Thank you to LeapFrog for providing us with product, free of charge in exchange for our honest review, as part of the LeapFrog Mom Squad program. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.

What an exciting few weeks it has been at our house! B found out that he's going to be a big brother come next spring, he started his 2nd year of preschool, and is growing by leaps and bounds. B loves learning. He absolutely loves to be at school, and when he's at home with me in the afternoons, we love playing and learning together. Since I found out that I was expecting back in August, I have been one tired momma, and my energy has been depleted. Thankfully, my sweet boy is content just to sit and be with me, while I'm feeling yucky.

We were thrilled when we received notice a few weeks ago, that we'd been selected to participate in the LeapFrog Mom Squad. B was incredibly excited when I told him that we had a special package of goodies at home, just waiting for him to dig into.

Check out our LeapFrog products unboxing experience...

As you can see from the video, B was so surprised, and so excited! You know who else was excited? That's right... me! I have been a huge fan of LeapFrog products since B was just a little guy, so this is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to be able to experience these new products and share our experiences with the community!

The scene stealer- the LeapPad Platinum- LeapFrog's newest (and totally awesome) LeapPad!

B was actually a little confused over the LeapPad Platinum. He has had a LeapPad Explorer since his third birthday, so you can imagine his full on surprise over receiving a brand new and improved LeapPad! We are huge fans of LeapPad products, and his old LeapPad has been extremely well loved, and used. We couldn't wait to check out this brand new educational tablet for ages 3-9.

Does this look like an excited face to you, or what? Paw Patrol, LeapFrog Letter Factory Pals, and TMNT! Oh, my- so many favorites!

These Imagicard sets were also sent to us, for use with the new LeapPad Platinum! We couldn't wait to find out exactly what the cards were for, and how they would interact with the LeapPad. B was over the moon, because we were sent TMNT (and he is all about those ninja turtles right now), Paw Patrol (another favorite show), and LeapFrog Letter Factory sets!

As if those products from LeapFrog weren't enough... we also received the super fun, uber educational Word Whammer!

B was immediately intrigued by the Word Whammer, so we pretty much opened it up right away. I couldn't wait to see him building words with it! This fun toy is suited for ages 4+.

Here's our awesome package of goodies from LeapFrog: LeapPad Platinum, Word Whammer, and Imagicard sets.

The LeadPad Platinum comes packaged just like this. I love the box!

The front and back of the packaging gives the consumer important information, and let's you know how this LeapPad stands out.

I don't know who was more excited to tear into the LeapPad Platinum package and get it all set up and ready for use- me, or B? We've been super impressed with the LeapPad Explorer, so my husband and I couldn't wait to see the improved features of the Platinum.

The LeapPad Platinum was surrounded by plastic, and came with minimal parts/pieces.

The package simply contained the LeapPad Imagicards to get us started, instructions, and the power adapter. I love simple packaging that cuts unwanted/un-needed waste down. Smart thinking, LeapFrog! 

All we needed to get started, was the LeapPad, the adapter, and the instructions, which were printed on an easy to read card.

We plugged the LeapPad in, turned it on, and followed the directions to set up the LeapPad.

B was such a good sport while we waited for everything to load onto the LeapPad.

The coolest thing (to me) about the LeapPad Platinum, is that it is WiFi enabled! Yay! This is a huge win, because it means that we can access the LeapFrog App store/Learning Library directly from the tablet, without having to connect it to a computer! We had a lot of boo hoo moments with the Explorer when we were on tips and B wanted to download a new game from the app store, because I forgot to pack the connection cord. With the LeapPad Platinum, we don't have to worry about that- we can download new games, videos, and apps- wherever we are, if we have a secure WiFi connection!

The LeapPad Platinum offers a Kid-Safe web! With the LeapSearch feature, kiddos can browse age appropriate content, right from their LeapPad! There are parental setting options moms and dads, so don't worry- you can definitely have some control over what your kids do or don't see through the LeapSearch.

Connecting to our WiFi at home was easy peasy, and took a few seconds, at the most.

After the WiFi was all set, the hard part was waiting on the install, and then waiting for all of our previously downloaded games to transfer over to our new LeapPad Platinum. 

Now, we have a lot of games/apps from our old LeapPad, and it did take over an hour for all of the games to transfer over. B had a hard time waiting on the games to load, but we were able to check in on his pet while we waited on the other games.

Other cool features of the LeapPad Platinum that we love:

The LeapPad Platinum is tough, and built to withstand drops. It has a shatter-safe screen, a wrap around bumper, and it's been drop tested. Ours has already hit the floor a few times, and hasn't received a scratch! Pretty impressive!

The awesome camera! We totally love the camera feature on the LeapPad Platinum! It actually has two cameras and video recorders. B has already familiarized himself with the voice recorder, and loves it! Your kiddos can connect with friends if you enable the Peer-to-Peer settings, and they can share photos and videos! The Imagicards (LeapPad Platinum comes with 6 Bonus cards) are for use with the camera on the LeapPad, and unlock even more magical game features!

8GB of memory! Wow- that's a ton of photo, app and video storage! 

The LeapPad Platinum is now available, suitable for ages 3+, and retails for $129.99.

It's ready! Once the LeapPad Platinum was ready, B was all about it!

Enjoying his LeapPad Platinum after school- gotta love those Ninja Turtles! Let's learn fractions!

LeapPad Platinum Imagicard

We were really intrigued by the Imagicards. We couldn't wait to see exactly how they worked with the LeapPad. We received the three sets, and couldn't wait to check them out. The TMNT set had to be opened first, because B is totally into those cool dudes right now. 

TMNT Imagicard Set

This set comes with 30+ cards, which are used with the camera of the LeapPad. It's both a digital and physical learning experience for kids. The cards have your child interacting with the game, in a way they wouldn't be able to on a traditional tablet. The game prompts the child to select the appropriate card, and then use the camera to take a photo of it, transferring the card to the tablet! This specific game is helping B to learn fractions with the pizza-loving ninja turtles. I have been so impressed by what he's been able to do- addition, subtraction, and yes- fractions, at just four years old. The turtles even come to life on screen, and your kids can interact with them! Using the cards unlocks even more features and fun in the game!

The Paw Patrol Imagicard Set- another hit!

We love the cuddly, helpful pups of Paw Patrol, Marshall being the top favorite pup. This game helps with number recognition, counting, shapes, and patterns, which is great for us, because these are all things that B is working on in school right now. This game is a lot of fun, and focuses on working together to be good citizens, and help others- which is why we love the show so much. B uses the cards to find the pup with the right tools for each mission- saving the day, and helping the citizens of Adventure Bay with Ryder, and the rest of the Paw Patrol!

LeapFrog Letter Factory Imagicard Set

Tad, Lily, and friends are back in a fun new game which will spark your child's love of reading! This being the year before B goes to Kindergarten, we are super focused on reading and writing. The Letter Factory game helps us with spelling, consonants/vowels, and word building. The game is set around a fun carnival, and your child must use their literacy skills to unlock new features and attracions. There are also some fun mini-games included. Plus, there are over 50 trivia questions included!

The imagicard sets are geared toward different ages, which are clearly labeled on the packaging- ages 3-8. These fun learning games are avalable now, and retail for $24.99.

The LeapFrog Word Whammer

If you watched the video at the top of this post, you saw just how excited B was to receive the very cool LeapFrog Word Whammer!

The Word Whammer is a fun, educational toy that can keep kids occupied for hours! We're prepping for Kindergarten, so this is a fantastic product for us, and it couldn't have come to live with us at a better time. The Word Whammer is a musical push and twist toy, that gets your kids spelling! They learn phonics, and buld more than 100 words!

There are five learning levels, which adapt as your children play. One of our favorite things to do with the Word Whammer, is to match the uppercase and lowercase letters. We can also listen for letter sounds, and match the letters. 

I often find B chilling out in his room after school, just like this...

...jammin' with the Word Whammer!

There are three fun games to choose from...

...and one of our favorites is the penguins and the spinning teacups!

We love twisting the handle on the Word Whammer to make the teacups spin super fast, and then matching up the appropriate letters in the game!

The Word Whammer is so much fun, and B is loving it! We're taking three trips in Oct., Nov., and Dec. The longest trip will be in November when we have a 7-8 hour drive ahead of us. I am thrilled that we will be able to bring along the Word Whammer, and the LeapPad Platinum on these trips, to keep B entertained and learning. He'll miss a couple of days of school on the Nov. trip, so I plan to lay out a couple of lesson plans, using the Word Whammer and the LeapPad Platinum, so we can keep the momentum going while we're away!

The Word Whammer is intended for ages 4+, it's available now, and retails for $19.99.

Want them? Get them!

I cannot praise LeapFrog and the amazing LeapPad Platinum, Imagicards, and Word Whammer enough! I highly recommend these products for your little ones. There is no doubt in my mind that they'll love them- and so will you! Any of these products would make a great gift for a birthday, or for the upcoming holiday season!

You can find out more about these awesome products over at LeapFrog, and be sure to look for these products at your favorite retail stores, as well. You can connect with LeapFrog online through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Special thanks to LeapFrog for allowing us to share about these wonderful, educational products! We love them, and can't wait to see what LeapFrog will come out with next!