This season I have found that interacting coding toys are the best things around. That includes the fantastic new Cubelets Discovery Set.  This is he newest set that is packed to the brim with robot building fun for ages four and up. Which is just fantastic.

 For those of you who are new to the company- Cubelets are palm sized blocks of software filled hardware. Each of the cubes have a different functions which when put together create coding magic!  Coding is not necessarily a new thing in the toy world. However we are coming to a point where it is being conceptualized in a way that makes it user friendly for the whole family at a point price that allows many families able to afford it. This is fanatasitc because I like many other people understand that coding may soon be one of those skills everyone will need to have a general knowledge of.
    With Cubelets you explore different combinations in order to make your robot perform certain skills.  What makes this toy unique is that you  are using your physical building cubes to create that code so it can preform the intended task. Crazy right, it is literally a hands on way to learn code!
Want to hear something even crazier? They are magnetic so there are no screws to attach and detach, no "Mommmmm can you help me" nothing. They can do it all themselves! I think it is just the bees knees.
      The set also includes the Bluetooth Hat which will pair your robot constructions with wireless devices in the surrounding area. Using this feature you can add different abilities via the Cubelets app.
   Speaking of the App. This feature is not needed for all the fun but definitely enhances it. It is, in essence your portals inside the cube! A direct link to the software inside! You can use it to manipulate individual cubes and change your already constructed robot completely.  You can make pre-existing code and store it in the app and then with a touch of a button use the personality swap to change the code 123. There are also attachments that let you add Lego (or off brand Lego) bricks onto your robot making it as creative as you want. Personalizing both what is inside and outside of your robot! It becomes truly your own.
  Sounds pretty fantastic I know, but what I really love- other than just playing around with it, is the fact that it can grow with your child giving him or her years of enjoyment and learning. A Four year old will learn the basics of the Robotics, as well as cause and effect where a 7 and older will learn more about pattern recognition, critical thinking or design and engineering. This is a "toy" that will open up the world to your youngins for years to come. So if you are going for long lasting, educational, fun, and something you can do with your whole family- Look no further it has arrived! Available on Amazon and is on sale right now!

Want to Win a BOAT LOAD of Splashings! We know you do! Here is how!

   TPF Toys is giving away 5000 Foil Bags in 10 Days… yes, you read that right!   Via Instagram @Splashlings_official, Splashlings fans are encouraged to post an Easter-themed Splashlings photo or video with the hashtag #splashlings, tag @amazon and tell the team why you love them!  We know you have plenty of reasons and that is plenty of opportunities to post and try and win!

 TPF Toys will announce 10 Winners on Easter, each to receive 500 Blind Bags sent to their homes!  Splashlings are available now nationwide!

Follow Splashlings on Social Media:
http://splashlings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SplashlingsOfficial/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/splashlings
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splashlings_official/

Curious Chef Veggie and Fruit Prep Kit!

   It is time for our children to start cooking!  (Parents rebel and yell at me) Alright ladies and gents calm down- I understand that cooking with little ones is dangerous, I mean I didn’t let my son use the stove until he was at least two... (kidding, kidding). Nevertheless, it is very important to teach our children all fundamentals in life, and cooking is one of them.  There is a great company out there called Curious Chefs that have a variety of child safe cooking utensils that are PERFECT for any young aspiring chefs!  We have received the 6 Piece Veggie and Fruit Prep kit and used it one

Amazon Round-table: How To Self Publish!

     This past November I was invited to a very exclusive Amazon Roundtable to discuss the amazing perks of publishing digital with Kindle Direct Publishing.   It should come as no surprise to anyone out there that Amazon would be in the forefront of this new wave of self-publishing.   They have already made themselves the leaders in online shopping, as well as digital reading, it only makes sense that they would create a program with that would be as user friendly to publish those books as well!  Amazon has set up two wonderful programs, the Kindle Direct Publishing, and CreateSpace, which have done wonders for the self-publishing industry.

        To talk about how the process works, and to give helpful hints as well as tell us their stories of success, we got to talk to three highly successful writers in the children and teen genres.  E.G. Foley is a real life couple that has had real success in publishing their series of books The Gryphon Chronicles, both in the printed book world and via online downloads.  This husband and wife team live and work in Pennsylvania and have been finishing each other’s sentences way before they started publishing them. 

     The Gryphon Chronicles is a series of books that although are published toward the young adult audience but are as popular among the adults and they are within the young adult genre.  A period piece that takes place in the Victorian streets of London, follow young Jake as he goes on his magical and mysterious adventures, fights grand foes, and goes through the trials and tribulations of also being a young boy on the brink of manhood. 

      Both Eric and Gaelen (the E.G. of E.G Foley) agree that they have had a rise in popularity that was largely in part with their partnering with Amazon Digital Printing.  They had a pretty big fan base before, and Gael has had success writing in other genres as well, however Amazon has done wonders with connecting with their current fan base, as well as enticing new readers towards their books. 

     Eric especially liked the try a sample feature, stating it gave the readers an opportunity to go into their world without the commitment of buying it.  Many people tend to like to try out the book, However the days of pursuing the pages at a bookstore are swiftly coming to an end, so this gives new readers a great way to really immerse themselves in the world they have created, before purchasing.  He makes a connection with this feature and their high purchase rate on amazon.

Best Running Armband For Iphone 6!

                                Best Running Armband For iPhone 6!

      Oh Running.  It is exhausting, it is invigorating, and sometimes you need a little something to get yourself psyched to get out the door.  If you're like me and need a little motivation, or need to know that everything is OK at home in order to relax, while out on your run, then my friends, do I have the armband for you!

   I received the Best Running Armband for a review- and I will give you one, an honest one.  It is great.  No really, it is so thin, that if it were not for the weight of the phone, you wouldn't even know it was there.  It keeps your phone completely dry from rain drops, or sweat (ew).  The plastic clear covering lets you use your phone with ease so you don't have to take it out of the band every time you want to change a tune or answer a call. The slit is also large enough that you can keep your case on while using the band, as well as having a small slit for your house key or car key, which is a neat additive.  Something else you should know is that the opening where you insert the phone is on the inside. This secures the phone not only in the armband, but against your body as well.  This will be something that any avid runner will want to have,  The price on it makes it affordable and gives you so much quality for a really low price tag!

   So there you go guys- run over (see what I did there..Heh Heh?)  to Amazon and pick this guy up- you will not regret it!

#1 Best Glove Smart Tech Gloves!

     S-O-F-T.  That is what I have to say when I describe the great Texting Gloves for Smartphone and Touchscreen that I received for a review from Tomoson!   I have worn them for short periods of time and they have kept my fingers toasty and guess what they, work as described as well!  They are for average sized hands, so this may not be thee product for you if you are an extra large sized.  They are black with three out of five fingers having grey fingertips.  The grey fingertips are the thumb, index and middle fingers.  These fingers if you do not know are the ones you most use for touch screens. They are made of different material that make it possible for you to use your smart device without actually having to take off your gloves.  AMAZING!  It works too.  I tried using the black fingers, as well as other pairs of gloves to use the phone, then used the magical grey tips and BAM!  I can now dial a phone, make text messages and even play a game.  The first pair I received for review were frayed where the grey and black meet, however I contacted the company and they sent me a new set ASAP.  They told me that it was a manufacturing mistake and the next pair I received were perfect.
    The gloves are cute, warm and do everything they are suppose to do.  They have a great price tag at only $8 and change and if you have Amazon Prime guess what- freeeee shipping!

Half Popped! A Children's Book Review!

  Half Popped! Is a wonderful book written by Jeff Feuerstein and illustrated by Dayna brandoff, both Lynbrook Alumni might I add. The story is all about Kenny the Kernel who "was only half popped, after the microwave had stopped". In a bowl full of fully popped corn he felt he had no place, so he left the bowl for to find somewhere better. He meets a carrot who is sad because he is only a 'baby" and all the other carrots are calling him names, he encounters grapes that are sour and fighting, a blackened banana and a cheerio that can't swim. Kenny who is a kind kind of kernel helps all the other food feel better about themselves. But what about poor Kenny? Don't worry he finds out that he is perfect just the way he is.
    I have to say I love this book. It is truly unique not only in the story itself but the illustrations are a wonderful combination of both photography and illustrations.  The story is told in a lovely rhyme and it covers everything from nutritional foods, helping others, and being happy with who you are.  Kenny the half popped kernel doesn't let the fact that he is down stop him from helping others, and is a great lesson for our children. I constantly tell my son that when he says

Jamaroos Musical ABCs! A Review

   Open your kids' imagination up to the world of letters with this amazing new app by Iggy Learning LLC. The colorful app opens with a palm tree swinging in the background and a stage in the middle. Drag over a letter from the bottom of the skin to the stage and get introduced to an animal that starts with the corresponding letter and plays an instrument that also begins with that letter. For example Yes The Yak plays the Yang Ch'in.  Tap on Yes and he plays a beautiful melody, meanwhile on the stage pictures of a Yeti, a yacht and yarn appear.  Tape them and pictures of said words rain down as well as the proper spelling of the word. Tap them again and they will pop like bubbles.