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 Guitar Hero: On Tour for the Nintendo DS. This game proved
to be a big hit for all three of my kids, whose ages range from 10-14. It took
a few minutes for the youngest to figure out how to work the game, but once she
got the hang of it she played until her hand was too cramped to go on. Then the
game system was passing off to her 12-year-old sister and 14-year-old brother,
who are fans of the Wii’s Guitar Hero. Players can chose to start out with slow,
easy songs and work their way into harder sets, making this a game that can
appeal to a wide range of ages.
Setting up the game was simple—there’s a plug-in attachment
with four color-coded buttons that coordinate with the guitar keys on the
screen and a pick-stylus. Kids can play along with classic rock, alternative
and pop favorites. Like other DS games, Guitar Hero lets players interact by
doing things like blowing into the microphone to extinguish pyrotechnics gone
wrong or using the touch screen to autograph a fan’s shirt in the middle of
their set. If you have more than one DS in the house, kids can challenge each
other in a guitar duel or play together in co-op mode.
Guitar Hero: On Tour is rated E10+. The game and the guitar grip bundle retail for
$49.99. For more information, check the Web site at guitarheroontour.com.
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Broken bones can be such a bummer, especially if you like taking showers or going swimming.
We tested the Dry Pro during spring break in Florida. It really worked. My 12-year-old son went from beached because of a broken hand to waterlogged over the six days.
Dry Pro kept the cast dry, just as it said it would. You simply slip the rubber latex sleeve over the cast, pump out the air with a little hand pump that disconnects and hit the water. When you’re done, slip it off, dry it (we found it is better to turn it inside out to dry since otherwise it has a tendency to smell) and it’s ready to use another time. My son liked being able to swim, but didn’t like having to wear the bright blue sleeve because he said it made his arm sweat. He also didn’t like the attention it brought—so many people came up to us asking about it and wanted to know where to get one, too.
The Dry Pro retails for $35.95-$39.95 for arm covers and $36.95-40.95 for leg covers. Price varies based on size and half or full limb coverage. For more information or to order, go to www.drycorp.com.
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Unless you’re one of a very lucky few, odds are you experienced at least some stomach troubles while you were pregnant. While the experience is different for every expectant mom, for me it meant feeling nauseas throughout the day during most of my first trimester. During that time, anything that would make me feel better was a godsend and for awhile I turned to ginger ale almost daily. Had it been available at the time, I would have loved to have Oh Mama’s! Ginger Ale Elixir to calm my queasy stomach.
Each can of “elixir” contains ginger ale with lemon and vitamin B6, both of which are said to help ease nausea. Plus you get 100 percent of your RDA of folic acid. I tried some of this beverage during my last trimester, when some of my stomach issues had returned (though thankfully not to the same degree), and I have to say it did help me feel better and it tastes like normal ginger ale with just a hint of citrus. If you’re dealing with the unpleasantness of morning, afternoon or evening sickness, it’s definitely worth a try. Even if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll at least get some vitamins in the process.
Oh Mama! Ginger Ale Elixir retails for just under $2 a can or $6.99-$7.49 for a pack of four. For more information visit www.ohmamabar.com.
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When you come home from the beach, you’ll generally find the back seat of your car has transformed itself into a sandbox, no matter how hard you try to towel off your tykes. Next time you head to the beach, try using the Powder Pouch after your play date with the sand.
The 100 percent cotton pouch is filled with talc or cornstarch, which helps wipe away the sand by knocking the granules off your body. Before each use, gently toss the pouch in your hand a couple of times and begin wiping away the sand. The pouch’s Velcro closure makes it easy to refill and the drawstring storage sack that comes with it ensures that you don’t have powder covering the inside of your beach bag. The bags come in three different camouflage colors and are pre-filled. Powder Pouch is available for $9.99 on the Web site, www.powderpouch.com.
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Here in the office, we’ve always thought that the blue box goodness found in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese could only be found during meal time in noodle form. Recently the nice folks at Kraft sent us a box of Macaroni and Cheese Crackers to try out and you can imagine our excitement since we thoroughly enjoy snack time. Snacking on the crackers proved relatively guilt-free as the puffed macaroni-shaped crackers are baked and made with real cheddar cheese. We were happy to find that the crackers had a nice cheesy crunch that didn’t leave a greasy trail on our hands, something we’ve found from snacking on other types of cheese crackers. The taste was pleasantly cheesy that didn’t leave behind any weird aftertaste. There are three flavors of Macaroni and Cheese Crackers, which includes cheddar (which we tested), white cheddar and mild cheddar. One box retails at $2.99 and can be found in most grocery stores. The only downside we could find -- we couldn’t keep our hands out of the box.
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The end of the school year may be just around the corner, but there’s always time to improve your little one’s handwriting (if not for this year, then for next). Although some people are just destined to have less-than-perfect handwriting, being able to correctly hold your pencil or pen is often half the battle. That’s where the Twist ‘n Write Pencil from Pacific Writing Instruments can help. It’s tripod design makes it pretty much impossible for kids not to hold it correctly.
We had a 5-year-old try this out and even though she was still in the early stages of writing, her mom said it was very easy for her to hold the pencil in the correct position. She even noticed that when her daughter picked up a pen later that she came closer to holding it correctly. The only problem the mom noticed with the pencil was that the eraser didn’t really work. Her daughter loved using the pencil, though, so the eraser trouble wasn’t really noticed.
The Twist ‘n Write Pencil retails for $2 for a pack of two online and is also available at Office Depot, Walgreens and Staples. For more information visit www.penagain.com.
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Parents Know Best has featured a lot of different games, from board games to card games to video games, and in general, it seems like the simpler the idea, the better. A game doesn’t necessarily need to make noise or require batteries in order to be fun. No Brainer from Hasbro seems to suffer from the “fancier is not always better” problem.
We had a mom and son team (age 7) try it out and unfortunately a problem with the game led to some tears. The idea seems simple enough--put the “brain” on your head and wait for it to ask you a question. Shake your head yes or no to answer the question and the “brain” will tell you if you are indeed correct. Unfortunately, the “brain” wasn’t always accurate in determining whether the player had answered yes or no--the mom estimated that it worked about 80 percent of the time. The biggest problem with this malfunction is that the game increases in level only as long as the answers are correct; one wrong answer sends you back to level one. Eventually the son got so frustrated that he refused to play anymore. The mom then tried the game out herself and while it didn’t malfunction as often as it did when her son was playing, it was still occasionally inaccurate. With all the different games available for kids these days, is it really worth spending money on something that doesn’t work all the time?
No Brainer is recommended for ages 6 and up and retails for $19.99. For more information visit www.hasbro.com.
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If the “Body Worlds” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry was a must-see for your family or if you have a child who looks forward dissection days at school, then Human Body by John Fardon should be a big hit in your house.
The pages are full of facts about the human body, but the transparent pages are the real draw. You can look at different body systems one by one and then lay the pages down over each other to see how everything fits together. Our testing mom said her daughter loved being able to see all the veins on the transparent pages and also liked the two giant posters that came with the book. So whether your kid is already a biology nut or just has a passing interest, this book can provide hours of educational entertainment.
Human Body, published by Silver Dolphin, is recommended for ages 8 and up and retails for $16.95. For more information or to order, visit www.silverdolphinbooks.com.
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When it comes to toys, kids tend to like anything that lets them do the same things mommy and daddy do, from play money to kid computers to plastic keys. That’s the idea behind the On the Go Mommy’s Calling Soft Driver--the toy includes a soft steering wheel and a plush cell phone that “calls” the steering wheel and says phrase such as “It’s mommy.”
We had a mom with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old try this toy out (the age recommendation is 1 ½ and up). Her 1-year-old loved the noises the steering wheel made, but the small buttons were a little hard for him to push. Her 3-year-old, on the other hand, lost interest in the steering wheel but couldn’t get enough of the cell phone and loved “calling” his brother with it. Mom said that while the music the toy plays gets irritating after a few minutes, the toy did allow for some very peaceful car rides. That’s worth putting up with some grating music, right?
The On the Go Mommy’s Calling Soft Driver is available exclusively at Wal-Mart and retails for $19.96. For more information visit www.mommyandme.com.
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If you’re a family that owns a Leapster system from LeapFrog, trying to choose among the dozens of available games can be difficult. With many retailing for $25 or more, the cost can add up quickly, too. So we had a family test out two different Leapster titles, Creature Create and Batman: Strength in Numbers, to see what they thought.
Creature Create lets kids make their own creatures and, according to the company, teaches “creativity, vocabulary, problem solving and cause and effect.” Our testing mom tried it out with her 8-year-old daughter (her 6-year-old son wanted nothing to do with it because it looked too “girly”) and she said her daughter lost interest pretty quickly. The features to choose from to make the creatures weren’t that different and she thought the teaching part was a little weak as well. Even though the age recommendation for this game is 4-9, it sounds like it would be better for kids on the younger side of the range. Batman: Strength in Numbers, on the other hand, got a rave review from the 6-year-old even though it was difficult. The difficulty didn’t discourage him at all and mom said it did a good job teaching math concepts. Since this game is recommended for ages 5-7, it was a little too easy for the 8-year-old.
Both Leapster games retail for $24.99. For more information visit www.leapfrog.com.
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There’s something that draws kids to all things gross and disgusting. No one can really explain why things that would turn a normal adult’s stomach attract the elementary school set. If your kids can’t get enough of gross stuff, then Ick: The Game from Chronicle Books might just be for them. In this card game, monsters battle it out and whoever collects the most gross things for their monster wins.
Our testing mom tried the game out with her 11-year-old and while he wasn’t a fan, she said that it was an original game that she would recommend to other parents. Sounds like her son isn’t one of those kids who enjoys the gross and disgusting, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to purchase the game for your family.
Ick: The Game is recommended for ages 6 and up and retails for $15.95. For more information, including illustrations of all the monsters, visit www.chroniclekids.com.
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With the growing number of babies entering my extended family (including my own any day now), I’ve seen lots of different nursing-in-public techniques, from attaching a blanket with clothespins to simply going into a back room. A back room isn’t always available, though, and the blanket and clothespin set up didn’t look all that convenient or comfortable when I saw it. That’s where Bebe au Lait’s Nursing Cover comes in handy--it’s an easy, fashionable way to discreetly nurse your little one away from home.
The nursing cover basically looks like an oversized apron, with a strap that goes around your neck and a loop at the top that allows you to look down at baby while still covered. Our testing mom tried it with her 7-month-old and said that while she could see it being very useful for nursing moms with small- to medium-sized chests, it didn’t work so well with her large-chested frame and squirming baby who wasn’t used to being covered while eating. She thought her daughter would have reacted better to the cover had she used a nursing cover with her when she was younger. And even though it didn’t work well for her, the mom liked that it was lighter than a blanket and much easier to transport. Plus the company offers a variety of hip and cute patterns, so you’re bound to find one that suits you.
Bebe au Lait Nursing Covers retail for $35-$38, depending on the specific style. For more information or to order, visit Bebe au Lait's Web site .
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I remember, not too long ago, when iPods and similar devices were used almost exclusively by adults and teenagers. Now, kids in elementary school (and probably even younger) can be seen with headphone buds hanging out of their ears. Not every parent wants to spend that kind of money on something that little ones can easily damage or break, though. Playaway Ready-to-go Audio players are definitely cheaper and easier to use than other personal audio devices--each one comes pre-loaded with an audio book or music album, then it’s just a matter of turning them on and putting the earphones in your ears.
While the concept sounds great, unfortunately these players didn’t exactly hold up under testing. We had a mom and son try these out, with the 6-year-old listening to a “Kidz Bop” title and mom listening to an audio version of White Oleander. According to mom, the “Kidz Bop” player only lasted seven minutes before dying out and the audio book lasted an hour before the voice sped up and got distorted. She also said that the earphones were too big for her ears, let alone her son’s.
Even at $29.99 a piece, it looks like an actual MP3 player is still a better bet than these players. For more information, visit www.playawaydigital.com.
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Board games are a great way to have fun as a family, but sometimes they just don’t fit into our busy schedules (I’m looking at you, Monopoly). But with Word Chase by Beyond Learning, you can play a full game in just 15 minutes and throw in some education at the same time.
Here’s how to play: each player gets five cards with different words on them (“basic building block words” according to the company) and you then have to make your way around the game board going to spaces that have your words on them. It’s up to you to find the quickest way through all your words and back to the home space to win. Along the way, kids learn words that help them with early reading. Our testing mom loved that Word Chase was a quick and easy game that also involved some strategy. Her preschooler enjoyed the game as well and the game has become an after-dinner staple in her house.
Word Chase retails for $19.95. For more information or to order, visit www.beyond-learning.com.
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Learning to read can be pretty frustrating for kids when they have to stop frequently to ask a parent, “what’s this word?” Now, LeapFrog is putting the power to learn in kids’ hands. The Web-connected Tag Reading System uses a pen-shaped reader that reads words for them when they touch the pen to a word. We tested the Ozzie and Mack activity storybook that comes with the new reader. “I like it because it helps me with words I don’t know yet,” our 5-year-old tester Zoe reported.
The reader has a small infrared camera at the tip of the reader that reads the dot pattern on the books. Kids can choose to have the entire story read aloud, or have it read line by line or just have the reader read a word at a time. The activity storybook includes games that help kids connect the words with pictures.
It’s portable enough to take along anywhere. The reader has a volume control, but does not turn up enough to hear in loud places such as restaurants. In our house, it has replaced other electronic game systems as the preferred take-along. Parents can connect to the Internet and download audio for more books, dragging the audio into the reader, just like MP3 files. The reader holds up to five books.
The Tag Reading System, for ages 4-8, will be available starting in June with a suggested retail price of $49.99. The Tag Reading System Library, which will feature Fancy Nancy, I SPY and Walter the Farting Dog, carries a MSRP of $13.99 each.
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