Law(yer Mama) Review

Discovery Channel Store Rapido Game

I have a serious love affair with the Discovery Channel Store.  I cannot walk past one without going in.  I freak if my husband throws out their catalog.  They have the best toys.  My kids love them.  In fact I've written about Discovery Store toys before.  So when PBN offered me the chance to review one of their new games, Rapido, I jumped at the chance.

The game itself is pretty simple.  Everyone picks a colored cylinder and takes a tile with the colored dots on it.  You put the rope on the floor or table in a circle (I recommend the floor); place all of the colored marbles inside the big wooden cylinder; lift the cylinder so the marbles go everywhere; and then see who can fill their cylinder with the marbles the fastest.  The only trick is that you have to pick them up in the order they are on the tiles with the colored dots.

The age on the game says 4 and up but my 3 1/2 year old understands how it works.  We hadn't yet tried to play any board games with Hollis yet, so I was skeptical about whether or not he could remember and follow all of the directions.  Admittedly, his favorite part is packing the big cylinder and then letting the marbles go everywhere, but he can play this game!  (That's assuming that Holden doesn't interfere by picking up the marbles and stashing them all over the house.)

I admit that I wanted to review this game for the educational potential.  Hollis has struggled with his colors.  His pre-school teacher has noticed it and we've noticed it for quite some time.  For awhile we were wondering if there was some color blindness hiding in my side of the family!  This game has helped.  I have him tell me the color names as he picks up the marbles.  Granted, it makes it much slower and less of a game, but it works.  He's definitely shown improvement in his color recognition and his teacher agrees.  I'm sure we'll be playing this game for some time to come!

Rapido is also made from bamboo.  So how can you go wrong?  It's educational, fun, and made from sustainable materials.  You can pick it up at the Discovery Channel Store for $19.95.

3-2-1 Blast Off!

I love the Discovery Channel Store. They always have the coolest toys, for grown ups and children. In fact, my husband has a robot and a remote control helicopter from the store sitting in our sun room right now. We've both been eying the talking globe for some time, trying to figure out just how old the boys need to be before we can justify buying it for ourselves the kids.

So when PBN gave me the opportunity to review one the Discovery Store's latest pre-school toys, I was thrilled! Discovery Store didn't disappoint me. Paz's Lift-Off Rocket is pretty cool.

The rocket comes with 4 animal astronauts, a moon crater, and lunar module. When you push the red button on the handle, ground control counts down to lift off, the lower portion of the rocket lights up and then the rocket "lifts off." In flight, the button makes propulsion noises.

The interior of the rocket also has a cargo bay, living area and, of course, space for 2 pilots. My kids love, not just launching the rocket, but pretending to be living on the moon. Well, Hollis pretends and Holden chews on the astronauts and tries to steal the lunar module from his brother.

The doors to the rockets do come off, but they're intended to do so and pop back in easily. The doors really need to pop off to keep kids from breaking them off during play, so don't be concerned if one pops off on your child. Hollis insisted it was "broken" the first time it happened, but now he just pops the doors back into place.



If you're sick of toys that your kids just watch, the toys that don't require interaction, this is a nice compromise. It has a bit of flash and show (with the lift off noises and lights), but your kids will really need their imaginations to bring this toy to life. My kids have been playing with this toy for 2 months now and they still love it, as does every. single. kid. that comes over to play.

Looking for a good holiday gift? This fits the bill. I know I wouldn't hesitate to give it to another child as a gift. The rocket retails for $39.95 at the Discovery Channel Store.