Thursday, December 15, 2011

Gift Guide: Bloco Toys Review & GIVEAWAY

Bloco Toys are self-constructed toys which come to life as you build!
There's a great selection of different Bloco creatures you can create!
I had the opportunity to review Bloco's Lizards & Chameleons construction set as well as their Primates of the World Chimpanzee with my kids.  I was completely surprised at just how much fun these toys were.  The construction process is unique, simple, and super fun!  From start to finish, my kids and I had a lot of fun putting the toys together!  After we completed them, my kids had tons of fun playing with the creations and using their imaginations to bring the toys to life. 
Bloco toys actually uses "innovative patented pieces which interlink, stack and rotate at any angle to create a virtually endless permutation of creatures."  Their pieces are also highly dense, safe, easily to manipulate, washable, and I also found them to be very durable!  My two year old was being pretty rough with them and I was certain something was going to end up broken, but the pieces were able to withstand all of the harsh wear and tear from my son--it was great!
Somethings that I particularily like about the Bloco toys are:
- They are soft which makes putting them together easy on the hands and safe during play
- The toys are moveable and can be manipulated into different positions
- You can take the toys apart and put them together over and over again for hours of endless fun
- The toys actually nuture fine motor skills as well as shape recognition
BUY IT:
You can find Bloco Toys at Toys R Us
(Same as I received)
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit the Bloco Toys website and tell us what your favorite item is 

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Giveaway closes Friday December 23rdat midnight
 
 
Winner will be chosen using Random.org& announced the following day
(Open to US & CANADA)
GOOD LUCK!
(Remember to includeyour email in one of your posts or have it available on your profile so we cancontact you of your win)
I was not compensated for this review. I receive product(s) for free so that I can provide my insight and experience.  These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Educational Toy of the Year: Perplexus Voting & GIVEAWAY (closed)

I have heard so much about this wonderful toy and it looks amazing--check out this video:
I encourage everyone to head over to the Awards page and vote for Perplexus as the educational Toy of the Year!
 
Here's how you do it:
2.       Select Perplexus
3.       Click Submit My Vote at the bottom
4.       Register your information to complete your vote.
* Hurry because voting ends January 10, 2012.
BUY IT:
You can check out the Perplexus website for more info on the product and for purchasing information!
WIN IT:
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Vote for Perplexus as the Educational Toy of the Year and comment on this post that you have done so

EARN MORE ENTRIES:
(Leave a separate comment for each entrycompleted)
1 Entry: Follow our blog publicly akathrough Google Friend Connect (On the Right Sidebar)
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1 Entry: “Like” our Take It From MeFacebook Page & Update your status with a link to this giveaway
1 Entry: Become a follower of Perplexus on Twitter
1 Entry: Follow Take It From Me onTwitter & tweet about this giveaway (You may do this once daily.  Please put the link in your comment- See ourhelpful Tweet button below!!)
2 Entries: Add our button to your blog
3 Entries: Post about this giveaway andinclude a link back to our blog (please put the link to your post in yourcomment)
1 Entry Each: Share this giveaway throughDigg, Stumble It, Google Buzz, etc. (share buttons coming soon- some foundbelow)
1 Entry Each: Send an Email to a familymember or friend telling them about this giveaway and include takeitfrommegirls(at) gmail (dot) com in the CC

Giveaway closes Tuesday December 20that midnight

Winner will be chosen using Random.org& announced the following day
(Open to U.S. ONLY)
GOOD LUCK!
(Remember to includeyour email in one of your posts or have it available on your profile so we cancontact you of your win)
I was not compensated for this review. These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Gift Guide: B. Toys Bristle Block Spinaroos and Dr. Doctor (Review)

B. ready for the unexpected.
You’re right. The colors are a little different.
"We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how things are supposed to be.
Instead, we create toys that inspire individuality.
At the end of the day, our goal is to be bigger than a toy company."
"We want to be a voice to children that says it’s okay to be curious, to be pensive, to be loud, to be happy and sad all at the same time, to be generous, to be afraid, to be quiet, to be wild, to be fun, to be open, to be scientific, to be poetic, to be giddy, to be serious, to be smart, to be free, to be you."
Just B. Just you. B. you.
 I first heard about B. toys when we visited our friends house. They had a bag full of Bristle Block Spinaroos that not only caught my kids eyes, but my husbands and mine as well. The colors and variety of shapes and sizes were really neat. I noticed my husband playing with them more than the kids!
 Knowing that our kids loved Spinaroos, we were ecstatic at the opportunity to not only review their Bristle Block Spinaroos, but their Dr. Doctor kit as well! Both products have been a hit in our home these past couple weeks as our kids have explored both toys.
 The Bristle Block Spinaroos came in a handy plastic square container that makes it perfect for storing. My kids think the bin is fun and have become very good at putting them back in the container after they are done playing with them. There are 75 pieces in the kit, giving you a lot to work with. The blocks are very modern in both color and style, which I feel makes them very unique compared to other toys. They are very easy to connect to each other and many of the pieces actually rotate, so you can make some very fun things. My brother stayed with us for Thanksgiving and my daughter was determined that he build her a snowman every time he played with her! I think he built her 20 snowmen within a couple of days!
 The other toy from B. toys that we got to review was Dr. Doctor. This is a really fun kit and comes in a cool carrying case. The tools that come in the Dr. Doctor kit are a Stethoscope with a heartbeat sound when you push the button, a Beeper with light & sound, an Otoscope & mirror, Blood pressure cuff, Syringe & scissors and a Thermometer & tweezers. The Beeper makes noises when you push the buttons and clips onto your pants or shirt. The buttons were a little hard to push, but my kids loved it anyway. The Blood Pressure cuff is really neat because it velcros onto your arm just like a real one and the needle moves when you squeeze it. 
Other B. toys that would be a hit in our family this year are:
Parum Pum Pum
Take It Easel
Meowsic
Buy It!


This product is featured in our "2011 Holiday Gift Guide!"

A big thank you to B. toys for providing me with Dr. Doctor and Spinaroos to review.  These are my honest opinions, your experience may vary.

Gift Guide: Little Kids Inc. Press Dough! Super Mega Cookie Kit & Crunch Art Kit (Review and Giveaway) CLOSED

"Little Kids develops, manufactures and markets innovative and award-winning bubble, novelty, sports and food activity toys. Consumers recognize Little Kids toys for their high quality, value and durability that promote thoughtful and creative play. Little Kids brands include a line built upon No-Spill Bubbles, a category the company created with its patented No-Spill® Bubble Tumbler toy. Other Little Kids brands include My First Bubbles®, Junk Ball® Sports, Crunch Art™ and Press Dough™ food activity toys."
 When searching for presents this year, you must check out Little Kids Inc. toys. They have everything you can think of for your kids!
I first saw Press Dough! Super Mega Cookie Kit on a commercial on TV and knew my daughter would love this because baking is one of her favorite things to do. The kit looked like a lot of fun because kids get their own cookie making tools, so they can be as creative as they want when baking cookies.
The Press Dough! Super Mega Cookie Kit is a 70 piece set that comes with 2 Cookie Presses, 24 Cookie Patterns, 24 Cookie Molds, 8 Frosting Tips, 4 Cookie Shapers, 2 Flour Shakers, 2 Spatulas, 2 Rolling Pins, 2 Cutting Wheels. Having two sets is fantastic because whether you have two girls like me or your child invites a friend over, they both have their own tools!
With the Press Dough! Cookie Maker you use your own cookie dough and the type of dough you choose is essential. You can use either homemade dough, which there are great recipes on their site, or you can use store bought dry mix, or store bought pre-made dough. Check out How to Make the Perfect Cookie! and Cookie Dough Recipes for tips and more!
My daughter had so much fun making cookies with me, and keeps asking me when we will be making more! Our house is going to be overflowing with cookies! It was obviously messy, as you can see by the picture, but it was well worth it, plus the clean up was very easy! All the pieces are dishwasher safe, so I put them all in a lingerie bag and washed them on the top rack of the dishwasher. It was super easy!
Here are a few neat cookies you can create with the Press Dough! Super Mega Cookie Kit.

Another fun activity we received is one of Little Kids Inc. favorite products, Crunch Art! We received the Crunch Art Room Decor, which is perfect for any little girl!
The Crunch Art Kit comes with:
(1) 5" X 7" Picture Frame
(1) Frame Set
(4) Frame Fasteners
(1) Door Tag
100 Piece of Fabric in 4 Fun Colors
Cruncher 
& 
Crunch Board
The Crunch Art Kits are really neat and very easy to do. The kit comes with little fabric squares and you simply use the cruncher to crunch the fabric into your frame or door hanger! You can do any design you want, so it's really a great gift for kids! So get your craftiness on and get crunching with Little Kids Inc. Crunch Art Kits!
Buy It!
Little Kids products are available to purchase online!
Win It! 
Little Kids has generously offered 1 of our lucky Take It From Me readers their very own Crunch Art Room Decor and a Press Dough! Super Mega Cookie Kit.
HERE'S HOW TO WIN!
MANDATORY ENTRY (1 Entry):
  • Visit Little Kids, then come back here and tell us what your favorite item is!
EARN MORE ENTRIES! You may do any or all of these in any order.  Leave a separate comment for each entry completed. 
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Giveaway closes Friday December 16th at midnight
(Open to U.S. ONLY)
Winner will be chosen using Random.org & announced the following day
GOOD LUCK!
(Remember to include your email in one of your posts or have it available on your profile so we can contact you of your win)



This product is featured in our "2011 Holiday Gift Guide!"

A big thank you to Little Kids for providing me with a Crunch Art Room Décor and a Press Dough Super Mega Cookie Kit to review, and for providing a Crunch Art Room Décor and a Press Dough Super Mega Cookie Kit as a giveaway for one of our readers.  These are my honest opinions, your experience may vary.