Another new school year is fast approaching, and I am beginning to hear that familiar voice in my head that speaks to me every summer at around this same time. It’s my “mom” voice telling me that it is again time to take stock of my children’s needs for a brand new year. Needs that are very different now that they are a year older than they were one year ago. This year my youngest will be entering JK, and his interests are now light years beyond where he was last year at this time, which brings him to a whole new level of learning.
As a mom, one of my biggest pleasures is watching my children learn, and I love it when learning comes to them in the form of fun. In searching for a new toy that will capture my little guy’s imagination while giving him valuable instruction, I came across the Learning Essentials Counterpillar, by Learning Resources.
I knew right away that this was something he would love. I showed the Counterpillar to a very excited little boy. He could hardly wait to get started! He loves watching the colors as he moves the beads from side to side and loves practicing his numbers as we count the beads together.
This colorful, cleverly named toy is topped by a smiling caterpillar that stretches across the top, colored a bright, cheerful green, undoubtedly designed to catch every little one’s eye. Underneath the circular sections of the caterpillar’s long body are two rows of ten beads each, five purple, five yellow, five blue, and five red. On the base of the toy are written the numbers one through ten. The beads can be easily slid across the rows by little fingers, helping to teach children their numbers in the most unassuming way. My little guy and I have spent lots of time absorbed in play with this adorable toy, as he learns the fundamentals of arithmetic while moving the beads across the rows.
I especially like the size of all the different parts of the Counterpillar. Its length is 11 ½”, and its overall height is 8”, the perfect size for wherever we place it for play; whether on a table, a desktop, or even the floor, the fit is always just right. The size of every bead is perfect for his little fingers as he moves them back and forth, learning as he goes.
The Counterpillar also serves another purpose. In addition to helping youngsters to count, to add, and to subtract, its bright colors will also engage children as they play, and will help to strengthen their ability to recognize the differences between, say, purple and blue, or yellow and green.
I see an educational toy as invaluable to both children and parents. The Counterpillar is being introduced to the market just in time for a new school year. By giving the Learning Essentials Counterpillar to my son, I have given him a new opportunity to have fun, which is what he wants from a toy, but to be learning while he plays, which is what I want from a toy. I can easily see how this toy will give my son an edge on the new school year and help to enforce the new things he’ll be learning.
At $19.99 I find the Learning Essentials Counterpillar to be very reasonably priced. Although it lacks the bells and whistles you would find with an Xbox or another “high tech toy”, it is infinitely useful, providing hours upon hours of fun for children, turning playtime into a time of learning and exploration. I feel confident in recommending this toy to parents like me who look for only the best for our children!