Review � Ten Person Water Totter

If you happen to be part of a really, really large family, and each time during the holiday season your uncles, aunts, siblings, nephews and nieces will congregate at your home due to this activity being a family tradition, why not offer something different to keep the little ones entertained this time around with the Ten Person Water Totter instead of letting them sit through yet another round of watching your wedding video while you adults sit down and talk elsewhere?

The Ten Person Water Totter needs no explanation really � this waterborne �toy�, so to speak, will be able to rock up to 10 people simultaneously, where five folks are meant to be positioned on either side, with all individuals grasping one of 20 built-in handles while using their respective body weight to rock the structure which stands 10' above the water�s surface, splashing opponents in the process.

This is one resilient puppy thanks to the commercial-grade, 1,000 denier polyester fabric used which is sandwiched between two layers of 28 oz. PVC. Those who have some sort of military knowledge will be pleased to know that it goes through a similar same construction process for the material as with the inflatable boats used by the U.S. Navy Seals.

All seams are hot-air sealed, and the PVC has been specially treated to block damaging UV rays. The only drawback? It costs a rather hefty $4,000 to keep the little ones in your family happy.

READ MORE - Review � Ten Person Water Totter

Review � GroClock sleep trainer helps kid hit the sack on time

Getting your kids to establish a healthy sleeping pattern can be quite challenging in this day and age, especially with so many distractions around to keep them awake such as modern toys, the iPod, handheld consoles and TV programs. You as an adult too might play a role here in influencing your child to sleep late because you have a similar pattern, but enter the GroClock to help you train your kids when it comes to sleeping.

Once you have made sure that there are no more monsters hiding around in the closet or under the bed, set the GroClock and let it work its magic. All you need to do is let your child know that when the sun shines on the GroClock, that is the time he/she is supposed to get up. And when they are about to go to bed and knock off, that is when the stars come out to play. Sort of like a Pavlovian response, don�t you think so?

Your $44.99 investment doesn�t end there when they grow up though, as they can always switch on the digital clock option when that happens, giving them a better idea by connecting the time with the appearances of the stars and sun. Neat!

READ MORE - Review � GroClock sleep trainer helps kid hit the sack on time

Review � Water Wars Water Pistol Game

Playing water pistols has just gotten more fun with the Water Wars Water Pistol Game. For those of you who grew up playing Laser Tag, you know just how fun that is, trying to zap your opponents from afar, with the vest and helmet they wear being legit targets. Since summer is here, how about playing a variation of Laser Tag with the Water Wars Water Pistol Game? Each $37 purchase will come with a couple of color changing vests, so you can tell whether your shots were accurate or not.

The kit comes with a couple of water pistols and of course, two vests, to get you started right out of the box. What�s weird is this � the vests will feature printed targets that will turn red wherever they come in contact with water, so make sure you aim properly and don�t be such a klutz to spill water all over yourself when you�re taking a break!

Just how do the vests work? Well, it isn�t magic, but instead they are printed with special ink which turns red when it gets wet, and when the shirt becomes completely red, that�s game over. Time to stash away a bucket of water as a �grenade� of sorts if you feel that you can�t take the heat. Of course, the vests will become white once again when they are dry.

READ MORE - Review � Water Wars Water Pistol Game

REVIEW >> Interactive Story Telling Mirror

It seems like I am always reporting on how the mirrors of the future will be touch-interactive. This Through the Looking Glass mirror takes it one step further.

Designed by Romy van den Broek, this mirror allows children to experience an interactive fairy tale. If you have ever seen one of those interactive storybook iPad apps, then I am guessing that the experience is going to be quite similar.

Right now, they have it set up for Hansel and Gretel, and I am told that two kids can interact with the mirror at the same time. I wonder if they can take advantage of the mirror�s reflective surface, which would be the only difference between this an some sort of storybook app or interactive website.

The technology is done with a highly reflective LCD touchscreen display, and I suppose the idea is to imitate the magical mirrors that are seen in many stories. For example, Harry Potter�s Mirror of Erised, which I just realized is �desire� spelled backwards.

Right now, this is just concept technology, and I�m not certain whether parents would justify the purchase of one of these techno-magical mirrors for their own children. Perhaps one day we will live in an age where all mirrors will be like tablet PCs, and the functions of the Through the Looking Glass mirror will be just another App.

READ MORE - REVIEW >> Interactive Story Telling Mirror

REVIEW >> Sip N Spoon Set

We saw the Spork in the past, which is the merging of a spoon and a fork to help you save on cutlery, but how about the Sip N Spoon set? The name itself gives the game away, and while it won�t sound as cool as Spork, it will still boast a dual function. Usually, when you have some delicious watery soup that you just love to gobble down, you would have to scoop it up with a spoon, and bring the spoon to your mouth. No longer with this $6.99 purchase � all you need to do is bring your mouth to the end of the spoon and suck it up � the physics of a straw will come into action, and you will get more soup into your mouth faster than the traditional method. How about that for gastronomic innovation?

The Sip N Spoon is available from Perpetual kid for $6.99 a set.

READ MORE - REVIEW >> Sip N Spoon Set

REVIEW >> R2-D2 Planetarium shows where the Death Star is

 

There is something about Star Wars that makes you want to put its iconic images from on Planetariums. There was that the Death Star planetarium that we reported about one year ago, and now there is R2D2.

Just to let you know, you aren�t going to see any holographic images of a galaxy far, far away from a long time ago. In fact, the 2-D projector is mounted on the top of his head, and not that nose-like projector on the side of his dome-shaped head. You won�t be hearing any princesses talking about how you are their only hope.

The R2D2 Planetarium displays about 10,000 stars, but I am not certain how accurate the display truly is. In fact, it shows something that won�t appear on any star charts: the Death Star. Yes, it is the original, fully-formed one from the first movie. You will notice the lack of planets surrounding it.

Not included in this R2 unit is the plans for how to destroy the deadly space station. However, if you take some fighters down into the trench in the middle, you should probably just shoot the exhaust port at the end. Yes, I don�t know why the Death Star designers left in an obvious Achilles heel in their plans, nor why there is a big trench leading right up to it. To me, that is a greater mystery than The Force itself.

This particular astrodroid is available from Sega Toys in Japan for a price of about $85. It should adorn the rooms of Star Wars geeks everywhere.

READ MORE - REVIEW >> R2-D2 Planetarium shows where the Death Star is