Buzz Mailbox

Tested by a group of children ages 18 months to 3-years-old this toy was a big hit.  They love the bright colors, the spinning bee and the mail that they can put in the slot.  The older kids liked to pretend that it is the mailbox at their house.  The teacher raved about it, saying it was great to have a toy that the kids enjoyed so much.

This cute little kitchen packs hours of fun in a small space.  It has a refrigerator, microwave, sink, countertop and ice maker.  The colors are nice and bright, the design is durable.  Turn the yellow time and it ticks and rings.  The set includes a frying pan, pot, measuring spoon, spatula, phone and shapes for the sorters. This was tested by a 7-month-old who had just recently started sitting.  Her grandmother said she thought her granddaughter would get a lot of use out it and as it turned out she loved it. 

Play House

Did you play with LEGO's as a kid?  The mother of our 3-year-old tester did, and she was thrilled to give this to her daughter to test.  Both mother and daughter liked the play house.  The daughter had fun arranging the house in different designs, as well as just playing with the pieces.  The mother thought it was great for imaginative play.  They both said it  was a winner.

Pretend & Learn Shopping Cart

Our 2-year-old tester likes to push around anything, so pushing around a shopping cart was just plain fun.  This shopping cart is a great way to introduce early math skills.  With a scanner it also teaches colors, food groups, counting and more! It's something different!

Little People Discovery Airport

According to our 2-year-old tester, this toy  is a winner.  Already a  Little People fan, this airport was a winner before the box was opened.  The mother also reported it was played with non-stop, and that her child  has named all the little people after her family friends.  She likes to pretends they are going on vacation.  The vehicles make sounds which our tester loved, especially the helicopter!  There are also flashing lights along the runway.  It takes up a lot of space, but it's a great toy!  Another Little People winner! 

Talking Fashion Vanity

Is your granddaughter a "princess" is she into Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White?  Are the "princesses" her favorite characters?.  Our 3-year-old tester loved this! Her parents reported that she loved pretending to put on make-up, painting nails, and getting dressed up.  Designed with some neat effects, such as the lights flashing when you turn it on, and a voice that tells you  "It's time to get ready." Equipped with two mirrors, a chair, pretend hair dryer, comb, pretend lipsticks and nail polish.  This vanity is every little girls dream! 

Chomp Chops (by Manhattan Toy Company, ages 3 and up, $19.99)

Puppets are great pretend play toys for children of all ages.  These cute little puppets are furry with over stuffed orange snouts "Chomp" has a big wide mouth huge red nose.  Our little testers had hours of  fun entertaining themselves!

Lifestyle Kitchen (

When I played house I had my mom's leftover pans, old spices, dandelions, mud and a pot of water.  This is the stuff little kids dream about playing with.  It's nicer than any play kitchen I've ever seen!  From the window looking out onto the farm, to the sounds of the dishwasher, microwave and oven this is one great play set.  If you want to introduce your grandchild to pretend play - this is the kitchen to do it with.  There are cabinets to open, pots and pans to pretend with, there's even a working overhead light.  The assembly was very easy - just about an hour.  I used a cordless drill as recommended and it was a breeze.  The directions are very easy.  You'll need a lot of AA batteries that aren't included for all the electronic gadgets.  If you are giving this as a gift you'll want to set it up the night before to avoid any pressure to get it done!