As a parent, I despise this toy. It's hard to store, the pieces get lost, and it's terribly loud. It seems like one of those flashy toys that is just loud and annoying to keep kids' attention. (We received it as a gift). I am also someone with my degree in early childhood education. I would look past the annoyance factors if the kids played with this and it promoted learning.

I run an in-home childcare center, and have a child of my own.  We have had this toy for 2 years. It rarely gets played with, and when it does, It gets less than 30 seconds of playtime at a time for these kids (from infant through preschool age). It has not held interest for anyone. I've also tried engaging with them while they play, and trying to extend the learning through informal questions/discussions about sorting, colors, cause and effect, etc.,  but it just doesn't hold their interest past the initial few seconds of "wow, this toy moves and plays music". Not a favorite here.
As a parent, I despise this toy. It's hard to store, the pieces get lost, and it's terribly loud. It seems like one of those flashy toys that is just loud and annoying to keep kids' attention. (We received it as a gift). I am also someone with my degree in early childhood education. I would look past the annoyance factors if the kids played with this and it promoted learning. I run an in-home childcare center, and have a child of my own. We have had this toy for 2 years. It rarely gets played with, and when it does, It gets less than 30 seconds of playtime at a time for these kids (from infant through preschool age). It has not held interest for anyone. I've also tried engaging with them while they play, and trying to extend the learning through informal questions/discussions about sorting, colors, cause and effect, etc. ,  but it just doesn't hold their interest past the initial few seconds of "wow, this toy moves and plays music". Not a favorite here.