Leaping
forward.
If
you are a parent to one or more toddlers, or if you just happen to
know one, you'll be more than aware of how full-on they are. We mean,
come on kids; chill out and relax for a bit, won't ya? In hopes of
keeping those never-still hands occupied for a bit, we took a look at
a few interactive toys from Leap Frog, designed specifically for one
to three year olds.
Count & Crawl Number Kitty
This
roll-along cat features twenty keys running along his back, labelled
with numbers from 1 to 20. You can pop it on and let your wee sprog
bash the keys to make the cat say the number, or, in musical mode,
play a different note. There are a few number and counting games for
older toddlers to play along with, but the younger kids will enjoy
pushing kitty along on his ball of wool (and making a tune play at
the same time), or standing him up to bat the ball.
When
presented to our young reviewer, the musical mode was of far more
interest than the numbers. Because of the layout of the keys it was
almost like playing a weird modern musical instrument, and quite a
few decent little tunes were created. Still, the purely physical
elements, combined with the number games, make this a great toy for
kids to grew into.
£19.99
Scout's
Goodnight Light
This
is a hand-held torch that also doubles as a projector and night
light. Styled like a cute little rocket ship, it features a handle to
be carried about and wielded to project images of planets and moons.
Games include questions from the onboard pups, Scout and Violet,
about what images are cast onto the wall. Then, when it's time for
bed, you can set a timer for ten or 20 minutes as a lullaby plays and
a shifting LED projection of starts and numbers hits the walls and
ceiling.
By
far the most enjoyed of all the products Leap Frog sent, Scout's
Goodnight Light is a great bedtime toy, especially as the nights draw
in and bedrooms are darker. The lullabies are soothing enough to
actually help get a wee darling off to sleep, while the gentle
projections are bright enough to show up even from a decent distance.
£12.95
Melody
the Musical Turtle
A
musical game, this rugged turtle toy has the kids repeating a
sequence of lights and sounds to play a short tune such as Twinkle
twinkle. There are quite a few games, with varying levels of
difficulty, and also an option for a two player mode. And, once the
game is over, kids can just go wild bashing the buttons to make their
own songs.
This
felt more like a musical instrument in it's own right, as we found
our tester soon grew a bit tired of the repeating game and just
wanted to whack out a few original compositions. Actually the adults
in the group found the game to be pretty good fun, but then we are
all a little childish.
£15