Vintage Toys -Toy Reviews -Toy Discount

Reviews

We bought these to decorate our playroom. The letters are great! I love the way they look on the wall. The colors are very bright and easy to see. The items chosen to represent each letter are perfect!

We have these in our playroom, and this set is a replacement for ones we got three years ago (that my then twin one year olds pulled off and ripped). These are the best wall decor I could find, gender neutral, does not destroy paint, and has clear edges (hopefully to keep my now three year old twins from peeling off!). My kids love pointing all the letters/pictures out. I would definitely recommend (and will probably come back to buy more for friends with little ones).

Easy to use and re-position if necessary. Stays on the wall beautifully, just requires a little rubbing for textured walls. Looks adorable without much effort. I put these at the head of my son's bed and now we do the ABC's at night before bed. Very happy with this product.

I love the fact that they are BIG and Colorful. Easy to put on and take off wall.

Reviews

I bought this only a couple of months ago, and although it's proven to be a life saver as far as it keeps my daughter safely entertained while I make dinner, it also has quickly shown it's flaws. First, she "washes the dishes" a lot while standing in the Tower, and it's already showing water damage even though it's not getting all that wet. The wood is splitting and drying out. I got the Natural one, and it does have a finish to it, but it's not enough I guess. I feel it's way too soon to show damage. Second, the spaces on the long sides are unnecessary and a little misleading. My 2 year old daughter isn't always aware that there's an opening on the side and sometimes, while sitting, appears as though she might lean back into the non-existent 'wall' there...and fall out! (The bar above gives a sense that's it's an entire wall.) Third, the feet on the base stick out pretty far and I stub my toes on them ALL OF THE TIME! I also wish it went one click taller, for the little ones. All in all it's been a great thing to have, but that's also because there is nothing else out there like it. It's much safer than the little kiddos just standing on a chair, but not the best (see above). It is sturdy though. Also, the company's return policy isn't that great (re-stocking fee, etc.), so call them beforehand for details, and be sure you want it!

The LP Learning Tower does allow our 2yr old to work at the counter level as we desired. Our son likes being able to help during meal time. However, the tower is very heavy (has cracked one of our kitchen floor tiles) and we have stubbed our toes countless times on the 4 very large side floor mounts that keep the tower stable(NOT shown in the photo).

I have wanted one of these since my oldest son was little(he's 9 years old now!). Either we didn't have the money, didn't have a kitchen, or didn't have a BIG enough kitchen to get one. We have a little one now and have a new home with a big open kitchen, so I figured why not? They sell for practically full price used, so if we didn't like it we could resell it with little loss. We just got ours 2 days ago. We won't be selling it anytime soon. We love it! Instead of just watching us in the kitchen sitting on the counter, our 2yo actually can help out. He has rinsed off dishes, made PB & J, sprinkled cheese on bread, stirred juice, beat eggs, and sorted frozen fruit. Then we took the platform out & put the included star cloth cover on top of the tower. He & his brother played for literally hours in it like that. Sure, it's pricey. It's super heavy & well made. And it grows with your child. And you can sell it for half to 3/4 what you paid new. It takes up about as much space as a regular sized table chair, so it isn't super duper huge but it is big & heavy. We put cloth sliders under ours to save our wood floors & make it easier to move. Parts are great! They give you an extra set of allens & extra screws & washers. Instructions are easy to read & follow. Based on other reviewers, we left off the side fins on the base of the feet. It comes with a really cool blue cloth with stars printed on it for extended play. My boys really like that part:)

I was reluctant to but the learning tower because of the price. However, the reviews I read here and elsewhere convinced me to go ahead and get it. I have not been disappointed. It is well made, sturdy and makes time in the kitchen so more more fun for both me and my child.

I think you need the right sort of kitchen, with an area of open counter space, to truly get the best use out of this item. One friend who did not ended up not using it, because they did so much prep at a kitchen table. However, I can say, without a doubt, that this tower is the single most useful item I have ever bought for my child, (except perhaps our car seat). I got it when she was maybe 15 or so months old and she just turned 6. She is in it many times every single day and often eats, does art, helps with cooking, or whatever, while I am in the kitchen. If I had to calculate how many times she has used it, I feel confident that we'd be upwards of 5,000 times. I will say that I started using it earlier than recommended, and if you do, keep a close watch because you'll have to have a small child up so high he/she could flip over the top. My child did that as a small toddler, and it was completely my fault. Luckily, she landed on her back, not her head or neck! :( It is a very sturdy, well made thing and I would most definitely buy it again! One day soon she won't need it any more and I will forever miss my little kitchen helper in her Learning Tower. I will probably keep it for a memento. sniff..

Reviews

This is a great Thomas movie. My 2 year old LOVES it and I must say I enjoy the experience a lot more than the Calling All Engines DVD. Pierce does a great job of each character and really makes the whole experience more engaging and fun for the whole family. I especially like the story, the overall message and the water scenes that Thomas is in. Don't miss this one, it's a wonderful addition for your train loving child.

My little 3-year old son is a huge fan of Thomas and just loves this movie. He watches it daily and just loves singing the little songs. He really wants the Thomas at Action Canyon toy that is featured in the movie, but unfortunately, I have been unable to find it for him. I guess it is discontinued. Anyway, this is an adorable movie that I am sure your little Thomas fan will just love.

My 2 1/2-year-old is Thomas crazy! He loves the tracks, trains and this video is really a hit. It helps me a lot, because I work from home, and sometimes I need my boy to be focused on something for longer than 5 minutes, and this video does the trick. I also think it's a nice story and it has a pretty nice message.

My 2 yr old grandson loves this movie. He and I watch it during lunch--I can get him to eat vegetables better because he's so enthralled with the movie he doesn't realize what he's eating!!

If your kids are Thomas fans then this one will be a big hit. They loved the plot and all of the trains in it. Money well spent!

Reviews

My six month old grandson loves this video. The music makes him laugh and colors really attract his attention. We are purchasing more of these. Also, we purchased these DVD's for our other grandson and he had the same reaction.

When I read negative comments about Baby Einstein videos and how they don't make a child "smarter," I have to laugh. My daughter knew all her colors when she was 16 months old. Yes, she could say them and identify them. That was due ENTIRELY to this video. We didn't think she was old enough to know her colors yet, so we hadn't started teaching them to her. Then, one day, she just starts pointing to objects and saying, "blue" and "red," etc. My child has watched this video dozens of times in the last 9 months or so and never tires of it. She especially likes the character of Vincent, and likes the books with him in them as well. Not only has she learned her colors, she has recognized Van Gogh artwork when we've seen it out in the "real" world. She points at it and starts babbling excitedly. How anyone can criticize this series is beyond me.

My favorite of the Baby Einstein collection. Couples colors with words, music and poetry. I anticipate it will be one my son enjoys for some time to come.

We have a very active 6 month old who constantlty needs stimulation...The Baby Einstein dvd keeps him happy and quiet for a least an hour. He loves it!

Please be aware that the fact is The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two be kept away from screen media. These products are claiming benefits that are utterly unfounded.

Reviews

I bought the DVD Baby MacDonald a Life on the Farm because I knew my 15 month old grandson loved watching the Baby Einstein segments on uTube. He is now almost 18 months old and is still mesmerized by the whole DVD- especially the part where the pigs splash down the slide into the mud! Baby Einstein DVD's are fabulous- I would recommend them for children of all ages because of the beautiful photography, music arrangements and soothing voice of the narrator! ***** 5 stars at our house!

My child loves Baby Einestein's DVDs. One of her favorites is actually (A day on the farm). She likes to sing with the singers and enjoys seeing the animals. Good DVD, which has been modified from its previous version.

My 7 month old son loves this video. He does not really like too many movies, but this is the one that holds his attention. He loves the animal sounds and its a movie that we can all enjoy. I bought it for my 12 month old nephew and he also likes it. Definitely a great purchase!

I read mixed reviews on this one but my grandson is mesmerized. He's 9 months old now but a few weeks ago I put this on for him and he didn't seem too interested. But now that he's a few weeks older, he loves it. I put him in the excersaucer and put this on and he watches while I put on my makeup and fix my hair. Then I'm ready to start the day with him!!!! He especially loves the animal puppets!

The combination of puppets, real life characters and animation seems to fascinate the under two group. I can't tell you how many times we have watched this and sung Old MacDonald had a Farm.... This is a 30 minute DVD with some extras. The kids love it. After you've seen it a dozen times it does seem to get longer and longer! It is a good compliment to the Baby Einstein books. The video is kind of like reading a moving board book so the kids are familiar with how Baby Einstein is set up and what to expect.

Reviews

I Love Toy Trains is a great video series. I've been watching since 1996. This video series isn't really that popular but my Dad knows about it because he's heard the bloopers song for 10 years now! And also I would invite my friend Brian over and we would watch I Love Toy Trains. We thought it was funny whenever trains crashed or the man said "Oh No!" How I heard about this series was I loved trains since I was 2 and I would look for some train-related videos at my library and then I ran upon this. And later on I started getting the other volumes. So far I got Part 1-3 which was all 3 in one VHS and Part 4, Part 5, and Part 7-9 which was all in one DVD. This I Love Toy Train series has mostly Lionel Trains and very few HO Trains there are some G-Gauge and Marklin. It contains layouts from great layouts such as Ward Kimball, Stan Roy, Warren Frost, etc... And also has some great songs by Jim Coffey. Jeff McCommas didn't host until Part 5 then he started hosting the other volumes. In part 9, he looked hot with his hair spiked up! This is a great video series and for any train fan!

This is the 11th in a series of videos called "I Love Toy Trains" and I think it is the best yet! Jeff, who has been around since the first video has grown with each one and does a great job of being the M.C. He does magic tricks, talks about the Maui Ocean Center and shows a great deal of knowledge about the toy trains featured in the video. There are still the jokes and a puppet for extra entertainment, even flying saucers and aliens are included in the fun! Great addition to the I Love Toy Train series.

.... But my boys love it and watch it again and again, and it is a welcome break from watching the Thomas the Tank engine videos again and again. My boys are 3 and 1, and will watch this over and over, and tell other people the silly jokes, and laugh and laugh. There are lots of crashes and right after them, the guy says "oh no!" and now anytime something happens at home, we say "oh no" in the same silly voice, and the boys fall over laughing....we know the jokes are stupid, but they appeal to very young kids, and they are simple enough that they can repeat them and get a kick out of being able to tell a joke. Did you know that a cow's favorite singer is MooDonna? Look at this video with the eyes of a 3 year old, and you will enjoy it too.

I couldn't stand volume 1--Lots of hokey songs, choppy flow from one scene to another. Mushy sound, hard to understand. Too much silly model stuff. Not enough trains. We really like volume 2--much more professional, good music, my son loves it. I don't know that I would buy a whole series of these though.

My 22- month old vehicle-obsessed triplet boys are thoroughly entertained by this video. They have been watching for a couple of months now (as well as I Love Toy Trains- parts 2 & 3) and though it does get a bit dull or repetitious for me, they continue to enjoy it.

Reviews

I bought this item for my nephew's second birthday, and after a week or so it became his number one video. He'd had it a couple of months when he and his mom were leaving the house one day. As they went out the door, he turned to say goodby to the video, which was lying on the coffee table. Then he decided that more homage was appropriate, so he went back and gave it a kiss. What more can I say?

This is one program we plan to purchase in DVD because is is the only one that my boyfriend can tolerate! I don't mind watching Thomas, Barney and Blue's Clues, but the I Love Toy Trains is one that keeps our son's attention AND makes his dad happy! Now I have to buy a copy since we need to return the one we have to the library!

My son really enjoys this video and has since he was a little less than 2. He asks for it often and has yet to get tired of it. It features a number of different model train in some really well done layouts with great extra's built with an erector set to add to the model train setup. The video also has a nice mix of some real trains, construction equipment and airplanes. Some of the silly humor became punchlines that we used around the house for months. :)

All the toy train videos are great fun but this one is my favorite. A great mix of toy trains, real trains, animal jokes, songs and just plain fun, chances are you will even learn a thing or two about real trains. sure to delight children of all ages even adults won't tire of wacthing this fun video.

Reviews

This is one of the best kid videos. My son watched it when he was a baby and it was his absolute favorite. Now my one year old loves it. It is the only video he will sit and pay attention to with a rapt expression on his face. I am going to get the other ones too. I enjoy watching them as well! The historical conductors announcing the train, the real and the toy trains going by, vintage and recent, with some tractors and earth movers thrown in. What little boy wouldn't love it?

I hated vol. 1, but this one is very good. We got it at the library and now I am buying it. Not too much talking, good music, flows well from model trains to shots of real ones. Lots and lots of trains. Not too much of the hokey stuff like in the first one.

All "The I love toy trains" video's are great fun and equaly important educational. They are more they toy trains they are a grat mix of music, real trains, farm animal video, and corny jokes. With the possible exception of "veggietales" "I love toy trains" are my families favorite videos. I enjoy them as much as my kids

My two kids (now ages 3.5 and 5) love this video, and all others in this series, and have been watching them since they were each about 2 years old. These videos show footage of small trains (many of which are Lionel and American Flyer) running in various very interesting layouts. The music and humor in the videos are captivating, and the music is also available in separate CD's so you can listen to them in your car, etc. These videos are produced by TM (Tom McComas) Books and Video, and are absolutely top-quality. We have watched them so many times that we are about to replace the tapes with DVD versions of them. Highly recommended! Buy them all! (No, I'm not related to Tom or the company. I just know a great thing when I see it!)

Reviews

This is a great product, Weller makes the best soldering stations, I use it all the time and have no complaints about its quality. I always wanted a solder station with a temp control for the iron and although this is hobby grade its works Great for the price. I do recommend buying a assortment of soldering tips for it, the one it comes with is rather large for intricate soldering but good for melting stuff together when needed.

this does the job of a professional soldering iron. I was using it to do rework on a computer logic board. it works great.

i LOVE this model, it has and continues to serve me well for years now. 5 years ago i got tired of crappy ones and not having a variable power knob. i treated myself to this model and am happy i did every time i use it..

Like another review said, FINALLY ONE THAT PUTS OUT ENOUGH HEAT!!! I've tried a battery-powered soldering iron (Weller)... cost about $17 at Lowes. Junk. Heats up fast, sure, but doesn't maintain that temperature at all. Tried a few cheap-o soldering irons from Radioshack, Wal-Mart, etc. Junk. Same as above... don't retain heat. Plus it doesn't have a stand lol. This one finally did the job... and did it terrifically in fact! Heats up very quickly... and soldered anything I threw at it with ease. Absolutely love it... the tip it comes with is quite nice too. I'd like to pick up a variety of tips as this one is a little big, but should do fine for most of the soldering I'll be doing.

The Weller WLC100 is a great, if not the best, soldering pencil an electronics hobbyist can get. This soldering station is marketed as a hobby item, not a professional one. Pro models have removable cords and automatic temperature feedback control to maintain a constant temperature under load. I bought a ST7 conical tip (fine and pointy) because I think the provided ST6 chisel tip is too big for all general PCB work - hobbyist and pro. The provided tip is great for, say, automotive and appliance wiring, switches, etc. The ST7 tip works great on PCBs when the temp control is dialed to a "2". If I'm desoldering a lead on a non-thermal ("cartwheel", "thermal relieved") pad to a ground plane, then I have to temporarily crank the dial up to "3" or "4". Don't leave the setting this high as it will vaporize and burn flux much too quickly. And, high tip temperatures corrode the tip quickly. This Weller model has the following advantages over the ZD Electronic Tools "General purpose solder station for the hobbist [sic: "hobbyist"]. 1- The foam grip is a bit thicker and cushier; 2- The pencil's cord is removable; 3- (?) The tips may (or may not) be more durable. Differences between models: - The Weller station is 2.5X as expensive; - Weller tips are 2.5X as expensive. - The tips are similar, but *NOT* interchangeable; - The Weller pencil's cord is removable; - (?) The heater control electronics may (or may not) be different. - Station's plastic color: gaudy orange vs. light cyan (whoop-de-do); All other characteristics of the 2 models appear identical. Th WellerWLC100 is a class act, especially for being a hobbyist tool. Similar pro models (heat sensor + electronic temperature control + display) start at 2X the cost. [...]

Reviews

If you are going to do some electronic repair, don't try to get by with a simple soldering iron. The fast temperature contol of this unit dumps in more heat right away when you need it, then backs off when you're not soldering. Once you use it, you'll see the difference. It just plain works better.

I got the WES51 station for my first soldering experience, replacing bad/blown capacitors in my older G5 Imac, and it worked great. (25 capacitors replaced successfully!) I purchased based on positive reviews and the price seemed good. Never having soldered before- and frankly never having worked on the guts of my computer before- the project was daunting; I didn't want to spend a lot of dough on a tool that I may never use again and for a project that I perceived had dim prospects for success. Having used it successfully, I now consider this to be an excellent tool and a tremendous value for the price. When I first opened the box, I thought the unit looked antiquated- something you might unearth from underneath your grandfather's workbench. It has one LED to let you know the unit is on and heating, and a dial. The machine is solid, though, and has the look and feel of quality. The iron itself is light and the soft foam rubber makes it very comfortable to hold over time. Also, the coating on the handle keeps your fingers cool- I used it comfortably for hours. The cable from the iron to the station is thoughtfully long and made of high quality silicone that is very flexible- these features made the iron very easy to use. I spent hours on my project, holding the iron constantly, and never felt I had to put it down due to fatigue or because it became too hot to hold. The iron heated to its designated temperature very quickly- seemed to me a matter of seconds from a cold start. The stand that comes with it is durable and the coiled receiver protects the iron well (and me from the hot tip!) and is a good angle for constant use. All in all, I am impressed with the quality and ergonomics of this kit. The products I used with this that worked equally well are Super Solder Super Solder Wire 60% 1.0mm Diameter - 1lb Spool and Tech Spray Desoldering Wick Tech Spray Desolder Braid,Pro- Wick, #4, Anti-Static, Blue, 5' The only thing that was challenging when using this product was desoldering on my Imac circuit board. I hear that they use a solder with a higher melting point (lead-free silver solder?) and the iron just barely melted it. Everything turned out OK, but I felt I was lingering a little too long with the iron on the board to desolder those leads. I'm certain this is not a flaw with the soldering station, but it may be relevant to those who might need a bit more oomph from their iron. It did flow the Super Solder very well and easily, however. I am very happy with this product and recommend it highly!

The Weller soldering station is simply wonderful. The adjustability of the temperature enables me to safely solder a wide range of wire and component sizes. The iron reaches the proper temperature in short order and holds it quite nicely. For perspective, I am not an electronics professional, just an intermittent electronics hobbyist. Over the years, however, I gained considerable experience soldering - having built ham radio gear, repairing televisions and radios, and most recently building a tube-based guitar amplifier. I should have plunked down the money for one these soldering stations years ago because it eliminates the need for multiple irons and it made me better at soldering due to the good ergonomics of this iron.

This is a great iron. I had a few things stolen during moving (why they'd want to steel a soldering iron I don't know). I'd had mine for 4 or 5 years and it worked flawlessly. I bought this one as a replacement and it work just as great as the first one. If this one got stolen too, I'd replace it with this same station again!!

I'd never done any soldering before purchasing this unit so it had to be pretty trouble free as a learning experience. I wanted it primarily for making up guitar patch cables and asked the supplier of the DIY kit which of several units he recommended. He answered this one with an exclamation mark. The patch cables are done and work perfectly. I've even taken on a few other soldering projects I would ordinarily have passed on and every one's been a snap. Highly recommended!

Reviews

As others have said, this does the job and does it quite well for the price. Would definitely recommend.

First, I'm assuming this is the same sucker that Radio Shack sold - it sure looks the same. I was happy with it initially, because it was solidly made, and easier to use than a squeeze bulb type. However, once I got my hands on an Edsyn DS017 Soldapullt, I thought differently. The DS017 creates a stronger vacuum and moves more air, so is much more effective removing solder. I'd advise spending the extra $15 for the real thing.

I have had one of these desoldering pumps for 10 years and it finally needed to be replaced. Works great, can't beat it for the price.

This desoldering pump works as intended. It is good for general purpose desoldering however it is too bulky for desoldering smaller components. All in all it works good.

I never thought I'd have a reason to use a de-soldering pump, but recently I found myself disassembling the power supply of an LCD TV. The TV manufacturer had placed inferior capacitors on the circuit board of the power supply and after 2 years, the TV would not turn on. After much research, I found that I could swap out the bad capacitors myself and save a ton of money. So I purchased the desoldering pump to help remove the old solder from the circuit board by vacuuming up the hot solder so that the capacitor can be replaced. Though I had no experience with circuit boards, I was able to complete the task successfully, and the TV now works like new. The desoldering pump worked perfectly, and I can honestly say, "This product sucks!"

Reviews

Since I'm not allowed to register 0 stars for this math crapware, I'll simply advise to read all reviews of this incredibly BAD program. If adults are responsible for this poorly thought out and produced piece of work, they should be banned from design work for life and returned to the fast food drive up window. If a class of 4th graders is responsible, nice try, but study a little harder before attempting your next project. In short, DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS JUNK. The only math you'll be doing afterward is writing it off as a bad investment next April 15th.

Like so many others' i read the reviews for this software after i had already purchased the product. Those reviews really made me look for the worst out of this program but once i received it in the mail and tried it out i was pleased.(after i got through the virtual memory problem that i had to figure out that is) I wasn't shocked or excited about what i saw in the program but it looks like it will get the job done for me. It could use better graphics but as long as it delivers on the learning end I'm fine with it. I mean that is the whole reason why i bought it in the first place. The reason i gave it 3 stars was because so far i like what i saw from it so far but as I'm typing in this reveiw this is my first day using this sortware so i really cant say to much about it but I'm satisfied with it.

I bought this software thinking my wife could use it to improve her math skills. I was very disapointed. I tried to load one of the CDs, after clicking the install button, it acted as if it was installing the software, then it gave me an application error and the software locked up. I then killed the installation software and noticed that it did install an icon to run the software. The software was very hard to understand. It didn't have any usefull help. It looked like software that was written in the 1980s. Very poor. I write software professionally for a living. I can tell that this software was a bunch of old software that was repackaged to sell as new. The software probably wasn't rewritten to keep up with newer windows operating systems (I am using Windows XP Professional). Keep your hard earned money and do not buy this product.

Unfortunately, I did not see the other reviewers' comments prior to purchasing this incredibly mediocre software. 'My bad. In addition to the frustrating problems with installation encountered by the other reviewers -- and not, I think I can safely say, ascribed to user error -- once I finally got the software working it was obvious that dispite the glitzy packaging and use of the year 2006 in the title, this program utlized extremely dated and poorly designed software technology. The graphics were terrible and struck me as state-of-the-art software circa 1990, the interface was poorly designed and frequently counter-intuitive, and the whole thing bored my otherwise motivated 10-year old to tears. In short, for the money you can do far better. Do not buy this product.

First of all, my background: I'm a software developer who also used to work as a math teacher at the middle and high school levels. I have a very bright middle-school-aged daughter who's often bored in her math class, and is starting to show interest in learning some math material on her own, rather than waiting for her slow-as-the-slowest-student "honors" math class. (Yeah, that kind of bright.) I looked around at various math-teaching computer programs. Math Advantage seemed to be one of the few prominent names in the field, the brand new 2006 edition was just coming out, and the price seemed pretty good considered how much material it covered, so I decided to give it a shot. Oops. First annoying aspect: the "ten core subject areas" come on ten separate CDs. Each CD contains its own separate program that must be individually installed. Why? Didn't it occur to anyone at Encore that they could write one program with a different data disc for each subject, so we could install the one program and switch between data discs as needed? (That's how every multi-disc game program I've seen works.) Or just load the whole lot onto a single DVD? Okay, so I grumble a bit and install 10 CDs. Well, nine. I got tired after nine. The tenth one can wait. So I now have what appear to be seven core math programs and two "bonus" programs crowding my Start menu, with one "bonus" program left to install later. The seven core programs are Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus & Calculus, and Statistics. Sounds like a pretty thorough line-up. So, I start the Pre-Algebra program. My screen goes black, and I get a dialog box informing me that I need to "Please check that 'Math Advantage 2003 Pre Algebra CD' is in your CD-ROM drive.'" (The "2003" on the message causes me to wonder how much of this 2006 program is a mere re-copy of the 2003 version.) After some puttering, I determine that to run the program, I have to insert the appropriate CD, exit the installer dialog when it appears, and *then* run the program from the Start menu. Ridiculous. The graphics are cheap, and only use a small fraction of a mere 800x600 screen (further suggesting an older design), but okay, it runs. The opening menu is initially confusing - a big wheel sporting prominent-but-unclickable icons with clickable text labels - but provides entry to "Tutorial", "Examination", "Game", "Report Card", and a few other things. The Tutorial interface is dry, and the audio voice reads the displayed text and questions (presumably in case your math-hungry student is illiterate). Same for the Exam; functional, but very dull. The Game is a very simplistic steer-the-spark-on-the-wires game that could have been played on an older cell phone, hardly worthy of a remotely modern computer, and seemed to have very little to do with any math concepts. The Interactive Zone has various lessons within, many extremely simple and dull, and some that were just simple lectures with simple graphics, but none involved much interactivity. I ran several of the other discs (Geometry, Trigonometry, etc.) and found very much the same comments -- and, in fact, the exact same cheap graphics and dull style -- applied to all of 'em. In the end, this felt like one of those cheap math workbooks you find at a discount educational materials store had been pasted onto my computer screen with a soft voice to read everything to me. If you consider that each such workbook might cost about $4, and there are ten of 'em in here, then the price might seem about right. But somehow, I expected a *lot* more out of a $40 math education computer software package that was supposedly constructed for 2006. What I got appears to be a re-repackaged software that's *at least* a few years old, not at all well designed to hold the attention of young math students, nor any more effective at teaching them math skills than any cheap and simple math workbook. Overall, I am extremely disappointed. The programs work (after some effort), and they do seem to include a reasonable degree of material (math lessons and problems and such), but the presentation is uniformly and mindlessly dull, and there is nothing to spark or grab the interest of the average young math student -- even if they weren't already jaded by the plethora of infinitely snazzier computer games and other software packages common today. There's also a strange bug related to its use of computer memory, which other reviewers of this and past editions (yep, it's apparently been in there for years) have described well. By the way, I never did install that tenth disc. And I'm uninstalling the nine now...

Reviews

I read the previous addition but this book was given to me by my principal. It totally changed (and improved) my classroom management. Where I was struggling to get student attention and focus them and "threatening" them, now I have a plan...As a music teacher, I've been through some classes from august to mid-year (as I write this review) and not had to discipline ONCE!!!

I am a 14 yr teacher and have taught from 6th grade through doctoral students (not in education). He gives many "to do's" without considering the cost to the teacher. He tells teachers that if you don't have students' names on desks with something to do when students enter the room, you have lost the students for the YEAR and that you are an ineffective teacher. Never mind that a teacher may have 200 students and doesn't get their class list until the morning of the first day of school. He frequently implies that if one doesn't teach with his methods, one is an ineffective teacher. Fred Jones needs to be taken with a grain of salt. With Harry Wong you will need a block of salt.

Very useful and informative! Exactly what I learned in other classes but with more incite.

This book contains tons of practical information that education classes seem to pass right by. I actually like that it's a bit "homemade" looking. And I appreciate the "motivational speaker" aspect of it. I think a great teacher should be in part a motivational speaker too. I used the "Give me Five" technique for my class my very first year five years ago and not only does it work, but other teachers have asked to use my signage for it in their class. All of a sudden I'm a school leader on creating good classroom behavior! I think this book is a very good investment.

This book is very important for the first day of school. If you want to become a teacher of any sort, buy this book! Some of Wong's ideas are a little strong for my taste, however so many of these ideas are so amazing, they over look the less appealing ones. Wonderful book, easy to read, FULL of important information.

Reviews

I PURCHASED THIS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR MY 3 YEAR OLD GRANDSON. HE LOVES EVERYTHING THERE IS ABOUT sPONGEBOB sQUAREPANTS

I Love Leapster and the games kids can get! The games are the latest craze's (i.e: Star Wars, Spongebob, Cars, etc.). The games are educational, and the kids don't mind one bit, and neither do I! I don't feel like they are wasting their brains when they are playing Leapster! The Spongebob game helped my 2nd grade daughter with money, where she "wouldn't" listen to me, she learned in her game! The games have age levels, however, I have three kids, ages 10, 8, and 5, and they all play the games regardless of age levels, and love it! Great learning system, lots of fun!!!! I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new system if the one we have broke down, which we've had for 3 yrs. so far!!!!

This is both my kids' (7 and 4) favorite leapster game. It has many different levels, and is always their first choice- and we have lots of games.

My son just turned 5 and he loves Sponge Bob so this was a natural. Some things are a little advanced for him--it is teaching counting money, etc., but not too advanced as it gives you lots of chances to get things right even if you really don't know money amounts. It will be a good game to grow on. Plenty of silly Sponge Bob antics to keep user entertained while hopefully learning some things about numbers and counting.

My daughter got this game for Christmas and LOVES it. I was amazed when she started counting her change and was right, and she said she learned it from this game! Sure, she could just "blindly put coins in the slot" as another reviewer said, but that is not how my child plays. She pays attention to how the coins are adding up and is learning. My only problem is that the game will suddenly freeze up in the middle of a game and the leapster has to be turned off and on again, and so what she was playing is lost. I am going to try contacting leap frog and see if I can get a replacement.

Reviews

My literacy student and I drill with these to prepare her for the math portion of the GED. These are the division questions she needs to memorize, to recall quickly so that she can work out the harder problems on the exam. For this purpose, the cards are just right.

I bought these flash cards for my niece,and she is getting more division problems and more multiplication problems correct now! The flash cards are double-sided,and they are durable. This product is very inexpensive,and it is made in America!

Reviews

What better way to teach children about money? Dora motivates my daughter to save money in her wallet for those special toys she wants. Very durable material and its water proof too. Perfect size.