The Remote Control Tarantula by Uncle Milton seems to be a great toy to play a prank on someone. This giant spider looks really creepy and has huge bulging red light up eyes. My son had a good time playing a prank on my daughter by hiding it under her chair while she was sitting. 

The spider is controlled by an egg shaped single channel remote control. The only thing that disappointed me was that the Tarantula moves pretty slowly and could have moved much faster.

Being a fan of craft activities I was more than happy to review the Simba Art & Fun Plasticine Clay Bucket. This bucket comes with everything your child needs for a clay activity. The first thing I noticed while opening the bucket was the non-stick plastic play mat that came with it. Playing with clay becomes quite messy at times but the mat is indeed a boon.  Besides this the bucket comes with an extruder, cutters, roller, presser, spatula and clay.

The bucket offers a lot of tools for kids to create and build various clay models. The other good thing is that after playtime kids can store all the tools back into the bucket. This is unlike other clay sets that come loosely packed in boxes and hence the tools lie around the house after play.

Kids can enjoy various activities while playing with this clay set. Here are a few:

· Clay Sculptures: Kid can build clay models with their own imagination or make a few animal models. The different colors of clay and tools help kids to give details to the sculptures.

· Pretend Food: Kids can build different food items with clay to add to their pretend kitchen set games. Maybe making a clay hamburger or different fruits and vegetables.

· Clay Cutouts: The bucket comes with cutters in various shapes, Kids can use these cutters to create different cut outs. Use the cutters with bakeable clay to create different cut outs which can be used as ornaments or fridge magnets.

Really, there is a lot kids can do with clay. Sky is surely the limit!

My daughter being a big fan of Thomas and Friends, I recently got Fisher Price – Zip, Zoom and Logging Adventure for her.

Thomas and Friends Zip, Zoom and Logging Adventure is a huge train track set. Inspite of its massive size, it is simple to build. Every track piece is numbered on the back. All I had to do was help my daughter put the pieces together. The ends of these track pieces are designed to fit together like puzzles. The trackset is designed for kids aged 3 years and above. I personally think that my daughter even at the age of 4 cannot build the set by herself. Its assembly requires an adult’s guidance.

The instruction pamphlet makes the process of building this track set faster and less complex. This “kid powered” playset includes a motorized Thomas. It indulges my child to various activities like unloading the log, slicing it with the cutter and loading it back into Thomas’ cargo car.

Zip, Zoom and Logging Adventure depicts Thomas’ adventure through the Misty Islands. Thomas zooms along the zip-line bridge or over to the logging mill. Children can direct Thomas on his adventure through the Zip-line Bridge. They have to restore the Bridge which keeps them engaged. 

Brian Anderson created an animated video game version of ‘Breaking Bad’ with animated LEGO figures. Of course it’s a parody and none of it is true and the game will never exist but it’s still one great idea. Any true fan of ‘Breaking Bad’ would definitely appreciate this work. While we desperately wait for the next season, this video will help recap the past four seasons in glimpses. And for those of you who haven’t seen it yet and intend to, watch this at your own risk as it contains spoilers.

Being a big fan of ‘Breaking Bad’ myself, I think the video looks great. The tiny details like the ‘pizza on the roof’, ‘Walter White’s broken nose’ and the ‘Better call Saul’ banner were all well thought of.

Although it’s a great concept and idea, this game will never be a reality. That’s because LEGO will not associate with content that is not family and kids friendly.

So don’t expect a LEGO set for ‘Breaking Bad’, but you can always buy other LEGO toys.

This is one of the first Melissa & Doug sets I reviewed. To be frank the packaging did not look very pleasing and I thought the toy would be just about average. But once I opened the toy, the quality of the wooden pieces took me by surprise. The set has 6 pizza slices, 54 pizza toppings, 1 cutter, 1 serving spatula and a serving tray. What I really liked is that the pizza slices and the toppings stick together with the help of velcro. The velcro actually keeps the pieces together giving a more realistic feel of play.

The designers have definitely put in some thought while designing this toy. As the kids try to slice the pizza with the cutter, there is some resistance due to the velcro which actually adds to the imaginative play.

This is a great toy encouraging creative pretend play. If you have 2 kids at home you will surprised to see the real restaurant scenes the kids enact while they play the Pizza Party. The kids love the making, slicing and the serving action! For me the real joy is when the kids make a special pizza treat and serve it for dinner. It is priceless to see the joy and happiness on their face.

Besides the fact that kids can play chef with this toy there are also other additional activities to do:
1) You can use the 54 topping pieces to teach your child counting
2) Kids can stack up all the toppings and make a tall building
3) Introduce the concept of fractions – teach them whole, half and one-third using the 6 pizza slices

On the whole, this is an excellent toy and with lots of educational benefits for kids.

The Hot Wheels Big Air Target Takedown was the first set of Spinshotz I ever laid my hands on. Unlike the usual Hot Wheels Cars, the Spinshotz are basically discs that spin at hyper speed. In other words, a well engineered, cooler and more stable version of the good old spinning top.

This particular toy set is not too large. It consists of 1 Hot Wheels Spinshotz, 1 launcher and a basic track on which the Spinshotz travel before they take-off to hit the bulls-eye target. The tracks contain magnetic strips. The tip of the Spinshotz is magnetic and enables it to travel along the magnetic strip of the track. The magnetic tip also makes it possible to stack one disc over the other while they spin which I think is pretty cool.

The set really fascinated my child as it was something new to see a spinning top move along a track and also jump off a ramp. The ramp consists of an elastic rubber band that launches the Spinshotz into the air and onto the bulls-eye target.

The bulls-eye target consists of two discs hanging on a circular round frame with 50 points printed on the center of it.

To my mind this play set was created with a good concept but executed badly. If 2 kids try to compete in the game and both of them knock down both the targets (which is not too difficult), you can’t decide the winner. That is because these discs hit and knock down the target with such high speed that is difficult to actually measure who was closer to the center. So there is no really scoring that can take place.

I guess as a child it still wouldn’t stop me from playing with this toy set for hours.

After seeing my 9 month old trying to take her first steps, I ordered the Little Tikes Activity Walker from an online toy store in India.

I was very impressed with this walker. It is a boon for little beginners. The Walker has a wide stable base and parent control wheels. You can actually adjust the speed of the wheels for first time walkers. The walker also features a bunch of activities that introduce kids to numbers and colors. My little one’s favorite activity is to drop the letters in one door and remove them from the other. Frankly, the activities are quite basic but my daughter is okay with that as she is presently just enjoying the feeling of walking.  

Another plus point is that the walker is fairly light and sturdy. Infants can easily turn circles with this walker. When not using as a walker it also folds for floor play.

Since the day the walker has come, my daughter has walked around the house at least 50 times in a day. I am really happy with this purchase.

I recently got a chance to review the Artzooka Button Mosaic kit by Wooky Entertainment and was very happy with it.

Artzooka button Mosaics is a simple do-it yourself kit. The kit includes 2 templates and 180 colorful buttons of different sizes. The 2 included templates – monkey and chameleon are colorful and cute.

To decorate the templates, kids need to match the buttons to the corresponding colors and shapes. Simply peel off the buttons from the plastic sheet and stick them on the template. No glue required.

Each kit comes with an additional Artzooka challenge instructions for kids. The Artzooka challenge with this kit is to make frames for the mosaics using cardboard, construction paper, scissors, and glue. This challenge allows extended play once the button mosaic activity is complete. The supplies to make the cardboard frame are not included.

The kit is recommended for kids 5 years+. But  honestly my little 4 year old could complete her button  mosaic template without help.

How does it help:
The kit helps to develop a child’s imagination and creativity. You will notice the kids decorating their templates with patience and concentration. Once complete the satisfaction and happiness on your child’s face will be priceless.

The Fisher Price Little Mommy Bedtime Doll is super cute and cuddly. I must say that I was very impressed by this doll. The doll wears an adorable pink sleep wear and a cute cap with flap ears.

This doll is a perfect bedtime companion for little ones. The doll comes with a pacifier that glows once it’s placed into her mouth. She then closes her eyes and sings 3 soothing lullabies. When you remove the pacifier she wakes up and coos just like a real baby.

Besides, the three lullabies the doll also says interactive phrases. My favorite is “I love you mommy” and “Night, night!” 

What’s best is that the doll is light weight and soft for bedtime snuggles. My daughter absolutely loves this doll and takes her to bed every night. The light up feature of the pacifier is actually good as you don’t really need a night light then.

Well, I must also admit that the lullabies the doll songs are so sweet that they put me to sleep at times.

The pacifier comes attached to the doll’s outfit, so no worries of misplacing it. This sweet and chatty doll receives a “Big thumbs-up” from me and my daughter. 

I’m a big of Thomas & Friends toys and I love collecting them. The Thomas & Friends Coal Hopper Launcher by Fisher Price is designed for kids from 18 months to 4 years old.

It seems like there is nothing great about this toy but you will be surprised to see how long your child can be at it. All your child has to do is to place Thomas into the launcher and press the coal to see launch. Once it Thomas stops your child can fetch Thomas and start over.

The launcher is kid-powered and battery free. The harder your child hits the coal, the faster Thomas goes. This toy will help build your child’s power and motor skills. Try using the Coal Hopper Launcher to launch the engine directly into other Thomas track sets.