During the summer, kids need outlets to explore the world around them and engage their curious little minds. It is far too easy for kids to be sucked into the TV or video games, in my opinion. I am the TV and gaming Nazi in my home. Sure, I allow my 11 year old to play games and watch TV, but I also set limits on these activities so that he doesn't turn into a permanently attached lump on our couch. Plus, I do not allow him to play any graphically violent games that seen to be increasingly popular nowadays. The way I see it, there is already enough ugliness in the world, so why glorify it with games like HALO or Call Of Duty? Not to mention, they are not at all age appropriate. My 11 year old doesn't need to be blowing things up or shooting people to death. That just is not an option in my home. Call me strict, but it is what it is. Kids are innocent, and I think that it's the responsibility of parents to preserve this quality. Of course every home is different, and I would never judge another person for their parenting decisions. Each family is different, and each child is different. I know plenty of kids who are allowed to do these things and they are great kids. I just don't allow these activities in my home, as I do not feel these are the best influences for my children. So I like to find fun, stimulating activities that allow my kids to just BE kids. Things that are creative and enjoyable that give them something to do that doesn't confine them to the sofa. That's why I was so intrigued by the wonderful line of products found at SmartLab Toys. They offer a wide variety of mentally stimulating, educational toys for boys and girls that get them to actively explore the world around them. Whether it be creating trendy jewelry and other art projects or conducting neat science experiments, SmartLab Toys literally has something for everyone! I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to review the Bug Playground from SmartLab Toys. This is a great activity for my oldest child, since he is very into science and nature related activities. When this awesome toy arrived, he was so excited, and insisted on putting it together all by himself! Well, this proved to be a bit beyond him since he wasn't interested in thoroughly reading the instructions, so my husband ended up assisting him. The Bug Playground is really a neat product, since not only does it give kids the opportunity to capture and observe some creepy crawly friends, it gives these bugs a virtual amusement park to explore! There is a twirly slide, a bridge, a rock wall to climb and even a pool to take a dip in! Included with the Bug Playground is an informative little book that describes different bug behavior. So while children watch their newly captured bugs "play" they will also be able to decode different behaviors. They will be learning new things without even knowing it! I love educational toys that make learning a fun and effortless endeavor! My son promptly took his bug catching tool, which is included with the product, outside and began catching some bugs. Of course we told him no wasps, bees, roaches, or venomous spiders. This should be common sense, but with kids, you never really know! In no time at all, he had found not one but TWO large grasshoppers! He placed them in the Bug Playground and had a blast watching them do their buggy thing in this cute little enclosure! Here are some photos of the Bug Playground! Overall, we really enjoyed the Bug Playground from SmartLab Toys! This offered my son the opportunity to get off of the couch and get moving as well as learn new things about insects! What a wonderful exploratory and educational toy! Any little boy is sure to love the Bug Playground and have many adventures catching some creepy crawlers to study! Of course, catching and releasing back into nature is highly recommended. If you're anything like me, you won't want bugs on the loose in your home! Disclaimer: No bugs were harmed in the making of this review. :) Another very cool thing that SmartLab Toys has to offer is their Free Zone. What's this? It's a totally FREE corner of the SmartLab website that offers children fun, educational activities and trivia to keep those little minds working and wondering all summer long! This site has downloadable content that is absolutely free for families and is updated weekly so summer boredom will be a thing of the past. Keep your children engaged with things like Star-Gazing, Weird and Gross Trivia, Gummy Worm Cupcakes and Rotten Plastic Milk! There is always something new to explore at SmartLab Toys! Interested in seeing what great toys and activities SmartLab Toys has for your kids? Here's how to connect! BUY IT: You can purchase SmartLab Toys products on their website. From now until August 31, 2011, you can save a WHOPPING 25% off your SmartLab Toys order by using the following code during checkout: BLOGDEAL711 You can also connect with them on Facebook and on twitter to stay on top of their latest products and promotions! WIN IT: One VERY lucky winner will receive a Bug Playground of their own from the nice folks at SmartLab Toys! Please use this handy Rafflecopter form to enter. IMPORTANT: For the mandatory comment entry, please include a valid e-mail address IN THE BODY OF YOUR COMMENT! Feel free to use the following format to combat spam: yourname(at)yourprovider(dot)com. If you do not do this, I may not be able to view your e-mail address to contact you if you win! This giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents 18+ and will be open until 12:01AM EST on 7/27/2011. Winner will be chosen at random and will be announced here, tweeted, shared on Facebook, and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to reply and claim their prize. If I receive no response, I will be forced to draw a new winner. ***Disclosure: I received a complimentary product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
87 Comments
Brooke Schwaderer
7/12/2011 05:47:59 am
It's Alive! T. rex
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Scott Heyboer
7/12/2011 05:50:12 am
Thanks for the chance, my boys would love it!
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Karla Sceviour
7/12/2011 08:50:34 am
I like the Squishy Brain..my son would love that!
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Ann F
7/12/2011 10:33:25 am
I would like to get my daughter the Inside Out! The Human Body science kit.
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debbie
7/12/2011 09:40:21 pm
I like the bath fizzy lab.
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Michelle
7/12/2011 10:20:20 pm
Both of my boys love cupcakes so the Cupcake Decorating Studio would be a big hit.
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Linda
7/13/2011 12:47:47 am
I like the Custon Car Design Shop.
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Corinne Soto
7/13/2011 01:26:05 am
The Bath Fizzy lab looks really Cute! Plus my kids LOVE their baths LOL
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Karen Medlin
7/13/2011 02:46:53 am
I like the You-Build-It Robo-Bug
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edq143
7/13/2011 03:01:49 am
enter me thanks
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Laura C
7/13/2011 07:04:02 am
I like Glitter Spa Lab.
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Lara J
7/13/2011 07:10:10 am
The ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover, looks like it would be a lot of fun!!!
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Gianna Patton
7/13/2011 08:01:10 am
I love the Bath Fizzy Lab :)
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This looks like great fun! It's such an amazing blog I must say! So, full of colours!! I'm sure everyone would love it! If we talk about mothers, my sister who just recently got married, told me about a website where there are some most amazing applications for baby monitoring, baby names as well as food and weight etc. Seeing many mothers would be delighted to see them, I so wanted to share it. So here you go: http://www.mobilemediacity.com/portfolio
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Amy McCarty
7/13/2011 11:31:30 am
The Inside Out! The Human Body is really neat! I would love to check it out. amymccarty at hotmail dot com
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Amy McCarty
7/13/2011 11:32:20 am
I would really like to try the Inside Out! The Human Body!! It looks really neat O!! amymccarty at hotmail dot com
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Amy McCarty
7/13/2011 11:42:39 am
Entered green pan giveaway!
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Amy McCarty
7/13/2011 11:45:11 am
Shared on facebook amymccarty@hotmail.com
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Diane R.
7/13/2011 01:28:00 pm
I liked the It's Alive! T. Rex kit for my grandson.
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Carrie Martinet
7/13/2011 02:19:08 pm
I like the look of the Fizzy Lab!
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Melissa
7/14/2011 07:52:25 am
My son absolutly loves to figure out all kinds of bugs, He loves to look at them closley and learn all kinds of new things about them He would love somethng like this
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Gianna Patton
7/14/2011 10:29:11 am
I entered the Growums giveaway!
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Gabriella Iacobone
7/14/2011 06:31:46 pm
Inside Out the Human Body
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Karen Medlin
7/15/2011 12:57:04 am
shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122772124480391&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/15/2011 12:57:26 am
2 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122772124480391&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/15/2011 12:57:59 am
3 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122772124480391&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/15/2011 12:58:21 am
4 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122772124480391&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/15/2011 12:58:48 am
5 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122772124480391&id=100002394242718
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Pauline Milner
7/16/2011 05:26:26 pm
One of my favourite items from Smartlab Toys is the Horse Drawing Studio.
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Lexigurl
7/16/2011 06:22:48 pm
I like the glitter spa lab
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Melissa Lawler
7/17/2011 05:17:01 am
I would love to get the Robo Explorer for my grandson!
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 06:49:29 am
shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=223142694390253&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 06:49:48 am
2 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=223142694390253&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 06:50:07 am
3 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=223142694390253&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 06:50:24 am
4 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=223142694390253&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 06:50:48 am
5 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=223142694390253&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 11:57:39 pm
shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=194078723979805&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 11:57:58 pm
2 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=194078723979805&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 11:58:19 pm
3 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=194078723979805&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 11:58:33 pm
4 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=194078723979805&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/18/2011 11:58:49 pm
5 shared on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=194078723979805&id=100002394242718
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7/19/2011 12:30:33 am
I'd love to try the Itty-Bitty Baking Kit with my oldest!
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Karen Medlin
7/19/2011 10:00:14 pm
shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225019024203254&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/19/2011 10:00:33 pm
2 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225019024203254&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/19/2011 10:00:49 pm
3 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225019024203254&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/19/2011 10:01:05 pm
4 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225019024203254&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/19/2011 10:01:22 pm
5 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225019024203254&id=100002394242718
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tina page
7/19/2011 10:57:17 pm
the all-natural spa lab would be great for my daughter!
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tina page
7/19/2011 11:00:33 pm
i also entered the pj giveaway.
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Karen Medlin
7/21/2011 03:54:55 am
shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=208428219208907&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/21/2011 03:55:09 am
2 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=208428219208907&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/21/2011 03:55:26 am
3 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=208428219208907&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/21/2011 03:55:42 am
4 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=208428219208907&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/21/2011 03:56:01 am
5 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=208428219208907&id=100002394242718
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Carrie Wilson
7/22/2011 04:32:47 am
Our favorite is actually the bug playground! My son got one for his birthday and loved it until his little brother broke it :(
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Carrie Wilson
7/22/2011 04:40:01 am
I am entered in you Build a Dream playhouse giveaway!
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Karen Medlin
7/22/2011 05:10:24 am
shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126139960810785&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/22/2011 05:10:41 am
2 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126139960810785&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/22/2011 05:10:59 am
3 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126139960810785&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/22/2011 05:11:17 am
4 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126139960810785&id=100002394242718
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Karen Medlin
7/22/2011 05:11:31 am
5 shared-http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126139960810785&id=100002394242718
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Jennifer
7/22/2011 10:50:17 am
elsinore98 AAAT hotmail DOT com
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Gladys Parker
7/22/2011 06:38:19 pm
After the Bug Playground The it's alive T. Rex is my fave
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Brandi Westmoreland
7/23/2011 07:35:14 am
My son loves dinosaurs so I love the T-Rex
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Shanna
7/24/2011 05:42:25 am
I like the It's Alive T-Rex!
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Jodi Kershuk
7/24/2011 07:12:36 am
3-D Puzzle Play - Dinosaur
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jenny willis
7/24/2011 01:13:12 pm
It's live trex. jenn29love@hotmail.com
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jenny willis
7/24/2011 01:19:10 pm
I entered 12 months laundry detergent giveaway. jenn29love@hotmail.com
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Jill Myrick
7/24/2011 02:25:33 pm
My son would also love the indoor/Outdoor Microscope.
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Tonya H
7/24/2011 07:29:45 pm
My son would love the It's Alive! T. rex
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Mellissa
7/24/2011 09:13:19 pm
I like the You-Build-It Robo-Bug
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BeautyToLove
7/25/2011 03:30:51 am
-Favorite Toy: ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover
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Amy
7/25/2011 11:40:28 am
I like the T Rex
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charline
7/25/2011 08:26:10 pm
I like the car design studio
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Jill L
7/25/2011 09:34:07 pm
The ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover looks pretty cool.
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Rebecca Peters
7/26/2011 12:43:37 am
I like the spa lab
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Betty Curran
7/26/2011 05:18:00 am
I like the Indoor-Outdoor Science Lab.
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april bever
7/26/2011 08:02:45 am
I like the Remote Control Rocket
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7/26/2011 08:32:57 am
Thanks for having this giveaway!
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Susan Smoaks
7/26/2011 10:07:30 am
our son would like the extreme secret formula lab
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Susan Smoaks
7/26/2011 10:08:31 am
our son would like the extreme secret formula lab
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Belle Windham
7/26/2011 12:25:47 pm
I like the bug playground the best but second would be the squishy human body.
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Pauline M
7/26/2011 12:37:30 pm
We have bought the Remote Control Rocket in the past and loved it!
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Ericka
7/26/2011 12:45:04 pm
I think the All-Natural Spa Day is pretty neat.
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7/27/2011 09:03:06 am
I'm liking the Blast-Off Rocket.
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Karen Gonyea
7/27/2011 09:29:31 am
LOVE the ALL-Natural Spa Day kit for my daughter :)
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