Melissa & Doug Let’s Explore Critter Net Bug and Fish Catching Play Set - 14pc

Box came damaged. Unfortunate because it is for a gift.

The net is cute and I like the idea of catching critters and learning more about them. This set shows a butterfly and firefly on the observation card (along w/ a frog, fish, and grasshopper) but the butterfly and firefly are not included in the actual game. I’m assuming they want you to go outside and catch real ones instead..? If that’s the case, I’m not sure why they included the folded paper frog, grasshopper, and fish. The paper ones are also pretty difficult to scoop up with the net too. It’s a cute set, but a little vague.

My kid really likes the net we use it to catch real bugs! But playing with it as a game left us feeling like we were missing parts. I see now that’s all it comes with but looking at the cards she wanted to catch more than just the frog grasshopper or fish. I would think the firefly and butterfly at least would be included and on the spin wheel but we would have loved to be able to have all the various stages for each so we could hide, find and identify. Also if they had been small wood pieces that would give them the durability to withstand this type of play. My child was asking where all the other ones were and I didn’t have a good answer. I’ll likely just scan and print some on some card stock so we can play this way but it would have been far better to have them included. It was hard to interact with the information and somewhat disconnected. But it’s a solid bug caching net!

Great gift for any kid who loves the outdoors. My nephew loved it.

Cute and great price on clearance

I bought this for pandemic trick or treating. The handle is a bit short, but it's sturdy enough that I can lash on something longer. The flip book isn't that useful, the other papers turn out to be in 6 languages though, so that was useful!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was excited to try this out with my 5 year old son. We are a homeschooling family and we do a lot of child led learning which involves a lot of games and playtime so this is right up our alley. I had high hopes of educating my boys on the life cycles of animals like butterflies and frogs. This kit came with good quality cards that teach about these animals and also the grasshopper. You can play a game with the spinner or just let them explore with the toys. I played the game with my boys, but it was really boring to them. I think this toy is best fit for ages 2-4. The cards, pan, spinner, and animal pieces were quickly tossed aside and the net became a toy to catch dinosaurs (each other). I'm not upset by this because I encourage imaginative play and love watching their worlds come to life through play. No dinosaurs (or children) were harmed during play.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My son had a great time with this set at our stock tank. He was able to catch and observe a few tadpoles and crickets in the pan. It does come with a few other cards that identy bug insect parts but my kiddos were mostly interested in the net and pan

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] If you ask my kids the best part about the Let's Explore Bug/Fish Net with Pan, they'll tell you it's the net! But mama's favorite part has been the educational aspect of it, the cards with info and it keeps them entertained for hours. I am always impressed with Melissa & Doug "toys" as they last for years!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My daughter and I love this toy! You can use it in so many ways - we play games with it and use it to identify critters in our yard. We take the cards on walks and try to see who can spot all the critters outside first.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This was the perfect gift for a three year old to use for the bath or pool. She was very excited when she opened it! Melissa and Doug's quality is why we opted for this particular set. We know it will be well used and loved!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] my 3 year old and 9 year old love this let's explore set. They make up their own games with this playset. They use the fish net indoors outdoors everywhere they go they take the net so play with. Such a fun cute set for a gift definitely recommend this cute set for any boy or girl perfect little set.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My daughter had a blast playing outside with this. We are looking forward to using it all summer

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Received the Let's Explore Bug/Fish Net with Pan for free for testing and reviewing purposes. My daughter loved this toy. She woke up the next morning so excited to spin the wheel to see what insect she was going to try and catch. She was in our backyard just waiting for some butterflies to pass through the yard. And as she waited patiently a beautiful colored butterfly came flying through. She had her net ready and with my help she caught her first butterfly. I must say I was just as thrilled. Thanks for selecting my family for this campaign. We love this toy concept. Very educational way for our children to explore nature.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Great for little explorers. The net alone is what my kids enjoy the most. Only comes with high quality folded paper with bugs printed on it... not very impressed by these... the info cards are super cool and the spinner is always fun. But the net is really the main thing that makes this a cool toy.