“Kid-tested toys that won't break your budget - Tacoma News Tribune” plus 1 more |
| Kid-tested toys that won't break your budget - Tacoma News Tribune Posted: 12 Dec 2010 12:10 AM PST Looking for affordable toys for the holidays? We found five that cost less than $50 that might surprise and delight. Plus, they are all recommended by Stevanne Auerbach, an author and psychologist better known as Dr. Toy for her studies and annual awards for educationally oriented skill-building toys. For more on Dr. Toy, visit www. drtoy.com. Looking for affordable toys for the holidays? We found five that cost less than $50 that might surprise and delight. Plus, they are all recommended by Stevanne Auerbach, an author and psychologist better known as Dr. Toy for her studies and annual awards for educationally oriented skill-building toys. For more on Dr. Toy, visit www. drtoy.com. Zoobles by Spin Master Ages: 4-9 Cool factor: Spin Master, which entranced boys with Bakugan, is now charming girls with Zoobles. Auerbach says it enhances imagination, geography, math and communication skills. The toy comes in more than 100 little round plastic spheres that transform into characters when placed on a magnetized Happitat. Some Zoobles blink their eyes, wag their tails or wiggle their ears when petted. Kids' take: Raves from neighbors Meagan McWilliams, 8, Eleanor Faems, 4, and Sienna Knapic, 4, all of Plano, Texas. They liked the way the balls popped up into little creatures. They liked that they are small enough to fit into pockets and backpacks. Parents' take: The moms preferred the compact Zoobles to the Razoo's Treehouse playset, which they said was too bulky for storage. The younger girls also preferred the Zoobles to the playset, but Meagan loved Razoo's and enjoyed putting her Zoobles down the slide and on the little spinner. Price: Zoobles Single Packs (one Zooble and one Happitat), $5.99; Zoobles Twoobles (two Zoobles and one deluxe Happitat), $9.99; Gift Packs (five Zoobles, three Happitats and carrying case) range from Rest Nest ($17.99) to Razoo's Treehouse Playset ($34.99). Availability: All major retailers and toy stores Minotaurus by lego Ages: 7-12 Cool factor: Players try to lead their heroes to the temple and place walls to block their opponents while avoiding the Minotaur. Not only do you build this toy, you can play a game with it, take it apart and start again. The Minotaurus is one of a new series of 10 constructible games introduced by Lego in March. Kids' take: Eight-year-old Ethan Wilcox of Frisco, Texas, liked it so much he played it three times the first night and used his quiet time the next day to take it apart and put it together again. After mastering the standard rules, he looked forward to altering the rules and playing it a different way. Parents' take: Ethan's parents give it a thumbs-up and say they are looking forward to playing it with Ethan again, too. Price: $24.99 Availability: All major retailers and toy stores Volcanic Disaster: The Eruption Prediction Game by Volcano Video Productions Ages: 9 and older Cool factor: This card game tests your knowledge of volcanoes while teaching. Players get clues about volcanic hazards and are challenged to predict when volcanoes will erupt. It comes with 40 glossy volcano cards with photos from around the world and 80 observatory cards, which you use to do your monitoring and take action. The game is designed by Cheryl Gansecki and Ken Hon, a husband-and-wife team of volcanologists and professors at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. There's a teachers' guide, too, at www.volcanicdisastergame.com. Kids' take: Nine-year-old Natalie Hoffman was more enthusiastic than her 14-year-old sister, Meredith. Both girls liked the pictures on the cards, but Meredith found the game more work than fun. Natalie, on the other hand, liked the way it reinforced what she had learned about volcanoes in school, but needed guidance with the challenging rules. Parents' take: Natalie's and Meredith's parents, Joe and Annabel Hoffman, praised the game for being educational and teaching about volcanoes in different parts of the world. They are looking forward to playing and learning along with Natalie and plan to share with their daughters' science teachers. Price: $16.99 Availability: www.volcanicdisastergame.com Velociraptor and Pterosaur Set by Bloco Toys Ages: 5-10 Cool factor: Kids who are excited about dinosaurs can make their own with this kit of 166 pieces from Bloco Toys. The high-density foam pieces and plastic connectors make it easy for younger ones to handle, and it allows for variety. Kids can follow instructions on how to build a velociraptor and a pterosaur and then transform each of them into three different types, including a baby velociraptor. Kids' take: This hit the spot for 5-year-old Chip Martin of Arlington, Texas. He needed his mother's help to punch some of the pieces out of the sheet but was able to follow the directions and do most of the construction on his own. After he made his dinosaurs, he happily ran around playing with them. Parents' take: Chip's mom, Lisa Martin, recommends this. "I like it because the foam pieces are pretty rugged. And I like that it's not just about creating something, but that he can also play with what he made. It's an excellent value." Price: $19.99 Availability: www.timberdoodle.com My Chocolate Boutique: Chocolate Workshop by Fashion Angels Enterprises Ages: 8 to 12 Cool factor: Kids make molded chocolates, display them on foil wrappers or wrap them up in glittery boxes with ribbons. You supply the chocolate and any fruits, candies or other items you want to coat with chocolate. The kit has a battery-operated melting pot and more than 200 pieces, including mold shapes and stirring and detail painting tools. Kids' take: This was a hit with Lena Payne and Braydon Giangiulio, both 9, Andrea Cossum, 8, and Kati Gibson, 7, all of Dallas. They were rapt for more than an hour, pouring chocolate over marshmallows and small pieces of fruit and then into molds. Afterward, while the girls set the chocolates on foil wrappers and doilies, Braydon ate spoonfuls of the melted chocolate. Parents' take: Three moms were enthusiastic; a fourth didn't like the mess. The moms who liked it said it had potential as a party activity and an opportunity for their kids to make presents. It didn't hurt that Andrea and Kati lingered after the others left and gave their moms chocolates carefully wrapped in shiny boxes with ribbons and delivered with hugs. Price: $19.99 Availability: omaha.learningexpresstoys.com/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | ||||
| Kids' Stuff Preschool in Land O'Lakes enjoys tradition of giving - St. Petersburg Times Posted: 18 Dec 2010 09:42 AM PST By Lisa Buie, Times Staff Writer
My 4-year-old was determined. "I need to bring money to school," Dylan insisted out of the blue last month. "Miss Isabel needs money. She needs lots of money for the needy children." After buying a Thanksgiving dinner and groceries for Metropolitan Ministries, filling a couple of shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for kids in war-torn countries and keeping up with all our regular nonprofit donations, I could feel charity fatigue and budget stress setting in. I gave him a few coins. He frowned. "Miss Isabel wants dollars." Okay, kid. But if you want folding money, you're going to have to earn it, I said. And putting on your own clothes and brushing your teeth without a fight don't count. You're supposed to do those things anyway. That's exactly what his teacher had in mind. The kids aren't supposed to simply pester their parents for money. They're supposed to earn it by doing odd jobs. Granted, a preschooler isn't going to be able to pressure wash the house or take the garbage to the curb. But he or she can help clean up toys or cross items off grocery lists or sort laundry. At my house, we picked up acorns that had fallen onto the concrete driveway. We also swept and mopped the kitchen floor. Never mind that it took twice as long as it normally would. My son was learning the value of work and a sense of responsibility. We also talked about who these "needy children" were and how, unlike my son, they didn't have many toys to play with. At bedtime we put them on our "God bless" list. The earnings were to be taken to Kids' Stuff Preschool in Land O'Lakes where prekindergarten teachers collected them and marked progress on charts. At the end, the kids would get to go shopping and spend the money they had earned on gifts for clients of the Pasco Pediatric Foundation. The nonprofit agency, founded in 1995, provides medical, dental and mental health services for kids who can't get help through federal and state programs such as Medicaid. Recently a child paralyzed with cancer needed a stander that insurance wouldn't pay for. The foundation stepped in. Other kids need life-saving surgery at faraway hospitals, but the parents can't afford the airline tickets or hotel rooms. It also funded a playground for special-needs kids in Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. And it provides holiday gifts to children who might otherwise go without. This year, 69 children from 24 families received presents at a luncheon that also included a visit with Santa. Kids' Stuff began a holiday gift program in 2002 after spending years doing food drives. Isabel Trentman, my son's teacher, introduced the idea after doing it at her previous preschool. Not only does it instill a work ethic, but builds empathy for children to pick out a toy they might like for themselves and give it away. The children's generosity has also inspired others. In the early days, kids would go on a field trip to the bank with rolled coins they had collected and deposit them. One day a man in line noticed and asked what they were doing. After he was told about the program, he gave each child $10 for his or her account. "What goes around comes around," Trentman said. The number of kids participating now make trips to the bank no longer practical. But the kids still shop. One by one, each class boards the school's minibus and heads off to Kmart, which always gives a discount and sets up a special checkout lane just for the students. With help from some of us parents who are able to get off work, the kids shop in pairs for an assigned age and gender. The trip is a bit like herding cats, with the kids sometimes forgetting they're not creating their own wish lists or trying to buy one toy that blows the entire budget. (So in addition to a work ethic and empathy, they also learn a little about finance.) Ten minutes later, it all works out and the kids sit down in the cafe to free popcorn and frozen drinks. In addition to the treats, Kmart also gives each student a goody bag. This year's effort at Kids' Stuff raised about $1,000. Previous drives during the boom times took in twice that much. But the folks at the Pediatric Foundation know that even donor families are struggling with layoffs, pay cuts, foreclosures and increases in health care costs. "We appreciate anything we get," said Jeanne Hoidalen, a nurse in the Pasco County School District who works with the foundation. When my son sees his shiny new bicycle and Woody the sheriff toy and various race cars, he can also know that somewhere the 3-year-old boy we shopped for will get a Spider-Man action figure who rides a dune buggy, some cars from Disney movie Cars, a 28-piece jigsaw puzzle, a book about the New England Patriots, two coloring books and a pack of crayons. Not a bad haul. Lisa Buie can be reached at buie@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4604. >>Fast facts On the Web Visit www.pascokids.org for information about the foundation and its holiday toy program. [Last modified: Dec 18, 2010 12:40 PM]
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_thMNc80fTE8X8NZUAtZmBGGtFYCsXNytCwJwFVVUhT9tRH1PZ0NmH5rshxlUW_sliN7gj-lfstTOiT-laxzLJe55ZxT0RlnT3ad-bADj_0VVIH=s0-d){kind=small}
Click here for reuse options!| You are subscribed to email updates from kids clothing - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment