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.

All Star Buddies: Review and Giveaway!

I was introduced to a fun new website created for kids ages 6 and up. It is a fun new site where kids can play and interact in an online world that is Sport-themed! AllStarBuddies.com is a "safe" place where kids can kick balls, shoot pucks and score touchdowns without breaking something indoors.
“Varsity Heights” is the name of the town kids interact in. Members receive a user id and password for their own account. The “Locker Room” is where kids log in to the world and select one of seven sports-themed, animated characters as their onscreen persona, which can be changed as often as a child wants to. The “All Star Buddies” animated characters in Varsity Heights include: Chip, (the “Golf Buddy”)Blitz (the “Football Buddy”)Deuce (the “Tennis Buddy”)Striker (the “Soccer Buddy”)Ace (the “Baseball Buddy”)Swish (the “Basketball Buddy”)Deke (the “Hockey Buddy”). Kids of all ages and skill levels can enjoy this game, compete and socialize. The online chatting is in safe codes, so only words that are in the site's dictionary can be typed. Among the different “zones”, players will find various games and activities where they will compete for coins that can be cashed in at virtual stores like Fluff ‘n Stuff for customized features and accessories, such as a crazy orange faux hawk hairdo, silly eyes or a funny mouth. There are many fun places to visit, games and activities offered on the website:
Varsity Heights Stadium Games- Suit up and head straight to Varsity Heights Stadium to tackle great sports-themed games featuring All Star Buddies like Blitz’s Fumble Rumble, Striker’s Breakaway Invasion, and Deke’s Ice Block Rock.
The Arcade - Race over to the Arcade and challenge your friends to classic arcade-style games or enjoy the silliness that happens when you over-indulge on junk-food snacks, just like in real life. In Varsity Heights, though, you can learn the lesson of how bad junk food makes you feel without suffering through a stomach ache!
School Zone - Your brain is like a muscle that always needs strengthening. Head over to the School Zone and let Ms. Applebee test your brain power with games and activities like “Math Splash” and “Animation Station.” (Since kids may be a little reluctant to visit School after real school, the site’s designer moms will offer bonuses, extra coins and other incentives for stopping by for a little learning.) Visit the playground next door to play kick ball and watch your character climb up and slide down the slide.
The team behind the site’s development are constantly innovating and investing in the site to make it better and more fun, so check back frequently to see what’s been added!
There is a special collection of the seven All Star Buddies plush toys which are available for purchase at selected specialty toy and gift stores. Each high-quality, plush character comes with a unique, promotional code that children can enter online to receive extra privileges in Varsity Heights.

Founded by Caryn Burns and Cindy Prince, two moms with a passion for sports, fitness and their children. Using individual and multi-player games, children learn about problem-solving, goal setting, good sportsmanship, teamwork, fitness, good nutrition and environmental awareness – all while having a fun online experience that will keep them coming back for many “extra innings.”
Caryn Burns and Cindy Prince created All Star Buddies from the two things they knew best, kids and sports. Each comes from different career backgrounds: Caryn, the buyer and merchandiser of a family-run pharmacy; and Cindy, a CSW specializing in counseling adolescents and families. Together, they combined their knowledge and enthusiasm to create All Star Buddies, a series of interactive based plush toys that teach kids real-life lessons and healthy living in a fun and imaginative way.
Would you like to win a plush from All Star Buddies? One SassyFrazz reader will win their choice plush sport ball, which comes with the special promotional code to enter online. This contest is open to all readers living in the Continental United States. Go to the AllStarBuddies website, take a look around (check out the site) and pick out which plush buddy you would like to win (click on meet a buddy). Come back and comment with the name of the buddy you would chose if you won. You may come back each day and enter again, just leave a comment about which sport you like best, or sport team. Click here to see how you can earn extra credits to win, and click here to see guidelines and the official rules. Contest will end on November 28th, at 7:00 PM CST. GOOD LUCK~