Well before I became a mom, I knew that I wanted to be very hands on with my child when it came to activities, learning experiences, etc. I have always learned better by doing, and when I was in school, I loved opportunities that incorporated hands on activities. It comes as no surprise that my son loves hands on learning- through sensory play, games, and toys. My husband and I have made it a priority to spend one on one time with our son, as well as family time, and in that time we do things like play and encourage the use of imagination and storytelling, we read together, and play games. My husband and I both cherish these special moments, because we see our sweet little song growing into a big boy, who loves to play and learn.

Some of our very favorite educational toys and games, are from Educational Insights. The fine folks at Educational Insights believe that work is play, and for over 50 years, have been helping kids love to learn through play- with their award-winning educational toys, games, and more. Educational Insights works with worldwide experts- from scientists to teachers, to bring children the best, most exciting learning products available. From the product packaging to playtime, Educational Insights has children's learning experiences in mind.

We were so excited for the opportunity to select two products from Educational Insights Holiday Gift List to try out and enjoy at home! I spent a little time reviewing the list of options, the specs for each product, etc- but it didn't take long for me to recognize the products that I knew would be most beneficial to B, and the ones he would most enjoy, as well.

Our products arrived from Educational Insights, and we were so excited, just from the cool boxes the products were packaged in! B wondered what could be in the box with the Dino prints all over it!

We love the bright, smiling boxes that our items arrived in!

We have been watching a show on Hulu, called Dino Dan, and B is super duper into dinos right now (more than he was before!). So, it was only natural that I selected the T-Top! Triceratops Bulldozer, which is appropriate for ages 3+.

The T-Top! Triceratops Bulldozer came packaged in this colorful box, and was larger than life!

This kid powered dino bulldozer requires no batteries! Hallelujah for awesome products like this that don't leave little ones crying when the batteries stop working- none are needed to play with this bulldozing dino!

This cool toy is part dino, and part bulldozer, which makes is totally cool! It's brightly colored, and very durable. It's kid-powered, and can push through dirt, sand, snow, can bulldoze gravel or branches, or blocks! We love this perfect indoor/outdoor toy, which is great for boys and girls! B couldn't wait to get the T-Top! Triceratops Bulldozer outside and into his sandbox, so he could truly test it out. We cleared out most of the other sand toys, to make way for this massive dino! B had a blast as the the triceratops pushed the sand around, making dunes, and then- destroying them, of course (complete with dino sound effects).

The smiles say it all! 

Scooping and pouring... and having such a fun time with the T-Top Triceratops Bulldozer!

Not a day goes by that we're not having a bit of dino-riffic fun with the super cool T-Top Triceratops Bulldozer from Educational Insights! This toy goes everywhere- from B's room to the sandbox, and backyard. We've even played with it out on the front porch, bulldozing the leaves! I would highly recommend this product, if you're looking for a gift that will leave a happy smile on your child's face, and will be a toy that they go back to over and over again!

Features of the T-Top Triceratops Bulldozer

T-Top is part bulldozer, part triceratops, and totally kid-powered. This bright red mega-morph can push dirt, steer through sand, bulldoze branches, or push blocks out of the way, stopping for nothing in its path. With a sturdy, smashing tail and movable jaw, T-Top gives kids a roaring chance to build or demolish imaginary worlds of their own. 

Enhances imagination

Encourages creative play

Promotes outdoor discovery

Develops fine and gross motor skills

Kid-powered; no batteries required

Built kid-tough and designed to last

Gigantic parts perfect for small hands to maneuver

Large movable jaw, swinging tail moves in many directions, and treads leave tracks on dirt or sand

Designed for indoor and outdoor play

$39.00

My second choice for B was the Robot Face Race Game, suitable for ages 4+.

We love playing games. B and I play at least one game every day, and though it can be frustrating at times, we stick with it, because I know that it's teaching B patience, understanding, compassion, reasoning, observation, and good sportsmanship. B's daddy can be a bit of a sore loser- he loves to win, but I am out to teach my son that winning isn't everything, and a game is just that- a game. Doing your best is what's important, and so is working together, and showing kindness.

The Robot Face Race Game looked like a winner to me!

We loved the bright packaging of the game box. When I showed the game to hubby, he seemed a bit concerned that B might become easily frustrated with this game, and might not understand how it ought to be played. I had faith, however, that B would figure this game out in no time, and it might be challenging, but at four years old, he needs to be challenged in his thinking.

B was totally thrilled to see that he got a new robot game!

I appreciated that Educational Insights included bright, easy to read instructions that weren't overwhelming for mom and dad!

The game came with a game board, a shaker, and little robot faces.

I loved how bright and colorful the game board was, and so did B. He noticed right off that all of the robot faces on the game board were different from one another, and he wondered how on earth we were supposed to play this game?

We set up the board, and got our shaker ready, so we could try this fun game out!

How to play:

Each robot on the board has a different colored face, eyes, nose, and mouth. The shaker dome contains five small colored balls- red, blue, purple, yellow, and green. There are four holes for the balls to land in, and a picture of eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a face above each spot. The fifth ball disappears and is held underneath the shaker until it is shaken again. Use the color code from the shaker to find the robot that corresponds with the pictures and colors- i.e. Blue face, Yellow Eyes, Purple nose, and Red mouth. The player who can find the corresponding robot on the game board first, wins the race, and places their colored robot game piece on top of the face they found. This game can be played with 2-4 players.

B, having such a fun time racing mommy to find the robot!

It didn't take long for B to catch onto the concept of this fun game. Before I knew it, he was shaking the color shaker, and dashing over to the game board, to find the corresponding robot faces. At first, he got frustrated on the first few tries, because it seemed that he found a match in all colors, except for one. So, we used process of elimination, which worked well, and helped B be a bit more patient. It's much more fun, going from robot face to face and saying, 'Nope, it can't be that one, because...'

Suddenly, B was making matched in no time! Just look at these colorful robot faces!

Shake, shake, shake... and let the colors show themselves!

We found tons of matches in no time, and had so much fun 'racing' to find them.

This is definitely one of B's new favorite games. Just look at that smile!

Features of the Robot Face Race Game

Help a crazy inventor find the heads he needs to complete his robot bodies in this frantically fun feature-finding game! Shake the Robot Randomizer, then scan the board for the robot head with the matching eyes, nose, and mouth. It’s a frantic feature-finding game that’s fun for the whole family! For 2-4 players. 

*Sharpens visual discrimination – a key pre-reading skill!

*Hones concentration

*All-play matching game

*Requires no reading to play

$19.99

Educational Insights offers so many educational Christmas gift options! 

Check out some of our top picks...

Geo Safari- My First Microscope

Dinosaur Puppet on a Stick

Magic Moves Jammin Gym

Kanoodle Genius

Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game

Design & Drill Socket to Me

I love that these award-winning toys are safe, and educational. They will provide hours of fun and learning at home, in the classroom, or wherever you choose to play with them! Our T-Top Triceratops and Robot Face Race Game will see lots of playtime through the years in our home! If you're looking for a unique gift that will challenge, excite and encourage your child to learn and discover, I would highly recommend taking a look at Educational Insights' line-up of truly spectacular toys and games. You'll be glad you did!

Want them? Buy them!

Head on over to Educational Insights to learn more about their wonderful company and products, or to browse their entire collection of educational toys and games for children. You can purchase these items directly from Educational Insights, or on Amazon. Sign up for the Educational Insights e-newsletter to save 10% and to stay in the loop! You can also connect with Educational Insights on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

Special thanks to our friends at Educational Insights for allowing us to review and share about these wonderful educational toys and games!

Happy browsing!