E-Z Bat:Pitch it & Hit it or Swing it & Fling it~(Review & Giveaway)!!

My little guy, Caleb, is very active and he loves sports. He would like to be in baseball, football, soccer...you name it. With him being 5 years old, it is fun to introduce different sports to him, so he can see what they are like, and he can decide what he likes. I got a great product to review, that will help Caleb work with his abilities with a bat...called the E-Z Bat.
The E-Z bat is designed for kids to learn the basics of using a bat with baseball. With the E-Z Bat, kids can either Swing it & Fling it....(see video)

Or, you can Pitch it & they can Hit it. Caleb is great with throwing a ball, however, hitting a ball (from a pitch) is a challenge for him yet. With the E-Z Bat, Caleb can work on his swing by placing the foam ball on the foam bat.

The foam balls (2 included) fit nicely over the bat. Kids can place the ball on the bat by themselves.
There is a foam, red ball stopper. This is on the bat for proper placement of the ball. The red stopper is adjustable, and kids can try different locations on the bat to launch the E-Z ball at the apex of their swing.
Caleb was thrilled that he could swing the bat and send the ball flying on his own.
As we work on his swing, and he gets to feeling comfortable with the bat in his hand, we will work on hitting the E-Z ball with a pitch. I really like that this bat and ball set is foam, just because I feel it is a safer alternative to wood or metals from other sets.
The E-Z Bat is geared toward ages 3 and up, and our family recommends it. My kids have had fun with it, and it is even an "outside toy" that I don't mind played with inside (with certain rules).

This dad-owned, get-up-and-play, youth sports/toy company focuses on getting children active, engaged, and having old-fashioned fun. The toy maker readily admits that they design and choose products with which grownups have as much fun as the kids! How can they not with their whimsical toys like PocketShot, SlingShot, SkyRocket, HoverBlade, Big Daddy EZ Lasso, Stomp Walkers and Bungee Jumper?
“We pride ourselves on being the leading innovator of active play toys,” explains Monkey Business Sports owner Cole Larner. “We offer wholesome play patterns and delivered with simplistic design elegance. We want to remind parents and caregivers of the pure joy of childhood where running, swinging, jumping and throwing are as natural as waking up and discovering a new day.”
Monkey Business Sports’catalog boasts lively indoor, table top and outdoor products. And each one of their products has a unique, Monkey Business twist.

Check out Monkey Business on YouTube, too!

~~**ENTER TO WIN**~~
Monkey Business has offered to sponsor a giveaway! This contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers of the United States. Contest is open until September 27th, 2010.
To Enter: visit monkeybusinesssports.com and find your favorite product. For a second entry: visit the Monkey Business Sports Facebook.
Winners will get to choose one of these great products: E-Z Bat, FoamStrike SwitchBlade or the FoamStrike Pocket Shot.
**For extra chances (AFTER YOU DO THE OTHER 2 THINGS FIRST) you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or become a fan on facebook, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment about Monkey Business products. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was provided from Monkey Business. They have provided me with an E-Z Bat to review and information to share with my readers. I am sponsored to offer a giveaway to my readers through this review. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

"We're going on a bug hunt" with Backyard Safari Outfitters

"We're going on a bug hunt, going on a bug hunt...we're not afraid, we're not afraid..." My kids love going outside, and looking for the creepy crawlers that roam in the grass and dirt outside. Summer will be so much more fun with their new Backyard Safari Outfitters products from Summit Toys! They are set to go on hunts for bugs, butterflies, grasshoppers, caterpillars and more.... Here is Madelyn looking for ants crawling around with the Mega View Periscope.
My kids love to use the Mega View Periscope to look at each other, too. One is closer to the ground looking in the bottom and the other one is looking through the top. We love the Mega View Periscope, because it is crazy how it works. The Periscope can be opened up to three new lengths (reaching 4 feet high) for looking way below the viewer, or way over the viewers head. This works great if kids want to look over a fence, high bushes, around corners or into their homes. The Periscope makes things closer or further away. It is great looking for bugs, or watching a crawling critter on a leaf/branch with the Periscope, too.

The Periscope can be used in water, too! I think that is amazing! Kids love water, and with living on the lake, having a tool for the kids to view into the lake water is way cool! The Mega View Periscope can go 16 inches into the water for underwater viewing, will work with docks, poolside, lakes or beaches. A fish eye view...but without all that water in your ears!
I also love that the Periscope is easy to hold onto for small hands.
Suited for ages: 5 & Up SRP $24.99

Caleb loves the Bug Vacuum. His older brother had one of these, and it was a coveted item for a long time. Now that Caleb has his own Bug Vacuum, he is busy looking for bugs to snatch up. With the Bug Vacuum, kids can suck up the bugs live, and the bugs go into the capture container. The container has a built in magnifying glass for easy viewing, and there is screen on the container so the bug can breath. The bug vacuum comes with two nose cones for two different sizes of bugs.
Suited for ages: 5 & Up SRP $19.99
Searching for just the right bugs, or creepy crawlers. I am sure this summer will be busy with my little backyard explorers.

I think Caleb got a bug in his bug vacuum. I know he was trying to get the mosquito's, but they are a bit fast.
Caleb gives the Backyard Safari Outfitters products two thumbs up! He loves using his new products daily, and is constantly looking for more to vacuum and capture.

Caleb is a great backyard explorer with his Cargo Vest and Bug vacuum. The Cargo Vest from Backyard Safari Outfitters is great, because it has so many pockets and places for explorers to store their important items. The Cargo vest has six D-rings and two shoulder epaulets that kids can clip and hang their gear onto the vest, and a big zipper pocket to put the binocs (binoculars) into. I want to get the binoculars for the kids, because I know they would use them a TON!
The Cargo Vest came with a great pop-up field guide, which explains important tips to follow when you go out, what items you may need on for your journey, and what things you can look for or observe.

Here are the features of the Cargo Vest:
RUGGED POLY-TWILL FABRIC WITH REINFORCED DETAIL
4 CARGO POCKETS WITH VELCRO CLOSURES
1 TWO INCH DEEP ZIPPER POCKET WITH MESH-NET OUTER POCKET
6 D-RINGS
CUSTOM ZIPPER PULLS
CARGO SHOULDER EPAULETS WITH SNAP CLOSURES
ADJUSTABLE REAR STRAP
2 OVER-SIZED MESH-NET CARGO POCKETS IN REAR
PLUS CLEAR-VU FRONT POCKET CONTAINING ESSENTIAL FIELD POP-GUIDE

Suited for ages: 5 & up SRP $19.99

Our family is really enjoying the Backyard Safari Outfitters products, and we highly recommend them to your family. Kids have so much fun going searching for the bugs and crawlers, and then, they get to watch them up close, or capture them in the container. Backyard Safari Outfitters has several other products that can help your child explore, too.

This review was provided from Team Mom and Backyard Safari Outfitters. They have provided me with a Cargo Vest, Mega View Periscope and a Bug Vacuum to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.