Way back at the beginning of June, Lady Marie and the lovely folks at Team Mom asked me to take a few minutes and review Bella Sara Trading Cards. After taking some time to play with them, I’m thrilled to finally post all about these popular trading cards for girls. Bella Sara cards feature a mythological land called North of North filled with magical horses. Not your plain ‘ole trading card, you can not only collect/trade the cards and learn about the characters listed on them but with the codes included in the pack you can also interact with them online. You can care for and play with your very own foal, feeding it oats, apples, and milk, cleaning out its stall, petting it, and more. There are many online games where you collect horseshoes which allow you to purchase toys, furniture, and more for your horse, its stall, and your cottage.
The site is very user friendly, akin to Webkinz or Build-a-Bearville. More than likely it will be popular with girls in Elementary school (1st – 5th grade) who have an affinity for horses. The Eldest Princess (who is currently long-handing her own review, available online later today) explored the Magical North of North Castles and Royal Lands with great ease and I felt comfortable with the content she engaged there. She needed a bit of help with some of the games but LOVED caring for her horse who she named Princess Cookie and buying things for her in the Bazaar.
Inside a typical pack of cards (Retail: $2.99) you receive the following:
Five Trading Cards, a Code Card (either Gold, Silver or Copper) worth a specific number of Horseshoes online, a sticker, and a sheet of tattoos. The cards list the characters’ names, their titles, and a positive and encouraging statement designed to inspire children.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of mythology of any variety which definitely disappointed my eighth grade Literature teacher. So portions of the Bella Sara cards didn’t sit well with me – i.e. “Sara” is the goddess of the horses who has kept their magical breed alive. However, with the online content there is very little of this influence. My daughter chose to stick with the stable where she could care for her own horse, dreaming and verbalizing out loud that she wished she could have her very own real horse. So if you want to give your kid a pony without scooping the poop this is definitely a safe, sure bet. 🙂
Best of all the website is totally free. There’s a page filled with jigsaw puzzles, coloring pages, wallpapers, printable activities and games here. And you don’t even need the Reward Codes (although it would take a VERY long time to buy anything for your horse without them) to have an online equestrian friend. Go here to register for an account for your little princess. You receive 110 Horseshoes, a Bella Poster, a Duskpaw cub, and a Blue Sky Night Chaise Lounge (oohlala!) for your horse just for signing up. I think the Eldest Princess would agree that Bella Sara is a fun experience and worth a glance if you have a little horse lover in your house.
www.queenoffree.net
