One thing that has really changed in the last few years is the direction of gaming for toddlers and babies. If you would have asked anyone in the industry 10 years ago whats the youngest a game for a kid should be made it was 6… today games are being designed and thought about for kids as young as 2!
Whats great is that I have a 2 year old, when I was invited out to see the not yet finished Sesame Street Wii games I jumped at the chance – first we had just gotten back from Sesame Place and my son had an amazing time! When I first saw these games I was like wow! no really these games are good graphics with a very large educational content component… my son already knows the iPad inside&out and is really ready for the next thing (as I’m also starting to think about focusing on hand/eye movement more and more).
In Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure, kids head to the Zoo with Elmo, Zoe and their animal friends, as they explore fun games including letter identification, rhyming, letter sounds and color and shape identification. Kids can also explore fun Zoo habitats including the Aquarium, Savanna, Jungle, Wetlands and the Arctic.
In Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival, kids join Cookie Monster and Big Bird at a fun-filled carnival, through gameplay steeped in math skills that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition. Kids journey through the game in the many areas of the carnival such as The Grandstand, Midway, Petting Zoo, Food Court and the Arcade.
Seriously these games were designed for a 2 year old and up… they’ve thought about everything from the idea that the Wii remote doesn’t require line of sight IR (that whole bar in front of the TV) to the a control cover that is of the character of each game!
These are also on the PC but more importantly the DS and come with an extra large Pen for your little one’s hands. Here are some quick run down of some great features of both games.
Gameplay Helpers for Smaller Hands: Available for Wii and Nintendo DS systems, special gameplay helpers simplify gameplay controls and make them more accessible for preschoolers with small hands and developing skills. They will come packaged with the game at no additional cost.
The Wii gameplay helper is a soft and fuzzy character cover with special grips that slips over the Wii Remote, minimizing unnecessary buttons and making it easier and more fun to hold.
The Nintendo DS gameplay helper is a jumbo click stylus designed for smaller hands, simplifying interaction with the touch screen. It features a retractable tip and wrist strap for safety and its soft grip provides for a comfortable grasp.
Parents’ Area: Parents may review games their child has played along with relevant curriculum for each. Parents can also customize up to four profiles and set game limits.
Parent Can Play With Their Kids: TheParental Assist Mode feature allows use of the second Wii-Remote to assist the child through the game, without taking away the child’s remote.
Broad Range of Games: The game features an array of distinct learning games based on a variety of activities, including counting and enumeration, number identification, plus pattern, shape and color identification.
Audio Direction: Game instructions are provided by audio rather than text direction for children with developing reading skills.
Easy to Play: The games are entertaining and intuitive enabling preschoolers to play by themselves. They require minimal button usage. For the Nintendo DS, there’s no required button pushing – only screen tapping or using the microphone.
Player Adaptability: The game difficulty adapts to child’s level.
Active Gameplay: With Wii, game movements are Jump, Tilt, Pump, Scoop, Shake and Toss. All are performed with two hands with a “‘handlebar” grip.
For more information on these games check out http://www.sesamestreetvideogames.com
If you want to order these games here are the Amazon.com links Cookie Monster [Wii | DS] & Elmo [Wii | DS]
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. November 2, 2010.
You must comment telling us who your favorite Sesame Street character is, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
The Scholastic Store is hosting a Stars Wars event on Saturday, October 23 from 1-5pm. Kids of all ages (and their parents) can hang out with Star Wars Storm Troopers and maybe even a member of the Droid Detachment! There will be classes for young paduwans and a chance to win a copy of the new book, Millennium Falcon.
Scholastic Store has some pretty awesome events coming up and usually they’re free, check the calendar here. While not everyone can make it to the store Saturday for this awesome party – Scholastic is blasting off with a rad giveaway for anyone in the US to win.
I’ve been reading these books (well not Millennium Falcon I’ve put that away since its pretty awesome and sooo not a toddler book, and I really like it myself.) to my kiddo. Its great to connect to something so Daddy – I grew up on Star Wars having an alphabet book that could use the word Droid is pretty cool!
Star Wars: ABC
Star Wars: ABC is an alphabetical adventure through the imaginative and intergalactic world of Star Wars featuring the names and images of the most popular characters, droids, spaceships, and creatures in this galaxy far, far away. Ages 0+, $12.99.
STAR WARS SPACESHIPS
A perfect introduction to the Star Wars universe, this board book features the names and images of the most iconic spaceships coupled with simple text, as the Millennium Falcon, TIE Fighters, and X-Wings blast across outer space. Designed for the young Jedi-in-training, Star Wars: Spaceships will take children to a galaxy far, far away…into an epic story that was a defining moment for many of today’s parents. The Force is strong with this book. Ages 4+, $7.99.
STAR WARS Millennium Falcon
For older STAR WARS fans, this novelty format dissects the most famous ship in the galaxy section-by-section, revealing the ship’s secrets and special modifications. Includes technical notes from Han Solo as well as a detailed overview of each of the ship’s main functions. All ages. For the older Jedi, $21.99.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. October 28, 2010.
You must comment telling us who your favorite Star Wars character is, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
When you start thinking about shopping for a baby you never think yah I’ll need 3 strollers. Yes, the word is NEED… because you’ll need a really great stroller to just roll around with, you’ll want a lightweight travel stroller to move quickly with, and you’ll want a mid-line stroller that is good for local travel or because you just want to switch it up.
I have been testing driving a Chicco Liteway it comes in at only 17lbs which works great as that go to travel stroller. It folds up into next to nothing (as long as you dont leave items in the basket – my wife isnt good about that). It comes in at a great price point so you’re not breaking the bank and at the same point its not a one time use stroller like those in the $30-60 range usually are… The stroller features molded handle bars (which is important if you have to push your kid in it for a while to get them to sleep!).
The thing I didn’t think I’d get out of this was a really solid frame, usually strollers at this price is just one step up from 1 time use vacation strollers but this was clearly built to last. It’s designed to work from Birth and go to the 40 pound mark which is usually a 3/4 or 5 year old.
I really like the stroller design – I called it the ninja stroller when I first took it out because it was all black and pretty slick! I would recommend the stroller for those on the go that need a light weight stroller.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. October 16, 2010.
You must comment telling us where you’d stroll your baby, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
This comes as no shock to many that babies love music, but did you know they also like hearing it in the womb? so recently there has been a spring of these new companies tuning your ipod into baby jukeboxes. This review comes from a good friend and we’ll call him LIeastDad…
Belly Buds are a great way for mommy and baby to bond. Baby can enjoy the sounds that will be familiar and soothing after birth and the included headphone splitter allows mommy to enjoy the music too.
Repeated use of the buds at the suggested one-hour use time was comfortable enough to inspire repeat use whether walking or sitting.
Even the daddy to be can get involved, whether through loading up the mp3 player or sharing using the headphones while mommy watches TV.
Lastly, it was confirmed with the doctor that use will not cause any harm, especially since the volume is set to a maximum that reaches the baby as loud as casual conversation and lower than the mother’s heartbeat.
We’re glad we got to test drive Belly Buds and we think our baby is too!
—Thanks to LIeastDad for the review and congrats as just a few dads ago he celebrated the birth of their baby boy.
Dora is 10 years old… wow Happy Birthday Dora – I’ll totally admit it when I first heard of this cartoon ten years ago I never thought 10 years later I’d be watching it with my son. Yet here I am watching Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Slumber Party [Link] a compilation DVD containing six of Dora’s bedtime adventures. Sure my child’s first complex word was backpack between that and map its given him hours of enjoyment – I really also hope its teaching him some basics of a second language because I certainly know I’m barely ok with English. The DVD of Dora’s slumber party is cute and is pretty good tv for before bed as it contains the theme its time for sweet dreams.
With that said Dora has come into my house while we are thinking about moving Marc into a toddler bed, we’ve been thinking about it for a while since he climbed out of the crib. After everyone (and I mean everyone) said it was crib tent time and not toddler bed thats the route we took. He goes to bed in his crib but wakes up freaks out and wants out to come sleep in between me and mom (ahhhh). I figure this giveaway might help a toddler sleep in a toddler bed because I feel like all kids start to come into shows at a similar point, so if we’re thinking about it maybe you are too.
Celebrate Dora’s 10th Anniversary Giveaway!
Can you believe Dora is now 10 years old?! Dora and friends have been teaching kids Spanish, exploring their surroundings, sharing and helping kids learn through this unique one of a kind show. In partnership with Delta Children’s Products – we are celebrating Dora! Here’s your chance to get a hold of the exclusive Dora 10th Anniversary Room Set for your toddler.
The room set includes a toddler bed, toy box and a 10-piece room décor in a box. This Dora room set will inspire your toddler to keep exploring and learning – just like Dora.
We’re giving away 1 toddler bedroom set (with DVD) and two runners up will get a DVD.
About the DVD here are the information about the 6 episodes and I would highly recommend it for any Dora fan! It came out Tuesday! I received a screener copy to watch, just in case you’re wondering.
Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Slumber Party Episode Synopses:
Boots’ Cuddly Dinosaur
As bedtime approaches during Dora and Boots’ sleepover, Boots can’t find his cuddly dinosaur. The friends realize that Boots’ dinosaur must have fallen out of his bag at Play Park earlier that day. In their quest to help Boots find his cuddly dinosaur, Dora and friends put baby animals to sleep by singing a Spanish lullaby, help Benny find all of his stuffed animals, soar through the air in a balloon, and make a wish on their friend Little Star. With lots of help, Boots finally finds his cuddly dinosaur at Play Park, just in time for bed.
Louder
Every morning Red Rooster must wake the Sun from its deep slumber. Dora and Boots decide to help Red Rooster get to the Highest Hill so he can wake up the Sun. Along the way the friends practice making lots of noise and wake up the frogs, the boat and the pigs. With lots of practice, the friends wake the Sun just in time for morning.
The Lost City
Dora and her friends have lost their most precious toys and will do anything to get them back. The friends discover that toys must go to the Lost City when they are lost, but the city is very hard to find. Dora and Boots embark on an Indiana Jones-like adventure as they race through the Number Pyramid and take a quick shortcut through the Jumbled Jungle. If they find the Lost City, Dora will get back her lost teddy bear, and all her friends will find their favorite lost toys.
Little Star
As Dora and Boots get ready to make a wish on the first star that appears in the sky, the star falls. It’s now up to Dora and Boots to bring Little Star back home to the Moon, so everyone can make their wish. They will have to take Little Star on a long journey over the Troll Bridge, and past Tico’s Tree to help get the star all the way back into the sky.
Song: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
Super Babies’ Dream Adventure
As the Super Babies get ready for their nap, the Dream Fairy is nowhere to be found. The Dream Fairy’s Golden Rooster got locked out of the Dream Castle and couldn’t wake her up, so she was still a sleep. The Super Babies decide to wake up the Dream Fairy by embarking on a journey through the Giant’s Forest, up to Dragon Mountain and finally to Dream Castle. When the dream fairy is awoken with her Golden Rooster, she delivers happy naptime dreams for all of the babies.
Dora Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a Little Lamb, but now Little Lamb is lost. Dora and Boots jump into a big book of Nursery Rhymes to bring Little Lamb back to her best friend, Mary. Along the way to Mary’s House, Dora, Boots and Little Lamb pick pickled peppers with Peter Piper; help the Itsy Bitsy Spider climb up the Water Spout; ride a cow over the Moon; put Humpty Dumpty back together again; and even catch a ride in a motorized bath tub.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. September 23, 2010.
You must comment telling us your families favorite Dora character, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
In Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival, kids join Cookie Monster and Big Bird at a fun-filled carnival, through gameplay steeped in math skills that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition. Kids journey through the game in the many areas of the carnival such as The Grandstand, Midway, Petting Zoo, Food Court and the Arcade.
