Classrooms Across the U.S. Ask For Tag Reading Systems via DonorsChoose.org

For years, LeapFrog has been doing its share to support literacy in preschool and early grade school classrooms with the Tag. Give. Read. program.  Since the launch of this program in 2009, LeapFrog has donated over $1.5 million worth of Tag Readers and Tag books to classrooms across the U.S., affecting the education of more than 20,000 students.  One of those classrooms was a pre-K class from one of our very own local non-profit preschools, so I have seen these Tag School Readers in action first hand.

Does LeapFrog want to stop at $1.5 million?  Not a chance!  LeapFrog and DonorsChoose.org continue to work together to get Tag School Reader Bundles into classrooms in need.  If you are not familiar with DonorsChoose, it is an organization that allows teachers to request support for particular classroom tools and equipment that the school cannot afford to provide to them.  Then donors can contribute to the classroom of their choice.  All these donations of varying amounts add up to reach the monetary goal, so even the smallest donations count.

Currently, there are over 200 classrooms requesting LeapFrog Tag Reader systems and books.  You can read about each and every one by going to DonorsChoose.org and doing a keyword search for "LeapFrog."  To make your donation go further, if you decide to support one or more of these classrooms requesting Tag Classroom Readers, LeapFrog will match your donation dollar for dollar and will continue to do so until they have matched $50,000 in donations.

As a thank you for reading about their efforts, you are invited to enter to win the following prize bundle (a $170 value) . . . 

• Tag Reading System in Green (ARV $49.99)
• Tag: Learn to Write & Draw (ARV $19.99)
• Tag World Map (ARV $19.99)
• Tag: I SPY Imagine That! (ARV $13.99)
• Tag: Disney-Pixar Toy Story 3 Together Again (ARV $13.99)
• Tag:  The Penguins of Madagascar Puzzle Time (ARV $13.99)
• Tag:  Disney-Pixar Finding Nemo Lost and Found (ARV $13.99)
• $25 DonorsChoose.org Gift Card

Thank you to LeapFrog for providing a prize pack for our contest prize and for giving me a DonorsChoose.org gift card for taking the time to participate in this campaign.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

LeapFrog Tag Reader & Solar System Adventure Pack

Over 2-1/2 years ago, our now nearly 8 year old son was introduced to the original Tag Reader.  This LeapFrog toy contributed greatly to our son's ability to read books two grade levels above his own, so I am hoping it will foster a love for reading in our twin preschoolers as well.  Since then, the Tag Reading System has come a long way.  LeapFrog has since introduced a 32MB version of the Tag Reader, which has twice as much memory as the original.  The Tag has been resized to fit younger readers' hands and now comes with a stand. They have also made Tag Classroom Bundles available to educators.  There are also fun educational games, in addition to the Tag books, which teach children about the U.S. map, the World map, spelling, animals, and more.  Playing with the new Tag Solar System Adventure Pack has quickly become one of our children's favorite learning activities.

The 32MB Tag Reader is available in 7 different colors to suit your child's personality.  This is also useful if you own one Tag for each child, so you can tell them apart.  It can hold up to 10 books in its memory, which is so great if you have a child who likes to read several books in one sitting.  Our children's favorite books are the various Disney titles, so our children were thrilled to find a Disney sampler book included with the Tag Reader.

I was excited to introduce the Solar System Adventure Pack to our nearly 5 year old twins because they have shown quite a bit of interest in the various planets since they were introduced to the solar system in preschool.  What I did not expect was how much their big brother loved this game.

Of course, our nearly 8 year old son is on the upper end of the recommended age for the Solar System Adventure Pack and he did earn the stickers for his trips around the solar system fairly quickly, but he enjoyed every minute of it.  He said that the coolest fact he learned was that Saturn's rings are made up of rocks and ice particles.  Did you know that?

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Some other cool things about this toy . . .

• The map of the solar system flips over to reveal a game board, which has a spinner that works when tapped with the pen.
• The game can be played with just one person, if desired.
• Even though our oldest son can go through the activities quickly, there are over 40, so he still has yet to do them all.
• The map is over 3ft long and is perfect for 2 or 3 children to sit and learn together.

You can find these and the full line of Tag Reading System products in the LeapFrog Shop.  Select Tag products can be found at major toy retailers, such as Toys"R"Us, Amazon.com, Target, Walmart, and more.


Thank you to LeapFrog for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing additional product for our contest prize.

Good luck in the drawing!

Giveaway: LeapFrog Tag Prize Pack for You & Your Favorite Kindergarten Classroom [CLOSED]

To support children's literacy in the U.S., LeapFrog has launched an exciting new program called Tag. Give. Read. This is part of the initiative to introduce Tag Classroom Bundles into kindergarten classes. I am so impressed by this program because my 1st grader could already read going into kindergarten in part due to owning a Tag Reader. I think all children should have this advantage, as well as have access to as many books as possible. The Tag. Give. Read. program helps U.S. schools get closer to this goal.

LeapFrog has given me the wonderful opportunity of selecting one classroom to receive a kindergarten Tag Classroom Kit! Since the pre-K class in our twins' preschool teaches the kindergarten curriculum, I was able to choose this classroom to receive this incredible gift. Hopefully, these Tag School Readers will give these preschoolers a head start with reading before they get to kindergarten. Theirs is a non-profit school and I am so happy to be able to thank the two teachers of the Butterfly Class for giving our 1st grader such a great experience when he was in pre-K. I look forward to our twins being Butterflies next year.

Two easy ways to get involved . . .

1) Donate to a teacher who has requested funds for LeapFrog Tag Readers for his or her classroom through DonorsChoose.org . You can make any size donation and LeapFrog will match it. So if you can afford to donate $25, you are really getting that classroom a $50 donation after the funds have been matched. (Last year, Santa gave my oldest a Donors Choose Giving Card in his stocking, so he could choose a classroom to help. This would be a great way to help these teachers as well as teach your children the true meaning of giving.)

2) Participate in LeapFrog's Virtual Book Drive by "Liking" LeapFrog on Facebook. For each and every new Facebook Fan they gain, LeapFrog will donate a Tag book to a kindergarten teacher up to 50,000 books total! This does not cost you anything except 2 seconds of your time. Make sure to invite all your Facebook friends to "Like" LeapFrog as well, so they can each prompt a book donation too!

Thank you to LeapFrog for donating a Tag Classroom Kit to the classroom of my choice as a thank you for participating in this campaign, for providing a prize for this contest, and for donating another classroom kit to a classroom of the winner's choice.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive the following . . .

1) A Tag Prize Pack (ARV $88) containing:

• a Tag Reading System
• a Tag U.S. Map
• 2 additional Tag Reader books

2) The power to choose one U.S. kindergarten classroom to receive the following:

• 2 Tag School Readers with Headphones - ARV $140
• 2 sets of 15 Tag Reader books (30 books total) - ARV $210

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:

"Like" LeapFrog on Facebook. Then leave a comment telling me you did so along with the link to your Facebook profile. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

(* * * Due to the overwhelming response, LeapFrog has reached it's 50,000 book maximum donation already! Even though your "Like" will no longer prompt a book donation, you will still be showing your support about LeapFrog's efforts. This contest will run as scheduled, so that I can continue to spread the word about LeapFrog's involvement on DonorsChoose.org . * * *)

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 Tag School Reading Systems . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4)

For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra, follow LeapFrog on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

6)

Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

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)

Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)

Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10)

Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, November 1st, 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: Star Wars "The Clone Wars" LeapFrog Tag Reader Book

This is the last book in this batch of LeapFrog Tag Reader books my son and I have reviewed. Hopefully there will be more to come in the future because my son thoroughly enjoys his Tag Reader.

My son takes after his father and has a huge soft spot for anything Star Wars related. This Star Wars Tag Reader book The Clone Wars: Rescue in the Sky features all the same familiar characters seen on Cartoon Network's "The Clone Wars" animated television series.

This book is very different from the other Tag Reader books we've had a chance to experience. Even though this book is recommended for ages 5 to 7 by the manufacturer, I think that it would be more suitable for the older end of that age range.

What I thought about this Star Wars Tag Reader book:

1) This book is the first I've seen from the Tag Reader series that is in a comic book format. Since my nearly 6yr old son does not read comic or anime books, I had to give him a little guidance about how to read the story in order so that it made sense to him.

2) This is also the first Tag Reader book I've come across where the child cannot simply tap on a single word to hear it read out loud. This book only allows my son to tap on a chat bubble to hear its content in its entirety. This is not as helpful to a beginner reader who is working on site recognition of words.

3) This book does not offer multiple levels for its activity games. A few of the games were extremely challenging for my son. For example, there was one game where the book asked the reader to tap 4 characters in the correct order as quickly as possible after it read off the list of characters. It would have been better for the book to say, "Tap Character A", " Now tap Character A and Character B, "Now tap Character A, B, and C", and so forth.

4) This book concentrated on reaching conclusions based on what the reader has learned about each character. I liked that it required my son to think.

5) My son said that this book was too fast for him. I think this is a result of the story being based on action. There was always a sense of urgency in the characters' words when he listened to the content of each chat bubble, therefore it was difficult to follow along when he was actually trying to read the words.




Overall, this is an enjoyable book. I do not think it is as helpful in teaching reading as some other Tag Reader books available for children ages 5 to 7. However, it does work towards sharpening some other valuable learning skills, such as analytical thinking and short term memory.

To view the full collection of Tag Reader books currently available, visit LeapFrog.com .


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

Review: Dr. Seuss "Green Eggs and Ham" Tag Reader Book

Since there are at least 25 Tag Reader books offered by LeapFrog, I have been sharing my nearly 6yr old son's and my impressions based on our personal experiences with specific books. Hopefully, this will help you to choose the books that best fit your child's needs and skill levels.

My son already owned a standard print book version of "Green Eggs and Ham", so we knew before opening this Dr. Seuss book that it was one of his favorites. That being said, this Tag Reader book brings the characters to life by giving each one a voice without eliminating the benefit of reading by utilizing video. My son very much enjoys hearing the fox speak and laugh in particular.

The developmental areas on which this book concentrates are following instructions from memory, rhyming, and critical thinking based on knowledge about the story and each character. My son may be slightly above his grade level when it comes to these skills, but the majority of activities in this book were far too easy for him. This is the first Tag Reader book I've come across so far that does not offer 3 skill levels within the activities.

Ultimately, I think this book is perfect for a 4 or 5 year old . . . maybe 6, but definitely not up to 8 years old like LeapFrog recommends. An 8 year old would still enjoy reading the story, but the activities would most likely be less than challenging.

If your child does not already own the book "Green Eggs and Ham", then there is no risk in purchasing the Tag Reader version. He or she is likely to enjoy the story even when the games and activities are outgrown.

You can find the Tag "Green Eggs and Ham" on LeapFrog.com or most places, both locally and online, that sell LeapFrog learning toys.

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

Review: LeapFrog Tag Reading System

If you've read any of my Kindergartner-in-Training articles, then you know that my son, who is about to enter kindergarten this fall, can read on a 1st grade level. I must give LeapFrog products much of the credit for this . . . especially the Fridge Phonics and the LeapFrog Learning DVDs.

So you can see why I jumped at the chance for my son to review the Tag Reading System. I felt like my son was ready for this toy because he could sound out syllables, could recognize many words, and had begun to learn what sounds two consonants put together create.




What I thought about the Tag Reader as a Parent:

1) We own another learning toy that just reads books out loud to the child, but my son outgrew that quickly. The Tag Reader does so much more than just reads to your child. It allows my son to attempt reading books on his own. Then when he is stumped by a particular word, he needs only to touch the Tag pen to the word to hear what it is.

2) That the Tag Reader also includes learning games and activities in each book to practice skills, such as rhyming and phonics, makes this product an even better value to me because it saves me from needing to buy an additional product.

3) I like that there are 3 levels of learning in each book so that one book can be used again and again to challenge your child.

4) The books are very user-friendly. There is a legend at the front of the book which the Tag goes through with your child to make sure he or she understands what each one means. This allows the child to tell the Tag Reader that they would like to put it in storytelling mode or if they would like to play a game.

5) To load stories onto your Tag, you just plug it into your computer and log onto the LeapFrog website. The Tag Reader we own only has 16MB of memory, which holds up to 5 books. I am glad to see LeapFrog has come out with a new 32MB version for the same retail price that is capable of holding twice as many.

6) The website tracks your child's progress every time you plug the Tag into your computer. The site offers you printable rewards for you child after they've achieved a certain level. Although this is a nice feature, my son did not seem too interested in it, so we just save the paper and give him verbal praise instead which he seems to respond to more.

What my son thought about the Tag Reading System:

1) My son definitely thinks that Level 1 is too easy for him. He still sticks to Level 1 sometimes because it is safe, but my husband and I encourage him to attempt the more challenging reading activities in Level 2.

2) He seems to enjoy the Tag Reader, not only for the stories, but it allows him to read independently and without the pressure of someone sitting next to him waiting for him to sound out a word.

3) My son is a book hound, so he is looking forward to adding more Tag Storybooks to his collection.

4) Aside from the games, one of my son's favorite parts of using the Tag is hearing it tell him "Good work reader" when he completes a level.

This toy successfully lives up to the LeapFrog reputation of producing effective fun learning toys. I do highly recommend that you opt for the newer 32MB version if you can, but you can mostly likely find the older version still available at reduced prices locally and online where LeapFrog products are sold. To learn more about the Tag Reader and to see what Tag books are available, visit LeapFrog.com .


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