Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Set: Why This is a Great Idea and Toy
Written: Feb 16 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works well, kids do learn from it, easy to use, keeps kids occupied
Cons: Mediocre battery, can lose letters
The Bottom Line: A very good learning tool for a young child.
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| hwz1's Full Review: Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Set |
I am new to the baby thing. No, I do not have one of my own yet, but all of my friends seem to be having kids and my sister had one recently and has another one on the way. My wife, well, she teaches young autistic children and is used to kids. Thankfully. I would have no idea what to get a child for a special occasion. Hence, I let her handle this part of the relationship.
She recently came home with the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Set for my niece. What makes this toy so popular and great? A number of things, but the first one might be that it allows the grown ups in the family to multi task. What do I mean? Well, the set is made to attach to the fridge so it can be used while the grown up's cook or eat. A big plus in my mind. Perhaps, just as important is that the child is kept occupied while you are cooking or eating. Again, a huge plus.
So how does all this work and what does it do? Well, the set includes 26 magnetic letters and a base unit. The letters are color coded (Vowels are red and consonants are either green, blue, or yellow.) The base unit has a speaker and a "music on" button along with volume controls. You simply turn the music on and listen for the short opening tune. The set will then wait for a play. A play is essentially taking a letter and placing it in on the pad and pressing it down. After pressing it down the set will go over the sound and what it is supposed to sound like. The music button will also play the alphabet song and is another way to learn the way you are supposed to speak and sound.
The set runs on three AAA batteries and I must say that Leapfrog did two things that I like when it comes to powering the set. First of all, they included the batteries in the box. Thank you! No more convenience store trips to pick up forgotten batteries that cost twice what they should. Secondly, they have made the battery door accessible with a screw driver only. A nice safety feature that should become standard. The batteries last a decent while, but are far from great.
Another thing that I really like is that the set makes multiple sounds for letters that may have different pronunciations. My wife says that this is very important since the young child is so impressionable and likely to learn the way he/she hears the sound initially.
Ok, so does it work? Yes, and quite well. My niece spends a good bit of time- apparently- each evening playing while mom cooks. She has learned to pronounce a number of things that surprise her mom and seems to have a better understanding of how certain things are supposed to sound. So yes, the report I get from my sister is that it works quite well.
I do have a single annoyance. You can easily lose the letters under the fridge or beside and never see them again. Not a big deal, but you have to go through Leapfrog in order to get replacement letters and that is not a quick process.
All in all, the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Set is a great learning toy for a young child- 24 months and up. We will be purchasing this for more of the young kids who have upcoming birthdays.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 18.00
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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hwz1
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Just got a big promotion that will move my new wife and I to Atlanta.
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