My sons LOVE their Leapster Explorers, so much so that Santa had to bring one for Benjamin and Henry because they were constantly taking off with William and Alex’s Explorers.  My husband and I LOVE them because they’re educational.  It’s hard to imagine that LeapFrog could come up with something we all love even MORE, but they have!

LeapFrog recently sent us the new LeapPad to review.  We absolutely LOVE it!  First, it works with the Leapster Explorer games they already own.  They boys love that they can still play their favorite games.  It has a five inch touch screen that can sense either the included stylus, or in my boys case, little fingers, and it has great resolution.  By the end of the year, the LeapPad will have over 100 learning games, digital books and apps, LeapFrog’s  largest library ever.

On top of the new expanded screen, the LeapPad has a built in camera, video recorder and microphone.  My boys can’t get enough of these!  They can take pictures and add effects like adding a mustache or stretching and swirling their heads.  Story Studio – All About Me allows them to take pictures and record their voice to create stories about themselves.  My boys can’t get enough of these, fortunately the LeapPad holds 120 minutes of video or 30,000 pictures. All the stories, pictures, videos and art they create can be uploaded to the family computer through LeapFrog Connect so they can be cherished forever.

The LeapPad also has a built-in accelerometer which senses the motion of the LeapPad to allow the boys ways to interact with the material like never before.  Just like my iPad, they can tilt the LeapPad and see that reflected on the screen.  I can’t wait to see all the Exciting new games!

Another thing I love about the LeapPad, is that just like the Leapster Explorer, each boy can have his personal log-in that we can set up with their current level of schooling.  That’s great for us, because William, who can read and do math problems, can share the same LeapPad with Henry, who is just learning his letters.  William is challenged at an appropriate level, and Henry is as well.  Too often, they borrow something from one another and it’s either too easy or too hard.  The LeapPad tracks their progress and adjusts the level of difficulty accordingly.

Best of all, The LeapPad help us stay on top of our children’s learning.  Each time the LeapPad is connected to the computer, their activity is downloaded to the LeapFrog Learning Path.  We have it set up to email us progress reports.  LeapFrog Learning Path lets us know things like how long each child has played, what kind of questions they are answering and achievements they have reached, and help us identify not only areas in which they excel, but also places they may need a little extra help.  It helps us to help them!

Yes, it’s only September, but Santa is already thinking about buying a few more LeapPads!  I’m certain they’ll be a HUGE hit with my boys this year!