I was lucky enough to receive a toy from the Mighty World set from International Playthings for my 3-year old sons to test, and I’d like to share my review with PlayLibrary readers.

First, I should mention that earlier this month, I reviewed some Calico Critters toys that International Playthings asked my daughter to test. While I gave the Calico Critters toys two thumbs up, I’m going to give the Mighty World Alligator Huntset that my sons tested only one thumb up. The reason is because I think the age range provided for the toy we testedis too young.

My son tested the Might World Alligator Hunt set. When I saw the Mighty World toys on the International Playthings website, I was very excited for my son to test one of them. Both of my boys are starting to enjoy imaginary play, and I thought it would be great for them to have a more “boyish” toy set to play with rather than their sister’s My Little Pony toys.

The Mighty World Alligator Hunt set includes a boat, two figures (a man and a woman in safari clothing), oars, a fishing pole, an alligator, a map, a gun, and more small pieces. It’s a cool looking toy that could boost imaginary play, particularly for boys. There is a wide range of Mighty World toys that kids could use to create complete themed worlds from safari themesto construction themesand more.

While I think the concept of the Mighty World toys is great, I was disappointed in the size of the pieces. The pieces are very small - too small for a 3-year old to manipulate. I even had trouble trying to get the oars into the person’s hands without the hands falling off. That leads me to my other complaint about the Mighty World toys. The pieces are hard to put together yet they come apart too easily. Inserting the oars into the figure’s hands is one example. Another is the male figure’s hat that will not stay on his head. I had to keep putting it on his head over and over because my son insisted it had to be on his head, but he couldn’t put it on himself because it was too small. Let’s just say I eventually hid the hat to eliminate that problem, and luckily, it was forgotten without too much of a fight.

That leads me back to the age issue. This Mighty World toy is rated for children ages 3 and up. I think if the age range was lifted to 5 or 6 and up, this toy would have gotten a better review from me. There are many toys in the Mighty World line that are rated for older children, and I think if this one were added to that group, it would be more appropriate.

Again, I love the idea of the Mighty World toys, and I love the idea of promoting imaginary play for boys as early as 3-years old. This set is just a bit too difficult for them to use due to the small pieces. That’s why I’m giving the Mighty World Alligator Hunt one thumb up. It’s a great idea and a great toy just a bit too “old” for a 3-year old. However, if you have older children, I would definitely give one of the Mighty World toys a try.

If you have older children who have tried the Mighty World toys, leave a comment and let PlayLibrary readers know what you thought.

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HALO 3 is an incredibly popular video game, so when I saw this contest, I had to share with Play Library readers.

The Celebrity Cafe is hosting a contest where you could win one of three HALO 3 Covenant Plasma Pistolswith laser pursuit technologyfrom Jasman Toys.

The contest closes on June 30th and is open to U.S. residents only.

Follow the link to enter to win a HALO 3 Covenant Plasma Pistol(retail value approximately $70).

Good luck!

Image: Jasman Toys

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I bought my kids an Aquadoodle when they were about 2 years old. I liked the idea that they could draw on it without making a mess. In the beginning, they would make one or two marks then walk away. That evolved into them demanding that I draw various shapes for them. Eventually, they started to draw on it themselves.

Aside from them chewing on the pens when they were younger, I have only had positive experiences with the Aquadoodle. I have to fill the pens with water for my kids and shake them up a bit to get the water flowing and the pens working, but that’s the only set-up required. I love toys that require little set-up and even less clean up.

There are many accessories you can buy for the Aquadoodle, but we just have the basic Aquadoodle and mykids really enjoy it.At just $19.99, it’s one of those toys you can’t go wrong with!

Do your kids have an Aquadoodle? Have you bought any additional accessories? Which do your kids reallylike?

Image: Toysrus.com

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I took a long time trying to pick out the right sandbox for my 3-year old triplets. I didn’t want wood because we live in Florida and bugs are always a concern (especially termites).

It had to be big enough for three kids, but not too big because my yard isn’t huge. It had to have a top that secured in place because we get hurricanes here which are very windy. It also rains for a short time most days during the summer, so the top had to stay on tightly or the sand would never dry and would be unusable.

With those criteria in mind, I finally settled on the Step 2 Naturally Playful Sandbox after reading many reviews that said the top stayed on and the sand stayed dry.

We’ve been using this sandbox for a few months now and I’m happy to report that the top does stay on and the sand does stay dry! It’s also big enough for all three kids. It required no assembly and it holds a lot of sand. And one more thing, it’s only $59.99! My rating on the Step 2 Naturally Playful Sandbox - two thumbs up!

Images: Toysrus.com

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If you have a baby or know someone who is having a baby, then the My First Fish Bowl is a must-have toy. The My First Fish Bowl is intended for babies 6 months and older. It’s meant to help babies explore textures, colors, sounds and more. The best part - babies love it!

First, this toy is soft and babies love to teeth on the fish. They can all go in the washing machine, which I love. Each fish makes a different sound when you shake or squeeze them and each has a different texture. As your baby grows, he or she will move beyond simply grabbing the fish and chewing them to making noises with them and eventually putting them in the fish bowl and taking them out of the fish bowl again and again and again and again, you get the point.

This toy went through spurts of popularity with my triplets, but I think if I hadn’t given it away to make room for “older toys”, they’d still take it out and look at the fish and play with them. Of course, now they’d use their imaginations more, but I really do think they’d still use it in one way or another.

At just $15.95, the price isn’t too high for a toy that won Parenting Magazine’s Toy of the Year Award in the past. I give the My First Fish Bowl two thumbs up.

Image: LeapsandBounds.com

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