Reviews for 5-7 years old
Hoppers Jr. is a fun and challenging peg solitaire game designed for kids ages 5-7 to play on their own — although I’ve been having just as much fun with it as my kid testers! Once again, Thinkfun has done a great job with the design of this game (as with most of their games). The square sturdy board (along with a handy travel bag to carry the pieces and hook onto the board) is intended to mimic a lily pad pond, and the object is to have the chunky little frogs hop over each other until only the red frog remains. The green frogs can hop over each other in any direction, and the 1 red frog can also hop over the greens, but the greens can not hop over the red. Like many of Thinkfun’s games, Hoppers Jr. comes with a Challenge Book with game board setups ranging from Easy to Super Hard. Some of the challenges actually start getting “challenging” in the medium range, so somewhere along the way your grandchild will likely require some friendly encouragement and assistance. At the more difficult levels it will be necessary to navigate the board more than once, possibly many times, in order to crack it. Similar to Chess, it helps to study the board and try to see all of the remaining moves, or hops, ahead of time. However, there is only one player so there are no surprises — just good mind-stretching fun! Thinkfun also sells a version of this game for older children (ages 8-12).
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We recently took our first long car ride with the Snack & Play Travel Tray by Star Kids. Our trip was more relaxed than usual because our 4 year-old daughter was able to entertain herself without as much reaching, dropping, and asking for help. The Snack & Play Travel Tray was created by a entrepreneurial mom who wanted to address a problem recognized by most parents — how to keep young children occupied, self-sufficient and happy, with toys, snacks, etc., during extended travel in the car, plane or stroller. What’s novel about this tray is that it is just firm enough to color or roll toys on, yet is still soft and comfortable on a child’s lap. It can be used with any car seat, booster or stroller, and has a mesh pocket hanging from each side so your grandchild can store toys, cups, snacks, etc. This, in conjunction with the fact that the tray itself has a border around it, means a lot less reaching back to hand-over or pick-up hard-to-reach toys. The Snack & Play is manufactured in accordance with European standards, the strictest regulations in the world, and has been crash tested by a federally recognized testing facility — the tray system’s softness makes it much safer than other trays in the case of an accident. The fabric wipes clean and is certified lead and phthalate-free.
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How'd They Build That - (Fire Truck)?$8.99 at Amazon.com |
We’ve been introduced to a new series of educational kids DVD’s called, “How’d They Build That?”. How’d They Build That – Fire Truck will appeal to aspiring young firefighters (and other children who are generally interested in how things are built) from ages 5 and up. With adult supervision, some even younger enthusiasts will certainly learn a thing or two as well. This particular DVD visits Seagrave Fire Apparatus, in Clintonville, Wisconsin — a company that’s been around since 1881 and makes many of today’s fire trucks. The simple narrated format tells how Seagrave started out as a ladder company, and then, with requests for custom-made ladders from fire departments, eventually began building the trucks to go along with the ladders! The DVD shows some of the components of the vehicles, including various types of ladders (which average 100 ft. long when fully extended!), hydraulic platforms, etc. Fun Facts are also dispersed throughout the 58 minute program. For example, one Fun Fact states that there are between 1,800 and 2,500 parts in an average fire truck. Another one explains that it takes between 1,500 and 3,500 hours to build a single truck. Also, did you know that some parts are held together by very strong tape? Or that fire trucks can actually be any color whatsoever, even though the standard is red? In addition to the Fire Truck DVD discussed here, the How’d They Build That series also includes: Big Truck, School Bus and Concrete Truck.
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Recently my kids and I have had the pleasure of playing with some of the wooden toys handcrafted by Tom Seal, of Bearded Seal Woodcrafts. We especially appreciate fine handcrafted wooden toys, and these are some of the finest we’ve seen. Tom custom-makes each product entirely by hand. He received his earliest inspiration as a child wandering the forests of his native Pacific Northwest. By high school he was crafting wood, and then honed his skills studying fine arts in college. He applies this appreciation of wood, as well as his knowledge of how to expertly craft it, into each of his products — from vintage wooden cars to classic wooden tangram puzzles. My kids have been vroom vroom’ing around non-stop with a gorgeous classic Ford mustang crafted from Makore & Bolivian Rosewood ($32). The tangrams set is crafted using American Black Walnut, and comes packaged in a decorative silk travel pouch, along with plenty of suggested tangram puzzles ($17 for domestic wood or $22 for exotic). We love tangrams, and what a treat it is to be able to play on such a beautiful set. If you and your grandchild enjoy logic puzzles (and also have some pretty good fine motor skills!), Tom also sells several other logic puzzles, such as a Sword puzzle and 2 Ring puzzle (both $7), as well as games, such as Marble Solitaire ($18). Tom’s signature pieces are his line of beautiful handcrafted wooden rocking horses. The Rocking Thoroughbred can be custom-ordered and made with any of the woods Tom uses (average price is $460). Or choose from various designs crafted from Pine and stained as light Golden Pecan to dark Walnut colors ($134). For a small fee, Tom can add a personalized inscription on many of his pieces. All of Tom’s wooden creations make fantastic kids gifts and, incidentally, are sure to delight all of us grownups, too!
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Hop To It! by Playroom Entertainment offers a new twist on memory games. It’s fast paced and appeals to kids of all ages (recommended for ages 5 and up), as well as parents and grandparents. 21 picture tiles are arranged in a row or a circle — although you need to be sure to have a beginning and an end. Then 3 discs are used to cover the first, second, and third (for advanced play) picture tiles. Each player is allowed to briefly view all of the tiles before beginning play, and when ready, the hourglass timer is set and the player must remember what the object on the first tile is. If they guess correctly, another player quickly moves, or “hops” that cover disc onto the third object tile. Then the player must quickly recall and say what the object on the second tile is, and so forth. When the time is up each player collects the picture tiles they’ve recalled and when each player has had a turn the tiles are counted and whoever has the most wins. The next time the game is played the object tiles are mixed up and rearranged. This is definitely one of those games that can be challenging for both children and adults (a great intergenerational activity!), requiring one to exercise and train the part of the brain that controls visual memory. It’s certainly been challenging for this game reviewer and her family! We also like that it’s small and portable — and the affordable price makes it a great gift idea for anytime!
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Ask Magazine, for kids ages 7-10, is one of several kids educational magazines by Carus Publishing (see our review of Muse Magazine). Ask’s articles focus on arts and sciences, answering questions a grandchild might ask (for instance, Why do we sleep?), in articles that are in-depth and appropriate for kids this age. The Case of the Disappearing Bees, an article appearing in the September 2008 issue, discusses the current crisis that is stumping beekeepers and scientists, and scaring farmers, food manufacturers and all of us who eat the crops bees have always dutifully pollinated. The article’s content is challenging, yet not over the top. An adult would probably need to read along with a 7 or 8 year old, and a 9 or 10 year-old would enjoy reading and learning on their own. Another great article, titled, Say Cheese! The Science of Smiling, discusses the many types of human smiles, as well as those of some animals, such as monkeys. Ask Magazine also includes shorter news stories, called, Scoops, as well as comic strips, contests and letters. A subscription to Ask Magazine makes a great year-long birthday or holiday gift idea. Stay tuned for reviews of more great kids magazines, such as: Babybug Magazine for infants to 3 years; Ladybug Magazine & Click Magazine for ages 3-6; Spider Magazine and Appleseeds for ages 6-9; and Cricket Magazine, Dig Magazine (all about archaeology!), Faces Magazine (about people, places and culture), and more, for ages 9-14.
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Personalized music CD’s are always a good gift idea for kids, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. Young kids love to hear their names mentioned in songs, and if the tunes are catchy and they can sing along with them, even better! My daughter is enjoying her “You are my Friend” CD, which includes 8 personalized songs, from “Let’s Spend the Day Together” and “Let’s Pretend,” to “I Spy” and “You’re Special.” This particular collection of songs emphasizes positive self-esteem and simply having fun. As an adult, you may find yourself humming or even singing along! This CD makes a nice birthday gift, and you can also order “Hip Hip Hooray It’s Your Birthday,” specifically intended for birthdays. Also choose from sports themes, holiday gift cd’s (for Christmas & Hanukkah), nursery rhymes, and more. You can have a personal message printed directly on the CD, which makes the gift more special for you and your grandkids. And, especially nice is the under $20 price. Here’s to finding a high impact, sure-to-please personalized kids gift that’s easy on the pocketbook!
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The TickleMe Plant (Mimosa Pudica from seeds) kids gift is a great science kit for ages 5 and up and fun for the entire family. Kids can experience the joy and responsibility of growing their own TickleMe plants from seeds, and then interact with them. Once the plants’ mature leaves have grown (within a month under the right conditions), you and your grandchild can literally tickle them and watch them move. This kit includes a reusable recycled plastic greenhouse (the gift’s packaging) to help nurture the seeds, as well as 3 TickleMe seed packets (with 10-20 Mimosa Pudica seeds and growing instructions on the back), 6 flower pots, 6 soil pellets and 10 science experiment ideas, such as: Use a toothpick to try to find out which part of the TickleMe Plant is most sensitive to touch. TickleMe plants can be re-potted when they are big enough and brought outside once temperatures don’t dip lower than 65 degrees. Seeds will take longer to grow in rooms that are cooler than 70 degrees. The company’s website has a Growing Tips section with specific instructions for growing, including tips for the Fall and Winter seasons. And for a budget-friendly gift idea under $10, TickleMe Plants sells a Mini greenhouse gift package that includes 1 seeds packet, 1 flower pot and 1 soil pellet for $5.95. This is a great birthday party favor idea as you can purchase 6 mini kits for $29.95. Parents may also want to mention the idea to teachers, as the company sells classroom science kits. TickleMe Plant Company was actually founded by a science teacher and, thus, has that seal of approval. A fun, creative, and educational gift idea!
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Idbids is a beautifully conceived and designed eco-friendly educational kit for kids 3 years and up. It makes learning about how to protect and preserve our environment fun for young children. The Idbids storybook included in the kit (Iddy Biddy Steps for a Greener World) is a sturdy small square book with vibrant photo-like illustrations showing each of the Idbids plush toy characters (Scout the Cloud, Waverly the Water Drop and Lola the Flower) engaging in a earth-friendly activity. It also explains in very simple kid-friendly terms why we should practice what the Idbids preach and the difference each of their recommendations will make to our environment. The storybook then refers kids to the kit’s Field Guide, that touches on more iddy biddy steps (10 total) they can take to make even more of a difference. The steps include: turning off the water while brushing teeth, turning off the lights when leaving a room, recycling, and using both sides of the paper when creating artwork. The guide then suggests that every time your grandchild takes one of these iddy biddy steps, they should color in one of the footprints that appear in the guide. Then, when all of the footprints are colored in, they can go to the Idbids website and print out a certificate of completion. The kit also includes an adorable Idbids character plush toy handcrafted from 100% organic Egyptian cotton and an organic fabric cinch sack that anyone (regardless of age) would enjoy. Of course, the Idbids kit’s packaging is made from 100% recycled paperboard. Idbids’ company motto is “Iddy Biddy Steps Make a Biggie Big Difference.” We predict that kids implementing the principles they learn from this gift (as well as what they learn from their parents, grandparents, teachers, etc.) will begin to understand what this motto means and will have some lots of iddy biddy fun in the process!
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The Message Marquee is a portable, wearable or mountable (if desired) light-up message board that can be used for work or play, and that the entire family will enjoy. The concept is simple. Use the black wipe-off marker to write a message on the front white-board of the Message Marquee. Turn it on and little flashing white lights surround the white-board message. Just like a marquee! Your grandchild may decide to hang it on the bedroom door with a “I’m studying” message, or family members can wear a “Happy Birthday” marquee to help celebrate someone’s special day. I’ve been using it to get my kids’ attention on school mornings and urge them to “Get Ready!” It’s a little bit silly but can help get a point across in a fun, smile-provoking way. Perhaps your grandchild could find a use for it during school presentations — or younger kids (with supervision) could use it for dramatic play setups. However your grandchild and family members choose to use it, the Message Marquee gets the point across!
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