Tattoo Mendem: family

Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Game Review - Thinkfun Mathdice Jr.

About the Game

Introducing MathDice Jr., the perfect complement to ThinkFun's ever-popular MathDice! Roll the 12-sided Target Die to obtain your target number, then roll the five 6-sided Scoring Dice. Using addition and/or subtraction, combine the Scoring Dice to match the target number, moving one space on the track for every Scoring Die used. The first player to reach the finish line on the scoring track wins! Simple rules and chunky, brightly colored dice make it fun for all ages and all math levels.

Features:
* Oversized dice are designed for small hands
* Game-Go Bag for easy storage

My Take on the Game

This game was a fun game to play with any child in earlier elementary to work on and reinforce math skills such as addition and subtraction. It was completely portable and fun.

My oldest daughter likes doing math with me but still struggles with subtraction so I saw this game as a positive game to help me work with her on these and other math skills that we are trying to reinforce at home. It also is a fun way to make learning fun as she does not always want to just do math worksheets!

Though you can start with easier math skills, this game also opens the door to more advanced work as your child advances as well!

This is a great game for any family!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - ThinkFun Snack Attack

About the Game

Craving a fun time? Bring Snack Attack to the table and serve up a fast-paced picture matching, token stacking challenge that will have players of all ages coming back for more! Match the food tokens dispensed from the innovative Snack Attack Spinner to the foods on your plate. Adding a food token to your plate exposes another snack to match, so your plate quickly fills, and stacking the most food on your plate wins! Snack Attack builds memory and concentration skills in younger players and is entertaining fun for the whole family.

Includes:

* 1 Snack Attack Spinner

* 66 Double-Sided Food Tokens

* 6 Double-Sided Snack Plates with two levels of play

* Instructions & Parent’s Guide

My Take on the Game
As I have said in the past my family loves games of all sorts so when I was asked to try this I knew we were in for a treat! The only issue that sometimes happens in our family is that we get a bit too competitive. Oh well, such is life!

In pulling out this game I was first impressed how straight forward the instructions were, the idea of the game was easy to comprehend and my kids were eager to try it out.

Even though the game does say that it is for ages four and up, my three year old had a blast with this game as well, so do not let the age limit hold you back if you ae considering this game for your family.

The game was very fast paced and you have to stay on your toes as you are matching and token stacking. Even though I say this though you can slow it down (and you probably should) if you are playing with younger kids.

What I loved most about this game is that it educates and entertains all at the same time. You will not be disappointed with this game or the load of fun you will have with your kids in playing this together!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - ThinkFun Bug Trails

About the Game

This simple yet extremely entertaining game will have kids “bugging” their parents for more! Bug Trails is a 6-legged color matching domino game. Players place their Bug Tiles by matching the bug’s colored legs. The first person to run out of bugs wins! Match two or even three legs and advance further in the game. Bug Trails teaches simple strategies and visual matching to younger players yet is fun for the entire family.

Includes:

* 40 Bug Tiles

* 1 Bug Scout Flag

* 1 Bug Bag (for play, storage and travel)

* Instruction Manual

My Take on the Game
My family loves games and this one, with its colorful and unique tiles looked like it was going to be a definite keeper in our home. After playing it first through it seemed like it was too easy and be breezed through the game, then I read the instructions again and found that we had played the game wrong the first time! We then played the game for real and had a blast and it lasted a lot longer!

The game is great for color and spatial reasoning skills. Even my three year old was able to play and she was finding color and pattern matches and even beating her sister and I in the second game that we played, go figure!

The game itself did a great job at allowing for the players to either work individually or as a team and thus there are so many things that you can do overall with this game that I would have no qualms whatsoever in encouraging all to grab this for your own family collection!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Christmas in July with Storkie.com

I have heard people talking about Christmas in July for many years, but for myself, I have been a person that thinks far in advance, and will at times, even find gifts throughout the year, so though Christmas in July is a topic for some, I say, why not think Christmas throughout the year!

Some of the ways in which my wife and I prepare for Christmas throughout the year is to plan out our Christmas Cards far in advance. While there are times when we do Photo Cards or other cards that we can design online, we have also made our own cards in the past as well, so every year is an adventure. Keeping this in mind though means that we need the time to plan out and coordinate this effort, so waiting until the last minute does not work!

Recently in thinking about our Christmas Cards (Yes we are looking at doing them already), we came across a site called Storkie.com. We had never heard of this company before but were impressed by the variety of cards that they did have not only for Christmas, but for year-long use. So whether you are looking for wedding invitations, baby announcements or something else, Storkie.com has a huge variety to select from. I also have to say that not only do that have a large variety, but the variety that they do have is high quality as well, which is always a must when looking for special occasions like the ones I mentioned.

For me, last year was one of the years that I remember most in regards to our Christmas Cards. We had done a lot as a family in the previous year and because of this we had a lot of great pictures. Instead of writing a letter and including pictures within it, we wanted to do something creative so we decided to build out a photo card with many of the images for the year. The whole family got into this and we had a blast. It did take a long time though so that leads me to the planning that we are doing as a family now!

So if you are like me and are already planning out your Christmas Cards or if you have other special events within the future, go and check out Storkie.com and see if they can provide you with the cards you need! I think that you will be impressed!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Book Review - 101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child

About the BookHere's a brief time out that EVERYONE in your family will enjoy: disconnect from the Net, put away your digital toys, and get ready for some good old-fashioned fun. Even 20 minutes a day can be rejuvenating for you and a great way to connect with your children. In "101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child," you'll find activities that tap the most advanced microprocessor--the one between your ears. Best of all, you can do most of the activities with little or no preparation! You'll find games and activities: * To do in your house, when you're out and about, or on the road. * That spark imagination and creativity. * That test everyone's powers of observation. * That bring out the kid in you! What are you waiting for? Unplug. Tune In. Enjoy!

My Take on the BookThis book is just in time for summer when there is free time to explore, learn, have fun imagining and creating, and just being outdoors. So turn off the TV, video games, etc. and use this book for great parent /child interactive play.

The 101 activities range from inside activities, outside activities, on the road fun, creating games, using your imagination, acting out parts, word games and more.

Here is one easy activity: Take a muffin tin. You can use pennies , beans or dry macaroni to toss into the muffin tin spaces. Keep score as to how many land in the tin. Each child has a turn. you can do this several times. You could change it a little by putting a slip of paper with a number in each "cup" and then counting up the score after tossing the pennies or beans.

An art activity for all ages uses coffee filters and water color paints. Have the children use brushes and water color paints to paint designs on coffee filters. Allow the filters to dry and cut into shapes. You can hang them on a window to see a rainbow of colors or paste them on paper in a pleasing design.

Play career charades: Write the names of occupations on slips of paper. Put the papers in a bag or bowl and each child selects one of the papers, reads silently the occupation and acts out the way this person would perform on their job. You can ask questions of the "actor" such as: Do you work outside? Do you wear a uniform? etc. Put a time limit on the guessing. At the end of the time limit or the correct guess, switch roles.

These are only three of the 101 activities in this little book. I am sure you and your family will enjoy hours of joy choosing and involving the entire family in the fun, easy, environmentally friendly activities.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Game Review - Splinter Cell 3D (3DS)

About the Game
Coming exclusively to the Nintendo 3DS™, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D is the highly anticipated hand held game in the multimillion-selling Splinter Cell series and one of the most critically acclaimed franchises of all time.

Sam Fisher is sent behind enemy lines in the Korean Peninsula to prevent WWIII, by investigating the responsible party that sunk the USS Clarence E Walsh, U.S.’s most advanced cruiser. Through his investigation, Sam learns that the key parties who are planning to use the Masse Kernels to launch WWIII are war comrade Douglas Shetland, Displace International, and Admiral Otomo, the Third Echelon Information Self Defense Force (I-SDF) contact.

The cutting edge hardware of the new Nintendo 3DS™ allows Splinter Cell fans to play in immersive 3D and ability to interact with the game like nothing before.

Features:

Immersive 3D Action - Gameplay, Cinematic, Maps, HUD, Menus, Loading screens, and more are projected in stereoscopic 3D.
Optimized Controls - New button mapping with the Slide Pad and Touch Pad gives the player seamless control to equip weapons and gadgets for more effective mission executions.
Enhanced Weapons - Protagonist Sam Fisher is equipped with enhanced weapons and better gadgets to infiltrate the enemy: new fusion goggles, OCP electronic disabling device, wall mine, more add-ons for the SC-20K rifle, smoke and gas grenades.
Infiltration Evolved - Lock picking is enhanced by utilizing the new Slide Pad to mimic the realism of lock picking. Hacking has also evolved from numeric codes to solving interactive 3D puzzles.

My Take on the Game

I had played Chaos Theory on a friend's Nintendo DS system in the past and this game reminds me a lot about it (without the 3D action that is). As a single action shooter game, the 3D adds depth to the game. There were a few parts where it was a little blurry, but what I liked was that I could turn off the 3D if I so chose at those points in time.

It takes a little time to get used to the controls on the game, but once you do it is a lot of fun! I will warn you though that after you do get the controllers down, this game can be addicting and you can find yourself losing track of time and instead finding that hours have passed you by (not that this has happened to me...I'm just saying).

The one part of the game that I did not like was the time it takes to load the game. At different points in the game, it tends to get bogged down, such as when you die and need to restart. Though this was a bit frustrating at times, I still loved the game and know that I will be playing it for a long time to come.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - Cubic Ninja (3DS)

About the Game
Introducing Cubic Ninja, the Nintendo 3DS title that lets you play without ever touching a button. Simply tilt and turn your Nintendo 3DS to solve challenging puzzles, outwit devious enemies, and escape intricate traps.

Cubic Ninja places you in the role of CC, a brave little ninja with a distinctly cubic shape. The princess of your beloved kingdom – plus a few of your ninja friends -- has been abducted. And it’s up to you to save them. To do so, you must tilt and turn your way through over 100 eye-opening levels, defeating adversaries such as Woofbot, Scorchbot, and more. From gravity distortions to raging infernos to elemental forces of wind and water, your enemies will do whatever it takes to stop you.

But you won’t be stopped. If you have to tumble till you’re dizzy, or survive raging waters just to rescue the princess, then you will. Because you’re Cubic Ninja. And that’s how you roll.

Key Features

Revolutionary Gameplay - Who needs buttons? Tilt and turn your Nintendo 3DS™ to guide Cubic Ninja™ through more than 100 challenging levels. Or simply use the Circle Pad.
Master Ninjutsu Skills - Outwit cunning traps and rescue your fellow Ninjas by earning and unleashing mysterious Ninjutsu skills.
Challenge Your Friends - Race through a level as quickly as you can, share a ghosted replay of your best run, and dare your friends to beat it.
Unleash Your Creativity - Create your own pulse-quickening levels and share them with players all over the world.

My Take on the Game

I have been playing the 3DS now for about a month and I have to say it is so much fun! I love the graphics in the games and the fun you can have on all levels. With this game, I did not know what to expect, but when I got into the game I found it to be quite addictive!

The first thing you have to get used to on this game is the fact that you are not using buttons to control the character, instead you are using your body. By tilting the controller in the direction in which you wish it to go you are able to have fun with the character and are able to get both you and the character into precarious situations. This type of game control does take some tie, but when you do get used to it, it is worth the work as it is so much fun!

I have not yet gotten through the game, but I will say that I have tried it out for a while now and the fun continues to follow along. The graphics are good and the music is lively. Overall, this was a fun game that I know you will enjoy!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Game Review - Michael Jackson The Experience

About the Game
No artist in history has commanded the stage like Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop. With over 800 million albums sold worldwide and 13 #1 singles in the U.S, there is no doubt that Michael Jackson’s music influenced pop culture as we know it today. Michael Jackson The Experience is the ultimate performance game featuring the world’s ultimate performer - providing an interactive experience that enables players to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and re-live his most iconic moments through their own performance. Michael Jackson The Experience includes the original songs you know and love from his extensive catalog, including Billie Jean and Beat It, and proves that anybody can groove like the King of Pop!

FEATURES:

Nintendo Wii:
- Anybody can dance like the King of Pop with the fun and accessible gameplay that made Just Dance a worldwide hit.

- Family and friends can relive the magic of their favorite Michael Jackson songs in multi-player and competitive modes making The Experience the ultimate party game.

My Take on the Game
This was an amazing game. We have Just Dance 2 at home and the kids love this, but this game takes dancing to the next level. I will mention that if you are getting this game or planning on playing it make sure that you have room as you will be moving and you will be getting a workout. No wonder you always noticed Michael sweating after he did his dance routines!

My eldest had heard of Michigan Jackson from us in the past and she knew some of his music, but now we have made her a convert. The kids love it (and now even more songs than just thriller)! My eldest daughter continuously wants to have dance offs with us now (and she sometimes wins). One nice thing in the game was the fact that f you do well on dances you can unlock bonuses, so there is an incentive for doing better each time (and not just for the workout).

Overall the detail in this game was superb. You will notice similar graphics to what you see in a game like Just Dance 2 but that does not detract from the game. In fact it adds to the game as you are not distracted by the game of anything around it, you can focus on the music and dancing which is what the game is all about! If you are a Michael Jackson fan, this game is a must have, and if you have children who do not know Michael Jackson, this is a great game to introduce them to the King of Pop!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tips to Enjoy the Outdoor Activities this Summer!

REI (a national outdoor gear and clothing retailer), is partnering to host the National Wildlife Federation’s 7^th annual Great American Backyard Campout®. The Great American Backyard Campout, encourages families to open the door and sleep under the stars in their backyards or a local park. Over 180,000 families participated in REI’s Family Adventure programs last year, so this is a great way to jump in on the fun this summer.

In honor of the Great American Backyard Campout, REI is sharing a helpful list of camping tips by its' very own Green Vests (outdoor activity experts).

CAMPING TIPS:

Before an Overnight Trip:

Practice camping at home: If your kids are outdoor newbies, pitch a tent in the backyard or even inside your home. Let them hang out in it and sleep in it so they become comfortable with a new sleeping environment.
Take a trial run: Before your overnighter, try a family day outing at a close-to-home park. Spend a half-day or so at a lakeshore or park and see how your kids react to extended outdoor excursions.
Take notes: Write down reminders for future trips: "Pack more sunscreen." "Bring long pants." "Leave bongos home."

Preparing for a Trip:

Be enthusiastic: Why should kids get fired-up about an outdoor adventure if you're not?
Involve your kids: Make trip planning a family affair. Ask kids for ideas of possible things to do or see at your destination. Take their input seriously.
Kids as packers: Give children the responsibility to pack their own gear at home (using a list you've created). A parent should double-check a child's packing job before leaving home.
Keeping kids (somewhat) organized: Have your kids pack every personal item in a duffel bag and encourage them to always return those items to that duffel. ("Mom, where's my paddleball set?" "Look in your duffel, dear.") Each child's duffel should be a different color for easy identification.
Favorite toys: Let kids bring some of their favorite playthings so the campsite doesn't feel entirely foreign to them. Need ideas for new toys? View our suggestions later in this article.
Friends are valuable: It can be fun for kids to camp with another family that has kids. Your kids may get bored with adults after a while. With playmates, they could be happily occupied for days.
Bring bikes: Bikes are handy in a campground, so consider bringing a few along. If it's a long way from your campsite to the beach or play area, it's faster (and more fun) to use a bike instead of walking or firing up your vehicle. Bikes keep kids entertained, too.
Check fire restrictions: Planning on a campfire? Before you leave home, make some calls to determine if campfires are permitted at your chosen campground. If not, make sure everyone in the family knows in advance. There's no bigger disappointment to a kid who has packed all the s'more fixings than to discover that a burn ban is in effect.

At the Campground:

Exude a positive vibe: Family-camping rule No. 1: Be prepared to cope with inconvenience. Everything is in a different place. The bathroom is no longer down the hall, it's 6 campsites down the path. As an adult, you must lead by example with an upbeat, can-do attitude.
Organize: Establish fixed locations for important items. "The forks and spoons are in the blue tub." "Flashlights are in the green stuff sack."
Then stay organized: Remind everyone to always return items to their established locations so others can find them. If you're especially industrious, create a reference list of where-to-find-it locations. Tape it some place obvious.
Keep everyone oriented: Help kids memorize the number of your campsite or point out landmarks ("We're 4 sites from the amphitheater") to help them remember its location.
Make kids feel important: Kids like to feel important and involved. Assign them some meaningful camp chores, such as gathering firewood or collecting water from the pump. Recognize their contributions with praise or a treat (or both).
Be safe: Make sure your kids always carry a whistle (teach them to blow it if they become separated from you) and have easy access to a flashlight or headlamp. Attach a lanyard to both the whistle and light and tie them to one of the child's belt loops.
Wildlife: Ask park rangers about wildlife activity in the area you are visiting. As the adult, you need to take the lead and understand any precautions necessary (such as proper food storage or how to react during an up-close encounter) for safely coexisting with wildlife. Educate your children about the importance of not feeding wild animals (it negatively alters their food-gathering patterns) and treating wildlife with respect and caution so everyone stays safe.

When Outdoors, Be Outdoors:

Make the most of nature: Look for wildlife. Check out bugs. Examine rocks. Identify birds, flowers, clouds, constellations. Lead kids on a rock scramble. Show interest in things that interest them. Bring a field guide to help you identify and learn about the things they find.
Be active, stay loose: Try to keep your kids active without following a regimented schedule. If they're entertained by skipping rocks on the water, give them time to perfect the multiple-skip fling.
Attend ranger talks: If you're camping at a state or national park, attend the ranger's evening talk. Ask staff if the park offers a junior-naturalist program or other kid-focused activities.
Geocaching: A GPS-guided treasure hunt engages kids physically and mentally. Check our link to geocaching to see if any caches are hidden in the area you'll be visiting.
Share time together: "Hey, mom, remember when we saw that deer?" Great memories are one of the great payoffs of a camping trip. Come home with the sort of stories that can only be created outdoors. Shakespeare must have been camping when he wrote, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

Fun Stuff You Can Bring:

Paddleball set: At one of our photo shoots, the kids accompanying our crew couldn't put this game down.
Marshallow launcher: Traditionally you toast them. Now you can shoot them at one other, too. Imagine: The common marshmallow, transformed into a summertime snowball.
Animal-shaped flashlights: Leapin' lizards! Sharks, orcas and toucans, too.
Kits, discs and flying toys: If it flies, it's probably a heap of fun. Our faves include lighted discs and Djubi balls.
Make ice cream: Have some low-tech fun (with delicious results) with a boot-around plastic ball from Camper's Dream.
Stream Machine: Camping in warm weather? If you can tolerate a little flying water, this is a kid's ultimate way to cool off.
The glowing, multicolor flying disc: Whoa . . . it's psychedelic, man. Illuminated with LEDs, this disc changes colors while you play.
Foot bags: So simple, so entertaining.
Educational games: What? You haven't played "Pass the Pigs" or "Why Knot?" Well, why not?

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Monday, June 13, 2011

New Savvy Parent Video: How to Relish the Little Moments in Life

Changing endless amounts of diapers, dealing with feedings and fitting in playtime can make for some very tired parents with very little down time, not to mention alone time with their spouse or partner. And according to a new Savvy Parents Survey from Evenflo®, 66% of moms say that the thing that surprised them most about becoming a new parent was how exhausting it is.

Every parent deserves a little bit of down time to relax and savor a few moments with their spouse, and in its newest Savvy Parents webisode titled, “How to Relish the ‘Little Moments’ in Life” (http://youtu.be/4Mj32uviG_o), Evenflo takes a whimsical look at the challenges parents face finding relaxing moments each day. When we asked a panel of moms about their favorite thing to do once the kids are in bed: 42% of moms said watching TV, 22% said sleep and 15% said clean the house! We’re partial to the 10% who said “relax on the sofa with a glass of wine!”

Parents are also encouraged to interact and share tales about their own ”little moments” on Evenflo’s social media sites:

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Hexbugs make a fun gift for dads and kids alike

Of course some Dad’s may want an Apple product or fancy new electronic device this year for Father’s Day, but HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures offer something that Man Cave treasures don’t – creative quality time with the kids. These award winning, brightly colored, tiny gizmos come at teeny prices and are designed to stimulate interest in technology by providing an interactive and imaginative experience with robots. They even make for a great desktop conversation piece in the office! Each of the six micro robotic generations is powered with unique and varying characteristics, a few of which are outlined in detail below.

The HEXBUG Spider is a creepy crawler that is an electro mechanical marvel to watch and operate. Each HEXBUG Spider features 360 degree steering, an LED forward eye, and two-channel, user selectable infrared remote control. The two-channel remote control enables the user to operate one bug independently or multiple bugs at the same time. The largest member of the HEXBUG family, the complexity of its internal mechanisms and six-legged crawling motion is simply fascinating to operate and watch. (MSRP: $24.99; Available at retailers nationwide or at www.hexbug.com)

It’s tiny…it’s intelligent…it’s micro robotic and it is swarming out of retail stores and into your readers’ households as we speak. The HEXBUG Nano, is fueled by a price point under $10 and packed with a fascinating back story based on science and mythology that will appeal to girls, boys and gadget loving parents. When revelers come across this creepy crawler, encased in an eye-catching test tube packaging, they won’t know if it’s alive or programmable! (MSRP: $9.99; Available at retailers nationwide or at www.hexbug.com)

The HEXBUG Inchworm comes with a miniature infrared remote control outfitted with two channels so that one bug can be operated independently or multiple bugs at the same time. The remote offers seven way steering and the HEXBUG Inchworm can pirouette in place when stopped on its center pod foot. (MSRP $19.99; Available at retailers nationwide or at www.hexbug.com)

My Take on the Product This was a a lot of fun. I was able to try out the Hexburg Nano and I gave it to the kids to try and they just had a blast. One thing to be careful of is that you don't want to let it go without being by it as it can get itself in trouble and then cannot get out. So for example, it could go under your refrigerator and then get stuck trying to get out (not that this happened to me - but I have warned the kids). What I loved about this was how the robot thinks for itself and self corrects when it runs into another surface. Even my cats enjoyed chasing this robot! I highly recommend this and say that you will not go wrong with this for hours of fun with the family. Just remember that you will need hard floors to use it on, it does not do well on carpet!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Product Review - Aerobie Sprint Flying Ring

The History of the Aerobie® Brand

During the 70′s and early 80′s while working as a consulting engineer and teaching part time at Stanford University, Alan Adler invented toys in his spare time and licensed his ideas to toy companies. Alan was also an avid sailor who taught himself aerodynamics in order to be able to design sailboats. His love of inventing toys and his new found knowledge of aerodynamics led him into the pursuit of better flying toys.

He began his interest in flying toys by studying ways to improve conventional flying discs that are descendents of the old Frisbee pie tins. His analysis and experimental work led him to the discovery that flying rings rather than discs have an advantage when it comes to balancing aerodynamic lift over a wide range of speeds. (See Alan’s paper for a more detailed explanation.) His work led him to a series of flying ring inventions. The first was the Skyro ring that he licensed to Parker Brothers.

Alan designed and built the first prototype of the Aerobie ring with its spoiler rim that balances lift over a wide range of throwing speeds in early 1984. The first throw of the Aerobie ring on Roble Field at Stanford showed Alan he had something special. The ring flew straight and true for an incredible distance, "as if sliding on an invisible sheet of ice." Onlookers were amazed.

The Founding of Aerobie, Inc.
Alan knew the Aerobie ring could be a hit. He also knew the flying performance of the Aerobie ring was going to be dependent on maintaining aerospace quality standards in the manufacturing processes. He therefore founded Superflight, Inc (now Aerobie, Inc.). in 1984 to manufacture and sell his high performance sport toy inventions beginning with the Aerobie flying ring. For its first 20 years of existence, Aerobie Inc. was officially named Superflight, Inc. However, in recognition of the fact that all of the products were named Aerobie and everybody knew the company as Aerobie, as of 2005, our company’s name is officially Aerobie, Inc.

Aerobie, Inc. Today
Aerobie, Inc. is still owned by Alan and he still works on inventing new, exciting sport toys. They now manufacture thirteen Aerobie brand products and sell them through retailers of all types throughout the United States and to distributors in over thirty countries. All Aerobie brand sport toys are known for their extraordinary performance and quality. Their warehousing, packing, and shipping are all done in San Carlos, California.

The Future of Aerobie, Inc.
The company is always looking for new and exciting products. Since their first two golf discs, released in the Summer of 2003, have been quite popular, they expect to continue to develop their presence as a golf disc manufacturer.

They make the spectacular Aerobie Sprint flying rings that can turn an hour of exercise into an hour of fun for any group of kids or grown-ups. That hour of fun can spread into a family activity that gets everybody together and moving in a fantastic game of catch. Sprint rings are great for kids 7 and up!

My Take on the Product
My family loves to get outside and have fun together. This disc is so much fun! I call it a disc because it is so much more than a frisbee. This disc flew so far, I was completely amazed and I kept challenging the disc, pushing myself and the disc o go further. I even took the disc to a local football field to try it out and the disc performed, I mean it really performed. I was able to get it thrown from almost one end to the other. Never before have I seen a disc that can fly as far or as well as this disc. Be careful in high wind areas as the wind can really carry this disc far, even when you don't want it to. As a parent, I loved this disc as it truly encouraged my kids to have fun outside, and though it only seemed like minutes outside, we actually were outside for over an hour!

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