Reviews (1)

So THAT'S how they do it!?
I ordered this for our sons for Christmas, to use next year.I couldn't resist (since our butterfly bushes are in full-bloom) & gave it to them when the box came today.It's so neat to watch them watch the butterflies have din-din...they're totally amazed with it!We've not had too many customers yet, but they've enjoyed the few that have come!Neat-o! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Bugs   

Editorial Review

The Password Journal 3 combines technology and secret-keeping, making it of interest to girls who like neat gadgets ... and privacy (and what girl doesn’t?). In addition to functions for setting important dates, times, and other data, the journal has a secret compartment inside for treasured belongings: promise rings, phone numbers, photos, etc. A night-light allows for transactions that can be made only under the cover of darkness. Unlike past versions of the Password Journal, this one lets you custom decorate the cover by placing photos under the removable vinyl cover. The coolest feature, though, is undoubtedly the voice-coded access--once the password is entered via the built-in microphone, the machine opens only at the voice of its owner. We found it a bit tricky to get this to work the first time, and had better luck whispering our code word than speaking it. Low batteries (three AAs) may cause the security functions to behave erratically. --Amazon.com Toy Reviewers ... Read more

Reviews (123)

awful
i hate it every time i do it it says password dinied and it's my voice do not get it

Piece of Crap
My daughter received this for Christmas and has only been able to open it a couple of times. "Access Denied" is all we ever hear. It is easy enough to create a new password, but getting the journal to recognize it is another story. Don't wast your money, my daughter, her friends, and her cousin all own this and have a better time making fun of this stupid toy than they do using it.

How it won't work!
My dad bought me one of Password Journal and when I tried to open it it won't work! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Here’s a rare indoor toy that’s likely to make kids excited to get outside. The Star Theater II home planetarium can be used inside a darkened room to project a vast panorama of stars on the walls and ceilings. It comes equipped with an audio CD to guide budding astronomers through the learning process as well as a hand held "meteor maker" which allows you to reenact meteors without waiting around for decades to see them. We found the scientific information helpful, accurate, and, best of all, approachable for even novice stargazers. The kit can also be brought outside to illuminate (rather than project) and serve as a map to the heavens. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (13)

What a WASTE!!!!
What we have here is a very cheaply made 'toy'.It is made of very thin plastic and has glow paint dots in the right areas.When used in a dark room it looks neat, but you don't have any explaination of what you are looking at other than the blurry words projected onto your walls.

My child is in the gifted program and I thought this would be a good tool to help teach astronomy.Nope.It broke within a few minutes being in my child's hands (8 yrs old).The only thing it taught my child not to place your expectations too high.To an 8 year old, this can be crushing. :(

2 thumbs down! If you buy it, you WILL regret it!Spend a dollar to print out some star maps and go outside with your child.It's a lot cheaper and they will learn more.

Worthless
Looking at the picture and description, this item looks almost identical to the National Geographic Star Planetarium that I bought at a science museum.Like all the other reviewers here, I regret my purchase.

A real planetarium projector is completely dark except for a few spots of light projected on the ceiling for the stars.This device is the opposite - it projects light all over the ceiling, with spots of darkness for the star.As you can imagine, that ruins the experience.For just a few cents more, they could have made the sphere dark with pinholes for the stars.At least this way, it would have made a cool nightlight.

The hand-held "meteor maker" is just a flashlight with a couple of filters.Unfortunately, the light is so dim compared to the projector itself, that you can't see the image it projects.

I wish I had examined the package more before purchasing it.I guess it just didn't occur to me that something designed by scientists would be so poorly made.

A piece of GARBAGE
We bought two of these. The first was broken in the box. The plastic is so cheap and so brittle it literally feel apart at the plastic seems.

We got it home, and much to my daughters disappointment, the globe is poorly constructed and blurry when projected. You cannot see th stars unless you have a truly sperical room. The connections were so poor that within 10 minutes the light bulb simply went out. We had to jiggle, twist and push the battery compartment to get the thing to work, only to have it go out in another 2 minutes. We gave up in disgust. I plan to return this piece of garbage and then call up ol' Unlcle Milton and give him a piece of my mind. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Activity    4. Astronomy    5. Games   

Reviews (1)

Critical thinking skills
All of my children, ages 4, 6, and 8 love to play with this.We use it with the Leap Pad, so keep in mind that if you have a Leap Pad already, these Quantum Pad books are compatible (you don't have to go out and buy the Quantum Pad).

My youngest likes to try to "read" the book (although it can be difficult to point the pen directly on the correct word).He is really learning about reading left to right.If you have a beginning reader that has difficulty with some of the words, the Leap Pad can "read" a word that he or she is having trouble with.

My 6 year old can read, and enjoys playing the games.She is also learning about reading comprehension (it's not enough to just READ the words--you have to understand what you're reading)and enjoys doing the quizzes that are interspersed throughout the book.

My oldest, who read the original (paperback) book a couple of years ago, also enjoys the reading comprehension and analysis, because in her 3rd grade class, they are really starting to emphasize higher-order thinking skills.

They enjoyed doing the book report (using a form that came with the book) so much that they are using the format to do book reports for other books that they read.

Maybe my kids are just geeks, but they really enjoy doing all of this, repeatedly and for long periods of time, and I do not push it AT ALL.They are really learning a lot, and I like the way that this toy appeals to all learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic (touch).

They also really love the "Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System."I will be seeking out as many of these books as possible.They're great! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Reading    3. Science    4. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    5. Electronic    6. Alphabet   

Reviews (10)

Future Scientist's Mom
I was so excited to purchase this only to be totally disappointed with the quality.The pieces would not stay together.The unit toppled over when we tried to set it outside to gather rain.Definitely bumbed us out!

Awful
When I was using this at the begining I thought it was pretty good.When I looked inside the box there were no instructions!I don't think you should waste your'e money on this piece of junk.

Not sure how people are using this !!
Quality of the product is really really bad. Not sure how people are using it repeatedly. Attachments keep falling off and if there is high wind, it just topples over or changes directions.

Maybe it is only good to understand what each attachment is used for or how that measurement instrument might look in "real" life.

Otherwise a total waste of money !! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Construction    4. Building Sets    5. Activity   

Editorial Review

With this complete set of barnyard animals, kids can turn their imaginative play area into a farm, The outstanding details and realistic painting of the set allow them to develop their own beneficial storytelling play. The durable and high-quality solid plastic material could survive years of play. The whole set is sold in a colorful handy plastic carry case . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not as good as I'd hoped...
I bought this for my son for Christmas.He is only 15 months old, but he loves to carry little things around, and we are working on animal recognition and sounds.Yes, there are small pieces, but I plan to put those away for now.The bag is larger than I had expected.I did not look at the "box dimensions" when I ordered, but that is the size of the actual bag.

There are 20 animals in confusing sizes:1 bull (large)... 7 cows (2 large, 2 small, 3 very small)... 1 pig (large)... 4 horses (1 large, 1 small, 2 very small)... 3 donkeys (1 large, 1 medium, 1 small)... 2 goats (1 large, 1 small)... 1 sheep (large)...1 dog (small).The small animals do not look like babies, just miniature adults.I was disappointed that the "complete set of barnyard animals" did not have a chicken or rooster.

As for "outstanding detail" and "realistic painting," I was kind of disappointed to see rough, glaring crease marks in the plastic, from the molds.It is durable plastic, I will say that much. The animals are heavy/solid and bendy, not brittle.There are three trees which are not so high-quality, and three very cheap hollow "rocks" which do not look like rocks.

The yellow carry case is nice.Overall, this product does not live up to the Animal Planet quality that I had anticipated, but it should suit our purpose all right.It's probably not bad for the price; a good start for an animal collection.It is much more realistic than baby-toy animals, and a refreshing break from battery-operated toys.I expect these to survive many years of rough play. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Animals   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Reading    3. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    4. Electronic    5. Alphabet   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Reading    4. Games    5. Brain Games    6. Electronic    7. Geography    8. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    9. Alphabet    10. Activity    11. Handhelds   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science   

Reviews (1)

Looks Great, Is Pretty Good
Scracthes even if you touch the maginfing glass hilt on it! Touch with your finger nail, it scratches. Is really cute up close, more durable than most Uncle Milton stuff. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Activity    4. Games   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Numbers   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Geography   

Subjects:  1. Learning   

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Alphabet    3. Blocks    4. Arts and Crafts    5. Craft Kits    6. Wood    7. Activity   

Reviews (1)

Not worth the money
My son received this you when he turned 5 and he is almost 7 and has only used it to hear the woman's voice announce the time. It is difficult to figure out how it works even after reading and re-reading the directions. The buttons are not clearly labeled and the volume button does little to change the sound level. It not even mildly entertaining. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Talking    4. Time    5. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    6. Electronic    7. Electronic Learning Aids   

Reviews (2)

Great game - learning while they have fun
What a great game -- My 6-year old twin girls received this for Christmas.One can play alone against the Leap Pad or they can play against each other.The questions get a little more difficult as they answer correctly. They're building on what they learned in school and they're having so much fun they don't realize they're learning something new.I'll have to get the older kid version in a year or two.

Mind wars junior is a BLAST!
My 7 and 6 year old LOVE their new game, mind wars junior.It is like trivial pursuit in different subject areas, like language, math, physical science, life science and social studies...to give you an idea, it has questions dealing with various subjects, like Christopher Columbus, gases, elements, Antartica, Martin Luther King Jr. and lots more.... My kids didn't want to stop playing it is very easy to hook up, all you do is plug it in your system set the board on the leap pad, turn it on and play... It is very EASY to understand and they even have a repeat button, and volume control on the game, all the kids have to do, is go around as many spaces as the game tells them after they push the button, then they answer various questions, and first one to close all 5 subject windows wins! There is multiple choice, and also true and false questions...lots of fun! :) Very happy with this item! Keep up the awesome work leap frog! I loved watching them play... I give this a DEFINATE 5 star rating!Next, I will have to get the one for older kids....3rd grade up.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Electronic    3. Learning    4. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    5. Math    6. Activity    7. Handhelds    8. Counting   

Features

• 9 3D Glowing Planets
• 20 feet of string
• Easy to use instructions
• 9 Star pins
• Amazing Planet and Star facts

Reviews (3)

Missing Sun
Mega cosmos is a great toy for my son's room unfortunately it does not include the sun.I'd really like to know why it is not included and where I might purchase the sun to go along with this set.

Mismatched piece
All in all, well set up, except one planet would not fit together and customer service said I had to drive 110 miles to the nearest Toys R Us to exchange, Like THATS going to happen....

a Mom
I got this for my seven years olds outer space themed bedroom and it's really neat! The planets glow brightly in the dark for quite a while, not like a lot of other cheap glow products out there. It was very easy to install and has been hanging on the ceiling for weeks with no problems. My son loves these and at night says he feels like he's looking into outer space. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Astronomy   

Reviews (7)

Coolness!!!!!!!!!!
seamonkeys are great. i got them for my friend then my other friend wanted them!i lost the food and they all died but just now i saw 2 alive.MAGICAL! They lived with no food execpt the junk on the bottom for 3 or 4 months!these are great, i recommend them a lot.

There good, but they die alot.
I recived this set for christmas, and just today two of my adult sea monkeys died. i fished them out with my aqua leash and held them in my hand. they feel like a Sticky Hand!!!!!!! and the manufactuer says they are real pets, but to me,they are just swimming gobs of Sticky Hand. still, i'm impressed about their "gooey Cutness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""""

GREAT FOR YOUNGER KIDS.
Hi, anyone who thinks it is kind of weird to have them hatching after water, it reallly does work. They live for around 1 and a half years,well mine did, they are little fascinating creatures,great more for a very first pet for kids. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Astronomy    4. Space