Tummy Time (by Playskool, 3 months and up, $29.99) 

We gave this toy to a 4-month-old baby boy. His mother reported that her son loved the music and the lights and was trying to learn how to operate the toy himself. It's vital for babies to spend some of their waking playtime on their tummies, and this made his time more enjoyable. The mother also reported that his older sibling liked to try to teach the baby how to use it. A great infant product! 

Jumbo Music Block

The sides of this block offer different bright colors, shapes, surprises, and songs. We asked teachers to test this toy with 30 children ages 18 months to 3 years. The teachers used it for shape and color recognition, but the children loved it for the music. The songs are addictive, and the sound quality is excellent. You can change the sound cartridges so you can have a variety of music from Mozart to jazz. It's a real winner with children of all ages -- not just the little ones!

Discovery Tree

I tested this toy on my 18-month-old son, and he loves it even more than he loves flushing the toilet! There are five different colored balls that you push through the top of the tree. As they slide down the tree, the toy identifies the ball's color, teaches first letters, and says cute things. It's bright and durable, and there's place at the base of the tree to store the balls so they don't get lost. This is a real winner in my house.

Music Blocks Mozart Set

We asked several children from 18 months to 4 years old to test this toy. Each age played with it a little differently. The little ones liked to just play with the blocks and carry them around like a boom box while the music is playing. The older ones tried to get the music to play with the appropriate shapes. The music quality is excellent and the tunes catchy. In addition to the Mozart, there are many other cartridges available. A great musical toy -- that's why it's won so many awards! 

Legos are still the same great building toy you remember, with more designs and excitement than ever. The 3-year-old who tested this play house loved being able to build a house that she designed. She also enjoyed making towers. Her parents liked the fact that she wasn't limited to just building a house, but that she could build other things as well.

Plan Toys Farm House

This beautiful wooden toy received rave reviews from the school that received it for testing. The farm house has a removable slat roof, furniture, a ladder, tools, and more. The kids get to play with this every day, and it's one of their favorite toys. Parents who've seen it agree that it would make a great gift for a child. You'll probably want to purchase the Farmer and the Farmer's Wife at the same time. They retail for $10 each. 

Plan Toys Pirate Ship

Ahoy mates! This pirate ship is very cool! Several groups of children who tested it all loved it. The teachers were pleased that it was made of wood. The children viewed it as a puzzle play toy. They would take it apart, put it together, and then act out pirate stories. The ship includes a cannon, anchor, ladder, dinghy, captain, crew, and more! The pieces are small, so when it's not in use, store everything in a bag or bin so you'll know where it is later.

Smarty is a cool interactive robot who entertains with pretend play and building. Our 4-year-old tester, who loves building, thought this was the best. With 50 different projects to choose from, he never got bored! And while the kids play with this, they're learning, too.

Planet Rascal - Jean: (Planet Rascals, ages 3 and up, $34.95) 

Jean is pictured but there are actually six gorgeous little plush animals that are modeled after real-life animals living in Zoos and special Animal Sanctuaries around the world!  When they arrive they come packaged it comes in a special box with "Real-Live Animal" stamped all over it and air holes! Included in the box is a fun, colorful, educational CD-ROM which makes it fun for children to get acquainted with their new Planet Rascals friend. Kids also get a personalized adoption certificate – FREE!  With each adoption Planet Rascals makes a donation to either the Los Angeles Zoo or the Roar Foundation - Shambala Reserve - that make this a fun gift that keeps giving!

Skill Starter Notebook

We gave this to a public school kindergarten class for testing, and the response was great. The notebook offers 30 activities that help develop skills necessary for school. The children used them to work on their vocabulary, basic math skills, and more. There are also creative activities such as a music composer, artwork studio, and more. 

Once our two testers got hold of these K'nex sets, they spent weeks building toys, playing with them, and taking them apart to build new ones. The Advanced set has instructions for 30 projects ranging from an off-road pickup to an airplane, each rated for difficulty. Even our 6-year-old could follow the instructions, but he sometimes needed adult help snapping pieces together. The K'nexpert set includes a battery-operated motor and instructions for 50 projects. Our 9-year-old learned the hard way that he had to follow the instructions exactly to make the motorized projects work, but was amply rewarded with models like amusement park rides and two different helicopters. Both kids agreed: "Really cool!" Also available is a 20-model Intermediate set. 

Quantum Pad (LeapPad, ages 8 and up, $49.99)

Our 10-year-old tester rated this electronic toy a 5 out of 5 for educational value and ease of use. He said he liked the competition, and he liked that it was expandable. His parents like the fact that he played with this over video games!

Electronic Explorer Globe (LeapPad, ages 8 and up, $99.99)

It's easy to see why that is an award-winning toy.  The Explorer Globe II has hundreds of facts, trivia and more.  I tested this myself before passing it along to a local school for testing and I found it to be quite amazing.  My in-laws work for the Peace Corps in Suriname (a country I know little about), so my husband and I decided to show our kids where Grandma & Grandpa live.  It was amazing the information that the globe contains.  Once you set the world clock it tells you the time in every part of the world.  It will also play local music, tell you about the currency, population, and more.  If you touch two spots on the globe it will tell you the distance between the two places. There are quizzes that are challenging  and fun  Another nice feature is that you can wear headphones while playing.  This is an educational toy that's packed full of fun! 

All Ages

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