The Mouths Of Babes

Toy Review: Crocodile Dentist

Crocodile Dentist

Description

In this game there is a crocodile head with a big mouth. When the mouth is up there are a bunch of teeth on the bottom. The goal of the game is to press down on a tooth without having the crocodile's mouth snap shut.

1) How much fun it is to play?

This is loads of fun to play. The children squeal with delight whenever the mouth snaps - whether on their hand or someone else's. They don't even care if they lose because it is such a quick game they just open the mouth (which resets the teeth) and play again.

2) The couch cushion ratio - How many pieces of the game can be lost down the Couch Cushion Black Hole and the game still be playable?

Highest rating. There are literally NO pieces - just the crocodile head. This is every parent's dream.

3) How much setup is required each time you play?

Highest rating. There is no setup at all. You just lift the crocodile's head.

4) How many directions need to be grok'ed before you can start play?

You don't even need to glance at the directions. It's very obvious how to play.

5) Educational value.

This is the only negative - there is no educational value. Of course, I think that there should be a mix of educational and just plain fun games in a toy repertoire. So for me, this is not a big negative for this game.

6) How much setup is required the first time?

Again - High ratings. There is no initial setup at all. You pull it out of the box and it's ready to play. No stickers to apply. No twist ties to undo. No parts to put together.

7) How much does it cost?[NEW]

This game is very reasonably priced. You can get it for about $10 at amazon or about $15 at a toy store.

Overall Rating: 10/10 It really is fun for the whole family. My children don't even mind playing it alone.

Toy Review: Sand Art

Quincrafts Sand Creations

Description

I puchased these crafts from JoAnn Craft Store. I love this store for buying crafts for children. They have lots of supplies for Do-It-Yourself crafts and an entire aisle of pre-packaged crafts for children. They have a large selection of reasonably priced items ($5-$10).

These sand screations come with 2 sheets that have drawings which have numbered sections. You peel off a numbered section and underneath it is sticky. You then pour colored sand over the sticky area and shake off the excess. When you are done you have a sand picture.

1) How much fun it is to play?

I give this very high ratings for the Fun Factor. The children absolutely loved making these sand creations. The artwork is great for children - dolphins and unicorns and castles and whales. They also have ones that are glitter or glow in the dark.

2) The couch cushion ratio - How many pieces of the game can be lost down the Couch Cushion Black Hole and the game still be playable?

They give you just enough sand for 2 drawings. If you accidentally spill a sand packet you either have to use a different color or you are out of luck. There is also a high Cleanup Factor. If you go into it knowing you will need a vacuum cleaner when you are done then you will have a lot more fun. Don't expect the work area to be sand-free.

3) How much setup is required each time you play?

Minimal setup. Everything you need is included. You just need to open the sand packets. I recommend placing newspaper under the work area. Also, the sand packets are much easier to pour if you cut a small section off of the corner instead of opening an entire side of the little plastic bag.

4) How many directions need to be grok'ed before you can start play?

Minimal instructions. You probably don't even need to read the instructions, it's that easy.

5) Educational value.

From an artistic standpoint I give this a very high rating. The children come away feeling that they made a real art creation. Because of the way that you peel off the numbered sections, the artwork ends up being very neat. It's almost impossible for them not to come out looking great. This gives the children a sense of accomplishment. Also, they are size 5x7 and fit nicely in a frame - which is what we did. It made the children feel like they made real art - and they did!

6) How much setup is required the first time?

Again, minimal first time setup. If you just cut the corners of the sand packets then you can fold it over and tape it closed - making it easy to store for next time. We did one the first time, stored it, and then had another to do on another day.

Overall Rating: 8/10 I would give it a higher rating if it weren't for the amount of cleanup involved - lots of sand everywhere.

Toy Review: SDETTASG

Scooby Doo's Electronic Talking Thrills and Spills Game

Before I get into the review, I just want to comment on the latest trend in Toys and Games - really freaking long names. This game has 8, that's EIGHT, words in its name. For a lazy person like me, that's a lot of typing. What happened to the good old days when games had one, at most two words: Scrabble, Twister, Connect Four, Yahtzee, Candyland. You'd think with 8 words, they'd at least be able to tell you what the game's all about. So, tell me, just having read the name, do you know what this game is about?? OK, enough bitchiness. On to the review...

My opinions about the length of the name aside, I actually really like this game for kids. It has virtually no educational value, so don't look for that here. I will be rating games according to the following (listed in order of importance):

1) How much fun it is to play.
2) The couch cushion ratio - How many pieces of the game can be lost down the Couch Cushion Black Hole and the game still be playable.
3) How much setup is required each time you play
4) How many directions need to be grok'ed before you can start play.
5) Educational value.
6) How much setup is required the first time.

So, for SDETTASG (told ya, I'm lazy):

Game summary: Each player gets 2 characters to try to get from the haunted house to the mystery machine. The board is on legs that cause it to be tilted. Every time a player lands on a 'monsters' spot, the player gets to spin a top (with a handy-dandy, Electronic, Talking gadget). The board has pseudo-guardrails to encourage the spinning top to go down the path of the board. Any player knocked down goes back to the beginning (Thrills and Spills). There are, of course, various other rules, but that's the gist of it.

1) Lots of fun for parents and children. I always worry about games that send the child back to the beginning. I think it's important for teaching good sportsmanship but it invariably leads to a Bad Experience in our house - especially if it is the sibling that sends the player back. However, it so much fun to spin the top and watch everyone get creamed that the kids laugh, even as they are sending their own player back to the haunted house.

2) Losing parts - well, it depends on which parts are lost. If you lose the spinning top, you're hosed. You could still play if you lost one or two of any of the other pieces. I do like the packaging - there's a box on the inside for storing the pieces.

3) The setup is more than traditional board games, but not so much as to deter playing. You have to put on the legs and the guardrails, but that's it.

4) Thumbs up on the directions - the front side of ONE page, normal sized font. They were clear and easy to understand. We were playing within minutes.

5) Little educational value - unless you consider counting or spinning a top educational.

6) Only minimal 'extra' setup - a few stickers, putting together the spinner, and putting in the batteries (although it was annoying to need a SREWDRIVER for that - another annoying new trend in toys).