Chaos Theory Reviews

I’ve never really had a huge problem with battery operated toys (other than the constant need to replace the batteries, that is). I do get annoyed with them after awhile though, just because if a toy makes noises and lights up and moves then your kids don’t have to use their imagination as much while playing with them. I’ve seen Hayley turn a stick into a fishing rod, a wand, and a microphone so imagining is just ingrained in their brains and because of that, I do admit I prefer toys that don’t do anything unless the kids make them do something.

That’s one thing I love about Noah’s Pals. When I was asked by The Parent Bloggers Network if I’d be interested in trying them out and reviewing them, I hesitated for a second because we’re not a religious family. I have certain beliefs but following the Bible isn’t one of them and I wondered if getting these toys would bring about a lot of questions that I can’t answer. Then I realized that kids love fantastical stories and what story is more fantastic than that of a man and his family saving two of every animal in the world from a huge flood that wiped the Earth clean? It didn’t have to be religious, just fun and exciting. So I said yes.

When the package arrived, I think I was even more excited than Hayley was - but not for long because she nearly shrieked with happiness when she saw all the animals. In our package we received two seals, two moose (how very Canadian!), two caribou, two penguins, and two snow leopards (which were on the endangered list), along with Noah himself and two doves. Luckily for me, George is more familiar with Christian Bible stories so he explained to Hayley that one of the doves had a branch in his mouth because after the flood Noah sent him out to find some land. Beyond that, we gave her a basic explanation of who Noah was and what he did, and that was all she needed.

We then turned the box they had shipped in into an ark.

The animals all come with plastic collector cards that include their names (though Hayley did rename the penguins to Memphis and Gloria, thank you Happy Feet), information about where they come from and how they live, and whether they’re abundant or in some level of danger about becoming extinct. I love that they’re fun to play with but also have an opportunity for education at the same time. Hayley was so interested in them that we ended up on the Internet, looking up more pictures of the animals she had gotten. The cards also allow you to track via ID code which animals you’ve collected and you can earn special gifts if you collect all of a certain type of animal.

The toys are geared for ages 5 and up, but Hayley is close enough that there’s no problem with her playing with them. Even Breanna, at less than two years of age, can play a bit too. I don’t let her have the small toys like the doves, and we try to discourage her from playing with the caribou and moose just because I don’t want her to break the antlers, but she loves to play with the big seal and the big penguin.

The prices are really reasonable if you get the animals separately, and you can also currently buy the entire set including the ark and 40 pairs of animals for $269 through Amazon. They’re great quality, and the inner crafty geek in me is impressed that they’re all hand painted. And speaking of geek, I also LOVE the fact that there are unlimited pairs of the common animals, but a limited number of vulnerable animals and even fewer pairs of endangered animals, just like in the real world.

The best part about these toys though is that I love playing with them too. It’s hard to get all excited over a whirling, spinning, music-playing battery-operated toy but it’s easy to get down on the floor and play with little animals. They’re fun for the kids, but they’re fun for me too!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2007 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Product reviews, Parent Bloggers Network. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.