LeapFrog

LeapFrog Explorer & LeapPad Learning Game: Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg

$15.00
(3.7) 3.7 stars out of 10 reviews 10 reviews
$15.00
$15.00
Free overnigh delivery
FSA and HSA eligible
LeapFrog Explorer & LeapPad Learning Game: Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg

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Customer reviews & ratings

3.7 out of 5stars
(10 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
01/08/2013
Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg
As a teacher and parent I love this game. It is very engaging for my daughter and teaches her how to trace lines and write letters. She is having fun and learning too. My daughter is in preschool and didn't show much interest in writing her letters...it was too overwhelming for her. After I got here this game, she now loves writing her letters! Thank you Leap Pad!
nan1

Most helpful negative review

1.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
02/15/2013
I've seen better...
This game requires precision that my LO just doesn't have (and me either when I try it!). Moreover, the cut-scenes are very long and quite boring, so the kids just end up waiting and waiting until they can try something themselves. LeapFrog's cheaper and older letter writing dedicated game is more appropriate and more fun. Buy that one instead.
CtMom
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/31/2014
    Very Educational
    Both my boys (5 and 3) Love this game. My oldest has played it over all the other games for a while now. And my 3 year old who used to get frustrated with tracing is now doing the tracing amazingly with no help! this is over the course of a week. It is amazing to see how much this game has taught my boys.
    Foxygrandpa
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    06/09/2013
    Educational, yet frustrating
    I really enjoyed watching my 4-year-old son play and learn his way through Doodleberg. Before Mister Pencil was on the scene, he was reluctant to draw, let alone write, for fear of "doing it wrong" (the unfortunate result of a former daycare provider :( I was amazed that after two weeks of using Mr. Pencil, he was "writing" his name in sidewalk chalk! Granted the letters were crudely done and not in a line, but he was thrilled at being able to spell AND write out his name :) Mr. Pencil is great, but if there was one thing I would change about it, it would be the "feedback" that the characters offer. Children are asked to trace dotted lines to help them learn how to write shapes and letters. If the stylus isn't held just-so, or if it deviates too much from the dotted line, the characters prompt the kids to, "Try again," or "Keep the stylus close to the dotted line", or "draw along the dotted line." This may not sound all that bad, but given the fact that young children might be learning to write or draw for the very first time EVER, these repeated phrases start to sound nagging and eventually become frustrating. When my son is trying his hardest and doesn't get it exactly right, he'll hear, "Try again", sometimes 5 or 6 times before he actually succeedes and he'll get really upset. When he was first learning, he threw the Leapster down on the couch and declared, "Stupid Mr. Pencil isn't working!!!" It really frustrated him. As a parent, I do recommend this game, however, be with your kids as they go through it. Let them know that it takes time to learn a new skill like writing, or turn the volume down when they are practicing a letter/shape for the first time so they don't hear the repeated phrases. Eventually he got over the idea that he was doing it wrong, and learned to ignore what was being, said. But in the beginning, he didn't like it and didn't want to play the lessons. Also, giving him an actual paper and pencil to practice with outside of Mr. Pencil helped too. He gained the confidence he needed to go back to the game and succeed.
    Carricksmom
  • 2.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    02/19/2013
    Not a very forgiving app
    My child is just starting to write and this app frustrates her because she sometimes takes her stilas off the app and it dings at her and makes her start over. She will get one right and then gets frustrated again. Just like a regular pencil I think it could keep what she has done correctly and let her finish the rest, not start over every time and make her so frustrated.
    ScubaMom
  • 1.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    02/15/2013
    I've seen better...
    This game requires precision that my LO just doesn't have (and me either when I try it!). Moreover, the cut-scenes are very long and quite boring, so the kids just end up waiting and waiting until they can try something themselves. LeapFrog's cheaper and older letter writing dedicated game is more appropriate and more fun. Buy that one instead.
    CtMom
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/08/2013
    Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg
    As a teacher and parent I love this game. It is very engaging for my daughter and teaches her how to trace lines and write letters. She is having fun and learning too. My daughter is in preschool and didn't show much interest in writing her letters...it was too overwhelming for her. After I got here this game, she now loves writing her letters! Thank you Leap Pad!
    nan1
  • 2.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    12/28/2012
    Taught my son to write with his wrist in the air
    This is a cute game. It shows how to make lines, shapes, letters and numbers. My son was just learning how to write when we got this game. The hard part for him was learning to hold his wrist up so only the stylus touched the screen. He learned how to make all of the letters and numbers from the game. Unfortunately, when he went to write on paper, he held his wrist up and only touched the paper with the pencil. It's taken me several months to retrain him in how to write on paper. For this reason, I wouldn't get the game again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.
    Pluto
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    04/20/2011
    Kids love it.
    My five year old and two year old play it independently and together. Took me a few days to figure out why my son was walking around singing "funky shape town." Like that my 2 year old can play without help. Love the explorer!
    SCAidanMommy
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/02/2011
    Great product!
    I purchased the Explorer for my twin granddaughters. They loved it. This game was very easy for them to do on their own and they loved every minute of it. I purchase 4 other games and the camera attachments. They will be 'exploring' for sure. Mr. Pencil was and is a great learning experience for them. They just turned 5 and are already little brainiacs. LOL
    TwinsGwamma
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    11/28/2010
    Teaches writing, drawing, pencil control
    My 4 year old loves this game. It has "lessons" that teach writing upper and lower case letters. It also teaches shapes (she already knew how to draw most of them) and colors (which she also already knew). It also has a "play" function where the child repairs the town after twisters blow through. So cute! She's already halfway finished with fixing the town, and loves to earn "badges" by finishing an application. Well worth the price of the game.
    BravesBabies
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    09/12/2010
    Makes Learning Fun.
    My son is soon to be 5, he has never wanted to draw, color or anything of the sort so his pre-writing skills are really struggling. He has trouble grasping and having a "steady" hand. Because of this I thought he might actually not want to play this game, but being a boy who loves video games and "super heroes" - which is how he views Mr. Pencil - he actually took to it. He REALLY enjoys the game and actually requests paper so he can draw, scribble and whatnot. His favorite tool of choice, of course, is a pencil. :) The only reason I won't give 5 stars is that I'm not too happy with the price of the Leapster Games.
    KsMomma
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