Seeking Educational "Toy" for 3.5 Yo for Christmas...suggestions Please!

I have had nothing but problems with the Vtech company. Not specifically the innotab or laptop, but customer service? Forget it! 4 months and 6 phone calls to get a replacement for an item that didn't work right out of the package! Having said that, I'm sure there is some good Vtech stuff, that situation just turned me off from the company. Leapfrog is great! We have had several Leapfrog items and the kids love them. I just bought one for my 3 1/2 yr old for Christmas. Other ideas...what about an age appropriate microscope? I know they make them for younger children. Or a butterfly kit? It comes with a net "cage". You send away for the caterpillars and she can watch them make a chrysalis, and turn into butterflies. Then you can release them in your yard.

Since you are considering both the Leap Pad and the Leapster, I would get the Leap Pad. It is compatible with the Leapster Explorer games so you will have a much greater selection. If you sign up on Leapfrog.com, they will send you special deals--especially as we get near Christmas. My daughter has a Leapster (mainly inherited from her older siblings) and she has a Princess laptop. She loves both.

We're thinking of getting the Nabi 2 for our 3yr old for Christmas. It's a nice size "tablet" for kids, and it has a food grade silicone bumper. Lots of apps/games preloaded onto it. Cheaper than replacing my phone or getting her an iPad, PLUS it has a kid mode/adult mode so they're not accidentally buying stuff.

What do you consider educational?
math skills: blocks, puzzles, sorting, Legos, sand/water/container play, marble mazes, train/race tracks
fine motor/pre-writing skills: beading/lacing, markers, paint, play doh, fuse beads, cutting, gluing
social skills: dress up, kitchen, dollhouse, store, doctor/vet
gross motor/physical skills: balls, hoops, swings, balance toys, riding toys
science skills: cooking and gardening stuff, bug/insect observation
If she has ALL of the above there are lots of websites she can play on for free. My kids always loved pbskids, because that's where most of their favorite shows and characters were.
They also loved board games like Memory and Stare, and they couldn't get enough of the I Spy books (great for visual concentration!)
We had did have a Leap Pad, but it ended up being ignored in favor of the more hands on stuff :)

Do you have an IPad? All I have to do is hand it to my 2 and 4 year old's and they're able to turn it on and get to an educational preschool game. Only problem is, and IPad is a bit more expensive than a VTech "toy", but I'm usually in the room with them and they're very careful with it.

My kids (now 7, 4, and 2) were never into the electronic games. They preferred educational puzzles and games. We have a bunch of Match It! games...here is a link on amazon.com...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_8?url=search-ali...

We have the laptop by Vtech and have not had any problems.

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We have the laptop by Vtech and have not had any problems.