Target Toys for Fall Fun

I received free product and compensation in exchange for my honest review of these products. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Summer days may be over, but we recently had the opportunity to review several toys from Target that got both girls outside and playing in the beautiful fall weather we've been having. Reagan will never pass up the opportunity to spend an afternoon or evening outside, but Madison is an indoor girl, like me, so something needs to be really special to keep her interest. We were recently sent a few toys from Target.com to try out, and they were perfect for our fall fun.

The first product we received was the All-Pro Passer. Reagan may be the more athletic of my girls, but neither has much experience with a football. In fact, Reagan has been really into soccer for the past few years, where throwing and catching aren't at the forefront of the skills she's been practicing. 

However...

Both girls ended up having a great time playing with this toy! It's a robotic quarterback that is programmed with the skill, timing, and accuracy of a pro quarterback and can launch the ball over 25 yards. You can set it to throw into several different passing zones so you can practice running in different directions. To play, you load the ball, pump it to the distance you'd like (short, mid, or long), select your play, then press hike or long for a perfect spiral throw. 

I don't know that we are the target audience, but for a football fan, this is a great way to practice or play without needing to grab a reluctant partner. I can honestly say that we probably wouldn't have paid $49.99 knowing that we aren't football players, but for someone who wants to practice? Definitely worth it.

The next toy we tested was the Groovy Glow Wubble two pack. The Wubble is a ball/bubble hybrid that wobbles, floats, and sort of...blobs through the air. Fun to play with, fun to watch. We've had a Wubble before and the girls loved playing with it, but unfortunately, the Wubble didn't last as long as we'd hoped. After only a few outside playtimes our Wubble needed a patch. Wubble has clearly done some improvements over the years since we first tried it. The Wubble is engineered to be gentle and just molds into whatever it touches before bouncing away. 

This time, Wubble not only upped the game with durability, but with style. These Wubbles were in a tie-dye pattern and glowed in the dark. We brought them over to a friend's house for an evening get together and they were the perfect toy to enjoy in the fall evening hours. The Wubble was easy to inflate with the inflation tube, and deflated just as easily when we were ready to come home. And though we haven't needed it yet, they do come with a patch kit for repairs. Even if it doesn't last a lifetime, at 24.99 for a two pack, it's a good deal.  I'm so glad we got the chance to play with the Wubble again.

So we had our fun, but since we're homeschoolers, we always are looking for activities that supplement our schooling. In this case, we got to try out two toys from Smithsonian. 

The first Smithsonian project we tried was the Rock and Gem Dig Kit. I have such a love/hate relationship with dig kits. The girls - especially Reagan - really love them, but they make such a mess and it seems like a lot of effort for a very small reward. However, we are always willing to give new toys a try.

We definitely took this outside to the driveway to make sure we were avoiding any indoor mess, and I'm glad we did. The dig kit isn't a nice, neat, quiet, indoor toy. However, it is a lot of fun! It's definitely best for older kids because the gems are small, but for a ten and twelve year old, they were great. Because we played outside, we could just sweep the mess away and hose down any residual dust. What I liked about this particular model was that the tools were sturdy. With other dig kits, we've struggled with the flimsy tools provided, as they usually can't make it through the block. These tools could handle it, and that was a nice bonus. At a price of only 12.99, this was well worth it.

Finally, we tried the Smithsonian Telescope/Monocular Kit, which retails for $19.99 at Target. For a $20 telescope, we knew we wouldn't be getting the quality of a full sized model, but we figured this would be fun for the girls to keep in their rooms and have unlimited use of, which they don't have with the bigger model we have. 

As telescopes go, this is a good starter telescope for a younger child. At night, they'll be able to see the moon a little closer and identify some constellations. It's not really powerful enough for much else, but Reagan has liked keeping it in her room and using it in the evenings whenever she wants. Unlike the full size telescope, she can set it up independently and use it without any help or supervision, and for a kid who loves her independence, that's been a good thing.

Overall, Target has some great options at reasonable price points for fall fun OR for holiday shopping. I highly recommend both the Wubble and the Smithsonian toys for gifts that are incredibly interactive, and if you have a kid who loves to beg others to throw the ball around in the backyard, the passer is a definite win. We had a great time reviewing these toys. As for recommendations...

Madison's pick (12) - I love the dig kit. It was fun to get out some aggression!

Reagan's pick (10) - DEFINITELY the Wubble. My friends and I had so much fun!