It’s no secret that science is very much loved in the Ebony Household. EBoy is always on a mission to learn more about all manner of animal, invention, and process so the Discovery Channel Store Spark Talking Microscope was very enthusiastically welcomed for a new review by my budding scientist.

The microscope is surprisingly sturdy, made of very well constructed plastic and the slides are also quite durable. EBoy was thrilled to remove the items from the box and was soon on his way to exploring all kinds of new creatures including a flea, brine shrimp, scorpion and other interesting things. The microscope was very straight forward to figure out although EBoy did initially take a moment to figure out how to place the slides in the microscope the correct way. He’s found hours of fun exploring the microscopic world while listening to the many facts and explanation the microscope has preprogrammed for each slide.

The microscope also includes additional cards with recommendations of other activities to incorporate with your child as explore the slides. Although ETot is a bit young to use the microscope he also enjoyed learning from the narrative facts and activities, definitely a nice early exposure to what I’m sure will be a growing love for science just like his older brother. My only hope is that perhaps the discovery store will release more slides in the future, this tool is something so well made I can see it being incorporated in our learning for some time to come.

It is never too early to develop a foundation of science in learning and the Discovery Talking Microscope opens the door to a world of science enjoyment for the little scientists in your life.

Miniature things have always delighted me. So imagine my incredible amusement at receiving the completely cute and compact HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo printer. It’s smaller than a piece of paper, very light and has a sturdily built handle which makes traveling with it quite a breeze. But don’t let the small size fool you- this little printer can put out a beautiful picture with remarkable effeciency.

To test out the HP we took it with us to a friend’s wedding. I happened to be the 2nd photographer for the event so I had opportunity to take many pictures of her beautiful day. One of the really neat features of this small printer is not only can you attach it to your computer using a USB printer cable but you can actually remove the memory card from your camera and pop it right into the printer. We were able to print out some very vibrant images from the wedding and hand deliver that very evening. An unexpected and appreciated surprise that would be treasured by anyone at such a special event.

The Photosmart A626 has many unique built in features which are convenient in a multitude of ways. Its screen is large for such a compact printer and allows you to not only preview your image but also edit, crop, or even select graphic borders for printing. The included stylus allows you to write messages write on the screen that will be placed on the image for printing. The 4.8 inch screen even allows others to view the images as a slideshow, completely portable if you are using the rechargeable battery for operation. This printer would make the perfect companion for birthday parties as a fun and easy party favor to share pictures on the spot.

This printer is also an excellent match for another HP Product- their personalizeable photo books. The photo books are a scrapbookers dream, literally allowing you to create a beautiful digital scrapbook layout, add personalized items or journaling, and pop together into a very well made hard backed cover. I was surprised at how nicely the books work. There is no special binding or spiraling to figure out, you literally pull the front and back covers in reverse causing the bind to open up so you can just slip your pictures in. The formatting of the photo book allows you to not only create a fun and unique gift idea, but a keepsake that you can continue to update and change in time up to 25 pages.

HP has a ton of great resources available for use with their books with the included photo album software as well as on their album website with some really nice layouts which will give your albums a clean and professional look. The only issue we ran across was with using the Photosmart A626 Compact printer- the included introductory print cartridge did not supply the 10 images promised on its box, we instead got 3 or 4 before the light started to blink to be replaced. The standard ink cartridge has shown to provide many more pictures thus far so be forewarned in case your printer only comes with the intro cartridge make sure to get a full cartridge if you need more than just a couple of images.

The HP Photosmart A626 would be a welcome Christmas gift for anyone who loves taking or making pictures in your life. Be sure to check out this 20% discount on HP Photobooks and many stores are running holiday specials for this cute and fun little printer. We’ve used HP Photoprinters for the last 5 years or so with great success (both printers are still going strong) so I’m very happy to add the powerhouse Photosmart A626 to our HP printing arsenal.

EBoy is always excited to explore the online world of computer games. We have a designated slot of time for educational computer games so reviewing Jump Start World integrated very nicely with our regular scheduled computer time. We had tried one of the Jump Start preschool games awhile back with little interest shown but the new Jump Start world is updated with many features which are not just educational but will inspire your child to dive into a world of learning.

Several visiting friends (ranging in age from 4-7) have played with Jump Start World and each has not only enjoyed playing but begged to have the game for their own home. The game is very personalized allowing the child to pick their own character and dictate which areas of the learning world they would like to explore. They were all very excited by the vibrant 3d graphics and exceptionally well planned out Jump Start World.

I was very impressed with the different math skills and language skills presented. The game grows with your child allowing for the practice of Kindergarten, First Grade, and 2nd grade skills evolving into higher grades with over 360 games. We’ve been having a bit of a struggle with getting our kindergartener interested in learning math but since using Jump Start World he walks around figuring out math equations and trying to count and add things together. The games were very supportive of his school curriculum language and reading skills.

Jump Start World is not a typical static cd game which has a limited amount of gameplay but an ever evolving system which connects to the internet for regular updates and new challenges. Multiple profiles are included for the game so that each child in your family can have their own character and adventure. Our VSmile system was purchased almost 3 years ago with multiple game cartridges featuring popular characters and has barely been used- but Jump Start is always on the list of activities EBoy requests during computer time.

The game costs $19.95 making it very budget friendly for an entertaining and educational holiday gift idea. You can try a free demo of the game by going to their website.