Learning ResourcesAlphabet Soup Sorters - 208 Pieces, Ages 3+, Early Phonics Manipulatives, ABCs, Alphabet Awareness & Recognition, Alphabet Soup Games

I recently pulled these out of the garage to start working on letter sounds with my youngest (just turned 4) and originally bought them 3 years ago for doing the same with my oldest when she was 3. Both love the activity and caught on very quickly. I had tried talking to her about letter sounds before but it clearly didn't click. Five minutes of this game and she became a phonics whiz. The product is of great quality - yes it is cardboard, but a very sturdy variety and well coated. Most pieces still look pristine, and even when you jam it in the can forcefully (as my daughter sometimes does - the concept of turning the piece to fit is not quite there) :) they do not bend or break. The items are easily recognizable to a child and rarely cause confusion about meaning. The only two we have problems with are ape and gift. My daughter keeps wanting to label these gorilla and present, respectively, and then misclassifies. As an aside, the vowel cans include both long and short vowel sounds, which is a sticking point for my daughter right now but ultimately a good thing. I would love to see a set of vowel cans that sort long and short sounds for more clarity. One other issue that may be a problem for some it the size. The individual cans and contents are fine, but in aggregate they take up a lot of space. I have an entire shelf dedicated to these, so if you are short on space plan accordingly.

So glad I tried this toy despite the mixed reviews. My set was perfect. One of each letter. All canisters opened and closed. Proper letters in each. People complained that items didn’t fit in cans. All do- they come in the cans. The only item that I had to turn to fit was the umbrella in the U can. My only criticism is only one letter- X. It’s the only letter where the items/pictures included don’t all start with the letter. They highlight the x in the word but in 3 of the 5 it’s not the first letter. Example. Xylophone - great. Exit - really not a great example of an X word. I also like that there’s room in each can still. You can add little figures or more picture cards if you want. Overall I feel this is a fabulous learning tool!

We splurged on this last year for a xmas gift and use these with our children as a "special toy" that we bring down. They really enjoy them and have lots of fun looking at the items and taking the pictures in and out of the can. Our daughter is learning to sort and sight read with these already. They are 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 and I know we have many more years of fun with these cans. We are very happy with the purchase! Don't think I will ever just give them free reign of all the cans to make a big mess, but great activity toy to sit and work on together.UPDATE OCT 2013We STILL love & use these cans and keep them on top of the fridge in the kitchen. Each morning at breakfast, we take out one can as a letter of the day. This has been awesome toy and tool for learning letters and sound each letter makes. The kids also play with the cans as we are getting dinner on the table. This toy has been a great teaching tool and worth the price!

My only regret is not ordering sooner. Enough room in can to add more if you like. So easy to grab and use in so many ways. The photos are on thick cardboard so very durable.

I bought this for my kindergarten classroom, I use these during small group literacy lessons.. The cans are sturdy and the pictures are very bright..

The reason I knocked a star off is because our initial box came with 2 "g" and no "q"...so I had to box everything up and send it back to get a replacement. My kid was disappointed he had to wait a few more days to get his Christmas present but luckily the 2nd time all the letters were right. Everything is made out of cardboard but it is thicker cardboard and has a laminate on it which seems like you would be able to wipe clean. We do not have any problems with any of the cards not fitting in the cans like others have mentioned. The only questionable one is the sunflower that comes with "s" requires you to push it in instead of dropping it into the can. Some of the images my son has had to ask me what they are but it wasn't a big deal. He enjoys going thru the letters and sounding out the words in each can. Time with tell on how good these hold up but they seem pretty sturdy as long as your kid doesn't chew on them or throw them around.

This is a toy our clinic kiddos love. So many ways to foster communication

I have read some horror stories in these reviews, and I am sorry those things happened. However, my experience with this product is that they are durable, accurate, and most definitely worth the buy. I am so glad I didn't use the reviews to aid my decision not to purchase (I almost did).Originally, I decided on these because I really wanted to buy the alphabet tubs from Lakeshore Learning, but they were too expensive for my then budget. I am actually glad I did buy these instead, even though they were cheaper, because they work for what I need them for, and I absolutely love the soup cans (so nostalgic).There are a couple that fits a little too snug when turning them a certain way, but when turning them a different way, it fits perfectly.