Educational Toys

When does home schooling really begin? The whole point is to take responsibility for your child's education, and that starts way before they're 5 years old.

Katerina's toys at 3 years, 4 months:

We've looked at (and played with!) so many games and toys - Some we liked, and others hardly got a 2nd glance. As far as early education toys go, by far the best we've found so far is the "Leap Pad + Writing" from LeapFrog. The recommended age for most of the modules is 5+, but that didn't matter a bit to Katerina. She got one last Christmas when she was 2 1/2 (which meant that I had to help her use it until recently). It took her 10 months to figure out how to write the numbers 1 to 10.

I certainly don't push or force any of Katerina's learning - It's more like just trying to keep up with her, and provide for her interests. With all the toys and games she has to choose from, she still pulls out her LeapPad at least once a week and insists I use it with her.

The 2 other classics that she loves to play right now are "Mousetrap" and "Snakes & Ladders".