Childrens Toyshop
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Toys : LeapFrog LeapPad Writing Plus
1 2
Rating: 
- just about to buy a second one for my other daughter
We originally bought this AND the leappad 'little touch' system, both seemed very good, well made and robust. Initially the baby one took both daughters' interests as it was easier to 'get into' .. just using a finger tip seemed really good .. rather than having to negotiate a pencil on the end of a chord. The LeapPad Writing Plus then got left to one side for quite a while and we thought we'd made a mistake in buying it.
Completely by chance, we then discovered a book and cartridge which contained a microphone (into which our eldest - now 5 - could record her own voice which was then included in the stories and games .. very clever .. this then became our eldest favourite by far (she just loved to hear her own voice coming out of the leappad!) and she then started 'rediscovering' the other books that we'd bought.
Since then both books have had hours of use, keeping them both entertained in their bedrooms or during car journeys - We are regularly aware on a Saturday or Sunday morning that the girls are awake in their bedroom by the sound of one or other (sometimes both) of the LeapPads being switched on (they play a little tune when they are turned on or off) the headphone socket works well .. but after trying that a couple of times our eldest prefers to use it without (unfortunately!). The younger sister is now starting to outgrow the Little Touch Pad and is showing increasing interest in what her 'big' sister's book can do .. so it's time to buy a second one... (at least we can share the books).
These days, with all the spectacular graphics and whizz-bang stuff available on computer, its actually quite nice to have at least some chance to have a pencil in a child's hand, some low-level interactivity where the emphasis is on gentle learning in a very mild, but still quite enjoyable way. As usual, some of the stuff is a teeny bit 'American' but it's not too bad. Both our girls are very keen on books and I don't think having these 'electronic books' has hurt one bit. Battery life is good and part of the joy of these things is they are quick to switch on and can be carried about like a big book could be .. and the quality of the built in speakers is not bad considering the price.
My advice would be to get one, but be careful in your selection of books. If the children are turned off it by the stuff being a bit too hard initially it could be difficult to get them interested in the future. Oh, and don't be put off by having pencils in the hands of a 4 year old and scribbling all over the books first time out .. our daughter uses a lot of the books without the pencil bit inserted quite often, just using the stylus as a pointing device. We then have the pencil to hand when we can sit with her to make sure she is getting it right, so it sometimes becomes a education aid where Mum or Dad gets involved, rather than a 'get on with it on your own' device .. but obviously you can use it how you want to!
oh .. and finally, if you can find one of the books with the microphone BUY IT !!
Rating:
- Disappointing.
My five-year old daughter was very keen to have a LeapPad last Christmas, so I went for this version, as she loves trying to write and I thought it would be fun as well as educational. I went the whole hog and bought the storage system and several additional games.
Sadly, it has since become apparent that my money was not well spent, as she's used it only a few times in seven months, and then mostly when I have encouraged her to do so. The writing books are really only fun the first time - after that you can never completely get rid of the pencil-marks/indentations, and anyway my daughter doesn't seem to see the point in doing the same thing again.
With hindsight, I think that this sort of electronic toy probably appeals mostly to children who generally like technology-based entertainment - i.e. if your child enjoys computer games, they might well like the LeapPad. If not, I should save your money.
Added later: I chose to give this item two stars when writing this review, but I see it's showing four!
Rating:
- Not that impressed - sorry!
My 4 year old daughter has a Leapster which she completely adores and it keeps her entertained for a good 2 hours on long journeys. She recently started asking for a LeapPad as the games for that are always next to the Leapster ones in the shops. The Plus Writing version looked like it would be good as I could read stories with her and practice some writing - both of which she's really enjoys doing.
Her enthusiasm waned quickly and she really did give it a good try. It's not very intuitive and seems to rely on quite accurate pen control - if you don't touch well inside the picture it doesn't register, there also isn't that much time to 'answer' before it moves on to something else. So she ended up getting quite frustrated. After about an hour's play she decided it was boring and would spend her Christmas money on some more Leapster games instead.
The normal LeapPad book was quite uninspiring but the LeapPad Plus Writing one did manage to interest my daughter so I was tempted to keep it. But from an adult's point of view I found having to rub out the pencil markings from the Plus Writing book extremely tedious and wondered why LeapFrog couldn't have laminated the pages and used a wipeable marker instead - that way the child could do it more easily too.
I am disappointed as I was hoping to supplement the independent educational play of the Leapster with the LeapPad to be more interactive with my daughter's learning. But I suppose the two things are very different and can't be compared.
I should mention that my opinions are based on the two books which are included, both of which are made up of extracts from other books, presumable to give you a taster of what's available. So be prepared to buy at least one extra book to give your child something to do. I didn't feel there was enough for her to get her teeth stuck into.
Rating: - Great for children with special needs of all ages even teens
I am a teacher in a special needs school and my students of various levels and ages love this interactive book especially one child with severe autism (aged 15). They love the books as they dont have to always read the story they can listen to the story and then interact with it in very educational activities which they find difficult using normal pen/paper methods! The interactice books makes it a lot more fun and more a game than literacy/numeracy activities!
Rating: - Wonderful
This is a simply fantastic idea - take the already excellent LeapPad and extend it by adding in a great writing mode. My four-year-old son adores it - it is wonderful to watch him sit down and play for ages at a time.
As ever, you are dependent on the quality of the books but they are generally of a very good quality - durable, educational and enjoyable.
If you were thinking of buying a LeapPad then I would recommend this one above all the others.
- just about to buy a second one for my other daughterWe originally bought this AND the leappad 'little touch' system, both seemed very good, well made and robust. Initially the baby one took both daughters' interests as it was easier to 'get into' .. just using a finger tip seemed really good .. rather than having to negotiate a pencil on the end of a chord. The LeapPad Writing Plus then got left to one side for quite a while and we thought we'd made a mistake in buying it.
Completely by chance, we then discovered a book and cartridge which contained a microphone (into which our eldest - now 5 - could record her own voice which was then included in the stories and games .. very clever .. this then became our eldest favourite by far (she just loved to hear her own voice coming out of the leappad!) and she then started 'rediscovering' the other books that we'd bought.
Since then both books have had hours of use, keeping them both entertained in their bedrooms or during car journeys - We are regularly aware on a Saturday or Sunday morning that the girls are awake in their bedroom by the sound of one or other (sometimes both) of the LeapPads being switched on (they play a little tune when they are turned on or off) the headphone socket works well .. but after trying that a couple of times our eldest prefers to use it without (unfortunately!). The younger sister is now starting to outgrow the Little Touch Pad and is showing increasing interest in what her 'big' sister's book can do .. so it's time to buy a second one... (at least we can share the books).
These days, with all the spectacular graphics and whizz-bang stuff available on computer, its actually quite nice to have at least some chance to have a pencil in a child's hand, some low-level interactivity where the emphasis is on gentle learning in a very mild, but still quite enjoyable way. As usual, some of the stuff is a teeny bit 'American' but it's not too bad. Both our girls are very keen on books and I don't think having these 'electronic books' has hurt one bit. Battery life is good and part of the joy of these things is they are quick to switch on and can be carried about like a big book could be .. and the quality of the built in speakers is not bad considering the price.
My advice would be to get one, but be careful in your selection of books. If the children are turned off it by the stuff being a bit too hard initially it could be difficult to get them interested in the future. Oh, and don't be put off by having pencils in the hands of a 4 year old and scribbling all over the books first time out .. our daughter uses a lot of the books without the pencil bit inserted quite often, just using the stylus as a pointing device. We then have the pencil to hand when we can sit with her to make sure she is getting it right, so it sometimes becomes a education aid where Mum or Dad gets involved, rather than a 'get on with it on your own' device .. but obviously you can use it how you want to!
oh .. and finally, if you can find one of the books with the microphone BUY IT !!
Rating:
- Disappointing.My five-year old daughter was very keen to have a LeapPad last Christmas, so I went for this version, as she loves trying to write and I thought it would be fun as well as educational. I went the whole hog and bought the storage system and several additional games.
Sadly, it has since become apparent that my money was not well spent, as she's used it only a few times in seven months, and then mostly when I have encouraged her to do so. The writing books are really only fun the first time - after that you can never completely get rid of the pencil-marks/indentations, and anyway my daughter doesn't seem to see the point in doing the same thing again.
With hindsight, I think that this sort of electronic toy probably appeals mostly to children who generally like technology-based entertainment - i.e. if your child enjoys computer games, they might well like the LeapPad. If not, I should save your money.
Added later: I chose to give this item two stars when writing this review, but I see it's showing four!
Rating:
- Not that impressed - sorry!My 4 year old daughter has a Leapster which she completely adores and it keeps her entertained for a good 2 hours on long journeys. She recently started asking for a LeapPad as the games for that are always next to the Leapster ones in the shops. The Plus Writing version looked like it would be good as I could read stories with her and practice some writing - both of which she's really enjoys doing.
Her enthusiasm waned quickly and she really did give it a good try. It's not very intuitive and seems to rely on quite accurate pen control - if you don't touch well inside the picture it doesn't register, there also isn't that much time to 'answer' before it moves on to something else. So she ended up getting quite frustrated. After about an hour's play she decided it was boring and would spend her Christmas money on some more Leapster games instead.
The normal LeapPad book was quite uninspiring but the LeapPad Plus Writing one did manage to interest my daughter so I was tempted to keep it. But from an adult's point of view I found having to rub out the pencil markings from the Plus Writing book extremely tedious and wondered why LeapFrog couldn't have laminated the pages and used a wipeable marker instead - that way the child could do it more easily too.
I am disappointed as I was hoping to supplement the independent educational play of the Leapster with the LeapPad to be more interactive with my daughter's learning. But I suppose the two things are very different and can't be compared.
I should mention that my opinions are based on the two books which are included, both of which are made up of extracts from other books, presumable to give you a taster of what's available. So be prepared to buy at least one extra book to give your child something to do. I didn't feel there was enough for her to get her teeth stuck into.
Rating:
- Great for children with special needs of all ages even teensI am a teacher in a special needs school and my students of various levels and ages love this interactive book especially one child with severe autism (aged 15). They love the books as they dont have to always read the story they can listen to the story and then interact with it in very educational activities which they find difficult using normal pen/paper methods! The interactice books makes it a lot more fun and more a game than literacy/numeracy activities!
Rating:
- WonderfulThis is a simply fantastic idea - take the already excellent LeapPad and extend it by adding in a great writing mode. My four-year-old son adores it - it is wonderful to watch him sit down and play for ages at a time.
As ever, you are dependent on the quality of the books but they are generally of a very good quality - durable, educational and enjoyable.
If you were thinking of buying a LeapPad then I would recommend this one above all the others.