This move might just kill me. We’ve been packing up our house for more than a week now and it just never seems to end. Even worse, we had to pack up the kids’ toy room fairly early in the process because of it’s location downstairs, so the kids have been kind of at a loss as to where their toys are. Naturally, I kept a few special toys out for them to play with, but I figured I could also use this opportunity to try out a few new toys. Plus, new toys often bring a bit of quiet with them while the kids take time to figure them out, and we desperately need a little quiet during this process. Recently, LeapFrog sent me the Touch Magic Learning Bus, and I thought it would be perfect toy to keep Greenleigh’s attention while we did our walk through in our new house.
The Touch Magic Learning Bus, is an interactive, flat surface toy that puts your child behind the wheel on a learning adventure, riding along with an animal band on their way to the next gig. The bus has 3 modes: Learning, Game, and Music. The Learning mode allows your child to explore on their own, pressing a key to reveal the letter or object below. This mode simple states what the letter or object is. The Game mode is more interactive, and asks the child to find something in particular on the bus. The Music mode focuses on just that – music! This bus comes complete with drum pads and a piano keyboard so your child can create and compose their very own hits. But your child doesn’t have to make music all on their own. There’s an animal band riding along with them, and by touching each of the animals in the windows, your child will learn the animal’s name, instrument, and a short rhyme.
Much like the Rockin’ Guitar, this toy was a hit in our house because it focuses on sound and music. Greenleigh tried all 3 modes, but seemed to like the Music mode the best (no surprise there). Her favorite was the piano keyboard, but that was only until she found the drum pads. Wow, did she love the drums. But Greenleigh also seemed to appreciate the interactive nature of this toy when it was in Game mode. She would listen and press the letter the letters as she was asked, and it was then that I realized how well she really does know her letters. Hazeline hasn’t gotten to play with it too much, but I’m sure that will change soon. At this point, I don’t think Hazeline could grasp the interactive Game mode, but I think she would enjoy the Learning and Music modes. The toy is intended for kids 2+, but there are no small parts and it’s never too early to start learning.
I think what I liked the best about this toy was that it’s a flat surface. As I was cleaning out the girls’ toy box and packing it up, I found so many toy parts – buttons, knobs, and attachments. At some point, these parts had come loose and were living in a little graveyard at the bottom of the toy box, never to be seen again…until it was time to move, that is. Being flat surfaced, there’s nothing to loose with this toy. There’s a small on and off switch on the back of the toy that allows you to adjust the volume, but that’s it. And not having those raised buttons or knobs, didn’t seem to bother Greenleigh one bit. In fact, she seemed captivated by the small brightly colored icons against the bright yellow surface. I also like that it’s going to be a snap to clean.
But most important of all, this toy kept Greenleigh’s attention while we did our walk through check list. That’s a great toy!
Please note, that’s a DVD player on the step below her feet. She had no interest in any of her DVDs once I took out this bus!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and was given free product by LeapFrog. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
