Recently I attended an event that LeapFrog held for Silicon Valley Moms Blog. I have always been a fan of LeapFrog products, so I was excited to attend. I am new to Silicon Valley Mom's and it was nice to meet some of the other contributors and put some real faces to the blogs I have been reading.
LeapFrog put together a really fantastic evening. We mingled for a bit over cocktails and appetizers. There was a lively discussion led by Dr. Anne Cunningham of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education. She talked about the importance of reading to children and the discussion spiraled from there. Several teachers were in the room and it was nice to hear their perspective as well. My house is full of books and nothing would please me more than to see my kids grow into avid readers. I got so much out of reading as a kid and I still do. Having fraternal twin girls, I often feel like I have my own nature versus nurture science experiment right in my own house. They each learned to read at their own pace and in their own way. They choose very different books from the library and explore them in their own way. For a much more detailed re-cap of the discussion, you can read Beth's post here.
All three of my kids have Leapster's and it is one of their favorite toys. Those Leapter's have gotten me through many a road trip. The LeapFrog folks made virtually no attempt to "sell" to us and simply allowed us to peruse their products and ask questions at will. I came home with Didj's for Lolly and Frostine and a Tag Reading System for Gloppy. I was planning on saving them for Christmas, but I have no will power. Let me just say... big, big hits with my kids. Gloppy has not let his "magic pen" out of his sight since I gave it to him. I even downloaded the girls spelling list onto their Didj's.
Thank you LeapFrog for caring about education!
7 comments:
Leapfrog is one of my favorite companies producing stuff for kids. We LOVE their teaching DVDs, and I'm convinced that Jenna learned her alphabet by 2 because of the "Letter Factory" DVD. We also love the "My First Leappad" which I don't think they make any more.
I'm still a bit freaked out that the Word Whammer (spells/says 3-letter words) prompted Jenna (in a cheery voice) to "Find the letters that spell.... WAR" Ack!! WTH??
I have Tag and Didj envy. Can't wait to try them out.
P.S. I have no will power either. I have the hardest time saving gifts for the occasion I actually purchased them for. :-)
I want that Tag - it looks like something that my oldest son would love (as a prelude to actually learning to read).
Here I am, procrastinating about starting my online Christmas shopping, and I find a great recommendation for the kids!
See, procrastination IS GOOD!
I love those Leapster products too!
Leapster does have great products...i am stoppin by from allmed to hi
we are outgrowing leapster at my house. how did that happen?
Well, I've got nothing for the Leapster part, though I think it's great that they sponsored an evening like that. But I think it's awesome that you encourage the kids to read in their own way and develop that life-long love of books.
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