Learning Resources Smart Snacks Alpha Pops Review & Giveaway

From the time Kaelyn was very young, she has had a love for learning. I enjoy encouraging that love in any way I can...especially when it comes to finding fun activities and games we can do together. At 4 years old, she is especially interested in letters, sounds and words...so I've been keeping my eye out for toys and products that will help her learn and prepare for preschool. Thankfully, I know I can count on Learning Resources for just that!

The leading manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational materials for classrooms and learning toys for the home, Learning Resources has been a trusted source for educators and parents for more than 25 years! With a diverse product line of over 1300 products focusing on everything from mathematics, science, early childhood, reading, etc...it's no wonder Learning Resources is a name known around the world.

As I've mentioned in the past, I am a huge fan of Learning Resources and have been since before I had children and was teaching preschool. They create hands-on activities that build a foundation of skills through imagination and fun. I always enjoy visiting their site and recently came across their new 2012 products, many of which I know my kids would absolutely love. That's why I was excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review one!

With Kaelyn's interest in letters, words, sounds and more...I knew she would enjoy something like the Smart Snacks Alpha Pops. In fact, when the box arrived, she was begging to get it out right there and then. Of course, I couldn't say no...I was just as excited to check this new toy out!

As we pulled the pieces out of the box, I was happy to find the great quality Learning Resources is known for. The colors are bright and intriguing for both Kaelyn (4 years old) and Kaden (2 years old).

We began by separating the Alpha Pops and mixing them up so Kaelyn could match the lowercase and uppercase letters. I knew she'd enjoy a game like this, as we talk a lot about the letters and do different activities with them. Not only does this game encourage recognition of letters though, I was amazed at the step further that Kaelyn took it! As she picked up matching letters, she'd tell me the letter, the sound it made and a word that started with it all on her own! She has had a lot of fun with this, and I have enjoyed watching her!
The pops are double sided with a different letter on each side. This confused her at first, but she quickly learned that's how each of the pops were and soon got the hang of it.

Not only was it fun and challenging for Kaelyn, but Kaden also enjoyed it! The bright colors really grabbed his attention and instead of trying to match using the letters...he began matching up the pops based on color. The Alpha Pops are large enough that his little hands could hold and manipulate them easily which was nice too!
I have been pleasantly surprised with how well both my kids like the Smart Snacks Alpha Pops. It was a game I thought would be good for encouraging Kaelyn's letter recognition...but it turned out to be so much more than that! Both of my kids have learned from this toy and had a lot of fun at the same time. I love that it's something children of different ages and skill levels can use. They've been having a blast with the Alpha Pops and I know this is something we'll be pulling out a lot more in the future!

If you're looking for a fun, educational toy for your 2-5 year olds... I would definitely recommend Smart Snacks Alpha Pops from Learning Resources. The quality is great and it helps encourage letter recognition, fine motor skills, imaginative play and more!

Buy It: You can purchase the Smart Snacks Alpha Pops at Learning Resources for $17.99.

Win It: One lucky reader is going to win Smart Snacks Alpha Pops of their own!

Mandatory Entry - Visit Learning Resources and let me know another product you'd love to have.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

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4. 1 extra entry - Following the Learning Resources Blog on Google Friend Connect

5. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Learning Resources) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

6. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Smart Snacks Alpha Pops game from Learning Resources! http://bit.ly/AmTHP5 Ends 1/24

7. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

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10. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address (or make sure it's visible in your profile) so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end January 24th and is open to US Only!

**The products for this review & giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way