How to save your LeapPad from a watery grave!

Last week my youngest's  LeapPad somehow ended up in a full sink of hot soapy dish water.

We are not quite sure how long it had been in there but by the time my hubby noticed it was in there it was well and truly soaked.

My first thought was .... "well that's the end of that".

But I had to at least try and save this most loved possession.


With no time to wast I drained as much water out as I could and then set to work dismantling it .

I suggest watching this to aid in dismantling.

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Once I had it in pieces I used kitchen towel to dry everything as much as I could very carefully, as not to damage anything.

Next step was a large bowl and Lots and lots of uncooked rice.

Completely cover and pack rice very carefully, everywhere you can get it.
Put you bowl of rice a la LeapPad in a cupboard and forget about it for a couple of days.

After at least 48 hour, carefully remove all the rice and reassemble the LeapPad .
If you are lucky, as I was, it will spring back to life.

Looking for a leapPad 2

Just another reason I love takealot.com , is I just managed to get a great deal on a new leapPad 2 bundle, for my son. 

You get the LeapPad 2 and a 20LFD download card for R1149 (free shipping to your door)
They have stock and if you live in major centres if you order before 2pm on the 21st Dec you will get it in time for x-mass.

Link to Green LeapPad 2 Bundle
Link to Pink LeapPad 2 Bundle

LEAP PAD 2

The Leap Pad 2 is available from my favorite online shop (takealot.com) on pre-order

 http://www.takealot.com/toys/leapfrog-2031/leapfrog-leappad2-explorer-pink,12843180

http://www.takealot.com/toys/leapfrog-2031/leapfrog-leappad2-explorer-green,12843175

R 1,299 Shipping Included

Pre-order: Dispatched 30 Sep, 2012 

The number 1 learning tablet just got better!

• LeapPad2 Explorer inspires kids to imagine and explore with front-and-back cameras, 4 GB of memory and a library of 125+ apps for limitless learning and fun!

• Explore a library of 125+ LeapFrog Explorer cartridges and downloadable apps, including innovative book apps, videos, music, creativity apps and more!

• LeapPad2 comes with 5 apps: Pet Pad, LeapFrog Learning Songs, Cartoon Director, Art Studio and one app of your choice.

• Works with all LeapFrog Explorer cartridges and apps (sold separately).

• Capture your world in two ways with front and back cameras/video recorders! Trace, create and play by using your finger or the included stylus on the brilliant 5 touch screen, control the action in games with motion-based play and record your own voice with a built-in microphone!

• Progress is remembered from game to game so the learning and fun keep moving forward!

• The LeapPad 2 has a faster processor and 4GB of memory.

• Parents can connect to the free, online LeapFrog Learning Path to see specific details of their child's learning progress and share achievements and artwork with family and friends.

• Additional apps and games sold separately.

• Parents can see and share their child's learning progress through the online LeapFrog Learning Path.

• For children ages 4 to 9 years. Requires 4 AA batteries (not included).

Warning: WARNING! Not suitable for children under 36months. Long Cord. Strangulation hazard
Additional Apps and games are sold separately.

Harmonies App Review

This cute little app will set you back 5 LF$

Leapfrog's suggested age range is 4-7 Years, but I would place it from 2 to 4 years,
Its a very basic app where you choose one of the 5 songs

• Twinkle, twinkle little star
• Bach minuet
• The wheels on the bus
• Row, row, row your boat
• She'll be coming round the mountain

And then conduct the four singers by turning their voices on or off by touching them to adjust the harmony's

You can also add sound effects  to the songs.

• Drum 
• Dog
• Cat 
• Symbol 

This game does not have a goal or any type of scoring, it is just a fun way to play with music.

My kids enjoy this game in small bursts, but I think if it had a objective it would be far more engaging
Great app for younger kids who are not ready to play the more complex games where counting, spelling or good coordination are needed.

Rewards Revamp

Yesterday I was finally able to retrieve reward's again. 

It looks like the issues. We have all been having with being unable to connect to the rewards screen to get treats and micromods was because they were updating the interface.

I must say this new rewards screen is much better than the last one and seems to load considerably faster. 

I just wish LeapFrog had let us know what was going on as it would of saved a lot of parental frustration, and no doubt several thousand emails from disgruntled parents who where left in the dark yet again. 

Great news for left handed kids !

If like me you have a left handed child, I'm sure you were a Little disappointed that Leapfrog had disregarded our children when designing the Pet Pad app.

My Son a Lefty was frustrated by the screen setup being orientated to the right, Making it very awkward to trace the alphabet letters without touching the rest of the screen.

Well Leapfrog has finally rectified this issue, with its latest update.
Now when you enter this part of the Pet Pad app you can select to orientate the screen for left handed children

If you do not yet have this option, just connect your LeapPad to the connect software and check for updates.

Unable to connect to LeapWorld

Like many of you i have been unable to Connect to LeapWorld for the last week or so. 

I am using my best nagging ability's to get a straight answer as to why this is happening and what it being done to remedy the situation.

As soon as i have any info I will post.

Hi All

Hi, All

Sorry if I'm a little quite at the moment.  I'm getting ready to move provinces, so life is a little hectic right now.
Please leave comments or email me if you need help and i will reply ASAP.

Regards Emma

LeapPad's Available on Pre-Order

Takealot.com and kalahari.com  are taking pre-orders on the much coverted LeapPad.

Takealot.com 
(Pre-order: Dispatched 31 Jan, 2012)


Green LeapPad R1095 (Shipping included) 


Pink LeapPad R1095 (Shipping included) 


kalahari.com 

Pre-order (expected date: January 2012)

Green LeapPad R1,199.95 (Shipping included)

Pink LeapPad   R1,199.95 (Shipping included)

A little something extra

I have added a couple of new features to LeapPad Owners SA.

A Readers Forum - Where you can Start your own topics,
( Please note : I am not limiting this forum to only LeapPad related topics, so feel free to discuss other toys etc )

A Gallery - For you to show off your kids LeapPad art or Photos
(Please note you will need to register to view or add to the Gallery )

I hope you will enjoy and make use of these little added extras.

2 New Video apps

2 new Word World Videos have been added to the SA app center Volume 15 and 16 .

Don't be puzzled there seems not to be a 14 ?!

Digging for Dinosaurs

Ages 5 to 8

About

Play games to learn fascinating facts about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus and many other dinosaurs!

• Learn how dinosaurs lived when they roamed the planet. 
• Dig up dinosaur bones to see how each dinosaur was unique. 
• Build skeletons for a Velociraptor, Triceratops and other dinosaurs to open a new exhibit in the museum. 
• Teaches science concepts, dinosaur facts and logic and reasoning skills. 

Teaches 

• Science concepts  - Children learn to consider scientific concepts within the domains of life science, physical science, and earth science.

• Dinosaur facts - Basic facts about common dinosaurs, such as what they eat, where they lived and their physical characteristics.

• Animal facts - Even very young children can begin to categorize animals by species, imitate their sounds and learn interesting facts about them.

• Logic and reasoning - Logic and reasoning skills begin to develop at an early age and are used to solve problems and draw conclusions.

• Problem solving - Children use logical reasoning skills and investigate multiple possibilities to develop creative problem-solving strategies.

• Drawing conclusions - Children learn to use text, illustrations, and prior knowledge to draw conclusions and comprehend what they read.

The best price I've found this game for in SA is  R 456 (Shipping Included)  Digging for Dinosaurs - Takealot.com - US imports

Dora the Explorer

Ages 4 - 7 years

About

Bring faraway places to life with Dora the Explorer as you learn about the cultures, animals and landscapes of 4 different countries and expand your Spanish vocabulary.

• • Learn about local animals, food, clothing, landscapes and more. 
• • Travel the world and learn about the cultures of Egypt, China, Australia & Peru. 
• • Learn the Spanish words for numbers, directions, shapes and colors. 
• • Teaches Spanish vocabulary, social studies and culture and map skills. Appropriate for children ages 4 to 7 years (grades pre-K to 1).

Teaches

• Social studies and culture - Learning about the people and places in our world helps children to become global citizens.

• Spanish vocabulary -  Children can build on the foundation of their first language and enhance cognitive development by learning the sounds and words of Spanish.

• Map skills  - Children develop map skills by reading and drawing maps of familiar places and then using maps to locate places, measure distances, and compare regions.

The best price I've found this game for in SA is  R 314  (Shipping Included)  Dora the Explorer - takealot.com - US imports

Scooby-Doo! Pirate Ghost of the Barbary Coast

Ages 4-7 Years

About

Uncover clues using logic and reasoning skills to help solve the mystery of the sea monster and pirate ghost who are haunting San Francisco!

• Solve more than 50 logic & reasoning puzzles while exploring nutrition and food facts.
• Collect hidden clues to solve the mystery (with three different endings!).
• Splat monsters with pies to help Scooby-Doo escape danger!

Teaches

• NutritionUnderstanding of food groups helps children make smart choices concerning their health and nutrition. 

• Cooking and experimenting with food also helps children develop their palate and appreciate where food comes from.

• Problem-solving skills - Children learn to solve problems using strategies such as estimation, rounding, and counting.

• Logic and reasoning skills - Logic and reasoning skills begin to develop at an early age and are used to solve problems and draw conclusions.

The best price I've found this game for in SA is  R 325 (Shipping Included)  Scooby Doo - takealot.com - US imports

Suggestion box !!

I would love to know, what you would like to see on LeapPad Owners SA. 

Please add your suggestions in the comment Box below 

Tinkerbell and the lost Treasure review

My nephew bought this game for my daughter (5) for Christmas.

It was my first choice for her. She had started to learn basic addition and subtraction last year in Grade 0 and was showing a lot of interest in maths, added to which she loves TinkerBell.

This game, however, has proven difficult for me to review as I keep swinging from loving it to hating it and back again. 

What finally tipped the scale in favour of this game is that my daughter loves it and she has made amazing advances in her maths skills in a very short space of time. 

LeapWorld Update

I asked the nice guys at Prima Interactive (The SA Leapfrog Distributors) if they could find out whats going on with Leapworld, as the constant on-again-off-again thing is a little irritating. 


They contacted LeapFrog International and this is their response 


"We are carrying out some updates on the LeapWorld site and this may cause customers some issues."


The guys at Prima Interactive have promised to keep me updated as soon as they hear more from LeapFrog.

Micromods

So it looks like the Micromod's are gone again, Or at least for some of us.
I will see what i can find out and keep you all updated.

Metric or Imperial ??

When I was browsing  the South African app center  the other day, "LeapSchool: In the Kitchen with Hap!" caught my eye. 
This game teaches :

• Counting
• Measurement
• Health & nutrition
• Food facts

But just before I was about to download this game something occurred to me; nowhere does it state whether this game uses metric or imperial measurements.

A very important issue as I do not want to confuse my kids by teaching them the wrong system.

I have subsequently contacted the powers that be and below is their response

"  We use metric for non-US lines"

An example:

“Fill the bowl with strawberries until the needle of the scale points to 3 kilograms.”

(see 10 LF dollar game apps for more info on this and other game's.)

My Alphabet Stew app Review

Stew

Recommended Ages 4-9 Years

My 5 year old daughter really enjoys this game and I have noticed an 

improvement in her spelling since she has been playing.