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Colors, patterns and creativity...you get it all with this kaleidoscope!

If your kids are like mine, they are fascinated by colors and patterns.  That's why I was so happy when Elenco gave me this Smartivity Kaleidoscope to review.  This mesmerizing toy is recommended for ages 6+ and has a suggested retail price of $38.95.


This kaleidoscope is completely kid powered.  It doesn't need batteries, just a child's curiosity.  It lets you explore an infinite sequence of patterns and a dazzling world of colors!  First designed by Scotsman Sir David Brewster in 1816, a kaleidoscope is not just another toy.  It's a portal to a magical dimension where colors dance and wonders abound.  Because of the ever changing patterns, kaleidoscopes have been used as a source of inspiration by designers and artists.  It will inspire creativity and introduce children to the wonders of light, color and reflection as they peer into the fascinating world of patterns and designs.


But this isn't just an ordinary kaleidoscope!  Your child will actually get to build this one!  They will get to fill the drum with the colorful trinkets that are included in the kit.  This will give them a huge feeling of accomplishment as they peer into it and explore the wonders of light, color and changing patterns.  They can even decorate it with their own paints and markers to make it truly unique and personalized.

Building this kaleidoscope will help develop analytical skills, creativity, motor skills and practical skills.  It comes with easy to understand, illustrated instructions with experiments to ensure their understanding of concepts learned through play.  It's designed for learning the fundamental principles of STEM and STEAM.  Assembly is mess free - it uses rubber bands instead of glue - and it's made from high quality, re-engineered, laser cut wood.  And, like all Smartivity products, it is recyclable, safe, non toxic and sustainable.  So order one today and give your child a toy that they can both build and play with!
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Just add sun

I received this awesome Solar Oven Science and Art Kit from Griddly Games for review.  You can do some really amazing things using only the sun for power.  With this kit, you can learn how the energy of the sun can be used to heat objects, as well as cooking food.


Just Add Sun ($29.00):  Use the sun's energy to heat up a tasty treat in this STEAM solar oven kit.  Melt s'mores, nachos or make your own crazy crayons with the power of the sun and the Just Add Sun Solar Science + Art Kit.  Introduce kids to eco friendly energy alternatives as they learn how solar energy works.  Experiment with sunlight, heat transfer, reflection and more!  Plus learn to upcycle items to create fantastic art!  And a portion of the proceeds from Just Add Sun is donated to Solar Cookers International.

          
The really cool thing about this kit is that the box functions as a solar oven, thanks to the special reflective lining that you can see in the photo above.  Your kids will be fascinated by this!

The kit comes with one Solar Oven Box, one 4" x 4" Canvas, one 100ml Clear Bottle, one 100ml Black Bottle, one Mini Funnel Cutout, two Black Balloons, two Clear Balloons, eight Was Crayons, one Pipette, one Clear Straw, Wax Paper, one Magnifying Glass, two Bottles of Food Coloring and one Pair of Rubber Gloves.

Activities include Balloon Blow, Mystery Pop Balloon, Melting Ice, Solar Oven, Build a Thermometer, Sundial, Ice Hands & Food Coloring, Wax Paper Sun Catcher and Painting with Wax.

Kids will enjoy learning Science lessons such as freezing and melting points, light absorption and reflections and heat transfer.  And they will absolutely love creating delicious treats that they can eat.  You will have to provide the food ingredients, but the sun will do the rest!  Let them make treats for the whole family to enjoy!
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Get Creative with Pix Brix!

These products that I received from Pix Brix for review will give your kids a new way to express their creativity.  Create stunning masterpieces with these little building blocks.  And the possibilities are endless because Pix Brix are compatible with all major bricks brands! 


The 1500 piece Mixed Color Series boxes are the perfect starters for all new Pix Brix artists.  There are 3 different color varieties for you to choose from - Dark, Medium and Light.  Each set has a retail price of $14.95.  Each color series comes with an assorted amount of colored bricks in the following colors:  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Beige, Brown and Gray.  The Dark Series comes with 11 assorted dark colors and is the only mixed series that comes with Black.  The Medium Series comes with 10 assorted medium colors and does not include White or Black.  The Light Series comes with 11 assorted light colors and is the only mixed series that includes white.  If you purchase all 3 mixed series boxes, you can start pixelating with the full 32 color palette.  

You can create your own designs, but there is also a free Photo Pixelator on their website that will let you upload any photo of your choice and it will create a design template for it so you can create a Pix Brix version of it.  There is also an app that you can download, if you prefer.

    
There is also an official Pix Brix Tool that makes it much easier to build and take apart your creations.  It has a retail price of $4.95.  The PB Tool has 3 functions for adding and removing Pix Brix.  The tip of the tool can be used to pick up and insert bricks together, giving you the feeling of coloring with Pix Brix.  You can also use this tip to push bricks out in specific spots to create 2D builds.


The tool comes with a removable wedge piece inserted in the tip.  This wedge piece can be used to separate layers of builds by pushing it into small openings or corners.


And finally, the top of the tool gives you leverage for removing layers of bricks.  Just connect the top of the tool with the brick you want to remove and tilt the tool back.  The brick will lift up and separate from the layer.

Your kids will love Pix Brix, and you will find yourself enjoying them as well.  It's a perfect activity for rainy days when going outside isn't an option.  And the whole family can get involved!  Create a family masterpiece!
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Fun games to play with your kids!

It's always great to have games that you can play with your kids.  Family game night is something my family enjoys.  These games that I was given by Bananagrams for review are fun for the whole family!  They are a great way to spend quality time together, and everyone will have a blast!





BANANAGRAMS Party Edition ($14.99):  The Re Gifter, The Thief, Switcheroo, Pouch Head...these are just some of the names of the 14 chaos inducing Party Power tiles in BANANAGRAMS Party edition.  Each tile holds its own special action, allowing the receiving player to bestow chaos on the victim of his or her choice!  Whether it's taking a lap around the game table or demolishing another player's grid, no one is safe! 

Party Power tiles add chaos to the sneakiest, cheekiest BANANAGRAMS ever!  

BANANAGRAMS Party Edition comes with 144 single letter tiles, 14 party tiles and instructions.  It can be played with 1-7 players and is recommended for ages 14+.  It takes an average of 30 minutes or less to play a game. 
 
This game plays in a similar way to Classic BANANAGRAMS, with the object to be the first to use up all of your letters.  Start by showing everyone the 14 party tiles to switch up game play, then, mix them face down into the bunch.  When you draw a party tile from the BUNCH, you MUST use it immediately.  With all but two party tiles, you pick another player to carry out the action.  Some tiles have one off actions, while others continue until the end of the hand.  When an action is complete, put the tile to the side of your grid, out of play.

If the BUNCH has fewer tiles than there are players when you put the last letter in your grid, you don’t say “PEEL”, you say “BANANAS!”  Other players now inspect your grid.  If it contains a misspelled word, proper noun, abbreviation or other unacceptable word, the others call out “ROTTEN BANANA!” and you’re out of the game.  ALL of a Rotten Banana’s letters and party tiles are returned to the BUNCH face down.   Play now continues for everyone else until the BUNCH again depletes, and someone else calls out “BANANAS!”  When someone says “BANANAS!” and has an acceptable grid, they become TOP BANANA, and win! 


Cheeky Butts ($14.99):  Cheeky Butts is a hot potato style family game of spot and match, where players race to pick up animal cards and place them in their matching landing trays before the randomized timer goes off.  If they’re the one holding a card when the timer stops, they lose a token.  When a player loses all three tokens, they’re out of the game!  The last player with tokens wins!  The perfect new addition to family game night.
 
Cheeky Butts comes with 60 cards, 12 trays, 18 tokens, electric timer and instructions.  It can be played with 2-6 players and is recommended for ages 6+.  It takes an average of 15 minutes to play a game.
 
It's easy to play!  To start, each player takes 3 Chance tokens and the correct number of trays (2-6 each, depending on number of players).  Everyone lines up their trays in front of them, animal side up!  Place the stack of Cheeky Cards face down in the center of the table.  Start the timer!  Once the timer starts, the first player takes a Cheeky Card from the pile, turns it over, and quickly places it into the tray with the matching animal.  If you place the card in one of your own trays, go again!  If you place the card in another player‘s tray, they now become the active player.  Continue playing until the timer goes off.  If you are the active player when the timer goes off, you lose a Chance Token!
After each round, all players shift one of their Cheeky Trays, along with the cards inside, clockwise.  That way, animals are always changing!  When a player loses all 3 of their Chance Tokens, they’re out of the game.  The remaining players then redistribute that players trays.

The last player with Chance Tokens wins the game and is the Cheekiest Cheeky Butts Champion!


Cobra Paw ($14.99):  Ninja like know how steals the game! 

Ninja like reflexes, sharp recognition skills, and mental fortitude steals the game in our new tile snatching challenge known as Cobra Paw!  Players take turns rolling the dice (featuring 6 unique symbols), spotting the tile with the matching pattern, then grabbing it before their opponents.  The first player to snatch up 6 tiles wins the game and bestows great honor to the Grand Shidoshi, Master Meow!

Cobra Paw comes with 21 tiles, 2 dice and instructions.  It can be played with 2-6 players and is recommended for ages 6+.  

This is a very fast paced games as each player rushes to snatch up the tiles before the others.  There will be lots of laughter as everyone tries to grab the same tile.  My family loved this one so much that they didn't want to stop when bedtime came around!
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Fun Games and Activities to Banish Boredom!

If you're looking for ways to banish boredom, look no further!  Check out these products that I was given by PlayMonster to review.  These products will provide hours of fun for your little ones and hours of peace for you!


Stacktopus ($17.99):  Slip on the silly sea fingers to become a stacking octopus...a Stacktopus!  Stacking these cups should be easy, but when you're wearing octopus arms on your fingers, it becomes silly, competitive fun!  Race to match your stack of cups to the card shown to win!  It's great fun for kids, buy also for families.  Wearing the silly sea fingers levels the playing field for kids and adults.  Kids have a blast trying to stack the cups while wearing the octopus tentacles on their fingers.  And they think it's even funnier to see their parents trying to do it!  This is a 2-3 player game and is recommended for ages 5 and up.  Each game comes with 9 Silly Sea Fingers, 18 Cups, 27 Cards and Rules. 

     
Face Paintoos Magical Pack ($11.99):  Face Paintoos are a face paint revolution - temporary play tattoos that make the magic of face painting a fun and easy activity for everyone!  It's easy to achieve perfect, long lasting results every time, without the need for a professional face painter.  Each fun design is easily removed using the included wipes.  They're great for parties, dressing up and role play.  Kids' face painting can be expensive, and unless you hire a professional, it can look really bad.  It's messy and is easily smudged, which is a big problem for kids who love to touch their faces!  But with Face Paintoos, face painting is fun, easy and long lasting!  And you don't need to hire a professional!  You just apply the design like you would a temporary tattoo.  Removal is equally easy when you use the included remover wipes.  Face Paintoos are available in several different design packs.  Each pack contains 5 Face Paintoos (in the Magical Pack that I received, the designs are Unicorn, Mermaid, Dolphin, Butterfly and Fairy), 10 Tattoo Remover Wipes and Instructions.  Face Paintoos are recommended for ages 4+ and are perfect for parties. 

       
Fuzzikins Fuzzi Babies ($5.99):  A fun craft that's also a toy!  Fuzzikins are 3D adorable, fuzzy animals.  They are covered in white flocking, and come with special washable markers that children use to design, color and decorate their new animal friends.  


Children love creating toys that look like their own pets or favorite animals, and using their imagination to make colorful and unique animals.  The creativity with Fuzzikins is endless because the color easily rinses off when the character is placed under running water.  Once it's dry, children can start a new creation.

 
Fuzzi Babies are available in your choice of Lamb, Monkey or Hamster.  Each Fuzzikin Baby Figure comes with a Fuzzikins Teddy Bear, Bed, 3 Washable Markers, Sticker Sheet and Instructions.  Recommended for ages 4+.
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GIVEAWAY! Schoenhut Acoustic Guitar Oak/Mahogany RV $60.50

One of our lucky readers will win this beautiful Acoustic Guitar in Oak and Mahogany for their little musician.


This guitar is sized perfectly for little hands and is modeled after an adult acoustic guitar.  It's recommended for age 6+ and is perfect for a beginner guitarist.  You can find our review on this guitar HERE.  

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway starts on April 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern and ends on April 24, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern.

This giveaway is sponsored by Schoenhut and hosted by Reviewz & Newz.

Open to residents of the Continental United States ONLY.  Must be 18 or over to enter.  The winner will receive a winning notification email once the giveaway has ended.  They will have 48 hours to respond with their name, address and phone number for shipping.  If the winner fails to respond within 48 hours, they will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen.

Once our winner has been confirmed, their first name and last initial will be announced here.  Good luck to all who enter!

No purchase necessary to enter and making a purchase will not increase your odds of winning.

Reviewz & Newz, and any of the participating bloggers, are not responsible for the shipping of the prize.  That will be done by the sponsor.  Facebook and other social media platforms are not associated with this giveaway in any way.
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GIVEAWAY! Game of Your Choice from What Do You Meme? RV $9.99-$29.99 (5 WINNERS!)

With everyone staying at home due to Covid-19, having a family game night is more important than ever.  Our friends from What Do You Meme? realize this and have offered to sponsor this giveaway.  FIVE lucky readers will win a game of their choice from What Do You Meme?!!!  These games range in retail value from $9.99-$29.99.  There will be FIVE winners!  Each winner will get to choose one game.  Visit this page to see their complete selection.  *Please note that due to high demand at the moment, inventory on some of the games may run low.  So please be prepared to make a second choice if the game you choose happens to be out of stock. 


What Do You Meme? has a large selection of games that are perfect for game night.  Some are suitable to ages 8+, while others are more suitable for teens and/or adults.  Please check the description to see what ages it is appropriate for.  You can find our review on some of these games HERE


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway starts on April 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern and ends on April 24, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern.

This giveaway is sponsored by What Do You Meme? and is hosted by Reviewz & Newz

Open to residents of the Continental United States ONLY.  Must be 18 or over to enter.  There will be five winners and each winner will receive a winning notification email once the giveaway has ended.  They will have 48 hours to respond with their name, address, phone number and game choice.  If a winner fails to respond within 48 hours, they will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. 

Once the winners have been confirmed, their first names and last initials will be announced here.  Good luck to all who enter!

No purchase necessary to enter and making a purchase will not increase your odds of winning.

Reviewz & Newz, and any of the participating bloggers, are not responsible for the shipping of the prize.  That will be done by the sponsor.  Facebook and other social media platforms are not associated with this giveaway in any way.
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GIVEAWAY! Rock Around Wobble Disk RV $49.99

One of our awesome readers will win one of these awesome Rock Around Wobble Disks!  



This disk is the perfect way for your little one to burn off some of that energy while that are at home.  It's recommended for ages 2-5 and will support a maximum weight of 50 lbs.  You can read our review for more details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway starts on April 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern and ends on April 24, 2020 at 12:00 AM Eastern.

This giveaway is sponsored by Simplay3 and hosted by Reviewz & Newz.

Open to residents of the Continental United States ONLY.  Must be 18 or over to enter.  The winner will receive a winning notification email once the giveaway has ended.  They will have 48 hours to respond with their name, address and phone number for shipping.  If the winner fails to respond within 48 hours, they will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen.
 

Once our winner has been confirmed, their first name and last initial will be announced here.  Good luck to all who enter!

No purchase necessary to enter and making a purchase will not increase your odds of winning.

Reviewz & Newz, and any of the participating bloggers, are not responsible for the shipping of the prize.  That will be done by the sponsor.  Facebook and other social media platforms are not associated with this giveaway in any way. 
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Awesome Glow in the Dark outdoor Fun for the whole Family!

I received this product from Starlux Games for review.  They are bringing family outdoor fun back with a Glow in the Dark twist!  Children of all ages (yes, that includes adults!) will have a blast playing this game.  And it gets even better when the sun goes down thanks to the fact that it glows in the dark!


Capture the Flag Redux is recommended for 4-20 players age 8-65+!  The suggested retail price is $49.90 and the batteries are included!  It’s the new way to play Capture the Flag: with glow in the dark lights!  Award winning and active, all ages play together in this unique group game.

   
The outdoor game Capture the Flag began 70+ years ago where teams sneak into their opponents’ territory and try to steal their flag.  Now it’s been adapted for today’s generation – using glow in the dark lights!  The kit’s 25 reusable light up game pieces allow for up to 10 traditional Capture the Flag players.  It also includes 12 alternate ways to play, allowing for 4-20 players.


This game comes with 10 LED Glow Bracelets, 8 Jail Markers, 5 Territory Lights, 2 Orbs (to use as the "flag"), 12 Game Variations and (I know I already mentioned this, but it's worth mentioning again) BATTERIES ARE INCLUDED...AND REPLACEABLE!

Even though there is a specified age range to play this game, it really doesn't matter!  If you can run, you can play! The most common ages of players are 8-14 but as long as the player is able to understand the rules, and able to run, age doesn't matter.  Multiple ages can play together.  Parents and grandparents have been known to play with their children and grandchildren. It also works great for birthdays, family reunions, camps and icebreakers!  So get this game for yourself and your family.  You'll be glad you did because it will be a big hit with everyone!
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Tons of fun!

I received these products from YULU for review.  Both products can be purchased from Target.


Swirl & Style Tie Dye Studio Maker brings a new element of fun to tie dying!  With its unique, self contained orb, tie dye creations are made mess free.  Simply put dye bottles into self sealing valves to dye, spin, wash and wear.  Watch as the colors transform ordinary items to bright, colorful art!  The suggested retail price is $19.99 and it's recommended for age 6+.  Kids will love to create their own tie dye creations!  Even those hard to please teens!  Easy, mess free tie-dye!  Dyes stay enclosed in the self contained orb, so there's no mess to clean up.  The Swirl & Style Tie Dye Studio Maker includes 6 bright colors, that's enough for 12+ creations!  There are 12 individually packaged dyes for repeatable play.  The possibilities abound for endless creativity.  It also includes an instruction design booklet to help you get started.


For the younger kids, there's the Popcorn Poppin' Game.  Don’t be left holding the Popcorn when it Pops!  POPCORN POPPIN’ is the fast and funny game where players must pass the popcorn bucket before the popcorn pops.  While the timer counts down, players follow the instructions from the pop up die and pass the popcorn as quickly as they can, trying not to be the one holding the bucket when the popcorn pops!  This game is recommended for age 4+, but even older kids have a blast playing.  The suggested retail price is $14.99.  For 2 or more players.
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For your teething baby

I received these products from Malarkey Kids for review.  These products were designed by a mom with safety and quality in mind, so you can trust that everything they make is held to a very high standard.  Their teething products are made of 100% food grade silicone and are BPA, latex and phthalate free.  Everything they sell has exceeded Global safety testing standards, including CPSIA regulations.  These products can be chewed on, dragged around, and loved so much you have to sneak them away from sleeping hands on laundry day.


Munch-It Blanket - Friendly Fox ($12.99):  The Munch-It Blanket is a convenient teether and cozy blanket for baby.  Designed in fun, yet functional shapes to target baby's emerging front and eye teeth as well as early molars.  The teether is made of soft, flexible, BPA free, food grade silicone. The soft, fabric blanket is for baby to snuggle and absorbs excess drool from chewing and teething.

Buddy Bib - Bouncy Bunny ($14.99):  The removable and wearable plush sensory toy holds baby's pacifier (any with handle) or teether.  It provides baby convenient access to their pacifier or teether while providing fun interaction with the soft, cuddly buddy.  The soother/teether holding buddy can be removed and used separately from bib (affixed to stroller, car seat strap or wrist etc.).  The soft fabric bib with water resistant layer contains drool and keeps clothes dry.  It's also reversible.  Suggested age range is 3-12 months.

Munch Mitt - Grey Stars ($12.99):  The Munch Mitt is the original, mom created teething mitten that babies love.  A ‘handy’ solution for infants of all ages and sizes, the Munch Mitt provides relief from teething pain in a safe, easy to clean product that goes wherever they do.  Suggested age range 3-7 months.  To use, face the thumb of silicone towards baby's mouth and place over baby's hand.  Fasten firmly around baby's wrist or arm.  Flip to use on either right or left hand.

Chew Cube - Yellow ($12.99):  The Malarkey Kids Chew Cube is the mom created modern rattle and teether.  It provides four way sensory stimulation, including soft, textured teething edges for tender gums.  It has large flexible holes to help baby with gripping skills, plus a black and white patterned rattle with mirrors to provide stimulation for baby's ears and eyes.

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Soft and made for cuddling

I received these products from Elly Lu Organics for review.   Elly Lu creates storybooks that teach emotional awareness, inclusion awareness and STEM to children ages 3 and up.  They take the characters from their books and turn them into plush toys made from organic and sustainable materials.  Each toy comes with a hang tag booklet that includes information about the product and information about the character.  They chose to create a line of endangered and marine stuffed animals to educate children about their importance.  They are a team of parents and credentialed teachers who designed their toys to encourage learning through playtime.  Their hope is that by growing up with a narwhal, Bengal tiger or Borneo elephant, a child's curiosity will be sparked about the animal and the world we all share!  All of their stuffed animals are ethically made in Sri Lanka with an outer shell made of 100% organically grown cotton.

Gemma the Giraffe ($29):  Meet Gemma the Giraffe!  She has a beige body with orange spots.  If you look closely, you'll notice many of her spots are heart-shaped.  She is made with organically grown cotton fabrics and filled with recycled polyfill made from recycled water bottles. All outer fabrics are dyed with non-toxic dyes and are OCS certified.  AT 15", perfectly sized for cuddling.

 

Ella the Mermaid ($29):  Meet Ella!  Ella lives off the sunny coast of California.  She loves studying music, dance, and language arts.  She spends her free time playing the ukulele and singing songs for her ocean animal friends.  Ella wears a starfish in her hair and is absolutely beautiful.  She is approximately 15 inches long and made of 100% organically grown cotton fabrics.  The outer fabric is dyed with non toxic dyes.  She is filled with natural corn fiber.

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