Leap Frog fluent in two languages

Learning a second language can enhance children's cognitive development and improve their success in language arts and math. LeapFrog, the Emeryville, Calif., company dedicated to developing educational products that are engaging and inspiring, offers bilingual toys for infants and toddlers to provide second-language exposure through play.

The LeapFrog Baby Learn & Groove collection introduces numbers, letters, colors, etc.--in English and Spanish--through the magic of music, rhythm, and melody. The Musical Table ($39.99) features 15 activities and more than 40 songs and melodies. It entertains with jazzy tunes, sparkling lights, and many parts to spin, slide, push, and roll, as the child learns skills such as counting, the alphabet, and discerning shapes. With detachable legs, the Musical Table can begin as a floor toy and then convert to a table when the baby can stand.

The Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum ($19.99) encourages children to tap, crawl, and dance through engaging music and interactive play--great for gross motor development. The baby can tap the drum to see letters and patterns light up; roll it to hear a lively song; and play activities in both English and Spanish.

The Discovery Ball ($19.99) is an interactive ball that plays music as it spins on its base. Younger children can swat at the ball to make it spin and quickly learn that, when the ball stops, so does the music. A band around the center lists the alphabet and, as their fine motor skills emerge, they can press an individual letter to hear its name, sound, or a song. The Discovery Ball detaches from its base for roll-around fun.

The learning fun doesn't stop after the toddler years, however. LeapFrog's FLY Pentop Computer ($99.99) is like a computer-to-go. It contains a processor that optically scans everything you write on special dot-matrix Fly paper. You can draw a calculator and solve math problems, or draw drums and a keyboard and play your own tunes. It comes with gaming software and a scheduler to remind you of your appointments. Additional software cartridges can be purchased for help with school work or to add games such as Sudoku: The Power of Nine ($19.99); this includes more than 200 puzzles, strategy lessons, and an interactive comic book. There also are quick-play games that activate content stored in the Fly pentop and do not require cartridges, such as the Fly Games Pad for Pirates of the Caribbean ($9.99), with word searches, hidden pictures, brain teasers, and Hangman, and Harry Potter Marauder's Map ($9.99), where players must use their movie knowledge to master 15 interactive games.

The Fly uses one AAA battery, or you can get a Recharging System ($29.99) that includes the dock and two rechargeable batteries. Recharging on the fly takes about two hours.

For more information, visit www.leapfrog.com or www.liveonthefly.com.

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