Mom’s Toy Reviews

I thought it was time for a review of something that I DON’T like so much. It was pretty easy to pick out; I think Water Symphony is the worst toy I’ve ever paid money for. This one probably looks familiar - I can remember actually wanting to play with this after seeing commercials for it as a child myself. So I finally had an excuse, 5 years ago, when my son was old enough to play with toys in the bathtub. Off I headed for the store! Got my plastic dolphins and hurried home to what I imagined was a symphony of sound.

Right?

Wrong.

It’s darn near impossible to get any sound out of these dolphins at all. I tried it for YEARS - with both of my first two kids - and got really proficient at getting a sound about 10% of the time. So that was really disappointing. But it doesn’t stop there. The most annoying thing is that the “floats” that the dolphins sit in, won’t stay linked together like they are supposed to. Forget it!

I think the most value this toy brought was helping to review colors when my children were learning them. And my older daughter enjoyed pretending that the floats were bracelets. I tossed the dolphins and just kept the rings for her, until she outgrew them…at which point I was delighted to chuck them, too.

Approximate Retail: $19.99
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I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Miles the Goose. Miles is the star of my kids’ favorite DVD for car trips, called “Are We There Yet?” It’s a super-annoying-to-adults, but super-engaging-for-kids video. And since we just got back from a road trip from Florida to the Outer Banks, NC - 16 hours each way - I have Miles on the brain. I think they watched it 7 times, if I counted correctly.

When we play movies in the car, it’s quiet, but I worry that my kids’ brains are going to mush. Not so with “Are We There Yet?”, because they are talking the entire time. They play games, such as counting car colors to see who gets to five, first. Or answering questions - mini-quizzes after certain video segments - on things like the nickname of New York City, how far a humpback whale migrates each year, or what a baby kangaroo is called. They learn about constellations and US history. They look for clouds in certain shapes. You get the picture! It’s constant stimulation and it’s educational.

“Are We There Yet?” is an acclaimed DVD by Banyan Productions, the same people that make grownup television shows like “Trading Places”. It’s their only venture into childrens’ video, but it’s superb. It’s educational. And it’s fun.

Approximate Retail: $19.97
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The Pizza Party set is one toy that has stood the test of time in my house. All of the great wooden toys by Melissa and Doug are favorites for my kids, but Pizza Party stands out above the rest. My oldest received it as a gift about 4 years ago. He LOVED putting the toppings on, and pretending to be a pizza chef by “slicing” the pizza and serving it to us. The set contains 6 wooden pizza slices that stick together with Velcro circles (which are made into the wood, not glued on - no sticky mess in hot weather!) It includes a plate, a wooden pizza cutter that really turns, and a wooden server. But the best part are the toppings. It has about 50 little wooden circles, with Velcro on the back, that stick to Velcro spots on the top of each pizza slice. The toppings are designed with mushrooms, green and red peppers, and pepperoni images.

When my second child reached the crawling stage, we had to put it away for awhile, due to the small parts, but we brought it back out during her nap time for her older brother, who continued to enjoy it. Once she as old enough, Pizza Party regained its permanent spot in our playroom. And we had a new surprise with our daughter’s description of the toppings - pickles and marshmallows were the two she named. (We think the pickles were the pepperonis, and the marshmallows were the mushrooms, but I’m still not sure!)

The baby just turned one and has gotten really mobile, so unfortunately it’s time for Pizza Party to go back into the closet until she’s old enough to not pop the toppings into her mouth. But I’m looking forward to the day when she makes this toy her own, just like her sibs have!

Approximate Retail: $19.97
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