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Young Scientists Club Kits- Experiment at Home

Got a little scientist in the house? They will love these new kits from the Young Scientists Club. There are 7 fun kits available- three of which were just introduced this year:

Magic School Bus Going Green-Kit contains experiments and activities that can save our Earth! Young Scientists recreate the water cycle, build a compost tube, shrink plastic, magically make packing peanuts disappear, decompose food with fungus, form pulp, create new paper, design recycled paper shapes, and more.

Magic School Bus Diving into Slime-Discover oobleck, produce glue from milk, grow jiggly marbles, make snow from super-absorbent crystals, form a bouncy ball, create slime, expand super-absorbent gel crystals, melt fake snow, learn about polymers, and more! Kit includes extra gels, super-absorbent crystals, and marbles to repeat the fun.

Science on a Gardening Adventure-Learn about gardening through  hands-on science experiments. Create a terrarium, learn about underground habitats, explore the different parts of plants, test the soil, design a mini-garden, grow all kinds of seeds, perform plant experiments, identify bugs and their habitats, make a working sun dial, and much more.

These kits would make good home schooling projects, cool gifts for birthdays or christmas or just a fun learning experience for kids age 5 and up.

Smart-e-Bear: A Toy that Grows with Your Child

smart-e-plus-toys
Smart-e-Bear is a cuddly plush toy that can be customized and updated via a USB connection to your computer. Designed for ages 2-6, this toy will keep your kids entertained while they learn and play. It comes pre-loaded with songs by award winning artists, stories and games such as Simon Says. It’s ready to play right out of the box but the fun part comes when you customize it to say your child’s name (if it’s in their database) and download games, songs and stories you know your child will enjoy and benefit from. These are available individually or as pre-packaged bundles called “playdates”. Playdates make it easy to change your smart-e from daytime playmate to soothing bedtime buddy with just a few clicks.

Since this toy grows with your child it won’t end up in the bottom of the toy box after only a few weeks. There is so much to discover with smart-e-bear and because it can be updated to your child’s level of abilities, this toy should be a favorite for years to come.

Also available- smart-e-dog and smart-e-cat.

Green Toys: Toys Made From Recycled Milk Jugs

recycled-plastic-toys

One of the coolest companies I have found that makes green toys is actually called Green Toys. Their toys are made of out recycled milk cartons. The milk containers are reprocessed into a clean fresh plastic called high-density polyethylene which is considered one of the cleanest and safest plastics around.

One of the largest contributors to greenhouse gasses is transportation. Green Toys are made in the USA. Every step of the toy making process takes place in California which saves energy and means fewer greenhouse gasses from transportation.

Even the packaging of Green Toys is environmentally friendly. They use as little packaging as possible and the material they use (recycled corrugated boxes) is 100% recyclable. They don’t use any plastic or twist ties which means the boxes are easy to open and there are no dangerous parts. Kids can open the package themselves with no help from Mom or Dad!

Green Toys toys have been thoroughly tested by nationally recognized independent labs located in the USA. They contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA. They are also designed without any external coatings, eliminating the fear of lead paint.

The selection of Green Toys isn’t large but each and every toy is something kids will really enjoy playing with:

The prices are really reasonable- especially for what you are getting- the piece of mind that the toys your children are playing with are safe and environmentally friendly.

Babalu Felt Story Boards Inspire Kid’s Imagination

Babalu-Felt-Story-Boards

Felt story boards have been around forever but Babalu Inc. has brought them back with FeltTales story boards.  Each story board comes with at least 18 moveable pieces and a story start on the back to inspire your child’s creativity and imagination.  A storage pouch and carrying handle make them ideal for travel.  FeltTales come in a variety of themes including:

For around $20 each, these award winning story boards make a great gift or addition to any playroom.

Build An Arsenal of Fun with Marshmallow Shooters

Forget paintball which can be dangerous.  Have a marshmallow fight instead!  Build your arsenal of fun with these “weapons” which use marshmallows as ammunition:

Peace Keeper Marshmallow Shooter-  Keep the peace with this mini marshmallow shooter adorned with rainbow peace sign designs.

Bow & Mallow- Build your skills and technique with a bow and arrow type marshmallow launcher.

Cheetah Shooter- Pink cheetah print shooter for the sassy girls.

Camo Marshmallow Shooter- Increase your stealth with a camouflage colored shooter.  Your “prey” will never see you coming.

Executive Blaster- The big daddy of marshmallow guns.  This one uses standard size marshmallows rather than minis.

The Marshmallow Fun Company designs their “weapons” with the utmost safety in mind.The shooters won’t blast anything that can’t compress and then regain its shape, like a rock, stick or stale marshmallow, only something soft like a marshmallow. They designed the blasters so that the air bursts out of the muzzle’s sides and not just the front, so kids can’t hurt themselves by shooting at close range.

Marshmallows aren’t know to put an eye out and giggles are much more likely than tears. So give the kids a bag of marshmallows and send them out to the battlefield for a marshmallow war!

Hot Toy Alert: Zhu Zhu Pets

Zhu-Zhu-Pets

Are your kids constantly begging you for a pet? That goldfish just isn’t cutting it? How ’bout a hamster? You might be thinking “Ew, no way. I will be the one stuck cleaning the stinky cage.” Well what if I told you that Zhu Zhu Pets have the potential of satisfying your children’s yearning for a real live pet? It may only be temporary but it’s worth a shot!

Zhu Zhu pets are “pets without the mess”. Little battery operated hamsters move and make noise like the real thing. Zhu Zhu habitats can be built, changed and rearranged for endless fun.

They are the cutest things! You can get a car and garage, an adventure ball, even a surfboard for your hamsters. Each set is sold separately so that you can build your hamster world as you see fit. I love toys like this because it makes it easy to purchase birthday gifts, christmas gifts or rewards- Just buy an add-on!

Inspire Imagination and Creativity with Play-Doh

playdoh

Play-Doh is a classic toy that teaches children to use their imagination and creativity.  As a child I loved “baking cookies” with my Play-Doh set.  I use the term “set” loosely.  It consisted of 5 different colors of dough and nothing else.  My mom let me use her biscuit cutter but the rest was up to me.  Mixing colors to create new ones was always an interesting experience.  Now you can purchase 24 different colors in one box!

While my mom’s biscuit cutter kept me content, I would have loved the Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe or the Super Craft Caddy. September 16th was National Play-Doh Day (there’s a holiday for everything, isn’t there?).  To celebrate, I introduced my two year old to his first Play-Doh experience with a Play-Doh Burger Builder. We had so much fun and it was a great way to spend some quality time together.

With the holidays approaching, I am adding Play-Doh toys to my list of potential inexpensive gifts for the children on my list. It’s also a great thing to keep on hand for last minute birthday gifts because the age range is broad and enjoyable for girls and boys alike.

(Image can be linked to http://www.thefind.com/qq-play-doh)

Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy: Fun Craft for Girls

New from the Klutz series of books, Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy is the ultimate craft project for little girls interested in fairy tales, art and clothing.  This book comes with everything needed to design an entire one-of-a-kind wardrobe, including glitter glue, embellishments, stencils, patterned paper and irresistibly tiny hangers to finish the fashions in style.  A follow up to Klutz Paper Fashions which features couture fashions, Paper Fashions Fantasy allows little fashion designers to create wardrobes for princesses, mermaids and more.

For ages 8 and up, this book would make an adorable birthday or Christmas present that almost any girl would go ga-ga over!

Classic Toys for Your Creative Toddler

Madelyn, 3 years old, is at the age when she appreciates toys that require some level of creativity. Because she is a little young, she can’t take complete advantage of the creative aspects of the toys, but she enjoys trying. For example, she enjoys putting pegs in the Lite-Brite but she can’t place the pegs exactly where need to be to make a picture yet.

A few toys classic creative toys that she play with are:

Lite Brite

Lite Bright

Lite Brite is one of the toys that I actually remember playing with. I have memories of sitting the dark putting the little pegs in the Lite-Brite often making my own designs. Available in pink, blue, and other colors, boys and girls both love this classic toy which can create a few minutes of peaceful time for you, the mom. Lite-Brite is not recommended for children under 3.

Illuminate your imagination with the classic light-up picture maker is now available in a cool flat screen and in the classic box style. The fun, portable design easily fits on your lap or on a table – it’s cordless, so you can take it anywhere! Most, if not all styles comes with 200 pegs. A large storage compartment allows for easy clean-up, and an automatic shut-off conserves battery life.. now that’s more advanced than mine was about 30 years ago.

Alphabet Blocks

Alphabet Blocks

I know you remember playing with Alphabet Blocks. Did your parents leave you to play with alphabet blocks in the hallway or was that just my parents? Alphabet blocks provide hours of fun, creativity, and education. Unlike Lite-Brite (for safety reasons) your 3-4 year old can play with Alphabet Blocks alone, stacking and knocking them down, or you can play with the blocks with her for a more educational experience. Most alphabet blocks have letters, numbers, and pictures on them and are now non-toxic.

These wooden blocks are great for teaching letter and number recognition, and building creativity. The alphabet blocks pictured here are available in English, Spanish, French, other languages and even braille and are made with fair labor in the USA.

From our friends at Mommy Insider

Beat the Heat: Stay Cool with Fun Summer Activities for Kids of All Ages

kidssummerfun

When the temperature rises the kids get cranky and Mommy’s patience runs low.  Send them outside to play with a few fun activities that will keep them busy and cool at the same time.

  • Running through a Sprinkler is a classic summer past time.  The sprinklers are fancier than they used to be but that just makes it more fun!
  • A Snow Cone Maker is great to have around for a tasty treat on a hot summer day.
  • Set them up to play some water balloon games such as “hot potato” or balloon toss.
  • Let them make their own popsicles- this way you can control their sugar intake and maybe even get them to add in some yogurt or a few chunks of fruit.
  • A water activity table will help keep the little ones cool
  • Take a dip in an inflatable pool for splashing fun time!
  • Water guns are always hit with the older crowd

Indulge them a little- it’s summer! They will be back to school before you know it!

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