Indoor and Outdoor Fun with the Playmobil (5238) Wireless RC Pirates Ship with Underwater Motor!

Thank you to Playmobil for sending us a sample remote control pirate ship for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are our own.

We receive toys to review several times throughout the year. You would think that when we review the toy, we just watch the kids play and interact with the toy and take notes for the review, but we don't. The truth is that my kids aren't allowed to get anywhere near the toys until I have played with them first! Any excuse I can have to play with toys is welcome. “Sure I will review that toy….”

Playmobil sent us the Pirates Ship with RC Underwater Motor to try out and review. I will admit I was excited to get my grubby hands on this one, likely more than any other toy we have reviewed. And we have reviewed some amazing toys.

The Pirates ship comes in a giant box and all of the parts are separated and bagged nicely. I love how Playmobil boxes are large enough to assemble your toys in, reducing the chance of lost parts.

At first, the assembly seemed a little bit intimidating (some kits are complex), but the ship came together fairly easily.  My 10 year old son was able to help with just about everything.

One aspect of the build was a bit hard and would have kept a child from assembling the ship alone. The rigging definitely requires an adult. To rig the ship you must carefully measure and cut string and then tie the pieces in a very particular way. Honestly, there may be some adults who would find it not so easy, but the detail of the rigging is wonderful when done and really adds to the impressiveness of the ship. The total build time with rigging was under 45 minutes, half of which was the rigging.

Like with all Playmobil sets, this RC Pirates Ship was designed with many fun details.  For example, the anchor has a perch and can be lowered down into the water with a crank.  There's also a hideaway for a treasure chest that is can be filled with golden doubloons, chalices, and other treasure.  The three included figures, came with a whole slew of swords, pistols, and more.

The ship looks fantastic, but how well does it work? . . . A great deal better than I was expecting. The ship moves faster than I expected and can turn in a much tighter radius than I would have guessed. Reverse is lethargic, but that didn't bother me at all. Masted pirate ships don't go in reverse in real life at all!  The motor was also surprisingly quiet.

The kids had a blast playing with the ship in water (after it was pried from my hands). Our 4 year old nephew had no problem controlling the ship. The wireless controls are intuitive and responsive.

I don't think I have ever met a Playmobil toy I didn't like,  but I certainly like the Pirates Ship with RC Underwater Remote the most so far. The kit is well designed, very high quality, and the play value is through the roof. The issue I had was not unexpected: The ship does not like rough or choppy water. It can handle a little bit, but this toy would not do well at the beach or a large lake, it really is for very small bodies of water like a pool or small fish pond.  That being said, the kids had a blast making waves in the pool so that the members of the ship's crew would lose their balance and fall down, just as they imagined pirates would do on the rough seas.

This Playmobil RC Pirate Ship has tremendous play value.  It can be played with outdoors in the water during the warmer months, but can also stand alone without the motor for indoor play.  This would be the perfect toy to keep in mind for upcoming Holiday gifts.  You can find out more about this and the other Playmobil pirate-themed toys at www.playmobil.us.

Holiday 2010 Review: Olivia Basic Plush Doll & 2-in-1 Transforming Playset Dollhouse

All three of our children, two preschoolers and a 1st grader, very much enjoy the Olivia animated television show on Nick Jr. With most shows, there is always at least one child who protests when it comes on, but not with Olivia. There is never anything but delightful cheers for this program. That is why I knew our children would be thrilled to receive some Olivia-themed toys by Spin Master to play with so that I could report back to my readers about them.

We received two toys. One was a basic 8" plush Olivia in her signature red jumper and the other was the Olivia 2-in-1 Transforming Playset. Our 3-1/2 year old daughter immediately claimed the plush doll.

Everyone had to wait for me to unpackage the 2-in-1 Transforming Playset. It comes with all the pieces shown below. There really is no assembly aside from attaching the flagpole and the palm tree, both of which need to be removed before the playset can close back up again.

There was one sheet of decals to apply. Aside from the food which was to be applied to the plates, there were no instructions for where the other decals should go. So I used my imagination to decide where each sticker should be placed. My 6-1/2 year old son kept correcting me because I was not putting things exactly where they usually appear on the show. So perhaps if you purchase this toy for the holidays, it might be a fun activity for your child to assist you in the placement of the decals on Christmas morning.

I have to say that this playset is very well-designed. It is two compact portable playsets in one. One the front and the back of the house, there is a switch like the one pictured below. This allows the playset to open into Olivia's house on one side and a pirate ship on the other.

The first thing my children ask was if we can buy additional figures at the toy store, so it would have been great if there was at least one other figure of a character included in the set. Also, instead of having two pet decals, it would have been nice to have either the dog or the cat in a figure.

The plastic Olivia comes with a removable stand so that she can remain upright independently. Her removable dress is made of rubber. Although it was easy for my children to remove the dress, they needed assistance getting it back on.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

One of the reasons why I think this toys is so well thought out is because all the furniture and accessories fit right inside. The house can close up and your child can carry it by the attached handle. This is perfect for playdates, vacations, and visits to relative's houses.

The only improvement I can suggest is to make the palm tree out of plastic, rather than out of laminated cardboard. After attaching it twice to the built-in clip on the beach section, the cardboard was all worn and could no longer be inserted into the clip.

Although this toy is marked 4+, you really do have to watch the smaller items, such as the dinner plates and the lamp. They could easily be swallowed or lost.

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The plush Olivia, which is recommended for children ages 3 and up, was a huge hit with my daughter even though both our sons paid no attention to it. I think what she loved the most was that Olivia's dress was removable, so she could dress and undress her again and again. The other thing that fascinated my daughter was Olivia's dainty little feet. She loved making Olivia dance, as well as wiggling Olivia's long ears.

The Olivia Plush Dolls come in several different versions. To view these dolls, the Olivia 2-in-1 Transforming Playset, or other Olivia toys, visit ToysRUs.com .

Thank you to Spin Master for sending us sample toys free of charge to base this review upon. This article was written as part of a campaign for Team Mom.

Creating With Colors Review & Giveaway: Cardboard Toy Pirate Fortress [CLOSED]

My children love to color, whether it is in coloring books or coloring pages I print out online. This project takes this concept one step further and creates a 3d coloring book that can be enjoyed for quite some time after the coloring has been completed. These cardboard toys made by Calafant are surprisingly sturdy. Our cardboard pirate fortress made it through the most humid days this summer (88% humidity) without buckling. These toys are made of 100% recycled cardboard with a layer of non-recycled paper on the coloring surface. They are also 100% bio-degradable.

Today's Project: Cardboard Pirate Fortress

Ask your child to color in all the white surfaces of this Calafant Pirate Fortress after it has been assembled and the details have been drawn.

Supplies Needed:

1) A Calafant Pirate Fortress kit

2) A thin black permanent marker (like a Sharpie)

3) Crayons in a variety of colors

4) A pencil (optional)

Step 1: Partially assemble the fortress. From personal experience, I learned that it is easier to decorate the fortress with the four towers and walls assembled, but not attached to each other.

Tip #1: The assembly should be done by an adult. Although the fortress is very sturdy after it has been built, the cardboard can be bent and creased if not handled appropriately.

Step 2: Draw the outline of pirate-themed accents right onto the white surfaces of the fortress. You can use a pencil to draw the lines first and then go over the pencil lines with the black marker or just draw directly onto the fortress with the marker.

Here are some ideas for pirate-themed accents . . .

• treasure chests
• skeletons
• torches
• trap doors
• dungeons
• barred windows
• shackles
• anchor, harpoon, telescope
• pirates
• stone and planked surfaces
• cannon and cannon balls
• mop and bucket

Tip #2: Depending on the child's confidence, he or she can assist the adult with drawing the lines. If your child is not confident enough to draw the accents, then he or she can contribute by offering ideas of what should be drawn and where.

Step 3: Once the black lines are drawn, complete the assembly of the pirate fortress.

Step 4: Now let your child color in the pirate fortress completely.

Tip #3: It may be easier for your child to color in all the accents first and then tackle the larger areas.

Tip #4: If only one child is coloring, this will be a long process. It may be a good idea to break the coloring process up into 2 or 3 sessions.

Tip #5: Help your child color in the fortress. Take advantage of this quiet time to talk and share some quality time together.

This is how our pirate fortress turned out . . .

The Calafant Pirate Fortress does not come with any figures. Luckily, we had some Pirates of the Caribbean figures that were the perfect size. It would be great if the kit came with some cardboard pirate shapes similar to paper dolls. Then these could be decorated right along with the fortress, which would allow the children to play instantly once the project is finished. This small addition would make a huge impact on the fun factor of this cardboard toy.

As you can see, all our children enjoyed playing with this toy. My 6 year old son's favorite part of the fortress is the skull drawbridge that really opens and closes.

To view the full line of small, medium, and large Calafant cardboard toys, visit CreativeToyShop.com . The small cardboard toys are perfect activities for birthday parties or just rainy days. When you sign up for the Creative Toyshop Newsletter, you will receive a coupon for Free Shipping on your next order totaling over $20.

Thank you to CreativeToyshop.com for sending us a sample cardboard toy free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a second toy for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive their choice of either a Calafant Pirate Fortress or a Calafant Dollhouse.

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of cardboard toys and more offered by Creative Toyshop. Then leave a comment telling me the name of one specific item you would have loved to own as a child (aside from the item reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)

For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND CreativeToyShop.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4)

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6)

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7)

Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: Children's Personalized Pirate T-Shirts

TWINtuitive Product #23

I chose these personalized kids t-shirts by Hopscotch Tees to feature as a "TWINtuitive Product" because, even though it is so much fun to dress both identical and fraternal twins alike whether they are boy/girl or the same gender, it is nicer to have outfits that are similar rather than 100% alike so that each child has his or her own identity. This can be achieved by purchasing different colors or having the clothing personalized for each twin.

HopscotchTees.com offers multiple styles of personalized t-shirts for both boys and girls. What really caught my eye were the tees that had a version for boys and another version for girls. One such design is the pirate t-shirt we received for this review.

What I thought about our Hopscotch Tees Pirate T-Shirts:

1) I must share how nicely the shirts were presented. They arrived in a ribbon-tied box ready for gift-giving. This is extremely convenient, especially if you happen to be sending a gift to a child who lives too far for you to present the gift yourself.

2) My children were delighted to be surprised with two rainbow lollipops bearing the Hopscotch Tees logo tucked inside the box under the tissue paper.

3) Our twins' t-shirts were personalized in 3 ways. Each shirt has the child's name, their geographic location, and their year of birth. This made our shirts much more special than simply having each one personalized with the twins' first names.

4) The Hopscotch Tees logo is on the upper back of each shirt. Sometimes I don't care for company logos on the outside of clothing, but I found this one to be subtle, as well as fun and lighthearted.

5) We washed our shirts inside-out in cold water and dried them on low heat. There were no signs of shrinkage or pilling. The only problem we had was the faintest hint of blue bleeding from the design on our son's shirt. The blue did come out after we washed the shirt a second time.

6) Both twins wear a size 3 currently, so these size 4 t-shirts seem to be true to size. We were able to comfortably layer long-sleeved shirts under these t-shirts.

7) I also would like to point out that our shirts arrived in just a few days. Hopscotch Tees usually ships orders within 72 hours or less via USPS Priority Mail. This is a huge money-saver if you happen to be in a rush because you can avoid paying for expedited shipping.

8) I would love to see matching stationary, such as party invitations and thank you cards, to coordinate with some of the adorable t-shirt designs.

The photo above was taken at our kindergartner's birthday party. Our twins wore their shirts proudly on their big brother's special day. I wish I had thought to bring their pirate hats with us. They would have been the perfect accessories to go with these shirts.

The shirts offered by Hopscotch Tees are not limited to children's t-shirts. They offer 3-6mos onesies all the way up to Men's x-large t-shirts. To view the full line of Hopscotch Tees, visit HopscotchTees.com .

Thank you to HopScotch Tees for sending us two children's t-shirts to base this review upon.

Review: LeapFrog Tag Reader Book "Pirates! The Treasure of Turtle Island"

If your child does not already have a Tag Reader System by LeapFrog, you should consider putting it on his or her wish list this year. My son Jake just loves his. Go here to read my Tag Reader review.

If your child does already have a Tag Reader, then you should be all set for gift ideas this year. Several new titles for Tag Reader books have been released for fall 2009. Plus, if your child's Tag book collection is growing, you may want to consider picking up the Tag Storage Case. This case securely holds the Tag pen and several Tag books. We only own four currently, but I estimate that this case can hold about 7 hardcover Tag books. I have to say that this hard shell handled case has been the perfect way to keep my son's Tag books protected and separate from the rest of our library of children's books.

Since there are so many choices in titles available for Tag Books, I thought it would be helpful if I could share my thoughts about the books that we have had a chance to experience. Look for reviews of additional titles in coming weeks.

What I thought about "Pirates! The Treasure of Turtle Island" (for ages 5-7):

1) The theme behind this books is the classic one of good vs. evil. What is unusual about this story is that the good side is represented by a family of pirates. One does not often think of pirates as being good and one certainly does not think of pirates as the type to raise a family.

2) One cool thing about this book is that your child can select a pirate nickname from several different combinations that will be heard throughout the book when your child is addressed. For example, one of Jake's pirate nicknames was "Blue Beard".

3) Some of the main phonics lessons in this book teach your child different ways to turn a short "A" vowel sound into a long "A" vowel sound. Another lesson shows your child the different vowel sounds a "Y" can make. Although there is not a formal lesson, there is a theme of words containing double consonants.

4) As with all Tag books, this book has some activities that are available in 3 difficulty levels. Level one is clearly easy for my son, but I he often sticks with it because he is comfortable there. I need to teach him that it's okay to challenge himself. This and the other Tag books are slowly showing him that.

5) Jake has used this book many times and there are still new things to discover everytime he sits down with it. That's one of the things I love about Tag books. They keep Jake's interest for quite a long time.



If your child has any interest in pirates, I think he or she would enjoy this book. You can learn more about this Pirates! Tag Activity Storybook by visiting Leapfrog.com .

Thank you to LeapFrog for providing us with a review product free of charge.