Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

Mideer Domino Puzzle Traffic Toy Review and Giveaway!

· 12 Comments

Hey, everyone! I’m back! I’m so sorry I’ve been MIA here lately. Life has been so hectic. So much has happened. There are so many things I want to share with all of you, especially with regard to homeschooling, but that will have to wait.

Today, I want to talk to you about a new toy that was given to my kids several weeks ago for them to try. It’s called the Domino Puzzle Traffic by Mideer Philippines.

Mideer – A World of Wonders

Mideer is a brand that believes that the world is a wonderful place and that kids must be allowed to explore the wonders that abound in their own way. They design their toys to hone your child’s eye for design, with an abundance of color, patterns, and characters that they will enjoy.

They have a wide variety of toys such as their Travel Doodle, Magnetic Responsibility Chart, Baby Gaby Toothbrush Timer, and the Kids Storybook Torch.

Mideer also has their own line of puzzles that teach basic concepts and skills such as shape recognition, concentartion, goal setting, patience, and sense of achievement. It develops your child’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as well as improves their problem solving, critical thinking, visual-perceptual skills, and memory. They can even teach your kids teamwork too. One of the puzzle sets they offer is the Domino Puzzle Traffic.

Domino Puzzle Traffic

The Domino Puzzle Traffic is a fun matching game that is designed to turn difficult concepts to be understandable and entertaining at the same time. The box contains 24 pieces of double-sided puzzles that teach kids about numbers and pairing. It can be played either as a puzzle or as dominoes when you pair them. Made for kids ages 3 years old and above, this game comes in big pieces that can be easily grasped by your kids.

The game comes in a sturdy and colorful square box. When you open it, you’ll see a small sheet of paper that shows you an image of how the game is played as well as a plastic package containing the puzzle pieces. The puzzle pices are double-sided with one side showing images of vehicles in half. The other side has traffic-related images such as tires, flags, traffic cones, and others.

The game can be played in two ways. If there’s only one player, your child must first recognize the traffic and then place down a domino that correctly completes one of the two traffic pictures with the end pieces on the table.

If there are two or more players, they each start with 6 dominoes first. The first player places a domino on the table then each player takes their turn to match one of their dominoes to those already laid. The first player who has no dominoes left will be the winner.

Our Review of the Domino Puzzle Traffic:

We’ve played the Domino Puzzle Traffic several times already. I’ve used it with my 8-year-old, Ziggy, and my then 2-year-old, Zander (who turns 3 today!).

Here’s what we think about the game.

  1. I like that the game is simple and that there’s no assemby required. While I don’t mind assembling games sometimes, there are days that I just don’t have time to do it. With this one, you just open the box and take out the pieces.
  2. I love that the pieces are made of thick cardboard because my boys are not always careful in handling their toys. With this, I don’t need to worry about them damaging the pieces. So far, they still look brand new even after playing with them several times already.
  3. I like that the pieces are big enough for my 2-year-old to hold comfortably.
  4. I like that there are two ways to play the game. While Zander can’t totally manage playing with this alone, Ziggy definitely can. If they want to play together, they can as well.
  5. I like that it’s both a fun and educational game. If you know me at all, you’d know that I’m a sucker for educational toys. The game may be too easy for Ziggy now that he’s already 8 years old though but he still enjoys it.
  6. Zander still has difficulty playing with the vehicle side of the pieces. Maybe because his mind gets a bit confused with all the different types of vehicles in various bright colors. It’s probably because he was barely 3 years old when he started playing this. He does better playing with the other side. I think it’s because the backgrounds are all the same color and his mind can just focus on the images themselves. He also has fun with the game and is always really proud when he is able to match an image.

Overall, we really like and enjoy playing this game. I would definitely recommend it especially for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and lower grade school kids.

If you want to buy one for your kids or if you just want to learn more about Mideer products, follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Their toys are available in select branches of Toy Kingdom and Toys ‘R Us.

Now for the exciting part!

Our generous friends at Mideer Philippines are sponsoring a giveaway. They’re giving away one (1) Domino Traffic Puzzle to one of you guys. Yay!

Click here to join!

I’m hosting the giveaway over on my Instagram account, so head over there now to join. The exact mechanics will be there as well. Good luck!

Thank you, Mideer Philippines!

3Doodler Start Essentials Pack Toy Review

· 3 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about our review of the Mighty Mini Band that we got from Toytag, an online store of educational toys based in Singapore. (If you haven’t read it yet, do click the link!). Today though, I would like to share a review of another toy sent to us by Toytag. This time, it was meant to be for my seven-year-old son, Ziggy. It’s called the 3Doodler Start Essentials Pack.

3Doodler Start Essentials Pack

Ziggy loves to draw and doodle. So when we got a chance to choose a toy for him from the amazing selection at Toytag, it really was a no-brainer that he selected the 3Doodler Start Essentials Pack. With this toy, he knew he’d be able to create cool things, and in 3D no less!

This toy basically allows kids to doodle anything in 3D. It’s a tactile learning toy that inspires creativity, design, planning, building, and spatial understanding. It really is the perfect toy for Ziggy because he learns best by doing stuff. It’s a great tool for STEM learning.

Each set includes:

  • 3Doodler Start 3D Printing Pen
  • 2 packs of Eco-Plastic (48 pieces)
  • Micro USB Charging Cable
  • 3Doodler Start Activity Guide

Our Review

Here’s a list of what we love about the 3Doodler Start Essentials Pack:

It’s award-winning.

If it’s award-winning, you know it’s a great toy for your child. This toy has won Toy of the Year 2017 – Rookie Category and winner of various other awards, including Good Housekeeping’s 2016 Best Toy Award, The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, National Parenting Product Award, Scholastic Parent & Child GOLD STAR TOY Award, and Toy Insider STEM 10, among others.

It’s completely safe for kids.

The 3Doodler Start is specially designed to be clean & safe for kids aged 8+, with no hot parts or messy resins or glues to contend with. The plastic it extrudes are eco-friendly, made entirely from food grade materials, so itโ€™s completely biodegradable, non-toxic and BPA-free. Plus, it cools and hardens rapidly.

It’s easy to start using.

This toy requires no software or technical knowledge. All you really need to do is to charge the printing pen, insert a strand then start doodling. You can use it while plugged in or wirelessly, if you wish.

It has easy to follow guides.

The Activity Guide included in the package was easy to follow. It contains several templates of different types of designs that kids can use. However, kids are not limited to these templates. The inside cover of the box also comes with an easy-to-follow guide.

It’s a fun toy that sparks creativity.

It’s a really fun toy that gives kids the freedom to create anything they want, from simple doodle shapes to amazing masterpieces that their brain can think of. The possibilities are endless.

Our Kids’ Doodles

Since this toy was meant for Ziggy, he was the first to start using it. Set up was a breeze. However, when he started doodling he encountered some difficulty controlling the pen at first. He started doodling shapes to practice and as you can see below, his creation was crooked.

I think that for younger kids like him, some practice is really required so that they can learn to doodle straight. Also, since the plastic dries quickly, the kid has to also be quick enough to manipulate it into shape when needed.

Anyway, after Ziggy tried it, I asked my daughter Ziya to help him with it, just so we can see what the final creations will look like when done right.

Ziya is already 15 years old so she has better control of her hands. Plus, she loves to doodle as well. This was her first creation. Not bad, right? She made this by following a template in the Activity Guide.

Then she decided to make something a bit more complicated. She used another template to create this helicopter for Ziggy, which he absolutely loves.

Ziya really enjoyed using the 3Doodler Start Essentials Pack. One thing we noticed though is that although there’s a time allotment indicated per project, I think they are way off especially for newbie users. For instance, the helicopter project was supposed to only take 20 minutes but Ziya ended up doing it for an hour, to think she was already pretty good at handling the printing pen. Here’s a close up photo.

Another thing to take note is that the kit contains 8 colors of the eco-friendly plastic sticks, with a total of 48 pieces. We had more than enough to complete the two projects. There are a few more left. However, I don’t think 48 pieces are enough to complete all the design templates in the guide. You’ll have to buy more. There’s actually a total of 16 colors in all, which you can purchase from Toytag as well. I also learned that there are even more accessories to this toy that you can purchase, such as a leather pouch, a pedal, and a doodle pad among others. Plus, there are other more advanced kits too.

Overall, we are happy with this toy. I’m sure that with practice Ziggy will be able to use it more.

To learn more about the 3Doodler Start Essentials Pack and other educational products, visit Toytag now.

Toy Review: Mighty Mini Band by Hape

· 15 Comments

Our baby Zander will be turning 2 in less than a month and it has been a joy watching him develop into such a sweet, bubbly, and talented little boy. One of the things he loves is music. He loves listening to it, dancing to it, and singing along with it as well. That is why when I was exploring what toy to get him from TOYTAG I chose this Mighty Mini Band by Hape.

What is TOYTAG?

TOYTAG is a homegrown educational toy store in Singapore. They actually have both online and physical stores. They believe that learning can be fun and so they carry a huge selection of quality and fun educational toys and games from all over the world. They have toys for all ages, for one-year-olds up to adults.

At TOYTAG, you can shop by age or via type of toy, such as tabletop games, tech and gizmo, play, and brain. Another great thing about them is that they ship worldwide (hooray for us in the Philippines!) and fast too! I remember placing my orders on a Friday and receiving the toys the Monday after.

MIGHTY MINI BAND by Hape

Hape is a well-known brand of safe and educational toys. In fact, it is one of the world’s largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials. All their toys are creatively designed, eco-friendly, and adhere to exceed the strictest international standards of quality of safety.

One of their musical toys for toddlers is the Mighty Mini Band, which is designed for kids aged 24 months and above.

The box contains only four pieces and features a collection of rhythm instruments. This toy is made of wood, PA, PVA, string, metal and waterbased paint.

Our Review:

No assembly required.

I love that setting up this toy is such a no-brainer. You just place the big piece on top of a table or a solid surface then place the drum sticks and the clapper on the hole pegs at the top left part of it.

The stands can also be set two ways. You can place in in such a way that the back part will be higher, but you can also bring it down so that the whole mini band will lay flat.

Easy to store.

After playing, you don’t need to disassemble anything. Just place the clapper and sticks in their hole pegs and store the mini band on a shelf.

Made of safe materials.

When it comes to toys for my kids, especially Zander who’s barely two years old, safe materials are a must. I especially love that this toy is a wooden toy and painted with waterbased paint. There’s nothing toxic on it.

Plus, I researched about how Hape ensures the safety of their toys. I’m happy to learn that they do conduct several safety and quality control measures such as sharp point tests, bite force tests, tensile tests, small parts tests, color tests, and drop tests. This is especially important to me because at Zander’s stage right now, he loves to bite on things and throw things as well. So far, this toy has withstood his biting and throwing well. Haha! None of the parts have broken off.

It’s educational.

I believe that kids’ toys need to teach them vital skills and I’m happy to say that this Mighty Mini Band does exactly that. It helps improve fine motor skills and other physical skills. It teaches problem solving and self discovery and enhances social skills, imagination, and creativity.

At first, Zander didn’t know how to hold the drum sticks properly but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. I also showed him how to place them back in the proper holes and now he knows how to do it too, even without prompting. The whole mini band is also light enough for him to carry. He carries it on his own from the shelf to a table or to the bed whenever he wants to use it.

It’s fun.

As I expected, Zander loves playing with this toy. Although this is not the first musical toy he’s had, this is the first one that resembles an instrument. His other musical toys are battery operated and do not teach him how to actually make music. Now he loves playing music either on his own or sometimes with me, his dad or siblings.

Overall, we really love this toy and there really isn’t anything negative I can say about it. In fact, I’m hoping to have more Hape toys for Zander.

Extra thanks go to TOYTAG for sending us this toy for our review. I really love their toy selections and feel that there’s still so much there that I have yet to explore. I’m happy though that we have another one of their toys for review. So, stay tuned for that!

For more information on TOYTAG, visit www.toytag.com.

Learn and Play at SmartKids Asia Philippines 2018

· 2 Comments

Our family loves attending educational yet fun events. That’s because we believe that learning is best done through play. Well, this month, we’re going to attend one such event with the return of SmartKids Asia Philippines.

SmartKids Asia Philippines (SKAP) is set to go on its fourth run on January 27 – 28, 2018 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City to once again treat Filipino families to a uniquely fun and educational experience.

After enjoying immense success in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, SmartKids Asia conquered the Philippines in 2014, 2015, and 2017, bringing together interactive booths, engaging classes, exciting stage performances and many other innovative activities for the whole family to enjoy. SmartKids Asia offers unparalleled opportunities to help parents discover the potential and strengths of their child; whether in music, arts, sports, culinary arts or in other fields.

On January 2018, SmartKids Asia Philippines will take families Around the World in Two Days, giving them a unique opportunity to experience other nationsโ€™ colorful culture under one roof.

Here’s something else you can also look forward to at the event.

METAS

Discover a different kind of play with METAS bricks at SKAP.

METAS, exclusively distributed by Microdata, is an educational toy that comes in the form of bricks, or input and output bits that allow kids to learn by building. The toy has two product lines. The METAS Innolab for schools, and the METAS Techno, the retail line which comes with motors, sensors, a dimmer, and rechargeable batteries.

METAS helps kids integrate the concepts of math, engineering, technology, arts and science into everyday living and helps build understanding on how and where things fit. It also comes with activities and lesson plans that are aligned to the K-to-12 curriculum.

Microdata has prepared exciting booth, stage, and classroom activities for the two day family extravaganza. They will also give away exciting prizes to fair-goers.

Polaroid Pop

Like a lot of moms, I love taking pictures. It’s just a great way to capture precious moments with our family, right? But what if your digicam can do so much more than just take pictures? Well, learn more about Polaroid Pop.

Polaroid Pop, the latest addition to Polaroidโ€™s wide range of gadgets, has features that stand out from most digicams. It has its own program called “Pop App,” available for iOS and Android gadgets, which enables users to edit, add extra details, share, and print any pictures directly from the smartphone or tablet.

The 3.5×4.25โ€ณ prints come with the Polaroid border format but can also be customized with a wide array of borders, fun stickers, filters, and touchscreen drawings. Its 3.97-inch LCD viewfinder touchscreen display allows users to have a complete and full view of the photos to be edited. The photos can be stored in the internal camera roll for printing.

Polaroid Popโ€™s integrated printer features, which has the ZINKยฎ Zero Inkยฎ printing technology, produces full-color, high quality, long-lasting, and smudge-proof images.

Other outstanding features of the camera include Wi-Fi connectivity function, built-in flash, image stabilization, and high definition video recording capability. The sleek Polaroid Pop will come in fun colors such as blue and yellow.

You guys will be able to experience the METAs and Polaroid Pop firsthand at the SKAP. So don’t miss it! It’s going to be such a great way to not only discover new fun and educational products but also find out more about what your kids are interested in. Hope to see you there!

SKAP tickets are available at MetroDeal and can also be purchased on the event days. For more information, visit SKAPโ€™s Facebook page.

Review: 3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards (A Kidoozi Featured Product)

· 12 Comments

Our family loves educational toys and materials especially since they provide us with a fun way to homeschool our son, Ziggy. So when Kidoozi emailed me asking if I’m willing to try some of their educational materials, of course I said yes. The first one we got to try is the 3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards by EVO.

Let me tell you about Kidoozi first though.

Kidoozi

Kidoozi was born in 2017 to two busy, millennial moms with a shared purpose of making shopping for kids a little less hard and a lot more fun. They wanted to give parents easy access to the best global and local brands for kids aged 0 to 12, all on a simple and convenient online shopping platform.

I have browsed their site and was impressed by their range of premium, well-curated, and extraordinary brands and products in several categories, including Sleep, Eat, Play & Learn, Travel, Bath, Potty, Health & Safety, Wear and even Maternity. They are currently servicing everywhere in Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao.

3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards

Kidoozi sent over a few of their products with the 3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards being one of them.

The 3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards is a set of 50 colorful and sturdy 3D augmented reality flash cards that are the perfect educational and teaching tools for children starting to learn about animals. This can be used by kids ages 2 years old and above. Here is what’s inside the box.

There’s a very helpful user guide included in the box. There are 10 cards each for 5 animal categories, namely Dinosaurs, Safari Animals, Bugs, Sea Animals, and Birds. On the front of the card is just one photo of the animal, which you will use to scan, and the name of the said animal.

At the back of each card are more info about the animal, including their size, their typical food, as well as the different kinds of the said animal.

To use these cards, all you have to do is:

  1. Download the app for free in Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
  2. Run the app and use your gadget to scan a card through your device camera.
  3. You will see 3D animals coming to life!

The user interface is very simple to understand. I had my six-year-old son, Ziggy, use it and he was immediately able to do so with minimal help from me.

You can make the animals move all over the screen. You’ll be able to hear the animal sounds.

You can make them eat.

You can also zoom in and out to look at their entire body from all angles.

You can check their size.

You can even take a photo.

Our Review:

We love that the app is free for both iOS and Android. However, I had a bit of trouble making it work on my iPad mini. So, instead we used it with my Android phone and it worked perfectly.

Initially, there were a few times that scanning took a while before the 3D animals appeared. But I think that was because of slow Internet connection. We tried it again when we finally got a faster Internet connection and the 3D animals immediately appeared.

We love how true to life the animal sounds are. You can even hear the sound of the birds’ wings flap, for example. My son really loved seeing the animals move all over the place. Controlling their movements was very easy.

It was also cool to discover what types of food each animals eat. This was especially interesting to my son because he’s learning about carnivores and herbivores right now in our homeschool. You actually see food appear and watch the animal eat it up.

I find it extra helpful to be able to learn how big an animal is because it is compared with a typical object like a ball or a bus. This makes it easier for a kid to imagine just how big the animal is.

The additional information at the back of the card was also very useful. Kids can already learn something about the animal even without using the app.

Overall, I definitely think this is a fun, educational tool for kids. While they can learn about animals by simply reading books or searching online, the 3D augmented reality aspect of this tool is really what makes the experience a lot more fun and engaging for kids. It’s definitely a great addition to our collection of educational materials for our homeschool.

In our home, we limit the use of gadgets for our son because we don’t want him to get addicted to them. As much as possible, we try to let him use only good quality educational apps and this one fits the bill. I can leave him to use it on his own and I won’t need to worry about it. I’m even excited for our baby to start using it too when he’s old enough.

To learn more about the 3D Augmented Reality PopUp Cards and Kidoozi’s other products, visit www.kidoozi.com. You can also follow Kidoozi on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Don’t forget to stay tuned for my upcoming reviews on the other educational tools that we received from Kidoozi!

Disclosure