I bought the Discovery Ball by Leap Frog for my granddaughter, who at the time was only 9 months old.Once opened it was the only toy she played with the rest of the day.She loved all of the songs, and the lights and being able to roll that ball on its stand is a G-R-E-A-TBIG PLUS for this toy.I will not buy anything but educational toys for my grandchildren.This ball, is a great size for little hands.It has three play modes, volume control, however even if it didn't have a volume control, the music is great to listin to.I gave this little granddaughter of mine two musical toys at Christmas time last year the other one was much higher priced it is the Sunshine Symphony, which plays classical music between these two toys if my granddaughter can choose she will go for the Discovery Ball every time.She started to walk at 10 & 1/2 months of age.Now that she is walking the ball has been removed from the stand and has been rolled all over the place and even dropped down some stairs by accident but it is a very tough ball and the fall never hurt it a bit.Oh by the way my little granddaughter's older sister who is five even likes to play with it.People, please, take it from an old grandmother, if you only have enough money to buy one toy for your child per year by the Discovery Ball by Leap Frog Trust me, you WILL NOT be sorry for the small amount of money spent on this toy it is worth every penny of it.
The Discovery Ball by Leap Frog is a dual-use toy. The youngest children can spin the colorful ball around on its base to hear the music play, and older, more mobile children would enjoy chasing this sturdy ball around the floor.
What impressed me the most was it's use of what we teachers call the "cloze procedure" (I teach first grade).When the child spins the ball, it will sing the abc song.After a first singing all the way through, the ball will stop singing at a strategic point to encourage the child to spin again. What is really happening, is that the song is in the process of being memorized the young child hears part of it, and when he/she realizes that something's missing, the child physically responds to "fill in the missing gap".That's a pretty powerful response when you see it going on with a 10 month old!
All that aside, my 3 year old daughter likes to play with it, too.Her favorite part is to listen to the 3rd setting, which features 26 different classical tunes.
This toy would be a good investment for your family.
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I bought this toy to keep at my house for my twin nephews a few months ago. They are 10 months old now and they love this toy! My sister-in-law even had to go buy one to keep at her house because they played with it so much. Even the older kids and adults like to play with it. I love that it has a high and low volume switch. And you can keep it on the base for younger babies who aren't crawling yet so they can sit or lay and spin it. And for the crawlers and walkers you can take it off the base so they can roll it around and chase after it. It has good sound quality and the music is enjoyable, not annoying. I've only had 2 small problems with it: the first one I bought had 3 letter buttons that did not work so I had to exchange it; and a few times the sound has become distorted, I think from getting too wet with drool, but it goes back to normal quickly when it starts to dry out. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great and educational toy!
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The Discovery Ball toy is the perfect example of why reviews can be misleading to shoppers.Parents read the reviews, the particulars, and they think, "WOW, this toy is developmental, it will teach my kid the alphabet, and letter sounds.My kid'll be a genius by 2!"To be honest, had I reviewed this toy soon after my son received it, I would have given it 5-stars and gushed about its developmental qualities.However, time has proven reliable, and I have deduced after 2-years and 2-months that it is, and was insignificant to my son's development.By that, I mean the toy was of no consequence to us.
The concept is first-rate, however the delivery is lacking.I mean, what kid wants to roll a ball when they can throw it?The Discovery Ball is designed for infants and toddlers, but it's probably more appropriate for preschoolers.Firstly, the buttons are too difficult for an infant to press; also, they are too close together.Secondly, it's too sensitive.For example, let's say the toy is in "music" mode and its playing Old MacDonald, if the ball is touched midstream the music will stop, and revert into 1 of the 2 very annoying intervening songs.It's like punishment, rather than play.Can I say without it sounding too harsh, "WHAT'S THE POINT?"LeapFrog should have decided long ago whether they were designing an educational tool for preschoolers, or a plaything for infants.
William received the Discovery Ball for his 1st Christmas.He was 8-months old at the time, so I took the ball off the stand so he could bat it around on the floor.He'd roll it, the lights would flash, the music would play, and he'd giggle.After a few rolls, he lost interest.The toy has a musical prompt, which occasionally got a look, but most often, he was onto something better.Soon after his 1st birthday, he discovered the ON/OFF switch.He'd sit on the floor and repeatedly turn the thing "ON" and then "OFF".It would play the ABC Song for 3-seconds, he'd slide the lever to the "OFF" position, and then back to "ON" again.It was enough to drive me nuts!He didn't care about the phonics, or even the music, all he cared about was that darn ON/OFF switch.The sound quality is good, but the woman's voice grated on my nerves after hearing 3-seconds of the ABC Song 1000-times in an afternoon.Fortunately, there is a volume control, although my son usually wants to HEAR his toys.As if the lower level isn't loud enough.UGH!Oh, and this toy is one of those irritating playthings that goes off in the toy box, if you fail to turn it "OFF".
After his 2nd birthday, William gained enough strength and proficiency to throw the ball.I suppose I should have attached it to its base right there and then, but dummy me thought he'd grow out of that phase. Later, I realized the throwing phase was here to stay, so I put the Discovery Ball back on its base.My attempts were futile, as my crafty little one figured out how to remove it a week later.The toy is sturdy, especially considering how many times it has been dropped, and thrown.We've only replaced the batteries twice, which is an event all its own.Let me just say, its not overly difficult, but more complicated than most.
The Discovery Ball can be tricky to wash.LeapFrog recommends you clean the ball with a damp cloth, but that doesn't always produce the best results.You see, the letters and musical notes that cover the surface of the ball are raised, so grime can become lodged in, and between the grooves.I've resorted to spraying Lysol on a rag and wiping it down.It doesn't completely remove the dirt, but it disinfects it, which makes me feel better.
In conclusion, the toys more annoying than enjoyable, so it collects dust, until my son finds it, and then it's transformed into a heavy, throwing ball that hurts when hit.My advice ~ avoid it.
Mary :)
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From LeapFrog, this is the toy my 11 months old son loves the most.
* This toy has 2 volume sets: high and low (THANK YOU!).
* When you roll the ball, you can either hear the ABC song or other few melodies.
* If you press any of the letters, you'll hear either its name, how it sounds, or a melody.
* It also shows bright light on both sides of the alphabet, so music, colors, light and motion will capture baby's attention.
* The ball can be attached to the base for the baby's early months or can be detached from the base when the baby is "mobile".
* Sound is crystal clear.
* The materials are solid but soft, just the right texture and has bright colors.
* It helps the baby to recognize the alphabet (by name and by sound) and will enjoy many short melodies as well.
In a nutshell, a MUST buy for the learning baby.
My wife, 6yr old boy and 4yr old girl love it.The assembly took me about 20 hours (working all by my self or with "off" and "on" assistance from my 3yr old and 6yr old ยบ).I followed the instructions to a "T", only issue I ran into was in the second set of instructions (for the tube slide), I had to unscrew two bards from the upper deck, and 2 boards from where the tube slide bolts to the side of the upper deck wall¡K I moved the wall boards down a half inch to an inch to ensure the bolts for the tube slide are in the center of a board (vice the very edge I thought it would be "better"), the reattached the upper deck bards.Overall the assembly was not as bad as I was lead to believe (I read some of the reviews).Materials were great. They were dry and about 5 boards split about 2-3 inches from the ends while screwing them into place (I probably would have no split ends if I used pilot holes as one of the reviewers suggested...)Over all a solid 4.5 star product, and I highly recommend it if you have the money and time to assemble it.
