Hasbro was kind enough to send us some of their Littlest Pet Shop products to try out. I knew my daughter would love it and when the items arrived I was not surprised to see how excited she was.

I was a little surprised at home much I like them. I’ve grown in to a big fuddy duddy who no longer plays with toys, but the Littlest Pet Shop line is really cute and fun. All of the animals have these really big head and big eyes. They are just adorable. And there are tons of toys in the line for whatever your child is looking for.

One of the items were these cute little cats. They are They come with their own box to carry them in. They are small so just the perfect size for little hands. My daughter can carry these with her wherever she goes. She keeps them in her dance bag so she can play with them while she’s waiting to start or waiting for me to pick her up.

We also got this great pen set. The pen is a toy and a writing utensil. There is a small screen on the front where you can feed and brush. You can also play games. The pen comes with pads of paper and some stickers. My daughter has been writing notes to everybody (including the Easter Bunny) with her pen and paper.

My personal favorite is the Littlest Pet Shop VIP Plush Pig. At first I thought he was a cat because aren’t pigs supposed to be pink? But he’s still cute, even though he’s yellow. The VIPs have a secret code hidden on their collar. This code unlocks a bunch of fun games on the internet. You can also play with your VIP virtually online. My daughter would stay online for hours playing these games if I would let her. There are tons of animals to choose from including a ladybug, a monkey and a spider. They are all too cute for words.

What’s really great about this line (besides how much fun it is) is everything is very reasonably priced. The small cat pair is only $3.99. The pen set is $12.99 and the VIPs are only $14.99.

I’m really impressed with the Littlest Pet Shop line and it definitely has my daughter’s seal of approval. Just last week my daughter went to a birthday party and the birthday girl got tons of Littlest Pet Shop gifts. She was thrilled with them so they are big hit with elementary school girls. Get something for your little girl.

My boys love to build things. They can play with Tinker Toys or Lincoln Logs or Legos for hours. So when I was contacted about reviewing K’NEX (pronounced con-NECTS) I jumped at the chance. I knew the boys, both young and older, would love them. And I was right.

K’NEX aren’t like any other building blocks. In fact they are more of a combination of Tinker Toys and Legos with easier to handle rods, connectors and blocks. The blocks not only work with other K’NEX sets, but they also work with other brands as well. And the pieces are pretty sturdy. We haven’t broken a rod or block yet and my kids are rough on them.

K’NEX 15th Anniversary Tub is a great tub full of over 400 K’NEX parts. Plus the tub is large enough to add more parts as your K’NEX collection grows. And it has a tight lid that keeps the parts snug in the tub rather than all over the room. It also comes with instructions to make over 20 different models. You can make trucks and airplanes and castles and more; anything your child’s heart desires. At just $19.99, this is a perfect beginner set for your five year old or older.

K’NEX Speed Machines 10 Model Building Set is perfect for the child who loves everything on wheels. This set comes with 150 parts and instructions to make 10 different speed machines, such as a rocket ship, a hovercraft and a speed boat. The instructions are easy to follow. Even my five year old was figuring it out (although he did need his eight-year-old brother’s help a few times). Together they built their own cars and raced them. They even had people to ride in their cars. It was a blast. At just $9.99 this set will entertain your 5-8 year old for hours.

K’NEX XBattlers: Crushing Cobra and Saw Shark was my eight-year-old’s favorite set, although my five-year-old thought they were pretty cool too. There are about 100 pieces to make Saw Shark and Crushing Cobra. With the rods and connectors they look like real mechanical monsters rather than just boxy figures like you’d have to make with just bricks. It’s pretty awesome. And this set is only $4.99. You can’t beat that price.

I’m really impressed with the K’NEX building products. I checked out some of the other K’NEX Building Sets on Amazon.com and can’t wait to buy some new ones for the kids. There are kits for every age. There are some roller coaster sets that my teenagers would love. There are also some educational sets to teach kids about building bridges and levers, pulleys and gears. K’NEX is definitely a step up from the other brick brands.