Let’s Learn Measure Words 让我们学习量词, By Mandarin Prodigies - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Mandarin book for bilingual kids 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:     5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Parents looking for engaging mandarin learning materials designed for bilingual kids

I’m thrilled to share about Let’s Learn Measure Words 让我们学习量词 - a wonderfully crafted bilingual book from Mandarin Prodigies that stands out not only for its engaging approach to Mandarin but also for its unique focus on measure words (量词), a concept often overlooked in language learning materials. 

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 30 Essential Measure Words In Mandarin

This delightful board book introduces 30 essential measure words in Mandarin, covering a range of practical and commonly-used terms. Some examples include 个 (a general classifier for people and objects), 只 (often used for animals), 条 (for long objects like fish, roads, or rivers), 双 (for pairs, such as chopsticks, shoes, or hands), and 杯 (for cups or glasses, like those for tea or water). Each measure word is clearly presented in Chinese, Pinyin, and its English equivalent. The large, legible characters and helpful translations ensure that young learners can comfortably follow along and absorb both the meaning and usage of each word.

(2) Simple & Effective Sentences With Vibrant Illustrations

The book also incorporates simple yet effective sentences and vibrant illustrations that bring the measure words to life. Each sentence is presented in Mandarin, accompanied by Pinyin and a clear English translation, with colorful illustrations that visually reinforce the meanings. For example, 这一碗面看起来真好吃 — ‘This bowl of noodles looks so delicious,’ is paired with an enticing image of a bowl of Lamian. In addition, each page features two more examples of how the measure word can be used in different contexts—like 一碗汤 (a bowl of soup) and 一碗饭 (a bowl of rice)—with Pinyin, translation, and smaller illustrations to further clarify the terms. 

(3) High-Quality, Thick & Durable Material

The board book is crafted from high-quality, thick, and durable material. Additionally, its compact size makes it the perfect choice for on-the-go learning, allowing children to explore new vocabulary and concepts wherever they are.

(4) Excellant Range Of Bilingual Learning Resources

Mandarin Prodigies offers an excellent range of bilingual learning resources, including board books in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. With options like busy books, activity workbooks, and writing tools, there’s something for every learner. Be sure to check them out! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.mandarinprodigies.com/collections/kristins-bilingual-books/products/lets-learn-measure-words-simplified-version

Check out more of my Mandarin Prodigies book reviews here: 

• Let’s Learn Action Words 让我们学习动词, By Mandarin Prodigies
• My First Mandarin Busy Book, By Mandarin Prodigies 
• Let’s Learn Opposite Words, By Mandarin Prodigies

Enjoy the video! 

Let’s Learn Action Words 让我们学习动词, By Mandarin Prodigies - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Mandarin book for bilingual kids 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️    

Recommended age:    5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Parents looking for engaging mandarin learning materials designed for bilingual kids

I’m thrilled to introduce Let’s Learn Action Words 让我们学习动词— a brilliantly crafted bilingual book by Mandarin Prodigies that’s a game-changer for young learners! This book stands out for its fun and engaging approach to Mandarin, making exciting for kids to master essential action words (动词). 

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 30 Essential Action Words 

This board book brings to life 30 essential action words that children encounter in their everyday routines. From 洗 (wash/clean) and 刷 (brush) to 穿 (wear/put on) and 画 (paint/draw), each word is carefully chosen to resonate with young learners. The book presents each action in Chinese, Pinyin, and English. With bold, easy-to-read characters and helpful translations, young readers will feel confident as they explore new vocabulary and its real-life applications!

(2) With Simple Sentences + Vibrant Illustrations

The book brings the action words to life with simple, impactful sentences and vibrant illustrations. Each sentence is thoughtfully presented in Mandarin, complete with Pinyin and English translation, while colorful images capture the essence of the words. Take, for instance, 妈妈和我一起做饼干 — “Mom and I make cookies together” — which is accompanied by a heartwarming illustration of a mother and daughter joyfully baking, rolling pins and cookie cutters in hand. As an added bonus, each page showcases two additional examples of the action word used in different contexts — like 玩游戏 (play games) and 玩积木 (play with blocks) — each with Pinyin, translation, and smaller, playful illustrations to deepen understanding.

(3) Sturdy and High Quality Board Book

The board book is crafted from sturdy, high-quality material, designed to withstand the wear and tear. Its compact, travel-friendly size makes it the ideal companion for learning on the go, allowing children to discover new vocabulary and concepts wherever their curiosity takes them.

(4) Exceptional Collection Of Bilingual Resources

Mandarin Prodigies provides an exceptional collection of bilingual learning resources, featuring board books in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. From engaging busy books and interactive activity workbooks to helpful writing tools, there’s something for every young learner. Be sure to explore their full range of educational materials!

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.mandarinprodigies.com/collections/kristins-bilingual-books/products/lets-learn-action-words

Enjoy the video! 

My First Mandarin Busy Book, By Mandarin Prodigies - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Busy Book/ Learning Binder 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️    

Recommended age:    5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Parents looking for engaging Mandarin-learning activities for bilingual kids 

“My First Mandarin Busy Book” by Mandarin Prodigies is designed to captivate young learners while introducing them to Mandarin in a fun way. Targeting families with a bilingual background, this book is a rare find in the Australian market.

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 15 Hands-On Activities In Simplified Mandarin

This busy book offers a rich variety of 15 hands-on activities in simplified Mandarin. The book covers a mix of engaging exercises, including topics like animals, shapes, numbers, and the first 20 Chinese characters. We enjoy sorting waste and matching items to recycling bins (e.g., banana peel 香蕉皮 to “green waste” 堆肥), learning about measure words (like 一片面包, “a slice of bread”), grouping types of vegetable based on whether it’s a root vegetables (such as 土豆 potato) or those that grow above soil (such as 番茄 tomatoes). I especially LOVE the emotions page, where children match cute emoji symbols to corresponding Mandarin words. The book features 136 small, movable cards for children to match with the correct words. 

(2) Mandarin Words With English Translations

The book features Mandarin words alongside English translations. For example, on the body parts page, children match Mandarin words like 头 (“head”) and 手 (“hand”) to their English equivalents. The activities also include instructions in English, such as “match the vehicles to the correct places,” and shape-matching exercises where kids pair a shape like “hexagon” with its Mandarin equivalent 六边形. At the back of the book, a vocabulary list provides simplified Mandarin words, their English translations, and pinyin. 

(3) Spiral Binding In A4 Size

The book is thoughtfully designed with a spiral binding, allowing it to lay flat for easy use and exploration. Its A4 size is perfect for little hands, making it portable for travel. The pages are thick, glossy, and laminated for durability, securely bound with a sturdy round binder. 

(4) Reusable Busy Book - Pieces With Velcro Dots

The best feature of this Busy Book is its reusability. Each piece is equipped with Velcro dots, allowing children to detach and reattach them countless times. The set also includes Velcro stickers for parents to attach to the book and small cards, along with extra sheets of replaceable Velcro components for long-lasting use. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.mandarinprodigies.com/collections/my-first-mandarin-busy-book/products/my-first-mandarin-busy-book

Enjoy the video! 

Let’s Learn Opposite Words, By Mandarin Prodigies - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Mandarin book for bilingual kids

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️    

Recommended age:    3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Parents looking for mandarin learning resources designed for bilingual families  

Mandarin Prodigies is a true gem in the world of children’s learning resources. Today, I’m excited to share my thoughts on Let’s Learn Opposite Words—a delightful bilingual children’s book that introduces young learners to the concept of opposites in a fun and accessible way.

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 30-Page Board Book Featuring 15 Pairs of Opposite Words

This book is designed with bilingual children in mind—perfect for families like mine. Let’s Learn Opposite Words is a charming 30-page board book that introduces 15 pairs of opposite words, such as 多/少 (many/few), 大/小 (big/small), 上/下 (on top/below), 哭/笑 (cry/laugh), and 重/轻 (heavy/light), among others. Each word is presented in Chinese, Pinyin, and English, making it an ideal choice for beginners. The large, easy-to-read characters and helpful translations ensure young learners can easily follow along. 

(2) Sentences With English Translation And Vibrant Illustrations 

The book also includes useful sentences and vibrant illustrations that bring the opposite words to life. These simple sentences are perfect for young learners, while also offering a great starting point for more advanced students who are looking to practice sentence formation. Each sentence is written in Mandarin, accompanied by Pinyin and a straightforward English translation, along with delightful illustrations that reinforce the concepts.

(3) High Quality & Durable Material

The board book is made from high-quality, thick, and durable material, ensuring it can withstand the wear and tear of frequent handling. Its compact size makes it perfect for on-the-go learning. 

(4) Wonderful Range Of Resources For Bilingual Learning

Mandarin Prodigies offers a wonderful range of resources for bilingual learning and classrooms, including board books in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Whether you’re looking for board books, busy books, activity workbooks, or writing tools, their collection has something for every learner. What I truly appreciate about this creative, bilingual-focused range is how thoughtfully it’s crafted. The founder, Kristin Yu, is a mother of three and a Montessori-certified early learning teacher, which is evident in the way the books are designed. I highly recommend these books for any family looking to introduce Chinese to their little ones. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

Mandarin Prodigies

Enjoy the video! 

The Poetry Play Kit, By Kaddo - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Learning kit 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️    

Recommended age:    6-9 year-old  

Who would love this: Kids / parents that enjoy poems and rhymes  

It’s rare to find an educational kit that dedicates to the magic of poetry. Discover “The Poetry Play Kit” from Kaddo (an imprint of Quarto). Designed by Joseph Coelho, the UK Children’s Poet Laureate 2022-2024, this kit is perfect for inspiring creativity and igniting your imagination!

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 500 Word Cards + 12 Activity Cards

This kit includes 500 word cards, 12 double-sided activity cards, 28 rhyming dominoes, a poetry spinner, and a booklet filled with tips and inspiration—everything you need to hone your skills as an aspiring poet! The mini word tiles offer a rich resource for sparking creativity. Each card is color-coded: green for nouns, red for verbs, pink for emotions, and more. The activity cards present engaging prompts for crafting poems with the word cards. You can select a noun card and write a poem from the object’s perspective, create a haiku with the 5-7-5 syllable structure, or compose a one-word poem. You can also explore emotion poems using pink cards, write an acrostic where the first letter of each line spells out a word, or create a picture poem using related words.

(2) 28 Rhyming Dominoes - Discover Rhythmic Patterns!

The 28 rhyming dominoes are excellent tools for exploring the rhythmic patterns. Simply choose a domino, brainstorm some rhyming words, and craft a poem (our 5-year-old wrote about “a brown silly dog, sat on a log, and met a green frog). We also enjoyed creating a rhyme snake and played a memory pairing game with these domino tiles. 

(3) Smart Spinner - Learn About MORERAPS

I love the smart spinner—it features all the letters from A to Z, along with a MORERAPS guide to linguistic techniques that can enhance your poetry! We explored Metaphor (“the moon is a mysterious guest”), played with Alliteration (our kids created their first tongue twister: “The quiet queen quit quarrelling to quickly queued-up for a quest”), and used Personification to enrich our creative works.

(4) Booklet For More Inspiring Examples

The included booklet offers a wealth of inspiring examples, from mood-expressing riddles to action-packed poems, as well as playful nonsense rhymes. It also features a supportive guide for parents and teachers, along with useful tips for using these elements to enhance your creative journey! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

QBD Books (Australia) 

Booktopia (Australia) 

State Library of Queensland (Australia) 

Check out more reviews of Kaddo's products here: 

• Little People, Big Dreams - Amazing Women: A Memory Game 
• Little People, Big Dreams: Who Am I
• Swan Lake Musical Puzzle 
• Find The Fairies 
• Cat Family Christmas - Lift The Flap Puzzle 
• The Nutcracker Musical Puzzle (The Story Orchestra)

Enjoy the video! 

Got It Learning (Set 3), By Got It Learning - REVIEW

Nature / Type:             Learning cards 

Rating:                        ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️     

Recommended age:    5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this:  Parents / teachers looking for effective reading/ words-learning resources 

I love discovering simple and effective reading resources. We are so grateful to receive a pack of Got It Learning (Set 3) cards for review recently. Designed by an experienced specialist teacher, this is an amazing set of cards that takes phonics learning and words-decoding to a whole new exciting level! 

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) 40 Word Cards Covering 5 Different Sounds 

Included in this set are 5 instruction cards, 5 picture prompt cards, 8 “Got it!” cards, and 40 word cards. Got It Learning has 5 packs of cards in different levels - each pack includes 40 word cards covering 5 different sounds. Set 1 covers basic CVC/ one syllable words, Set 2 focuses on th/ck/sh/ch/ng. Set 3 focuses on the slightly more challenging ai/ee/igh/oa/oo sounds, Set 4 and 5 focus on oo/ar/or/ur/ow and oi/ear/air/ure/er respectively. There is an online Assessment Sheet on the website with guided words for each level that helps parents to find the correct starting pack for the kids. I love the easy-to-read font, and the plain white / uncluttered background of the cards. The focus sound of the word (eg “oo” for the word “too”) is printed in blue at 4 corners of the card and within the word - which is a fantastic way to draw the kids’ attention to the focus sound. 

(2) 5 Smartly-Designed Picture Prompt Cards 

The 5 picture prompt cards are excellently designed and really help the kids to match and enunciate the words. Similar to the word cards, the focus sound is printed in blue at 4 corners of the card and within the word. Each of the words for the 5 focus sounds (bee, moon, rain, light, boat) is accompanied by an illustration. When the kids pick up a new word (eg “pain”), they can refer to the relevant prompt card (“rain”) to get a clue of the sound. 

(3) Play & Learn Through Games 

Of course, these are not just your ordinary “flash cards” - “Got It Learning” encourages kids to play and learn through fun and interactive way! The set includes 5 suggested ways to play: Word Race (discard cards by reading the words correctly), Word Sets (collect 3 word sets), and 3 sound-matching games in slightly different rules (Word Pairs, Word Match, Word Switch). Each game can be played as a reading version or reading + spelling version. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://gotitlearning.co.uk/shop/ (Website) 

Enjoy the video! 

Letter Links, By FlexiQ Games - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️     

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents looking for a fun and educational (phonics learning) game 

“Letter Links” by FlexiQ Games is a nice little addition to our kids board game collection: it has succinct and quick-to-learn game rules; almost zero setting up time, short and sweet game play (perfect for little people with short attention span), compact and travel-easy, and can be played almost anywhere and anytime. Thank you VR Distribution for providing a copy! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) A Fantastic Game To Learn Sound Patterns 

This is a fantastic game for school-age kids who are exploring the wonderful world of phonology, and getting themselves familiar with frequently-occurring sound patterns. The set includes 60 double-sided card: one side of the cards features 3 letters (2 red and 1 blue) each, and the reverse side of the cards features images of 7 unrelated and random objects/ animals. The game rules is pretty straightforward: be the first player to find the magic “link” - match a letter (from one card) with an image (from another card placed beside it) that starts with the corresponding letter. For example, “D” matches with “duck”, “S” matches with “socks”, and “H” matches with “helicopter”. The winner is the little champion who won (collected) most of the cards by the end of the game. The mechanism is intuitive. The gameplay is fast, stimulating, and strangely addictive. Our two kids love it! 

(2) 2 Ways To Play, 2 Difficulty Levels 

I love that the game rules provide 2 different difficulty levels. In the starter level, players only look at the 2 red letters, and need only to spot 1 image that matches 1 of the 2 red letters to win. In the advanced level, players look at all the 3 letters and must call out 2 correct “links” to win a card. 

(3) Colourful & Appealing Images 

The images are colourful and appealing. I love the hexagonal cards design and image arrangement (that suits a multi-player game very well). With a wide variation combinations of 3 letters and 7 images in 60 cards, this game has an impressively high playability! 

(4) Stay Focus & Think Fast!

I love a kids game with educational value - not only does it allow the kids to learn about phonics sounds, it also trains the kids to stay focus, connect pieces of information, think fast and flexibly - and really, no one minds a little bit of competitive fun 😉. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.bigw.com.au/product/letter-links-card-game/p/9900034244 (Australia) 

https://www.gamesworld.com.au/product/letter-links/ (Australia) 

https://www.thecoffeeapple.com.au/products/letter-links (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

WordXchange, By Prodijeux - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  

  

Recommended age:   10 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Board-gamers who enjoy Scrabble / word games. 

Are you a quick-witted word game enthusiast looking for next-level challenge to unleash your inner competitiveness? Then - “WordXchange” by Prodijeux is THE GAME for YOU (thank you Divisible by Zero for another incredible game!) 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Intense Word Game - Stealing Is Allowed! 

At a quick glance, you might think this is just another “scrabble-variant”; Whilst there are some similarities (such as the letter tiles in drawstring bag set-up), I find WordXchange a tougher game - more “cut-throat”, more intense, more unpredictable. The set contains 126 letter tiles (125 letters and 1 joker). The game starts with 5 randomly drawn letter tiles on central board. On each turn, player adds a new tile to the pool, and tries to make words using the tiles before the one-minute timer is up. The catch: stealing is a legitimate move in this new twist of anagram game! For example, if your opponent made a word “OAT, you can steal the word, add a letter “C, reshuffles the tiles and turns it into another word (eg “COAT” or “TACO”). All words must have at least 3-letters long, and we can’t steal a noun simply by adding a “S” and turns it into a plural form. The winner is the first to make and line up 6 words.

(2) Cool & Gorgeous Components! 

I love the mousepad size central board that doesn’t take up much table space. Formed words are displayed on white easels (14 included), facing the central board. It’s like a battle between gladiators, standing guard around an arena, waiting to crush your rivals whilst fighting for the last word! I love the transparent blue tiles. I also like that the letter distribution is printed on the central board for easy reference. 

(3) Joker Tile For Strategy

The joker tile elevates the strategy element of the game! Like Scrabble, it can represent any letter. However, in WordXchange, you can use it to “steal” a word by changing the value of the joker + adding a tile + re-arranging your opponent’s word. We can also replace the joker tile with a letter from the board, and use that joker tile to make a new word. 

(4) Elegant Velvety Black Drawstring Bag 

The drawstring bag is elegantly-done in velvety black. A timer is included, and the 12-page game rules include game strategies to truly master the game! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.wombatstoyshop.com.au/word-x-change.html (Australia) 

https://www.madaboutscience.com.au/shop/word-xchange-junior.html (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

Rainbow Sentences, By Junior Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Language learning set 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents/ teachers looking for creative and fun educational kit 

So, what’s next after the kids have learned about phonics and words? My view - It’s putting the words together and constructing sentences time! You might have seen my recent review on “Rainbow Phonics Tiles”. Today, I would love to share about the “next level up” learning tool - “Rainbow Sentences”, from the same amazing Junior Learning . 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) 160 Word Tiles For Sentences-Forming 

We were pretty excited to see a box with massive number of tiles with words on them - 160 of them, to be exact! There are 12 articles/pronouns, 17 adjectives, 39 nouns, 44 verbs, 37 prepositions, and 11 punctuation marks. A pretty impressive set with sufficient forms of word to test out your sentence-making skills. Be creative, arrange the tiles, put them into proper order. We can make sentences from “The cup is pink.”, “What a silly game!”, “How do I look?”, to “She found my blue bike under the little bed.” - and many more. All sentences can be formed using proper punctuation marks, complete with capitalised first letter of the first word in each sentence. It’s a really stimulating and fun exercise. It’s like building a solid Lego construction using whatever types of bricks we have at home. It sharpens the kids’ creativity, develops their sentence-building skills whilst learning the correct written-language rules. 

(2) Colour-Coded Words For Visual Clarity 

The words are “colour coded”. For example, the adjectives (“good”, “happy”, “cold”) are in sky blue colour, verbs (“use”, “found”, “went”) are in red, and nouns (“bird”, “school”, “Emma”) are in purple. I love the visual clarity of it, and how the clever design facilitates word recognition to help the kids with basic sentence construction. 

(3) Magnetic Tiles + In-Built Pop-Up White Board 

The word tiles are magnetic and can be attached easily onto the in-built, pop up whiteboard comes in the box. The white board has black lines on it to help guide the sentence-building. The magnetic feature makes it easy to arrange the tiles, inter-change and replace the words to explore different sentence-forming possibilities. 

(4) Self-Contained Storage Box 

I love that the tiles are encased in a self-contained storage box, held together securely with elastic band for easy storage and portability. Love it! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://juniorlearning.com.au/products/rainbow-sentences?_pos=1&_sid=b71a42746&_ss=r

Check out my reviews on other Junior Learning products: 

• Spelligator, By Junior Learning 
• Rainbow Phonics Tiles, By Junior Learning 
• Rainbow CVC Objects, By Junior Learning
• CVC Bubble Boards, By Junior Learning
• Flashbot, By Junior Learning 
• Phonics Tri-Blocks Tub, By Junior Learning 
• CVC Tri-Blocks Tub, By Junior Learning

Enjoy the video! 

LOGICO Piccolo & Language - Picture Stories, By LOGICO - Review

Nature/ Type:            Educational learning kit 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents looking for screen-free educational learning kit 

One frame, many uses. With LOGICO, kids can learn at their own pace and skill level. We can use the same board for a variety of activities - solving tricky mathematics questions, geometrical challenges, logical puzzles, learning about colours, or doing simple counting exercise. Today, I would love to share about another LOGICO Piccolo activity book - “Language - Picture Stories” (thank you LOGICO (Australia) for providing a copy). 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) Screen-Free Frame With 10 Moveable Buttons 

LOGICO Piccolo board looks like an iPad with blue frame - but it’s screen-free, non-electronic. It’s a handheld frame with 10 moveable, colourful buttons that can be used together with various LOGICO Piccolo activity booklets. First, insert an activity card into the slot. Read the instructions, identify the problems, recognise the connection, and push the coloured buttons to the correct spots. Concept wise, it’s similar to a “draw a line to connect” activity, but LOGICO makes the exercise more engaging with its cleverly-designed activity frame and tactile experience. The kids enjoy the games and love pushing the buttons around the frame. 

(2) Activity Booklet With 16 Learning Cards & Games 

LOGICO Piccolo is designed for kids from 5 to 9 year-old (for younger kids - check out LOGICO Primo). I love the selection of LOGICO activity booklets that cover a wide array of topics - from basic numbers and counting, colours and shapes, thinking skills, geometry, and more. This “Language - Picture Stories” has 16 learning cards in it - focuses on time sequence (which picture comes first and which next), causal relations (which tool was used that caused the change), and recognises object that is out of place/ does not match a picture story. I love that the activities use settings familiar to the kids, and accompanied with bright and interesting illustrations. 

(3) Self-Checking Feature For Independent Learning 

I think the self-checking feature is the BEST part! Once the puzzles are done, kids can flip the cards over and independently confirm the answers by comparing the colour of the buttons. 

(4) Light-Weight & Compact Travel Kit 

Piccolo board is light-weight, compact, with no loose components. It’s a fantastic on-the-go activity set to bring along for short travel or family vacation! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

• LOGICO Piccolo Frame: https://www.logicotoys.com.au/collections/logico-piccolo/products/logico-piccolo-frame
• Language Picture Stories (Activity Booklet): https://www.logicotoys.com.au/collections/logico-piccolo/products/language-picture-stories

Check out my other reviews on LOGICO products: 

• LOGICO Piccolo & Geometry 1, By LOGICO 
• LOGICO Piccolo & School Readiness, By LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Numbers Up To 10, by LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Comparing Quantities, by LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Thinking Skills, by LOGICO 

Enjoy the video! 

Spelligator, By Junior Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game for kids 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids and parents, especially those who enjoy word-building games (like Scrabble)

 

If I must name a favourite words-building games for kids, “Spelligator” from Junior Learning is definitely in my TOP three! In fact, Spelligator is apparently the first-ever product of Junior Learning (created in 2009) and remains one of its top-sellers! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Word-Building Game With Colourful Chomping Spelligators! 

Spelligator helps kids to navigate the tricky world of phonics through joyous games involving colourful alligators! We love words-forming exercise - Spelligator throws in some competitive elements and fast-paced thrill in it, making this game simply irresistible! The set contains 4 plastic alligators (or “Spelligators”), 75 letter tiles, a word list, and a game guide. To play, each player takes a “Spelligator”, and spread all the tiles faced down on the table. Now, each player flips over a tile in turn, until a player can create a word by placing 3 tiles on the back of their Spelligator. The play continues until all tiles have been turned over and no more words can be made. The winner is the player with the highest stack of correct words. My 7-year-old and myself are loving the game! 

(2) Colour-Coded Letter Tiles With 3 Unique Shapes To Guide Letter-Positioning

The 75 lower-case, colour-coded letter tiles consists of 23 word beginnings, 27 word endings, and 25 middle tiles. The 3 types of tiles have their own unique shapes to guide the letter-positioning (eg the tiles “ss” and “ng” can only be placed at the end, “br” and “bl” at the beginning, and “ea” and “oi” in the middle). The tiles cover consonants, vowels, digraphs, blends - there are sufficient possibilities to form simple CVC words (like “sit”, “rat”, “bag”), as well as complex words like “church”, “draft”, “speech”, and “stamp”. 

(3) Very Helpful Word List 

I LOVE the handy word list - featuring words that can be built using the tiles, arranged in alphabetical order for easy reference. I did a rough count - there are around / over 700 words in the list! 

(4) Quality Components & Adorable Design 

I love the sturdy plastic tiles that give us a sense of “accomplishment”, watching them stacked up into little mountains of words. The tiles have hollowed-out design to snugly fit into the mould on the alligator’s back. The idea of a chomping alligators as tiles holder is such an adorable idea for kids! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://juniorlearning.com.au/products/jl100-spelligator?_pos=1&_sid=d0c6be619&_ss=r

Enjoy the video! 

Rainbow Phonics Tiles, By Junior Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Phonics learning set  

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   5-8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Teachers/ parents looking for colourful words/ phonics learning resources to keep kids interested & engaged. 

Junior Learning has an interesting range of learning resources to explore the system of words-building and language. Today, I would love to share about “Rainbow Phonics Tiles” - another learning tool that we genuinely enjoy! 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) 90 Tiles To Form & Build Words 

Within the box you will find 90 tiles with lower-case letter(s), including single letter (a short vowel or consonant), A combo of two or more letters such as a “long vowel (“ee”, “oo”, “igh”) and other vowel digraphs (“ow”, “ar”, “ur”). Our two kids (4 and 7 year-old) love using the tiles to explore and form words (sometimes, completely by “chance” 🤣) by combining the vowels and consonants. They built simple CVC and CVVC words like “sun”, “cup”, “sheep”. You can also form words with split digraphs (eg “cake”), adjacent consonants” (eg “tree”), and multi-syllabic (eg “bedtime”). Our kids love the cute sounding words like “buzz”, and “chuck”. This set provides HUGE words-building possibilities with many common letter patterns. 

(2) Colour-Coded Tiles For Visual Clarity 

The letters are “colour-coded” to give “visual clarity” to the  word-formation. Consonant tiles are in sky blue colour, and common patterns like “ear” are in purple. 5 vowels (aeiou) are in red, and there are 5 additional “e” tiles in pink. Consonant digraphs like “ch”and “sh” are in yellow, and long vowel like “ee” is in green, etc. 

(3) Magnetic Tiles To Use With Pop-Up White Board

The tiles are made of cardboard with foam board, which gives them a chunky, tactile 3D feel. Each tile has magnetic sheets at the back, which can be attached easily to the pop up whiteboard comes in the box. The set also includes some white frames of different lengths (2 to 5 empty letter spaces), which we have been using for “guess the word” game. The magnetic feature makes it easy to arrange the letters, join common suffixes (such as “ng), and change a consonant/ vowel to make new word (eg from “bat” to “cat”). We can also use this with different Junior Learning resources for more engaging play, such as the “CVC Objects” set that I have previously reviewed. 

(4) Self-Contained Storage Box 

I love that the tiles are encased in a self-contained storage box, held together securely with elastic band for easy storage. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://juniorlearning.com.au/products/rainbow-phonics-tiles?_pos=3&_sid=34225541d&_ss=r

Enjoy the video! 

Rainbow CVC Objects, By Junior Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:             Objects that represent CVC words 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   4 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Teachers/ Parents / Kids who are exploring the magic of word-forming 

Junior Learning has a range of exciting resources that are versatile, open-ended, and SUPER FUN to play with. Today I would love to share about this amazing “Rainbow CVC Objects” set - a learning tool that our family really loves. 

Why I love ❤️ it? 

(1) 40 Objects - Short & Fun Words That Follow Pattern of CVC 

Unseal the box and you will find 40 objects of various sizes, shapes and types - all brightly coloured and visually-appealing. The kids were intrigued by these seemingly unrelated objects. They picked up the pieces one at a time, observed them closely, identified and named them, and finally, discovered the common connection - these are all CVC objects! Each object represents a three-letter CVC word which follows the pattern of consonant + vowel + consonant (hence, the acronym, “CVC”). They are short, fun, punchy words that young kids love making the sound of - such as “PIG”, “LEG”, “FAN”, and “BIN”. CVC words introduce young kids to the whole new world of sounds-blending 3 individual letters. I really love how adorable the illustrated objects are. My personal favourites are the cheese-stealing RAT, the cute BAT with two vampire fangs, and the friendly FOX with a smile. 

(2) Made of Quality Thick Cardboard With Foam Board 

The objects were made of thick cardboard with foam board, which gives them a chunky 3D feel. The BEST part? There are magnetic sheets at the back of these objects. The kids can stick the pieces on whiteboard, fridge, magnetic dry erase board, and more! The magnetic feature provides the kids with numerous play possibilities. 

(3) Multi-Purpose & Versatile - Many Ways To Learn And Play!

I LOVE how multi-purpose and versatile these CVC objects are! My four-year-old loves sticking them on a white board to create random (and sometimes ridiculous) stories, and it was great fun to watch her using her imagination in such creative way! We can also challenge the kids to write the CVC words on the white board, or use them together with other Junior Learning products such as the CVC Tri-Blocks, CVC Bubble Boards, and the magnetic Phonics Tiles for some words / pictures matching games! I love how the products work so well together. 

(4) Light Weight & Easy To Be Stored Away 

I love how light weight the pieces are. The box is easy to be stored away, and does not take up much space. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://juniorlearning.com.au/products/rainbow-cvc-objects?_pos=1&_sid=9890f5d82&_ss=r

Enjoy the video!