What Is LEGO Mindstorms?
This is an educational toy/robot building kit that combines  the construction and building capability of LEGO bricks with  a microcomputer brick and highly intuitive programming  software.  It enables you to build robots that can:

See
Speak
Feel
Move

The principles of using this kit are to:
Use the LEGO bricks to construct your robot
Use your computer and the software that is provided to  program the robot that you just built

The drag-and-drop software gives you 16 building and  programming challenges  ranging from beginner to expert  levels.

According to the manufacturers, it should take you about one  hour to construct as well as program your first robot from  scratch. Once you have created your first robot the  possibilities for what you can do with this super creative  robotic kit are endless.  You can create whatever your  imagination so desires.

What Age Ranges is This Toy Most Suited For?
The LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is designed for children of ages  10 and above. If you have children that are curious about  robots and like building and construction sets, and they are  about 7 or 8 then you could work together and build a robot  together  with them.

How Difficult is it to Use LEGO Mindstorms?
Creating a LEGO Mindstorms robot is not impossible nor is it  super simple – it is challenging but it can be done and you  will be amazed at the robot that is created once the whole  system has been put together.
When you purchase this robotic kit you are provided with  everything that you will ever need.  The illustrated  step-by-step booklet and software is designed to show you way  clearly and easily.
As an introduction to using Mindstorms to create a robot, the booklet shows how to build a basic “Quick Start” robot.
There is a BUILDING process and a PROGRAMMING process to  putting a robot together.

Once you have created a robot the rest is easy – you just  play with it and see what it is capable of doing.

Once the basics have been mastered and you have managed to  create a basic robot then you will need to use the software  that comes with the system so that you can create more  advanced robots or you can find details about constructing  other robots from the mindstorms website.

What is NXT Technology?
NXT is the brain of your MINDSTORMS robot and is an  intelligent, computer controlled LEGO brick that enables a  MINDSTORMS robot to come to life and do different things.

The NXT has the following:
a 32-bit microprocessor
a large matrix display
Interactive Servo Motors
Smart sensors
3 Output ports for motors
4 Input ports for sensors
Icon based drag and drop programming software
Wireless Bluetooth and USB connections
Loudspeaker

Interactive Servo Motors
Control your robot using the 3 interactive Servo motors

Robotic Sensors
Four robotic sensors that enable your robot to “see” and thus  – avoid obstacle
- detect movement
- sense and measure distance
- detect touch

Touch Sensors
Your robot will have two Touch sensors which enable it to  detect whether they are being pressed or released.

How to Use the Touch Sensors with your Robot
You can have hours of fun by incorporating the Touch sensor  with your robot:
- use a touch sensor to make your robot act on a command for  instance if you press the touch sensor, you can make your  robot talk, walk or turn off a TV by you merely pressing a  Touch sensor.

- The NXT has a “Try Me” function which is used by  connectinng a Touch Sensor to port 1 of the NXT and choosing  the “Try Me” submenu on the NXT; this will enable you to test  your Touch Sensor.

Color Sensors
The color sensor is one of the sensors that give your robot  “sight” and therefore allow it to “see”. The Ultrasonice  sensor is the other sensor that gives it vision.
The color sensor can distinguish between black and white as  well as bright and light colors and can detect 6 different  colors and measure the light intensity of colored surfaces.

How To Use the Color Sensors with Your Robot
The Color sensor is a sophisticated part of your robot and  can be used a a variety of ways. For example, you could  construct a robot that will follow a red line and start to  talk when it detects a red spot.

Because the color sensor can also be used as a color lamp,  you can use it to light up your robot thus making it a  feature of your robot.

Ultrasonic Sensor
This sensor allows your robot to see and detect objects and  to avoide obstacles, detect movement and sense and measure  distance.

It measures distance by calculating the time taken for a  sound wave to hit an object and return (pretty much how bats  measure distance). You’ll get the best readings with hard   and large objects.

Loudspeaker
The loudspeaker is to enable you to listen to real sounds  when you run a program (if your program includes real sounds)

USB Port
You would use the USB port to download programs from your  computer to the NXT or to upload data from your robot to the  computer (you do this by simply connecting a USB cable to the  USB port).
There is also a wireless Bluetooth connection that can be  used for uploads and downloads as well.

What You Get If You Buy the LEGO Mindstorms System:
NXT programmable LEGO brick
Ultrasonic Sensor
Color Sensor
2 Touch Sensors
3 Interactive Servo Motors
USB Cable
7×6-wire cables
Building instructions for 4 robots
User guide
Software
Test Pad
619 Lego pieces

Clearly, you have a lot of stuff to look at and go through  and with the step-by-step illustrated booklet, and the  software, you should be able to get up and going with your  first robot in approximately 1 hour.

There is a much earlier version of this product called Lego  Mindstorms and it is still available on Amazon but it seems  that the newest version, the one we are reviewing here, Lego  Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is much more powerful and intelligent than  its predecessor.

Technorati Tags: building robots, lego robot

If you want your child to learn the basic coordination, balance, and movements needed to ride a real bike in future, then you should start him out on this PREbike as soon as possible.

Click here to read Amazon’s customer reviews for this toddler bike

The remarkable thing about this item is that is has no pedals. And unlike other pre-bikes for toddlers, the Strider is not a tricycle. Instead, it only has two wheels so that your toddler can get used to the feel of a real bike. Your kid can then use his or her feet to walk on the ground (this serves as the pedal) while controlling the bike. What this does is that it trains your toddler to balance himself and maneuver a bike with ease. There’s no need for clunky toys and pre-bikes with training wheels. The Strider is the ideal toy for your toddler to play with if he is to get started riding a real bike early.

This bike is available in 6 colors:

Pink

Blue

Yellow

Green

Red

Orange

Click here to find out what satisfied parents thought of this bike

If you have a toddler then you will know how excited they are to get riding on bikes, especially if they have older siblings. You will also know how gut-wrenching it is to see your little one sobbing their heart out when they just can’t get to grips with the balance or control the traditional clunky and heavy bikes.

The is where the revolutionary Strider Sports PREbikeTM comes in; it really makes it a lot more fun and easier for your child to learn those crucial skills of balance and coordination which are so necessary in order to ride a bike.

This bike is a natural progression from a ride-on toy to learning to ride a bike and has:

• No pedals
• No training wheels

The design of this bike makes it really easy to get your little one used to getting the correct balance that is needed before you can ride a 2 wheeled bike. These are some design features that actually help your toddler:

• No more flat tires or punctures (this bike has puncture-proof all-terrain tires)
• Clever frame design with integrated Launch pad FOOTRESTS that help your child to glide and acquire those advanced bike riding skills
• Comes with an adjustable handlebar and seat height to fit riders from 30-Inch to 44-Inch tall

What a lot of users love about the Strider is that it can accommodate little kids very well. Some bikes out there in the market are difficult to mount, especially if your toddler is small. With the Strider, you can easily teach your child to seat comfortably on the bike seat. If your toddler is slightly taller, you can still use the Strider because it holds up pretty well while supporting your toddler’s weight.

The Strider PREbike has wheels made of foam. Various users take this both as a positive and negative feature. Some users are not too impressed with the idea of having wheels made of foam. After all, rubber wheels are better for outdoor use. However, the foam wheels can be really convenient for your child because it makes the bike even lighter in weight.

The best thing about the Strider is that it builds your toddler’s confidence. It removes any fear of riding bikes early on. Now you can watch your kid learn how to ride a bike without fear that he may crash and hurt himself. Plus, all this comes at an affordable price and good quality.

How Does My Child LEarn to Ride The Strider Pre-Bike:

Your child powers this bike by using their feet safely on the ground. It helps them to develope their motor skills so that they learn to balance a bike at theirr own pace and safely and  without the fear of falling off and hurting themselves.

We all know that if your child is having fun whilst learning a new skill and is not going to fall off and hurt themselves, then their confidence will soar and they will learn to ride a bike sooner.
This is exactly what this prebike offers.

If you want to find out whether this will be a suitable bike for your little one, you will find more information at  Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: learn how to ride a bike, toddler bike, trycicle

Click here to get more information about the Ripstik Caster Board from Amazon.com

The main highlight of this item is that it combines the characteristics of a surfing board and snowboard, then puts them on wheels. The result is heightened fun and excitement for riders of various age groups. And because this can’t be categorized as a typical skateboard, the Ripstik Caster Board is in a category of its own. It looks like something that came out of the distant future and gives riders a new way to enjoy what they like to do best. This unbelievable caster board has the capability to make sudden sharp turns even though it has only two wheels. The best thing is, this item has strong traction plates that can be used to maneuver uphill.

Features of the Ripstik Caster Board

• Looks cools, somewhere between a skateboard and a snowboard
• Make smooth 360-degree turns on two wheels
• Supports up to 220 pounds
• Designed for 8 year olds and above

This product comes with a 90-day warranty and you is available from Amazon.com

The only significant downside of this caster board is that it has a learning curve. If you are used to traditional skateboarding, it may take you a while to master the maneuvering of the Ripstik. Similar to learning how to ride a bike, you need to practice how to ride the caster board. This, in fact, is a good thing because it is challenging and fun. It presents a challenge for people of all ages. At first, it might be a little scary to put your weight on only two wheels, but after you develop proper balance and you get used to the caster board, everything is just a piece of cake from that point on.

Click here to find out why this 44-year old loved the Ripstick Caster Board so much

The Ripstik Caster Board is a great toy to use outdoors. As a precaution, wear your helmet and protective gear at all times. This way, you can prevent any accidents to happen while you’re still getting used to riding the caster board. All in all, this product is very well worth its price because it can provide many hours of fun, excitement, and outdoor exercise. It is great for youngsters and adults. If you’re thinking of getting a Ripstik Caster Board, don’t hesitate any longer because this is an excellent item.

Technorati Tags: bike, ripstik, snowboard

Mini Kick Scooter

This toy is the Winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold and Platinum Award Seals

The Mini Kick Scooter is an ideal and high quality choice when it comes to scooters for children. Its highly acclaimed design makes it a popular item for parents who are looking for cool scooters for their kids (ages 3 to 5) to play with. What makes this model different is its lean-and-steer mechanism, which allows for greater flexibility and heightened entertainment for your kids. They will literally love using this scooter to play in the front yard of your house, or they can ride it during picnics and outdoor activities.

Click to find out why parents love this scooter to bits

A great feature of the Mini Kick Scooter Blue is the Italian-made wheels. Those wheels are especially designed to provide for a smooth and quiet ride. Now your children can play with a scooter without disturbing you or any person who might be needing peace and quiet. Both parents and children will surely benefit from the convenience of the Italian-made wheels.

The build and body of this scooter is very strong, durable and stable. This is a convenient and reliable feature because it ensures the safety of your child. You don’t have to worry about the scooter giving way to your child’s weight because the deck has enough space to accommodate both feet. In short, this scooter model is absolutely safe for your child to use, and it will give him many years of worthwhile childhood fun.

What users love about this item is the fact that it is made by Microstore, a Swiss company that is known for durability and using strong raw materials. Other parents also like the fact that the Mini Kick Scooter gives children better flexibility when it comes to making sharp turns and abrupt movements.  One little disadvantage of this model, however, is that the brake tends to break if it is pushed upward instead of downward. You should instruct your kids to push the brakes down toward the tire to avoid irreparable damage.

It’s a great scooter because it’s easy for your child to learn and get used to. Despite the fact that this scooter only has three wheels, it is easier to maneuver and control than most standard four wheeled beginner scooters. The design itself looks great. Kids definitely love to have a toy that they can be proud of, and this scooter is ideal for any child who loves to ride. All in all, this item is absolutely a good buy and it is highly recommended to parents and kids.

The Mini Kick Scooter is available from Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: cool scooters, kick scooter, microstore

And these play gyms can be either brightly coloured or in soft, pastel shades. But don’t be fooled by thinking they are just snug and comfy resting places for babies to fall asleep in!

These activity gyms provide a plethora of visual and audio, and tactile stimulation for fast developing young inquisitive minds. Often decorated with well known and lovable characters, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, or farm and zoo animals as well, they can consist of detachable, hanging parts that small babies can try to grasp. They tend to have parts that are crinkly, soft, scrunchy textures for baby to touch, squeeze and stroke. Some come with bright twinkling lights and bells and others make funny sounds, or musical sounds, and some even do both.

You will often find mirrors attached to these activity gyms, so that your baby gets to find and see its own reflection, often providing hours of fun for babies and carers alike. All of this is extremely important for developing young minds. Babies are like a sponge, they are ready to absorb whatever information they can and boy – they can’t grasp it fast enough!

A lot of new research points to the first three years of life as being critical to a baby’s developing brain. It is a known fact that during this period, not only does the brain triple in weight but it also establishes thousands of billions of nerve connections. Astonishingly, at the age of three, a young child has twice as many nerve connections as many adults.

Therefore, in your role as a parent, or primary care giver, it is of paramount importance that you recognize this and understand just how much development is taking place inside your young baby’s brain from birth until the age of three.

At birth, children have most of the neurons (brain cells) they need for a lifetime however, these brain cells are not yet linked (or “wired”) together to form the complex networks that are required for mature thought processes to take place. And what happens is that in the early years, young children’s brain cells form these connections, or synapses as they are commonly called, very very rapidly.

One of the crucial ingredients to aiding these connections to form, is experience, and repetition. In a word, the more times you repeat something new, like showing a baby how to scrunch up a ball, the quicker these connections are formed. Therefore, it naturally follows that the more positive interaction you give an infant or toddler, the more you are helping to stimulate young brains.
This stimulation causes new connections to form neural pathways and strengthens existing ones.
Playing with activity gyms, with all the bells and whistles that they offer or reading to a child, anything which allows a child to have positive, interactive experience, will aid your child’s brain development.

Although activity gyms can be used from 0 to 12 months or more, it is usually at around the 4 month mark, that your baby will start to gain more than just a passive interest in it.
This is because, babies will now start to play with objects (as opposed to just staring at them or the environment around them). Your baby is starting to gain growing control of his body as well as beginning to gain hand to eye co-ordination and increasing perception of the environment around them. So you can watch as your baby begins to enjoy objects by means of rather unco-ordinated handling and mouthing of them.

Later, at about 5 to 6 months, your baby’s relatively well-controlled ability to reach and grasp objects increases her interest in them.

Although your baby may explore them by means of mouthing and handling them, you will find that she starts to shake and bang them as well. This is also the beginning of her understanding of cause and effect, that is, that banging or shaking an object will cause a noise.

By around the 6th or 7th month, your baby’s hands and eyes are working together quite well now so that looking now also becomes part of the exploration process, as well as mouthing and handling, and her interest in toys and other objects is intense. Your baby’s ability to grasp and manipulate objects is developing brilliantly. Her fingers close on an object with decision, and she can lift one hand towards a toy, and bang two objects together. Do not underestimate the importance of these achievements. Reaching to grasp an object involves three joints in the arm and fourteen in the hand. Initiating a reaching movement
involves more than thirteen muscles in the arm and adjusting the hand to grasp an object use more than twenty in the hand.

So, as you lovingly sit and watch your young baby laughing and gurgling on the play mat or under the activity gym – do not underestimate the power of the changes taking place in the brain, all enriching an inquisitive mind and arming it with a plethora of knowledge and understanding.

Technorati Tags: activity gyms for kids, play gyms, visual toys for babies, winnie-the-pooh

At this point, as a parent you should stimulate the baby to continue this rhythm. The best way to do this is through play. And since play is unconceivable without toys, you should consider getting some for your baby
Researches made in the last few years revealed that babies too can have an assortment of toys. Babies respond to sight, sound and touch. Toys that stimulate these senses can help your baby learn about the world around him, how things work and so on.

To help you find best toy for your baby, I’ve made here two age groups, birth to 6 months and 6 to 12 months. The difference between these age groups is huge because a baby grows very fast and so his needs differ from month to month.

Toys for babies of one to six months:
In this period, a baby isn’t very active. He is mostly sleeping. When the baby is awake, he does not seem to be interested in anything else but eating and crying.

At the age of two months, the baby starts following every activity in the room. He is able to focus his vision on an object for a few moments. This is when you must introduce the baby in the world of toys, if you haven’t already done so. Use black and white and high contrasting color toys. The baby can’t play at this age because he can’t make complex moves like grabbing, or turning around.

At the age of four months, the baby is already moving his arms and legs. He has more energy than ever, and he is eager to use it. He is able to grab things and crawl. In this situation, a new activity is making room in his life: play. Although it is very rudimentary, play is very important for the baby’s development.

Here are some toys I recommend you to buy for your baby:

• Juggling toys

• Animal shaped toys made of rubber

• Little mirrors that can’t injure the baby

• Toys made specially for chewing

• Little colored circles bound together

Be a bit more careful with musical toys. Buy musical toys for your baby only after you have checked that the sounds they produce aren’t very powerful. Musical toys that produce sharp noises are dangerous because babies tend to get the sound source close to their ear, which, being fragile can be affected.
To read the whole article, visit http://www.child-toys-guide.com/baby-toys.shtml

Technorati Tags: Baby Toys, newborn toys, toys for chewing

As he approaches his first birthday, your little baby now crosses the line into the exciting world of toddlers. They become increasingly independent and their hand-eye coordination has increased considerably rendering more control over their environment and any objects therein. Toddler’s toys therefore, become more complex, items such as puzzles, wooden shapes to fit into boards and more building and stacking toys as well. In short, anything that will keep toddler hands busy and toddler minds active!

Toddlers will be entranced and absorbed by toys that come apart and then need to be reassembled again.
Small jigsaw puzzles, of maybe 2-4 parts, wooden blocks that can be stacked and unstacked, and shape sorters are ideal toys for toddlers. Be aware though that the more complex shapes might still prove to be quite a challenge for their ever inquisitive and fascinated minds.
You can browse online and sort by brand, by age even by type of toy – it all makes for an easy, simple, comfortable shopping experience.

Technorati Tags: jigsaw puzzles, Toddler Toys, wooden shapes

Toys for small kids and big kids too! Do you want to play with Playstation, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo DS or the Xbox even? We have a huge range of video games to choose from. All the latest titles galore and at reasonable prices.
Or, for something a bit more traditional, check out our wide selection of radio controlled toys and gadgets including cars, planes and trains. Spend hours of fun with your child, indoor or outdoor. Some of the planes can even be flown inside the house!
Shop online for electronic toys and have hours of fun away from the bustling crowds
There are electronic toys for babies and toddlers as well – Discovery Balls and books from Leapfrog, a Little People Discovery Village from Fisher Price and even a Discovery Space Shuttle from LEGO. Now there are some fabulous educational learning toys from those innovative people at LeapFrog. The LittleTouch “LeapPad” Learning System is a remarkable
educational electronic toy for 6-36 month olds. It encourages early language development and comes
with 3 levels to grow with your child. Browse online and see for yourself.

Technorati Tags: nintendo ds, nintendo gamecube, playstation, rc cars, xbox

These days so many of the top brands offer a fantastic selection of educational toys – brands such as Lego, vTech, Brio, LeapFrog and Fisher Price. There are electronic books that help your child to enunciate letters and words, books that help them to read and write, furry toys that read stories, interactive Globes to help your child explore other continents and to discover about animals.
There is so much to learn about the big wide world and educational games making learning seem like child’s play and therefore lots of fun.
The learning system toys are aimed at many age ranges, some from birth to about 3 years, with the next stage up being from about 4 to 8 years. The trend these days in educational toys for children is to have less of the passive learning and hence as a result, the toy manufacturers are increasingly leaning towards, and producing, multimedia learning systems. LeapFrog, an innovative toys manufacturer is just one of the leading brands that is producing some excellent learning systems for young minds; vTech, Fisher Price are some others that are doing the same.
These learning systems all aim for the same thing, namely, to enable children to read electronic books, watch interactive videos, play action packed learning games. The emphasis is very much on interactive learning, but more importantly, learning through play and fun – so that a child almost forgets he is learning by rote.

Technorati Tags: Brio, fisher price, LeapFrog, vTech

We have ethnic dolls, fashion dolls, princess dolls, favourite character dolls, walking and talking dolls, rag dolls, soft dolls, toddler dolls and much, much more!
As well as a varied selection of dolls, you can easily browse online to find doll accessories such as doll clothing, playsets, horses, tea and dinner sets and dolls houses too.

Technorati Tags: baby anabel, barbie, bratz, Dolls