 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. The black plastic molded wheel is 7 inches in diameter and 1.25 inches wide. The wheelbarrow stands 11 inches from the floor and is 32 inches from the front of the tray to the ends of handles. The whole thing weighs a little more than 7 pounds. --Louise Carter ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Wonderful wheelbarrow
This is a sturdy, usable wheelbarrow scaled for a child.My son has loved to help his dad in the yard for years with this, hauling dirt, branches and leaves.

Great Buy
This is so much better than the plastic wheelbarrows.My son has it all - toy blowers, weadeaters, mowers, etc. and this is his favorite because it actually looks just like daddy's!He hauls dirt, flowers, and of course, toys everywhere.We have had this since Christmas and it has lasted well.

good hard to find toy
When I gave this to my 4 1/2 year old nephew the first thing he did was pile his toys in it and give them a ride.I don't agree with the reviewers who think this is small. It looks like my nephew has alot of growing to do before anyone could suggest it was too small for him.My only problem was putting it together which is surprisingly difficult.That is more of a two person job. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Wood    2. Pretend Play    3. Gardening    4. Occupations    5. Tools    6. Outdoor Play   

Editorial Review

Often the best way to get the housework done is to have your children working by your side.When it's time to vacuum, preschoolers can use this toy Hoover right alongside an adult using a realvacuum cleaner. Sized for preschoolers, the navy and black, hard plastic vacuum stands 26.25 inches highand has adjustable levers in front, working lights, and a realistic motor sound. There's a flexible black hoseon one side and three yellow plastic attachments inside a storage compartment with a clear door. Thoughthe Hoover is fairly sturdy, the door isn't the most durable part of it; after a while it may begin to fall open,making the attachments fall on the floor. There's also a removable cloth dust bag inside, although thesuction action is so slight that very little dirt is actually collected. Four C batteries are required (notincluded). --Marcie Bovetz ... Read more

Reviews (78)

We bought this for our one year old for Christmas
My son loves to vacuum with me so we though that it would be fun to get him his own vaccuum. We got this one and he loved it right away. Although the sound effect got annoying really fast, he played with it for about 3 weeks before he was bored with it.After that he took the accesories and ran around the house hitting things with them. I trashed it by May. It was so beat up and in pieces and my furniture and walls were beat up.

FANTASTIC
My 15M baby was so afraid of our vacuum cleaner that I had not used the vacuum for a long time. Then I bought the Hoover Vacuum and was surprised by how cute it was and it really works as a vaccum cleaner. Now my son loves to vacuum with me (using his)this is a fantastic toy! The attachments come out,(the clear plastic door comes off easy too.. does not break) the card board air filter comes offwith a little door, the door to the vaccum bag (cloth filter) comes off and it really collects dust. I clean the little bag with my vaccum.

My kids love this toy
I bought this vacuum for my four year old daughter at Christmas and it is a favorite.Both her and my one year old son love this vacuum and they do fight over it.It looks just like my fullsize vacuum and sounds like it too.It has a light and a wand with attachable tools.Believe it or not, this was their favorite Christmas gift this year.This toy gets played withEVERY day by both kids, my son is so fasinated with it that I have to "hide it" to get him to play with something else!The little vacuum bag inside is removeable and can be messy since the vacuum does somewhat pick stuff up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play   

Reviews (1)

Broom!
We got this for my 18 month old daughter, who has had a constant fascination with our broom. She loved it! She plays with it so much. One problem we had was once assembled (the handle) it doesn't always stay together and she is able to get it apart. We solved this by wrapping the two spots the handle slides into with white tape. We have had no problems since. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening    3. Tools   

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening    3. Activity   

Editorial Review

This fun, inflatable pool is kid-size, made from sturdy vinyl, and builtto look like a large blue whale. It can be inflated using an ordinary hand orfoot pump, and then filled either directly into the pool area or by attaching ahose to the hole in front, imitating a blowhole. Once full, this spout featurecan also be used to create a fountain spray for additional play. The pool'scapacity is a mere 91 gallons, which is perfect for wee ones cooling off on ahot day. --Pam Lauer ... Read more

Features

• Dimensions: 95 in x 64 in x 13 1/2 in
• Deflated height: 8 in
• Sprayer spout attaches to a garden hose
• Capacity: 91 gallons
• Repair patch

Reviews (9)

A really nice pool
We've had this pool now for what will be our third summer. My son has enjoyed it since he was only 5 months old and is now 2. The sides are wide and sturdy enough for him to sit/lay on without caving the whole thing in and he loves bouncing up and down on the tail. So far it's held up, no leaks and I'm rather surprised since most blow up pools don't last 1 summer. Anyways, the blow hole is a fun feature (you hook it up to the hose) that my son loves as well. Another nice thing is that the pool is large enough for me to sit in with my legs fully extended (I'm 5'7). Inflating it takes some time and massive effort if you don't have an electric pump, so we keep it inflated all year round and just store in rafters in the garage during the winter. This is a great pool.

A God Send
I bought this pool for my 1 yr old daughter in 2003 and we used it all summer long.We would typically take it down after a few uses to let the lawn breathe.It withstood this many many times and never once gave us a problem.We haven't set it up this year yet but I don't expect it to give us many problems due to it's durabilty. My daughter just loves this pool and I would buy it again or atleast one from the same makers.

I bought this toy for my daughters 1st birthday
The first time we used the pool it had a air leak. She loved playing in the water and loved the whale's tale. Unfortunatly after 2 uses the pool is deflated. I expected to use the pool through the summer. It is not a durable pool. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Cool..indoors and out
These playskool 'working toys' are the greatest. we own the mower and the vacuum for my 2 yr old..he LOVES them both. Very durable and not too loud that it drives the parents crazy but makes cute talking sounds and working sounds. Definitely a great gift for a 2 yr old and up.

Great Toy
My 2 year old son got this as a gift for his birthday in September, so he's been using it in the house all winter and just loves it.Thankfully he doesn't mind that I turned off the sound effects when he races around the house with it.I know he's going to enjoy using it outside!!VERY STURDY!We got a bubble blower mower last summer and it was hard to push on grass and was very flimsy...plus the bubbles only worked for a few minutes.This one is a keeper, however!!

This toys needs a manners lesson!
The durability is fine, it moves on grass well and the mowing sound is cute...BUT the faces can be a little scary for younger or more timid children.The MOST IMPORTANT part...the phrases this mower has and the fact that it burps...it is just rude and unecessary!These are things I want to teach my children not to do.We returned it and purchased the Little Tykes mower for now and we are considering a John Deer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening    3. Tools    4. Outdoor Play   

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening    3. Activity   

Reviews (4)

Great little cooking set
My 3 year old daughter loves this set.And it is such a cute version of the real thing.She's got a little kitchen and so many other plastic pots and pans but this set really takes most of her playtime.
As for durability, I would say the pans are in great shape.Though, the spatula handle separated when my daughter decided to play "drums" with her pan and spatula.The utensils are not themselves "bendable" but quite sturdy except for the fact that the spoons and ladles MAY separate from their handles if used in cases such as above.And most kids love to bang these things around.
Each pan is about 9.5cm in diameter. The utensils are about 15cm long.
I definitely prefer these to the plastic vessels as they are close to the real things that kids go digging for in a regular kitchen cupboard.

Ok, but not great
This was given to my 3 year old 5 months ago.So far she has had a ton of fun with it.At this point, it is still in good condition. One day she will bend the utensils and then it will break.It is a great set if your child is gentle with their toys, if they are rough with their things don't get this set.

Broke apart after a month of use
I bought this for my 3 yr old daughter for Christmas and the utensils broke apart at the handle which my child could have choked but she brought it to me. The pots are ok but the pan handles also broke off. I would not reccommend this toy at all. ... Read more

Features

• Playskool Home Crew Dusty the Talking Vacuum. This friendly talking vacuum loves to help out around the house!
• Push him along the carpet and he 'comes to life' with 15 fun phrases!
• The vacuum and the brush attachment are two different characters that 'talk' to one another!
• 3 'AA' batteries included.
• Ages: 2 & up.

Reviews (74)

Kind of Loud!
My daughter loves this toy especially when I am on the phone!I think it is a great way to teach children the vlaue of cleaning up, but it is so loud!!!She likes to play with it while I am vaccuming and that is fine, it gives her a chance to mimic me, but the loud sound the wheels make is very aggrivating!

DO NIT BUY THIS TERRIBLE TOY
I purchased this toy because it looked cute.I like the phrases it says but the grinding noises are too much for me to stand.I don't usually get bothered with the loud toys but this sound is awful.Please don't buy this toy it really isn't worth it.

Daughter likes Dusty
I got this toy for my daughter for Christmas.It was a little sentive in the box.My husband and I had a laugh when I brought this in off the porch and the box started talking to me.I like that the voice isn't very loud.My daughter has had this for a few months now and she still plays with it a few times a week.She does lose interest, but not so much that he gets forgotten. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Pretend Play   

Reviews (3)

Great Tea Set!
I have a 3 year old daughter and was looking for functional tea set that she could really use.We Love this tea set!It can hold real food and the tea pot holds water.It can be washed and seems to be durable.She eats snacks foods out of the little bowls every day!I noticed a lot of the tea sets make music or have stickers.We don't want pretend tea parties - we want real ones and this is perfect!

a great set for cooking show performances
I bought this tea set because I've always loved them as a kid. It's a good price for the quality you get. I used it for my performance projects, where I do cooking shows and serve food on tea sets. Sometimes I also bring them to class pot-lucks, and everyone's forced to use them when they forget to bring paper plates. The only downside is that it's hard to take grease off of them, but that's because I like to serve real food on them. I have to wash it several times in hot water before the grease comes off. I don't know if the material is dish washer safe but I'd rather wash by hand than melt the entire set in the machine.

Awesome!!!!!
I bought this set for my daughter (21 months old) after looking and looking for the 'perfect' tea set!While looking I realized that MANY of the tea sets for sell these days make noise.Now, don't get me wrong, I do love toys that make noise... but not EVERY toy needs to make noise.Especially not a teaset.My daughter loves to have tea parties with her stuffed animals and I LOVE that she is using her imagination while doing so (if it was making noise - she may not be using her imagination 'as much')!It seems to be very durable... her little brother (8 months old) has chewed on peices (although we do try to keep him from doing that) and crawled over them and they are still in perfect condition!Also, unlike some other teasets, these peices are all big enough that she can actually get some pretend food on them to serve during her 'tea parties'!Definitely the best tea set out there for any little princess! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Little tykes who like to play pretend can clean the floors withthis scaled-down Dirt Devil vacuum. Standing 28 inches tall, it's alightweight plastic vacuum cleaner with a pivoting handle and wheelsthat glide across any smooth surface. Push a button and the base lightsup, while the motor kicks in to make a revving sound. It takes three AAbatteries (included) to create the light and sound, but with or withoutbatteries, this is a likely hit amongst the tidy crowd. --LaurenBernard ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Disappointed
Well, had I taken the time to read the other reviews before I bought this toy, I wouldn't have purchased it. I liked the realistic look of this vacuum compared with others I'd seen, but my daughter gave up on it within minutes because, as other people have commented, it won't roll on the carpet. The wheels are really poorly designed and the whole toy is very cheaply made. I am returning it.

flimsy cheap toy
I just bought this toy today and I'm returning it tomorrow.It is the cheapest-made toy I've ever encountered.As soon as I took it out of the box, I could tell right away I would end up regretting this purchase.The one I got came with a dust-buster, which is even worse than the vacuum. Yes, it makes a loud noise and the front lights up, but it scratches the wood floors and is difficult to push across carpet.The front panel has already fallen off, and the panel in front of the "filter" won't stay on.My son loves it, but for the money ($30!!), there has got to be a better made toy vacuum.One last thing....they should NOT advertise that it really works.I wasn't looking for a vacuum that sucks up dirt, but the box says it does, and it doesn't even come close.Unfortunately, at the store, there weren't any other real-looking vacuums to choose from.Does anyone know where I can get a good quality, fun vacuum??

Great for Mommy's little helper....
This toy has been in our house for over 3 1/2 years now and is still a big hit.I don't feel like it is the sturdiest of toys but it does the job.Shortly after we had this, the tiny balls stopped blowing around -- no big deal to my kids though.My little helpers love turning it on and pushing it around the house whenever I pull out my vacuum.My only complaint is that it doesn't really pick anything up!Wouldn't that be a dream!

For the price and the fact that you can interest them in any sort of housework is a plus in my book!My philosopy is: "start 'em early" and this is a great way to begin. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play   

Reviews (21)

Just Like Home - Electronic Cash Register
I guess you get what you pay for.It's very inexpensive and the first thing to go is the hand held scanner, and it goes very quickly.I brought it back to the store for another, but the scanner for that one broke quickly also, and the salesperson said that there were a lot of complaints about that for this item.My daughter accumulated a lot of play money in different denominations so she could learn to count money, but alas, the drawer was too small to accommodate it. (The money that comes with the register is not realistic-looking, so it doesn't promote currency and coin recognition.)Basically, this toy may be fine for young children, but it doesn't grow with them because it won't last and even if it did, it has limitations that prevent its use from being expanded as your child's skills advance.Unless you're not interested in durability, longevity or educational value, you're better off with the Pretend and Play cash register from Learning Resources for three times the price of this one.

Don't waste your money
My Daughter loved this toy, I guess a little too much the second day the microphone stopped working, the Conveyor Scanner stopped beeping and the credit card slider stopped making noise as well. Buy anything else but this one.

the best educational fun toy!!!!!!!
THIS TOY IS SO COOL.IT HAS EVERYTHING FOR JUST TENDOLLARS.I HOPE THE PRICE NEVER CHANGES!!!AND I ALSO HOPE THAT EVERY CHILD WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE TOY AS MUCH AS I DID!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TOYS "R" US FOR MAKING THE BEST TOYS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Preschool    2. Learning    3. Math    4. Activity   

Reviews (5)

Breakable Special
Within three hours of my daughter playing with the cleaning set, two pieces were broken.The broom casing had cracked and the apron is only being held to the tie by a few pieces of thread.

The broom cracked after she was sweeping her bedroom carpeting.

The apron started to tare when my daughter tried to take off the apron without untying completely.

The brooms and assesories are made for a two to three year old, while the gloves are made for a nine year old.I know because I had a nine year old try them on.

Neither of these actions should have caused a toy to break so easily.In my opinion this product is cheaply made and I don't recommend wasting your money on it.

great pretend play!
My daughter, 4 at the time, bought this with her own money at Toys R Us and really loves it. She still uses it at 5 1/2.My only three complaints are 1) we got 2 left gloves;2) the apron is not a soft plastic, so it doesn't fold well or tie easily; 3) since the mop is made with yarn, you can't really mop with it, so I am constantly catching my daughter as she smears lint all over the floor I have just mopped :-)I suppose we could have exchanged the playset for one with two working gloves, but it was not worth the time...she wouldn't have used them anyway.

It is perfect for kids to "help" you clean up, and they love to immitate you and work alongside you.If the mop were made with cotton instead of synthetic yarn, perhaps it would be nicer.

I think this was a good fun purchase, and it is perfect for pretend play.

Not very durable
I got this for my son who loves to help me clean.He loves it, but just like the other reviews, the handles on the mop and broom broke pretty quickly.It has some serious duct tape on it.My son still uses it, but it's just kind of disappointing that it broke so easily. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Great item at a great price
My son has not stopped playing with this since we brought it home.For the price, it is a great quality and works great.It has a turntable inside that turns just like the real microwaves.The accessories that come alone with it are very durable.Can't beat this item for the price!

sucky toy
this toy is really not good. I know cause I used to have one and it wood always be brokeded down. you guys reely shoodin'by this toy cause its ungood.

Great Attention Keeper
My 18-month old son loves this toy! And what a deal at $10. It is quite realistic with a timer and turntable. While the timer is counting down a green light comes on which then turns red when the food is ready. And the included foods are cute and more nutritous items than some other playsets. This really has kept his attention and helped him learn to manipulate the buttons to make the oven work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity   

Reviews (1)

Adorable cleaning set, but made of cheap materials
I bought this for my 1 1/2 year old son since he always tries to sweep the floor with our regular broom (which is twice the size of him).He really enjoyed playing with the broom in this set, however it is not well-made.The second time he played with it, he dropped the broom on our tile floor and a large piece of plastic broke off. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

OOOh a dirt hauler
what kind of (...) company makes a wheel barrow for a kid. I don't want to haul dirt. I want to haul cake. Cake is good for you, and fun. make a cake barrow and i will buy it. make the handles out of licorish. red NOT BLACK!! besides you can't eat dirt and it gets you messy
with love: Eric Brewer (...)

Helping Mommy in the Garden was never this FUN!!!
What a fantastic toy from Step 2.My daughter is having a blast with this toy!She is an outdoor type of girl and insists on being outside Morning, Noon and Night.With this fun Wheelbarrow she can haul the rocks she finds in the backyard, dirt, leaves, even her wienner dog too!Lots of fun for any child - mines almost 2.A great product with lots of fun in it.It also has two open holders so that she can put her tools in it.Thank you Step 2 for a wonderful product that will be used now and in the years to come!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening    3. Outdoor Play    4. Ride-Ons    5. Preschool   

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Gardening   

Reviews (3)

Cured Daughters Vaccum Fear
My almost 2 year old use to scream everytime I got our Vaccum out.A friend suggested I get her a pretend Vaccum so for Christmas I did.At first she was frigtened by it but after seeing one of her friends play with it she came around.Now everytime mommy vaccums Hannah does too.This toy is a lot of fun and helps teach the importance of helping mom with housework.

I don't know what the other review is talking about!
My 2 year old daughter received this vacuum as a Christmas gift and she absolutely loves it!Not only is it a vacuum cleaner, but it also has a dustbuster mounted on the unit that easily disconnects with the help of a parent.My daughter likes to use her vacuum and "help mommy" everyday. It is easy for her to push around the house and "clean" all the carpets.It kept her occupied for 45 minutes today!!The unit makes a realistic vacuum sound, but isn't so loud that it becomes a nuisance.It doesn't actually vacuum the carpet, but I didn't purchase it with the intent of teaching her the value of a tidy house.I am just thrilled by how proud she is of herself when she says,"Mommy, I'm cleaning!"Price wise, this toy is less expensive than many other flashy, less durable vacuums.My theory is,"Why buy the flashiest, most expensive toy when your kid is going to play with the box."

Not worth the $$$
I passed up on several other vaccuums to get my son this one and it is just boring.Barely makes a loud enough sound that hardly sounds like a real vaccuum.The beads that spin on the hand held part are just as boring (could have been more spinny, more colorful)and it lacks a button on the side so child can push down with foot to angle it so child can "vacuum".Pretty lame especially considering that it's pretty expensive. ... Read more