My kids are hooked on their electronics. I really try to keep the bulk of their plugged in time educational but still fun. The new VTech MobiGo combines those 2 things with the latest touch screen technology. Shae can now sit next to her big brother and sister and play like they do.

The MobiGo comes with a cartridge filled with basic (non-character) learning games. Shae’s favorite so far is Ice Escape. If you are familiar with Parking Lot, it’s very similar to that. The object of the game is to move the ice blocks and snowballs to get the penguin to his meal. I was surprised at how well she picked up this puzzle/strategy game. Here is a rundown of the great features:

• Touch-screen: MobiGo’s touch-screen technology adds a modern twist to electronic learning games, so kids learn while mimicking the way parents use touch-screen devices.
• Educational games: From fishing, coloring book pages, drawing and playing instruments, kids can discover a wide variety of fun and engaging learning games.
• Learning skills: MobiGo teaches a wide range of skills including math, vocabulary, spelling, logic and categorization. The slide open QWERTY keyboard introduces older kids to text typing skills.
• Downloadable Content: Additional games and content will be available for download so kids can customize
• their MobiGo with the latest innovative games and continue the learning and fun for years to come.
• Portable: Handheld robust gaming console makes learning fun on the go for little hands and is equipped with headphone and AC adapter jacks.

Our initial experience wasn’t so hot, we had a problem with the audio but VTech jumped in and remedied the situation immediately. Shae was even happier with her replacement and the special extra game that was sent; Toy Story 3. I can’t wait to pick up the Dora game for her. I’m really hoping for a carrying case also, she’s good for leaving her stuff all over the place.

The VTech MobiGo has become Shae’s #1 electronic game system; in fact we gifted her previous sytem within 2 days knowing she was never going to touch it again. The MobiGo is scheduled to be released June 7th at Toys R Us, MSRP $59.99 with games starting $19.99

Win your very own VTech MobiGo from LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Tell me what other products you have tried from VTech and your experience.
EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

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Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Saturday,  June 26, 2010. The winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. This contest is open to US residents only. For complete rules please read our contest rules page.

This is a sponsored post.“I was given a MobiGo by VTech for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own. Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.

SmartyRents.com is an online educational video game rental company that RENTS games for LeapFrog and VTech game systems. This is a cost effective way for parents to get a variety of games for less.

SmartyRents was established by two credentialed teachers. After having children, it became their mission to provide families with an opportunity to have their kids learn while playing the ever-so-popular video game.

SmartyRents provides exciting learning opportunities for children from the ages of 9 months to 10 years. Every month when a game is delivered to your door, it allows your child the chance to embark on a new learning adventure. The educationally-based products helps children learn and refine skills with some of their favorite characters. 

To get started, there are four simple steps:

1. Register as a SmartyRents member.
2. Choose the rental package that best fits your needs: 1 game, 2 games, 3 games, or 4 games at a time
3. Begin your child's learning experience by adding games to your Game.
4. Your game(s) will be delivered to your door to keep for as long as you want to play.

SmartyRents.com is offering all Look What Mom Found...and Dad too! readers a promo code for 1 Free Month - ab93ef - it expires 5/31/10.  Hurry and give it a try and report back and let us know what you think about SmartyRents.com.

At what point in life do kids learn how to alter the rules of a game so they are able to win. Shaun and I were playing Uno a few weeks ago and his new trick is to try to look at your cards to see if he can catch a glimpse. One time he did catch a glimpse of my last 2 cards so when I put down my next card I called Uno. He could see I had a blue 8 and he had a blue card but since he didn’t want me to win he kept drawing cards until he got an 8 in a different color. It took me a few games to realize what he was doing and then I called him out on it and it stopped.

Shaun and I played Uno last night and his new thing is to put down a Draw 4 and then ask if I want to challenge him since the rules say you can only use a Draw 4 if you have no other card to use. He put down three or four Draw 4’s during our few games and each time he asked if I wanted to challenge him. I guess he was hoping I would take him up on his challenge so I would then have to draw additional cards. He is a sneaky SOB. LOL. I love him even thought he tries to be a con artist when we play Uno.  Where the heck did he learns these tricks?

Do you think this is strategy or cheating?

 

Its been said before, we love our Nintendo Wii. We have well over 30 games and love to add to the collection for those “I’m so bored” days. We’ve been enjoying a new game the last couple weeks, Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun. Especially with the Winter Olympic games recently wrapping up it was fun to watch them on tv and attempt them in a game.

Working out and exercising doesn’t bother me, actually a lot of the time I really enjoy working out. For those of you who find it boring or not fun to exercise should try working out using Wii Fit Plus. When I feel like I need a change of pace in my routine I turn to Wii Fit Plus.

Wii Fit Plus is packed with every feature from Wii Fit—plus new exercises and tools to personalize your exercise routine. If you already have a profile on the original Wii Fit, you can easily transfer it over to Wii Fit Plus making it a super easy transition. Will Fit Plus has some pretty cool new features like My Wii Fit Plus which allows you to personalize your Wii Fit Plus workouts. Calories Burned is another really cool new feature which allows you to set daily goals on how many calories you want to burn. Everyone who is trying to lose weight watches their calories to some extent and this new feature easily allows you to do that.

Shae's new game anytime you ask for a high five is Up High, Down Low, In the Middle Too Slow. LOL. It is especially funny because when she gets to the in the middle part of the game she doesn't put her hand out for you to try to slap it she keeps it behind her back the whole time but always says too slow. She is a crazy little girl.

The hottest video game of the season has a new home in our house. Tony Hawk: RIDE is an innovative motion sensing controller shaped like a skateboard that is available for the Wii, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360.
Have you ever wanted to skate like Tony Hawk? This game lets you lift, tilt and turn to complete over 100 tricks at 6 locations all over the globe. The official website gives a great tutorial on movements to master tricks such as an Ollie or Kick Flip and also how to combine them for cooler effects and game advancement.

You should know by now that we love video games, well mostly the kids but I get excited when we find fun games that 1) aren’t violent 2) are interactive 3) entertain more than just one person in the house. I found another winner! Tony Hawk: RIDE

Available for the Wii, XBOX 360 and Play Station 3, RIDE features an innovative motion sensing skateboard controller, and redefines the sports genre by offering a fully dynamic hands-free gaming experience. Designed in conjunction with the game, the cutting edge wireless controller allows for unprecedented freedom and movement. Players of all experience levels will have the chance to feel what it’s really like to skate.

As most of you know Shaun loves video games. We make conscious decisions to purchase non-violent, learning and interactive games to keep him entertained. Codemasters has brought to life the Templar Publishing’s bestselling book Dragonology.

DRAGONOLOGY brings the mysterious world of dragons to life in a charming, absorbing and exciting interactive adventure. Travel the globe and learn ancient tracking skills to find dangerous and secretive dragons to study, protect and preserve. On your journey from apprentice to Master of Dragonology, you’ll build up your very own Dragonological Encyclopedia, collect dragon curiosities, and raise and train your own dragon for release back into its natural habitat.

If you have a Nintendo DS and like Pokémon then you need to be playing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

Shaun is a huge Pokémon fan so he was super excited when we received this game from review. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky lets you play as one of 19 different Pokémon (including five additional starter Pokémon). Enter an awesome adventure to save the Pokémon world and uncover new adventures in the immersive Pokémon Mystery Dungeon storyline. The game expands on the fun found in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness.

Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages, 2K Play and Feld Entertainment proudly announce that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the ultimate circus experience for Wii and DS are now available at retailers.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey for Wii features more than 40 action-packed games that test the circus skills of even the most highly trained professionals. Gamers can soar through the air as a human cannonball, perform with magnificent Bengal tigers, defy gravity on a motorcycle in the Spherical Miracle, dazzle the crowd with aerial acrobatics, and dance with an exotic Asian elephant. Only the best will become certified to perform in front of thousands in the exciting ZING ZANG ZOOM™ and Barnum’s FUNundrum show venues!

Gift Hero takes the stress out of gift buying with their simple to use website. Just go to Gift Hero and find the Gift Finder drop down menu; select gender, age and price. A list of gifts will be displayed based on the selections you made. Gift Hero will deliver your gift in a fun and easy gift bag to “wrap” your gift and take to the party.

Toy and Game selections found on Gift Hero are specially selected and tested by owners Stefanie & Lisa and their friends and family. They ensure anything you give has the greatest level of fun and educational qualities, assuring what you give are going to be a hit.

Borders has greatly expanded its toy and game offerings in its more than 500 superstores nationwide to include products from leading brands such as Melissa & Doug®, Creativity for Kids®, LEGO Systems, Inc, Playmobil, Scientific Explorer™, Chicco®, Battat®, Blue Orange Games®, ALEX® and many others. The expert buyers at Borders selected many of the toys and games because they play a role in promoting discovery, fostering creativity and helping build cognitive skills in youngsters, all of which are critical to developing good learning and reading habits-and a lifelong love of reading. Importantly, Borders knows that not all customers know what they want to purchase when faced with a variety of toy and game options, so the company is staffing the Children's Department with a dedicated kids' specialist, who can answer questions and make toy, game and book recommendations. (The specialists' hours will vary by store.)

If you like to play video games as much as Shaun and I do then you need to check out the awesome games from Oxygen Games. O-Games is a new publisher of family, social and sports video games and they have an exciting game lineup that is simple and fun for the entire family.

Shaun and I got to try out Pirates: Duels on the High Seas, Hurry Up Hedgehog and PDC World Championship Darts from O-Games. When the games arrived in the mail we were excited to get our hands on the games and give them a play. We play a good amount of video games so we tend to be critical and I was excited as these games didn’t disappoint.

My favorite of the three games was PDC World Championship Darts. PDC World Championship Darts has a nice career mode allowing you to play in 7 major PDC tournaments using one of sixteen different PDC champions like Phil Taylor, Ronnie Baxter and more. The game also has a nice multiplayer option allowing you to play a quick match (1-2 players), custom tournament (1-8 players) or party games (1-4 players). PDC World Championship Darts is available for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP and PS2. Shaun had a tough time deciding his favorite game but in the end he went with Pirates: Duels on the High Seas and Hurry Up Hedgehog.

Pirates: Duels on the High Seas is hours of non-stop entertainment with over 70 levels over 7 seas where you collect weapons, crewman and treasure. Fight many foes like the enchanted ice and ghost ships, Royal and Merchant Navy, terrifying sea creatures, and Blackbeard himself. Pirates: Duels on the High Seas has an explosive multi player battle mode with a wi-fi dueling arena. Vessels and artillery upgrades create the ultimate pirate battle ship which takes this game to the next level. Pirates: Duels on the High Seas is available for the Nintendo DS and is a 1-4 player game. If you like brainteasers then Hurry Up Hedgehog is for you. With 6 graphic sets and 5 rule customization options you have 32 unique ways to play. Hurry Up Hedgehog is a cool brainteaser which will challenge the whole family. Jostling against the canniest critters players must dodge hazards and race their hedgehog home to victory. Hurry Up Hedge is a 1-6 multiplayer game available for the Nintendo DS. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with any of these 3 games as they were all awesome and provided a nice challenge and were fun at the same time. Head over to Oxygen Games and check out their selection.

Summer is winding down and the kids are getting bored. They’ve plFayed and played till this isn’t anything left to play. So they are sitting in the house sofa surfing with nothing to do. Well I have stuff for them to do. Klutz creates wonderful activities, crafts, games and projects for kids ages 4 to teen. Started in 1977 by three college friends, Klutz got its beginning with sidewalk juggling lessons. With the first weeks earnings topping off at $35, John Cassidy, Darrell Lorentzen and B.C. Rimbeaux knew they could only go up from there.

Today Klutz offers a wide variety of fun things for kids within their collections Klutz Toys, Klutz Kits, Klutz Buckets and Klutz Guides. Klutz is a fixture in book stores, toys stores, book bestseller list and craft and project stores not just in the United States but throughout the world. With a hands-on approach children are able to learn while having fun working on unique projects and games. Tricky Videos, A Complete Guide to Moviemaking Magic is one of their newest additions. A how to collection of video tricks, gags and gimmicks that older kids can do with a video camera.
Here is an example of the cool tricks you can do with Tricky Video.


Sabreena is working on an Adventures in Giant Land video with the neighborhood kids. It’s been hysterical to watch and edit.

Klutz has selections for little kids too. Preschool age is a perfect time to get kids involved in crafts and building and working with their hands. Chicken Socks is a collection for ages 4-6, since most of these activites contain small parts adult supervision is strongly advised. Totally Tape is a a simple idea but one that would capture Shae’s attention in a second. Let kids go wild with colorful paper tape (no scissors required) on activity pages. Let them stick away to their hearts content.
Become a Klutz insider to received their newsletter and received 25% off your purchase. This is a great deal to stock up on cool games and activities for the holidays and cold winter months when the weather doesn't allow for outdoor play.
Klutz wants to give a LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! reader 2 activity books to add to their boredom buster arsenal of fun. The winner will receive Tricky Videos and a Chicken Socks selection. Please visit Klutz and tell me another product you would love to try out the kids in your life.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. We will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

• Subscribe to LookWhatMomFound...and Dad too! via email
• Fave this blog on Technorati
• Stumble Upon this BLOG not post
• Enter any other current Giveaway for an extra entry for each one entered
• Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Review or Article; let me know where to find your comment
• Follow Mom and Dad on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: win boredom busters Klutz games/activites @lkwhtmomfound...andDadtoo! http://tinyurl.com/mmekxl
  
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• Blog about this contest with links to LookWhatMomFound...and Dad too! and Klutz for 3 extra entries

Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.

We try to incorporate family game night each week especially in the cooler months when the kids are bored sitting around the house. The biggest problem we run into is playing the same game over and over. Shaun is 6 and Sabreena is 13 so we need something that works for both of them but not too complicated for him and too babyish for her.

I was recently introduced to Out of the Box Publishing. They are a mall company that has been creating new, family-friendly and innovative games that are focused on fun first with a hint of learning. They boast a few facts about their games
• can be learned in minutes.
• are colorfully illustrated and fun to play.
• can easily be played in less than an hour.
• are efficiently designed in smart packaging.
• feature dynamic player interaction from start to finish.

When we received our HUGE assortment of games Shaun immediately snagged one of the Zen Benders and went to work. In just a couple minutes he was playing on his own and a few minutes later he finished one of the easy puzzles. Later that night Sabreena played the other Zen Benders game and since she is older she went right for the hard level, she was whipping through those but since it’s a new game everytime they really kept their attention.

Wallamoppi is my favorite game so far, it is a game of quick thinking, swift stacking and clever strategy. This is a game Shaun and I like to play together. I try to get him to play without the timer just because I want to play fair with him but he insists on using it. The basics of the game are stack as many disks as you can without toppling the tower. There isn’t reading, writing or drawing involved in this game so it’s perfect for his age. It’s also a quick game, lasting less than 10 minutes, letting us squeeze in a couple games before a meal or before bed without a whole drawn out process of setting up a board or dealing out cards or re-explaining complicated rules.

We still have another game to try, Cloud 9, it’s not that we aren’t interested we just haven’t gotten bored with the ones we’ve opened already. Cloud 9 is the one that I’ve been most interested in playing but we just haven’t gotten to it yet. We will be packing up these games to take on vacation next week and their well thought out packaging is allowing us to do that. All of our games came in simple boxes that actually fit on our shelves. We have an extensive collection of board games and puzzles and my biggest pet peeve is odd shaped and domed containers. How the heck am I supposed to store a hand shaped tin? Out of the Box Publishing got is right with regular shaped boxes and containers.

Out of the Box Publishing puts out games that aren’t just fun but educational too. With over 30 games titles to choose from with age ranges from 7 to adult you are going to find something perfect for your child and yourself.

Win an Out of the Box Publishing game of your choice right here at LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too!.

Visit Out of the Box Publishing and tell me which game would be perfect for your family.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above and please be sure your email in in your comment, attached to you blogger dashboard or easily seen on your website/blog. I will not search through About Me/Contact Me links.

• Follow Mom and Dad on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway DAILY for an additional entry each day, copy and paste this message: OTB-games are fun, original and entertaining and for the entire family, win one @lkwhtmomfound http://bit.ly/122a41
• Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway Review or Article; let me know where to find your comment
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Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Friday, August 7, 2009. Winners will be announced and emailed and will have 48 hours to claim prize. This contest is open to US residents.