LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten My Pal Scout

So far, my 3 1/2 year old son loves this. The only draw back I’ve really found is that he is left handed and where the pen is connected and the lack of length in the cord makes it hard for him to use his left hand when working on the left side of the book he’s on. He tends to switch to his right hand because the cord simply doesn’t allow enough movement for him to hold it in his left hand. Using his right hand is fine however as he is left handed I would rather him be able to practice tracing numbers and letters with his dominant hand.

I bought this along with 3 books. My 2 year old son was super excited to open the box with me... and, then we could not get the software installed. Many folks wrote about this in their reviews. But, I'm a tech pro and figured that it had to do with outdated operating system or not enough familiarity with installing/connecting tech toys. Nope- this really just wouldn't work on Windows 10. The installation kept "looping" with a message that it needed to install an important update, then would install it, restart, then say it needed to install an important update, etc. over and over and over and over. It's day 3 and I've not managed to get through to tech support on the phone AND the email tech support message I sent 3 days ago was never replied to. SO- I'm returning the product AND the 3 books. I'll probably buy a Kindle Fire instead and never purchase any of this company's products in the future.

I purchased the special edition leapfrog learning system for my 2 and 1/2 year old. It is made well and does not break if it is dropped. It comes with a sample book but you must have a computer to install the book or it is useless which can be a pain. There is a range of books for different age groups that can be purchased but this can add up quickly in costs. Each one also must be connected originally with a computer.My 2 year old uses it during school time (as we homeschool) when the other children are on their computers. He calls it his computer. He knows how to turn it on and off and there is light that comes on to show it is on. He can also easily use it and it provides entertainment as well as education for him. I like the concepts, the ease of using the item, and the durability. I don't like the books need to be purchased separately and installed from a computer using Internet. I also like it is good for many years not just the toddler years. I prefer the colors o the special edition one I purchased to the original one.

My son LOVES MyPal Scout so naturally for his 4th birthday when I say Scout Special Edition Leapstart I thought “Great idea!” It is low-tech and educational and so I was excited to buy it for him. I bought quite a few books and had no issues downloading them. Sadly, not even 6 months later we started having issues with the stylus not working properly. It intermittently would work and eventually even that stopped. We changed batteries, bought the top of the line ones hoping better quality would make a difference, uninstalled and reinstalled all the books and then contacted LeapFrog. They basically told me it is past the 90 day warranty and there was nothing they could do as they don’t repair their products! So what should I do? I have no choose but to what? But another one? I’m at a loss. My poor kid keeps asking me can we fix it? (This also occurring simultaneously to his best bud Scout not working anymore and same issue!!) I’m flabbergasted that both products didn’t even last one year. Poor quality I’m afraid and an expensive one to boot. I’ve spent probably over $100 on the just books that are just now sitting there...

I purchased this for my 3 year old son for Christmas. He has no problems using a tablet, but I liked the idea of him using something that wasn't an electronic screen while also working on his pencil holding and tracing skills. The price was right, and I liked the Amazon exclusive green Scout edition so ordering it was a no brainer for me.When I first tried to connect it to my computer IT WOULD NOT FIND IT. The leapfrog connect software just refused to see the leapstart completely. After trying all kinds of connecting and powering down combinations I tried something different. I figured maybe my leapfrog connect software needed an update and this was correct. Go to [...]and select the software that goes with the leapstart. Once I did that it finally found the leapstart and I was able to download the audio for the books. The leapfrog connect software is awful and never tells you it needs an update so you'd never know, super frustrating. So if it's not recognizing the leapstart try redownloading the connect software from the leapfrog website.So once I got the audio downloaded I let my kid go for it. He likes to rush and just poke everything so I had to walk him through waiting and listening once he picked something. The books require you to start with the level 1 green star activity and finish it before trying the orange 2 star activity, which is slightly annoying. My son would frequently try to select the level 2 after trying some of the level 1 and when you do that it starts everything over again. The other downside is that you have to wait for the book to stop talking to continue with a game or activity. It's a little annoying when you have a rusher like my kid who doesn't want to wait for the audio instructions to catch up with him. Hopefully I can spin this into him learning some patience and waiting for directions.Overall it's not bad, it's fairly inexpensive compared to a tablet and seemed to hold my sons interest for a time. The books are a little pricey for what they are but that's true of all the leapfrog books. I'm hoping he stays interested in doing the activities, I'll update in 6 months or so with how much he really played with it.UPDATE: My son is now 4 and is playing with this toy more then he used to. He has gotten a lot better at following the verbal instructions too. I'm happy that it's still holding his attention, and the number of books has grown. I've found some clearanced out at local stores for 1-3 bucks a piece so that's nice too. You should know that Leapfrog is probably going to discontinue this version. I have heard through the grapevine they are coming out with one that has like a holographic character "helper" to add a moving visual element to the next model. We'll see!

I bought this product for my 2 half year son. He thoroughly enjoys it and finds it easy to use.I like the handle it has, if any glitch it would be great if the actual leap start locked so it doesn't flip open.My daughter has a special edition one which locks shut and you need to slide a button across for it to open. i think this would be a handy thing to make stock standard for all of the leapstarts.