Toronto Teacher Mom: Kre-O

Throwback Thursday - Three Years Ago...

Thursday, August 21, 2014
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Oh My Thor! And Halloween Treats Without The Sweet

Thursday, October 24, 2013
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Fun with Hasbro - March Break Guide

What would March Break be without a little fun and games? Of course, we all secretly hope for warmer temperatures so that we can all get outside for a family stroll and outdoor play. But it's never a bad idea to be prepared with some back-up activities that can be enjoyed inside the home when the weather refuses to co-operate. Today I bring you some ideas for March Break Fun with Hasbro.

Whenever the holidays roll around, I get excited at the thought of having a game night. March Break is no exception. We have an ever-growing collection of games in our home that are occupying a tonne of storage space, that now we are trying out some iPad app versions of Hasbro classics such as the Game of Life. The kids also love playing Connect Four Launchers and Simon Flash. My daughter is really getting into Battleship Live and loves how interactive it is. One game we haven't pulled out in a while is the innovative puzzle Ji Ga Zo. I think it's time we tried an updated portrait. Although this one of my son is still super cute, wouldn't you say?

For the older set, there's always Trivia Pursuit. Trivia has never been my forté but we are always guaranteed a good laugh. Just like when we play Cranium!

And then there's Play-Doh. What kid doesn't love Play-Doh? With all the bright colours and play sets to choose from, there is surely lots of creative play to be had. The new Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Frosting Fun Bakery set looks like a lot of fun. For the kids. The subsequent mess it could leave behind for mommy to clean up? Not so much. This is why I tend to join in the Play-Doh fun with my kids to keep the mess in check. A couple of years ago, we made some Easter-themed Play-Doh magnets.

My son, who is an incredibly huge fan of all things cars, still loves playing with his favourite Play-Doh set - the Cars 2 Mold 'N Go Speedway. Ka-chow!

For Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law bought the kids their first BeyBlade set and they loved it! They have taken them apart and built new ones, and put them back together again. They love letting it rip and battling it out in their half pike. The BeyBlades have actually replaced the FurReal Dizzy Dancers, whose main appeal was the pretty "girly" colours. I'd say save your money and invest in BeyBlades. In our home, they've proven to be much more fun and have seen more hours of play than the Dizzy Dancers.

Ever since I was a child, I had always wanted to try out the Easy Bake Oven. I really like the look of the newer model, which I first encountered at the Hasbro preview event back in 2011. I also like that it no longer needs light bulbs. As a bonus, it happens to come in one of my daughter's favourite colours. Now that my daughter is nearly eight, I thought it was a good time for me us to bake some mini treats using our new Easy Bake Oven. My son was even to eager to help out. First up, uber mini chocolate chip cookies! They were super easy to make and bake but I personally did not like the flavour of the dough.

Friday, March 08, 2013
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KRE-O Transformers: Sentinel Prime

Entertainment

A couple of days ago, I told you about Fan Expo Canada and how you can stop by the Hasbro booth to check out their new line of construction toys called KRE-O. Lucky for me, I got to test one out myself! Some of my friends on Twitter felt pity that I had the difficult task of putting together over 380 pieces but fear not. I came. I built. I conquered.

Now, it's true that where Transformers are concerned, there is more than meets the eye. It was slow, at first, but once I sorted the pieces by colour, then by size, and sent the kids to bed, I found it was much easier. The first page recommends that you do so. Sort by colour and size, that is. (It doesn't mention the kids.) This particular set is called Sentinel Prime, a 2 in 1 construction set that can be built in vehicle (firetruck) mode or robot mode. It's recommended for kids ages 8-14 but everyone knows I'm smarter than a fifth grader. I tackled it anyway. If you didn't catch some of the play-by-play on Twitter, I've put together a little collage of some of the steps along the way.

KRE-O Sentinel Prime Transformer - Vehicle Mode

From very early on, it felt like I was missing a piece. And, unless my son misplaced it, it looks like I may need to print out an order form to replace part number #00045. But it's located underneath the firetruck near the rear so it isn't crucial from a structural standpoint. The instruction manual is printed in colour and clearly shows how to build in each mode. The vehicle mode requires 87 steps whereas the robot mode requires a little over 100! Now you understand why I went with vehicle mode. Plus, my son is crazy about firetrucks. He doesn't need to know that it can be rebuilt into a robot for at least another couple of years, right?

The final result is really cool and took me about and hour and a half, give or take. I think my son will love playing with it. I do foresee issues with the side panels where the ladders are located since they come off easily. I'm thinking I could use the spare parts to better secure these panels. The four KREON figures (SENTINEL PRIME, SOUNDWAVE, THUNDERCRACKER and Fire Chief) are really cute, too. By the way, did you know that KRE-O works with other leading brands? Bonus!