Review: FitBit Flex Fitness Tracker

 

Pros: Comfortable, changeable bands in multiple color choices, fits very small or large wrist sizes, easy to use FitBit app, band works with or without your phone close by, multiple alarm settings available, charge lasts for about 7 days, fast charge finishes in about 2 hours, no distracting screen display, waterproof for long-term wear.

Cons: Slight learning curve to understand and operate device, wish it came with an ankle band, doesn't track movement well if hand is stable.

Summary: Overall a great little device with most of the features I was looking for. Works well as a reminder to keep moving, connects well to social media if you wish to compete with friends and family. A great way to gamify your fitness goals, keep record of how you sleep, track what you eat, and drink.

 

Full Review:

Okay, there are quite a few great things to say about this product! I was pleased with the small sleekness of the Fitbit Flex design as I have small wrists and am not into big plastic digital watch-looking things. There are many different colors and bands to choose from. I like that it sits as a constant reminder to move my body but doesn't have a distracting display. It does have a full read out on the phone app that you can check whenever you want to. It holds a charge for about 7 days and charges quickly in about 2 hours. The fact that it's waterproof allows you to keep it on all the time with less chance of losing it.

You can tell about how many steps you've taken by the number of light-up dots on the band when you tap it. Set it up for any number of steps depending on your personal goals. Mine is set up for ten thousand steps as my goal, so each one of the 5 lights on the band represents 2000 steps. My kids LOVE tapping it all day long to see how many steps I've taken! The band vibrates and lights up as soon as you reach your goal each day and then resets at midnight.

The alarm feature is helpful either as an alarm clock or as a reminders throughout the day. It quietly vibrates to alert you, and stops when you tap it.

It also tracks your sleep quality. To use this feature, you have to rapidly tap on the band until it blinks and lights up two lights on opposite sides of the band then tap again for wake up. It records actual sleep time and also how much time you spent restless.

If you need a little healthy competition, you can easily connect with friends and family on social media like facebook so you can compare and compete, "cheer" or "taunt" your friends. You can also set up group challenges to see who can get the highest number of steps in a set period of time.

I was slightly disappointed with the fact that it does not track well for activities in which your wrist is in a stable position, for example bike riding or pushing a cart or stroller. It would be great if FitBit would create an ankle band to use as an option for different types of exercise!

Disclosure: The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies of the product. No compensation was received.

Review: Wholesale Halloween Costumes

Pros: Good service, nice quality costume, good value, timely delivery.

Cons: The costume size was a little big but still looked awesome for the occasion!

Summary: If you are looking for nice quality costumes in any size with lots of accessories to choose from, check out Wholesale Halloween Costumes!

Review:

 A 6th grade history presentation and costume party created a perfect opportunity to try a costume from Wholesale Halloween Costumes. K chose to be Samuel Adams for his big "history live" project performed in front of teachers, friends and family. The "Founding Father's" costume was an excellent choice!

The costume was a nice quality material that although it arrived a little on the wrinkly side, seemed to smooth out well after hanging on a hanger for a bit. K is currently wearing about a youth size 16, so I ordered an adult (one size fits all) costume thinking it may fit better than a child size. It was a little on the big side, but still looked sharp and appropriate for the occasion. We were very pleased with the timeliness of the arrival. We added a lace collar and boots to complete the look. It would have been fun if we had added a white wig as well. This costume would look great as many other colonial historical figures like Benjamen Franklin, George Washington, or any character with a patriotic theme.

Over all we loved this costume!
Follow Wholesale Halloween on Twitter for more great party and costume ideas!

Disclosure: We received the Founding Fathers costume mentioned above  for  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Review: Knight Costumes

Pros: Good service, nice quality costume, good value.

Cons:  The helmet seems to run slightly small compared with costume, but still works.

Summary: If you are looking for nice quality costumes in any size with lots of accessories to choose from, check out Costume Supercenter!

Review:
For school, my son K had to give a "history live" presentation in costume as "King Richard the Lionhearted".  After researching what King Richard wore, he chose the "Deluxe Dragon Slayer" knight Costume to do his presentation in. Truthfully, he wasn't really a knight...but he was a medieval warrior and this seemed like a great match for the part.

I am always amazed at how small they are able to package these costumes! It arrived in a small package, but came out looking great without any ironing or effort. The costume seems well made and includes everything pictured except for the black pants. K was impressed at the shiny silver fabric part of the costume that looks like chain mail.  The body of costume seems true to the sizing chart offered on the website.  The helmet however seemed a little snug although workable (your experience may be different due to variations in head sizes! :)

So if you would like to be a dragon slayer, or King Richard...I would recommend this as a great option! :)

Disclosure: We received the Deluxe Dragon Slayer costume mentioned above  for  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Review: Superman Costumes at Costume Discounters

Pros: Fast service, nice quality costume, true to size, good value.

Cons:  This costume is so neat that now the little brother wants one too! :)

Summary: If you are looking for nice quality costumes in any size with lots of accessories to choose from, check out Costume Discounters!

Review:
My son chose this costume because his little sister begged him to; she wants him to wear it when she wears her Supergirl costume!  What a good big brother he is!

Our Deluxe Light-Up Superman costume came in the mail today, only three business days after we ordered it from Costume Discounters! Although the package was very small and light-weight, the costume seems very well made.  This Man of Steel costume includes the one piece body suit (including huge muscles) and a detachable cape.  The Superman emblem on the front of the costume lights up, which my kids thought was really cool! :)

The length and fit of the costume seemed true to the sizing chart offered on the site.  Since K usually wears slims, the costume fits over clothes, which is better on a cool fall day anyway. 

Another great feature about this company: Costume Discounters guarantees the lowest price on the web, or they will match the price and also give you 20% off. They also offer free shipping on exchanges, allowing you to try their costumes risk free!

Disclosure: We received the Superman Costume mentioned above  for  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Coming Soon: A Review of Time4Writing

We will be using Time4Writing as a summer writing program for the next couple of months.  We are excited to get started with the interactive lessons.  Our online tutor will correct our work and give us writing tips on how to sharpen our writing skills.  Come visit in a few weeks to see how we like it.

Review: Time4Learning

Pros:   

• Fun lessons cover lots of material in small amounts of time. 
• Animations, colorful graphics, and interactive funny dialog keep kids engaged. 
• Clear explanations and feedback for right and wrong answers. 
• Parent access to quizes and grades, easily printed for record keeping.  
• Clutter free schoolwork, great for big families or small living spaces.  

Cons:    

• Using Time4Learning on a tablet is a little tricky and can be slow.  
• Parental controls do not include the ability to digitally assign specific lessons or assignments.

Summary:  

If you are a busy parent and looking for an effective educational tool that your children will love to use either as a curriculum, supplement, or tutoring alternative for preschool through 12th grade...Time4Learning is a excellent resource!  

Try it:   Time4Learning.com  

Review:  

There are many things to love about time4learning...but I will keep it simple and just name a few.

1. Effective teaching tool
Time4Learning is both fun and really great at teaching concepts and skills to a large spectrum of learning styles.  The lessons are very well written and designed to help children learn and retain the material. We were pleased with how well our kids did on standardized tests this year.

2. Makes life easier
I don't know about you...but as a homeschooling mama of four, it's hard to juggle everyone's schedule some days. This program is kid and parent user friendly and keeps track of where everyone is at. If a subject comes easy for your child, they can fly through...if its more difficult, they can watch the lesson again until they get the concepts.  Work that is finished and graded for you is easily printable for record keeping and reporting.

3. Stuff Free!
Having had a child in public school, I was amazed at the volume of paper that came through the door! It was a constant battle to stay on top of it all and I found myself having to recycle 99% of it to reclaim the space it took up in our house!  Although Time4Learning has optional printable supplements to go with lessons, the work is almost completely digital. It is an ideal curriculum for families living in small spaces as it eliminates the need for many text books. It's also great for traveling as all you need is a computer (or tablet) and an Internet connection.  

Overall we really love this program (we have been using it for years) and we are excited that Time4Learning is launching their new high school program this fall! We hope Time4Learning will become more iPad friendly in the future.  

Disclosure: The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by Time4Learning. Compensation was received for this review.

Review: Pajaminals Storybook Nap Mat and Cowbella plush toy

We received a Pajaminals storybook nap mat and a Cowbella plush animal for review. 

Pros: Fun, colorful, foldable mat for naptime, great for sending to daycare or preschool to use on top of cots, with babysitter, or to keep at Grandma's. Super soft, cuddly characters that encourage happy napping are always a plus!

Cons: The "storybook pillow" may at first be a bit exciting to "read" when trying to go to sleep. :)

Summary: If you are looking for a great cot-liner or sleeping mat for the babysitter or to keep at Grandma's, this is a great naptime product to have on hand!

Purchase: In most department stores and online. Prices vary.

Full Review:
If you haven't seen the new Jim Henson show called "Pajaminals" aimed at toddlers-preschoolers yet, it is showing on Sprout and NBC Saturday mornings. This show focuses on promoting preschool skills to help their days run smoothly. As a parent, foster parent, and teacher I can especially appreciate the part where they teach healthy sleep and naptime habits!

Along with this show, there is a new line of Pajaminal toys and products.

We loved the snuggle up story mat. It is made with premium fleece material and includes a plush book (all attached) that transforms to a pillow at the top.  Kids can use their imagination to tell stories about the pictures which could help with transitioning from play time to sleepy time. 

A soft blanket is attached at the side of the mat with colorful characters printed all over it. This mat is sized perfectly to fit on top of a nap cot or to use on the floor at babysitters house or at grandma's. The mat folds and velcros shut for easy storage. It is sized for a preschooler up to about age 5.

 

There is also a collection of Pajanimals plush toys (in 2 sizes) includes the characters: Apollo, Squacky, Cowbella and Sweet Pea Sue inspired by the TV series. We received Cowbella, who is made of soft fleecy fabric that is trimmed with silky ribbons.  These would make a great birthday presents for toddlers or preschoolers!

 

 

Disclosure: We received the  Pajaminals storybook nap mat and a Cowbella plush animal  to  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

JourneyBee Travel Crib Review and Coupon Code

Pros: Very light weight, quick pop-up assembly, folds flat for easy storage or transport.

Cons: Does not come with a bassinet/changing table feature that some travel cribs include.

Summary: If you are looking for a great travel crib that is soooo easy to set up, is lightweight, stores and travels easily ...JourneyBee is the way to go! This would be a great item to keep at Grandma's house or to have on hand for visiting guests with babies and toddlers!

Purchase it at ParentLab.com and use coupon code: H5ezWmQ6 to get 10% off your purchase!

Full Review:

Okay, there are quite a few great things to say about this product! It arrived in a zippered storage bag with a shoulder strap and 2 smaller handles. The bag also contains a front zippered compartment which would be convenient to store toys, blankets or diapers in..

Take out the travel crib and it will gently pop open with no tricky assembly, and no trouble getting it to stay open. The mattress pad easily slides into a pocket at the base of the crib to make the bed cushiony. The JourneyBee comes with a soft fleecy sheet that attaches and lines the inside of the crib and can be removed and washed easily. Assembling and breaking down this crib was so easy it reminds me of the pop-up play tents and tunnels my kids have. This crib folds so flat that it could be stored under a bed or behind a couch.

Thinking back on the other travel cribs we have owned, I'm sure that they weighed at least twice as much as this one, were tricky and took a significant amount of time to set up and break down, and were annoying to store and travel with.

Below is a video of the first time we set up and broke down the crib...we didn't even have to read the directions... :)

The only feature I miss with this travel crib is an adjustable bassinet/ changing table feature that some travel cribs have.. However, the detachable mattress part of the crib could be easily used as a changing mat.

Overall we loved this product!

Find more info about this travel crib at ParentLab.com or follow them on Facebook or on Twitter.

Disclosure: We received a JourneyBee travel crib  to  review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

A Meaningful Easter Gift

I've been on the look out for meaningful gifts and activities to do on Easter... To be honest, I'm really tired of the typical Easter basket fillers, and I'm overwhelmed at the colossal amount of candy and junk that goes through our house all the time! In the process, I found this lovely little book:

The Jesus Storybook: Every Story Whispers His Name...  The wording in this little book is so beautifully written and I love the way the heart of the story shines through in such a kid friendly way! I chose the deluxe edition which comes with 3 audio cd's of the entire book which is so pleasantly spoken.

Here is an example:

I'm looking forward to listening to this on long car rides, putting it on my kids mp3 players, and playing it at bedtime when my little people are falling asleep!
   
Disclosure: The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies of the product. No compensation was received.

Zylie the Bear Review and Giveaway!

Summary:  Zylie is a quality bear with an adorable face that any child would love!  She is a classic looking 18 inch bear that can be dressed up in doll clothes and played with like a doll.  

Review:
As you can see, Zylie is not just a typical stuffed animal toy... She is an American Girl-sized bear that can wear 18-inch doll clothes and is dressed to go on an adventure!

Inside the little tote is a world map, a tiny journal, and a passport. This Zylie the Bear Kit also comes with a small chapter book about the places she visited in New York...

She comes wearing a flowery dress top, jeans,  button jacket and is accessorized with a little orange tote.  I love that her "designer clothes" are so soft and feel perfect for cuddling! 

Enter to Win Zylie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: We received Zylie the Bear for review. We always express our honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Sadie the Paper Crown Princess: Review and Coupon Code

Summary:  If you have a little "princess wanna-be" in your house that is concerned primarily with her princess attire... Sadie, The Paper Crown Princess is a great book to show what it really means to have the heart of a princess (or Prince)....hint: it's not about the clothes or the shoes! :) A lovely little story to help instill generosity and compassion in little people.

Use coupon code "overflow" on the Sadie Website to get 20% off your book purchase!

Review: Recently at our house there have been a few episodes with a certain little 4-year-old "princess" over her clothes...If she doesn't get the dress she wants to wear, we hear loud dramatic outbursts of  "Then I'm NOT going to be a PRINCESS!!!" Good heavens, what will we do with her when she is a teenager?! After getting tired of hearing this over and over, I sat her down and talked with her about how some children in the world don't even have any clothes to wear, and about being thankful.  She stopped suddenly and was shocked and horrified..."Some children don't have ANY clothes?" 

"That's right," I told her. 

She thought for a minute and then looked at me in disbelief..."Then show me, where are the children with no clothes?!" :-o

After our little chat about being thankful and about children who don't have clothes, we have had far less trouble getting dressed in the morning! 

This sweet little book is a wonderful addition to our library and is a great way to talk to kids about what's really important.  In this colorful story with adorable illustrations, Sadie travels the world and learns about giving to others.  She learns how compassion and generosity bring far more happiness than having "princessy" stuff on the outside.  She even encounters a lovely surprise...she gets to see what a real prince looks like! :)

Learn how to join the Paper Crown Society on Sadie's website!  

Also visit the blog to learn more about Sadie's Summer of Giving and how YOU can get involved!

Disclosure: We received a digital sample of Sadie: The Paper Crown Princess for review. We always express our honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Review and Giveaway: Robby Wash Laundry Washing Ball

Pros: No carrying heavy bottles of detergent, no detergent spills or mess, no measuring, no large containers to store, reduced cost, hypo-allergenic, environmentally friendly, refillable, use with all washing machine types, wash 120 loads of laundry before refilling!

Cons: It doesn't fold the laundry..  ;o)

Summary: If you hate dragging heavy detergent jugs home from the store and would prefer to use something more earth-friendly and hypoallergenic, Robby Wash Ball is a great option!

Purchase it for $32.95 here

Review:

Okay, there are quite a few good things to say about this product.  I will admit that it's hard to believe that this little laundry ball replaces detergent for One HUNDRED and twenty loads of laundry!  The ball is filled with tiny balls contains activated macromolecules that claim to slowly dissolve dried-in stains by generating ions into the water. 

With six people in our family, we go through a LOT of laundry! After using this little wash ball for a few weeks it has been working surprisingly well! The clothes have been coming out clean and pleasantly fresh smelling, which is always impressive when you have small children! :)

 A few other things to consider:

• This is a time saver (no more shopping for and lugging heavy detergent jugs from the store).
• a huge space saver (In our small house, those big detergent jugs take up a lot of space)!
• a big money saver (I'm sure we've been spending more than $32 on 120 loads of laundry).
• There is a cap in the ball that allows you to refill it and continue using for years to come. *Make sure the little cap is placed on the ball tightly to prevent beads from falling out.

The wash ball also includes a stain stick to pre-treat stains before washing.  The jury is still out on this as we haven't tried it on everything yet, but I am pleased to report that after trying it on a white shirt with red frosting, the frosting is completely gone!

Giveaway! Enter to win a Robby Wash Ball below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: We received the Robby Wash Ball by Oransi for review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Pirate Costume Review

Pros: Fast service, lots of options and choices, quality costumes, competitive prices 

Cons: This awesome costume does not include a parrot ;o) 

Summary: If you are looking for a fun pirate costume in any size with lots of accessories to choose from, look no further than AnytimeCostumes.com!

Review: Looking for great pirate costumes for your next big adventure? The Child Captain Jack Sparrow Deluxe Costume comes with everything pictured except for the sword!  This costume includes a shirt with attached vest, sash,  belts, pants, boot covers, a hat and bandana with beaded pirate braids attached. 


My kids love dressing up! Costumes make great accessories for themed birthday parties, special events, school presentations, or the dress-up box! They also make great gifts! Any Time Costumes has a large selection of styles in almost any size.  Search their site to find every accessory you will need...eye patches, parrots, swords...you name it, they probably have it!

Anytime Costumes offers a free shipping on costume exchanges  allowing you to try their costumes risk free!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

SodaStream Review

Pros:
Fun to make at home, no carrying or storing heavy bottles from the store, less plastic waste and recyclables, lower in sugar, lots of flavors available, no high-fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no electricity required.

Cons:
Majority of flavors (diet and regular) contain sucralose, similar or higher cost than purchasing bottled soda, more time-intensive than just pouring.

Summary:
If you would like to easily make soda in your home in a variety of flavors for a cost comparable to purchasing popular name brand sodas, this is a great little machine!

Full Review:

Honestly, we are not super big soda drinkers...but Friday night is our party/game night and we go through several bottles of soda per week!  After realizing how much time, energy and money we spend purchasing, carrying home and storing soda, and then returning the bottles...SodaStream started sounding like a great idea! 

The SodaStream machine allows you to make soda in your home or anywhere in any way you want to! Assembling the machine was fairly simple ... just insert the CO2 tank, fill the reusable bottle with COLD water (we noticed room temperature doesn't work as well), and then press and hold the carbonation button about 3 times.  After (and only after carbonation), you can either add one of the many SodaStream flavor syrups, or add juices, flavorings, and/or sweeteners of your choice.

Since we had a large variety of flavors to try and a large group of people, we found it simpler to just fizz the water and then let each person measure out a flavor shot into their own glass. It was also nice as sometimes our friends leave the top to the bottle unscrewed. With SodaStream, no problem - just re-fizz the water!

It was great to have so many flavors to offer guests without taking up huge amounts of counter or storage space with bottled soda!  Everyone was able to find flavors that they liked.  We did notice that the regular (non-diet) soda has a much lower sugar content than regular bottled soda because it contains a mixture of cane sugar and sucralose.  There are some naturally sweetened flavors that are sweetened only with cane sugar and taste great! We loved the natural variety ginger-ale and cola flavors.  We wish there were some options that contain Stevia, but we are going to experiment and try making some of our own flavors.

Since the SodaStream is powered only by the CO2 tank, it could easily be brought to a party, the park, or to camp and stored without worrying about cords or temperature changes. We look forward to trying some of the other available flavors.

Visit SodaStream on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: We received the SodaStream and accessories listed above for review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Signing Time On Demand and iPad 3 Sweepstakes!

                                                   

Pros: No commercials, watch any time or place, watch on a variety of media options, entertainment on the go, always there for you to load onto future computers, phones, or tablets!

Cons: Cost may be a factor..especially if you want them all!

Summary: This is a great stuff-free gift you can give your children or others that they can continue to use for years to come!

Review :

My 4 Year old was thrilled when she saw the pictures on this post and said, "Oh I LOVE 'silent' time with Alex and Leah!"  :) We've loved these videos since our children were babies, but since we bought our first dvd's, a few of them have gotten scratched and no longer work.  We love the idea of Signing Time on demand! No more storing dvd's or worrying about them getting scratched. And if you happen to get a new computer, phone or tablet,  you can just log in and reload the videos you've already purchased!

We received the digital video from Series 1, Vol. 5 video, ABC Signs..  This video teaches the sign language alphabet and also includes signs for numbers 1-10.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Signing Time, they are wonderful instructional videos geared towards children from infants to around 8 years old.  We love it!  These are great videos to have your children watch over and over again when you are waiting for doctor appointments or traveling, etc... These videos are also great tools to use in the classroom to promote better communication or to teach a second language. 

Click below to download a free Signing Time on demand video and enter to win an iPad3 until May 18, 2012!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Paper Jamz Pro Series by WowWee: Review and Coupon Code

The Bottom Line:

- Expansion of an already popular line yields some entertaining additions.
- Something for everyone results in a fun "concert" experience. Pick your favorite.
- Still have pre-programmed songs that you will hear over and over and over again!

 WowWee Toy Shop 10% off coupon code: blogpromo10

We were blessed with several new items from the popular Paper Jamz line. In combination with nine children (not all of them ours), they were a lot of fun...and noisy! Now that I have recovered a bit, I can reflect on the experience as follows:

Pro Series Drum Kit
This is a pretty full drum kit, especially compared to stick-oriented setups, but it's on a much smaller scale, for fingers. It is pretty fun to play, The rhythms are challenging to keep up with, but the music (repeating over and over!) gets old fast (this applies to all the Paper Jamz players).
BUT! But now, in the Pro Series, you can load your own music on! Yes! Now we are having fun!

Pro Series Guitar
This guitar was really easy to figure out and was fun to play with. I had to threaten small children with electronic banishment unless they let me check it out, so does it rate with the 3-12 crowd? Oh, yes.
And now it rates with the 40+ crowd because you can load The Who and Rush on it! The Pro Series is the right direction.

Microphone - Amplifier
This mic - amp combo was a huge hit! The six-year-old conducted an entire TV show and did not willingly share. The voice modulator works great and is very fun, especially when you plug the unit into your stereo!  If the 4-year-old gets too close to the amp, the feedback gets pretty annoying! Still, this is a great addition to the band.

Justin Bieber Keyboard Guitar
After I finally figured out how to put this keytar into freeform keyboard mode, I was able to work with it. Until that time, Justin's voice popped out with a different line with every key, which the 3 year old thought was amusing. It is well-designed (as are all the Paper Jamz), but the real reason one will buy this (or not) is that Justin's name and picture are on it...and because it says "Paper Jamz"!

 If your kids, of just about any age, like performing like their favorite bands, I can't imagine a better set of "instruments"! The Paper Jamz name is well-known and the quality is good. When all the instruments get going, it becomes more of a cacophony, but maybe I'm too old. I'm still getting used to the no-button controls, but the kids pick it up just fine. Finally, the features on the "Pro" series (the ability to download your own music choices) definitely moves this series into the 12+ age range, and makes it easier on the parents' sanity.

Now, if I could only change the music on the Justin Bieber keytar... ;)

Thinking of purchasing toys from the Paper Jamz series? Visit the WowWee Toy Shop and use the coupon code: blogpromo10 for 10% off of your total purchases.

Disclosure: We received the Paper Jamz toys and accessories listed above for review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.

Light Strikes by WowWee: Review and Coupon Code

Bottom Line:
- A lot of friends + a lot of Light Strikers = Lots of fun.
- Extras are fun, but choose carefully if you are on a budget.

WowWee Toy Shop 10% off coupon code: blogpromo10

Light Strike is a laser tag-type system released by WowWee (the makers of the popular Paper Jamz music toys) this year. We tested two Assault Strikers, one Striker, and the various targets (mini, strike, vest, and the "Intelligent Targeting System" [ITS]). We also used several attachments (scope, refractor launch, enemy scanner, and rapid fire system).

The system works by sending infrared signals out from the Striker; any Striker that receives the signal and is not on the same team (blue, red, green, or yellow - yes, FOUR teams are possible!) loses health. How much depends on the type of shot. Each Striker can change the type of shot it produces, akin to shotgun, sniper, silenced, etc. The Assault Strikers have more options, but the smaller Strikers are quite effective and have some options. They also have an advantage: when playing in the dark (which is a blast), it is hard to find the Paper Jamz-like sensor locations on the sides of the Assault Strikers, but the Striker G.A.P.-024 that we tried has actual buttons on the top. If you get used to the locations, maybe it would not be a big deal, but I prefer a button I can feel when my other senses are engaged trying to see friend or foe.

The ITS is a cool gadget. The team who shoots it five times first "owns" it, then it goes into one of three modes: Medic, Bomb, or Sentry. In Medic mode, the "owning" team can shoot the ITS (which also rotates, making this more difficult) and restore health. Sentry mode can shoot players of opposing teams, while the Bomb sends out a signal that depletes health of opposing teams really fast. It is a fun device, but should be used in close quarters for best effect. The other targets begged one big question: "Why?" When shot, all they do is turn the color of the Striker that did the shooting. Given more time, we may think up some games to play with them (Capture the Flag is possible, but it would be easy to cheat). It may help to include some game ideas right in the packaging, or at least some on the website. Beyond that, the instructions were accurate, but minimal (and had tiny type).

The other attachments supposedly improve aim, destructive power, etc. I am sure that given enough time, maybe we would have developed greater sophistication with the system to use these effectively, but it was just a lot of fun to run around shooting each other and the ITS.

 I enjoy tag-type games a lot and was really looking forward to this review. I played with a couple of 8-year-olds who enjoyed the experience immensely! The worst thing is that I wish we had more Strikers and more people - the more the merrier! The devices were robust (8-year-olds are not gentle with toys) and worked quite well. The range was about 10-20 yards, which made our large-ish yard (200ft x 80ft) a bit too big. Our small-ish house, though, was too close for comfort. Thus, I recommend a small yard with many obstacles for cover, or inside a large house or building. For us, the next stop is our big old church! It would not be the first time such games have been played there.

Overall, it was a fine experience with the system. If I were looking at scaling up for a youth group or recreation group, this system would definitely be on the short list. Again, with a limited budget, I would focus on more Strikers and less on the extras, with the possible exception of the ITS. The Assault Strikers are great for more complex scenarios, but the basic sets are good for a lot of fun. WowWee has a(nother) winner here!

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Disclosure: We received the Light Strike toys and accessories listed above for review. The opinions we have expressed are honest opinions and have not been influenced by the companies providing the product. No other compensation was received.