As most people having a pre-schooler would tell you, just about all youngsters between the ages of 2 and 5 exhibit certain particular character traits: they are energetic beyond belief (the Energizer bunny has nothing on them); they don't like to eat their vegetables; and they like to write - predominantly on the walls. With regard to the 3rd item, assuming that you have actually desired that their writing be fruitful rather than merely aimless, the Leapfrog Scribble and Write may be just what the doctor ordered (as well as a cool toy and gift).
As several of you with smaller children may well know, Leapfrog is known as a company that manufactures toys that integrate both knowledge and fun. While I can't say that every product they market hits the bullseye, a good number of them do, and the Scribble and Write definitely falls into that category.
The Scribble and Write is really focused on teaching the alphabet, and it uses a number of strategies in order to do so: tracing upper-case characters; tracing lower-case letters; guessing characters and drawing. It accomplishes this by simply generating shapes and the alphabet, which display on a traceable drafting pad in the form of scarlet dots. Following the verbal commands from the Scribble and Write - which includes an interactive voice module - a stylus pen (included as well) can then be used to outline the article which presents itself. (The stylus pen, luckily, is attached to the Scribble and Write, making the odds of losing it minimal.)
With regards to drawing, the intent is to get your youngster comfortable with drawing the lines, in addition to the curves, that comprise the letters of the alphabet. Keeping that in mind, various geometric forms - lines, circles, zigzags, etc. - display on the writing surface for your young child to trace.
The tracing of lower as well as upper-case characters works in a virtually identical manner, except that your child is actually able to choose the character of the alphabet he wants to draw. (The front face of the toy presents all letters of the alphabet, which appear on compact control buttons.) In addition, the Scribble and Write slowly and very carefully describes exactly how the letter is to be made. As an example, it points out that an "L" is drawn simply by starting off near the top and drawing a line all the way down, and then making another line across. After finishing any tracing venture, your child pushes the "paw" key (there is an adorable little doggy on the Scribble and Write) and is notified whether he correctly drew the letter or not. In the remaining teaching mode, the Scribble and Write presents letters and encourages your youngster to properly identify them by pushing the appropriate key.
In short, the Scribble and Write seems to employ memorization and repetition to teach, and it appears to have the desired effect. Viewing this from the standpoint of someone whose pre-schooler already knows his numbers and letters, I feel it's an oustanding educational device, a pretty cool toy and gift, and the fact that it's also a lot of fun is just icing on the cake.
As several of you with smaller children may well know, Leapfrog is known as a company that manufactures toys that integrate both knowledge and fun. While I can't say that every product they market hits the bullseye, a good number of them do, and the Scribble and Write definitely falls into that category.
The Scribble and Write is really focused on teaching the alphabet, and it uses a number of strategies in order to do so: tracing upper-case characters; tracing lower-case letters; guessing characters and drawing. It accomplishes this by simply generating shapes and the alphabet, which display on a traceable drafting pad in the form of scarlet dots. Following the verbal commands from the Scribble and Write - which includes an interactive voice module - a stylus pen (included as well) can then be used to outline the article which presents itself. (The stylus pen, luckily, is attached to the Scribble and Write, making the odds of losing it minimal.)
With regards to drawing, the intent is to get your youngster comfortable with drawing the lines, in addition to the curves, that comprise the letters of the alphabet. Keeping that in mind, various geometric forms - lines, circles, zigzags, etc. - display on the writing surface for your young child to trace.
The tracing of lower as well as upper-case characters works in a virtually identical manner, except that your child is actually able to choose the character of the alphabet he wants to draw. (The front face of the toy presents all letters of the alphabet, which appear on compact control buttons.) In addition, the Scribble and Write slowly and very carefully describes exactly how the letter is to be made. As an example, it points out that an "L" is drawn simply by starting off near the top and drawing a line all the way down, and then making another line across. After finishing any tracing venture, your child pushes the "paw" key (there is an adorable little doggy on the Scribble and Write) and is notified whether he correctly drew the letter or not. In the remaining teaching mode, the Scribble and Write presents letters and encourages your youngster to properly identify them by pushing the appropriate key.
In short, the Scribble and Write seems to employ memorization and repetition to teach, and it appears to have the desired effect. Viewing this from the standpoint of someone whose pre-schooler already knows his numbers and letters, I feel it's an oustanding educational device, a pretty cool toy and gift, and the fact that it's also a lot of fun is just icing on the cake.
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Want to find out more about cool toys and gifts, then visit Sherman Isaacs's site for great gift ideas for your shopping list.