Reviews for Outdoor Play
What if you could buy a great gift for your grandchild (something you’ve found on Grandkids Gift Guide, of course!) — make that gift even more special by personalizing it and wrapping it in adventure — and, better, yet — make that special experience last 1 to 2 weeks, and forever in their memories? A new “adventure by mail” service called Giftventure will make that happen for you! All you need to do is go to their website and order a giftventure by choosing an adventure and answering a few short questions about your grandchild to personalize it. Choose a treasure map adventure for kids 4-8, a maze adventure for kids 8-12, or choose from several seasonal/holiday adventures. Their characters include: Captain Percy the Pirate, Fay the Fairy Princess, Gunther the Dragon, and holiday favorites — Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Cupid. A giftventure includes 3-4 mailers to your granchild sent every three days from the character you choose. The mailers include colorful letters and posters, as well as puzzles and clues leading them to the location of your gift. Simply provide Giftventure with your grandchild’s name and address, location where your gift will be hidden, as well as a favorite toy/game and landmark to be incorporated in their special story. Giftventure will do the rest! If you know you want to give your grandchild a giftventure but don’t know exactly when — or you’re waiting for a special occasion to occur (a birthday, the holidays — or a special visit at your house or theirs!), Giftventure provides two simple options. One option is to have the giftventure mailed to you or your grandchild’s parents as a package, where everything is included, and the letters, etc. can be distributed (by grown-ups) at the most appropriate times. Or you can purchase a Giftventure gift certificate, which can be redeemed by you or your grandchild’s parents at a later date. Once you decide to give a giftventure, all you need is the gift — and you’re only a few clicks away from that! So… let the adventure and the memory-making begin!
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Star Pilot Young Scientist Space Kit$34.99 at Amazon.com |
If your grandchild (age 10+) is interested in stargazing and learning about astronomy, consider this new Star Pilot Space science kit by the award winning Young Scientists Club. The Star Pilot kit is much more than just an introduction to the night sky, although it does an excellent job of covering the basics. It includes an age-appropriate informational booklet, new technology (the “Star Pilot” device) that provides a visual hands-on approach to locating asterisms and constellations (like the Big Dipper), practice cards of the southern and northern hemispheres to help your grandchild learn how to use the Star Pilot, a large visual diagram which doubles as a decorative poster, and supplies to convert an ordinary flashlight into a night vision light. As a bonus, the kit also includes a card that grants you 40 minutes of free membership (and a user’s guide with suggested activities) to SLOOH, a website that allows real-time viewing of space through high-powered professional telescopes in Europe, South America and Australia. As the manual explains, it does take some time and practice to get the hang of using the Star Pilot device. It has a “star ball,” that shows and names the stars that form constellations, a magnifier eyepiece, where you view the lit star ball with one eye, a compass, and dials for focus and brightness control. Our testers needed to use the practice cards, adjusting the distance between them and the Star Pilot, until they learned to align the stars diagrammed on the star ball with those on the cards — as you would do with real stars in the night sky. It’s really a matter of your eyes adjusting to the process via a principle called “binocular fusion,” when one eye sees a picture and the other eye sees a similar (but not exactly the same) picture — and the brain fuses the two pictures into one! The kit’s manual is loaded with facts, snippets of history about the field of astronomy, suggested experiments, and explanations of various worldwide cultural myths and legends about constellations, such as the stories of Orion and Leo. The Star Pilot kit is appropriately targeted to children ages 10 and up, and adults interested in learning a bit of astronomy may also enjoy it. A younger grandchild will probably have difficulty using the Star Pilot device accurately. However, The Young Scientist Club also makes a Magic School Bus Secrets of Space science kit, in addition to other Magic School Bus science kits, that are targeted to age 5 and up.
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First of all, we love the entrepreneurial success story behind this product. Louise Stall, the inventor of CARES — Kids Fly Safe airline safety harness, is a grandmother of 9 who was inspired to make airplane travel safer for her own grandchildren and for all young children. As she watched her own kids struggle to fly with her small grandchildren, Louise recognized a problem that most of us have encountered. Normal airline seat belts are not safe for toddlers and preschoolers, and it’s nearly impossible to lug a car seat onto the plane along with carry-ons and children themselves. Sketches and work to file for a patent eventually led to a partnership with AmSafe who also manufactures most of the airline seat belts found on today’s flights. After 4 years of developing and testing the prototypes for safety, the FAA certified the CARES system as the first and only alternative to car seats allowed on planes. The best thing about the CARES system, aside from peace of mind, is that it weighs just one pound. It’s packaged in a small nylon travel pouch with an instructional dvd and a safety card similar to the one found on airplanes. It can fit easily in a carry-on bag or can even be carried by your grandchild. When installed, the restraint system itself looks similar to a 5-point harness system used in an infant or toddler/convertible car seat. It should be noted that installation varies slightly depending on the type of airline seats and tray tables on the plane (and this is clearly diagrammed on the instructional safety card). On seats with a “non-recessed” tray table the CARES is installed under the tray table of the person behind you (allowing that person to use the tray table). Thus the CARES can be used throughout the entire flight. On seats where the with a “recessed” tray table, the CARES is installed over the tray table, thus it can only be used during taxi, takeoff and landing. Cares is designed for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. Louise and her family-run business suggest that airlines should be required to carry and offer the CARES restraint to any child flying with them who fits that profile — and that sounds good to us. In the meantime, if you have grandchildren who fall in that range consider presenting them (and their parents!) with this gift of safety and convenience, invented and brought to market by a concerned and industrious grandparent — bravo!
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The Magic School Bus - Soaring Into Flight Science Kit$19.99 at Amazon.com |
We like the Magic School Bus flight science kit series for several reasons. First, it’s geared to children as young as 5, and, with some guidance from you, they can actually do the experiments and learn a thing or two. We also like the instruction booklets included in the kits. Your grandchildren will enjoy following along because they feature Ms. Frizzle, Ralphie and all of the Magic School Bus characters they already know and enjoy. You’ll appreciate the easy-to-understand, yet informative curriculum provided, as well as the format of the booklet. For instance, each experiment follows the same format: 1) Question; 2) Hint; 3) Hypothesis; 4) Materials Needed; 5) Methods 6) Results; and 7) Conclusions. There is also supplemental information included with each experiment in the form of dialogue from each of the Magic School Bus characters. Clever! My little scientist at home was thrilled to test the Soaring Into Flight kit. This is a perfect Spring or Summer activity — however, these experiments can also be conducted indoors, with guidelines and plenty of space. The kit is ideal for children who enjoy airplanes or anything that flies. Twelve age-appropriate experiments explore basic concepts essential for various types of flight, such as: air pressure and resistance, wings, Newton’s third law of motion, gas pressure, spinning rotors and gravity. Your grandchildren will build and fly paper airplanes and gliders, conduct a balloon experiment, launch tiny rockets, propel spinners, compare the effectiveness of different-sized parachute sails, and more. Soaring Into Flight is one in a series of several Magic School Bus science kits, including: The Secrets of Space, A Journey Into the Human Body, and The World of Germs. The Series was created by The Young Scientists Club, who also sells its Young Scientist Series and Adventure Science Series. The company’s products are designed by a team of Harvard graduates, scientists, educators and parents — and have won all of the top educational toy awards.
We love trying out products invented by parents who were inspired by their kids. In this case, it’s Little Capers — spawned from a mom whose toddler boy went through a typical superhero phase, set on wearing dish towel capes clipped to his shirt… anywhere. She had to do something! Many of us moms can relate, often feeling compelled to placate our young heroes with very un-original, un-stylish, and un-comfortable polyester costumes of superheroes who shall remain un-named. Alas, there is hope for our little heroes! Little Capers are 100% cotton, stylish T-shirts (with velcro-attached matching shiny capes) adorned with original positive hero-like images, such as a star, the earth, a peace sign or a thunderbolt. The shirts come in both short and long sleeves, and girl and boy colors and styles. Better yet, they’re made in Los Angeles, U.S.A. in a “non-sweatshop” facility. Choose from infant sizes (without capes), on up to size 8. My daughter loves her black with pink and sparkly silver star shirt, and I love that it’s stylish and can be worn with our without the pink sparkly cape. I also love that the message it sends is nonviolent and noncommercial — almost impossible these days. With this gift, you and your grandchild will both be heroes!
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If you’re thinking about getting your young grandchild a tricycle or small bicycle with training wheels, you may want to consider this Balance Bike, or training bike, as an alternative. Balance bikes have been popular in Europe for many years and have recently become popular in the U.S. They’re a really smart and safe way for children to learn to ride bikes, balancing themselves as they would on real two-wheelers, scooting around without pedals and chains getting in their way, and using their feet as guides. You can find balance bikes in different styles and price-ranges. This one by Kettler is a nice quality bike, yet more moderately priced than other brands and models. It has some nice features, such as a lengthened, padded, adjustable seat, Euro-style wheel and spoke covers (so shoelaces don’t get snagged), front and rear mud guards, and a patented “limited turning radius,” to avoid tipping. Great for children ages 2-6.
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These live butterfly garden kits provide an awe-inspiring activity for children and grownups alike. My two children and I observed the butterfly metamorphosis process at their preschool last fall, and each of us had a chance to set a beautiful Monarch butterfly free. We found ourselves mesmerized throughout the entire process. This popular kit by Insect Lore comes with an observation chamber, feeding supplies for the butterflies, an instruction booklet that includes butterfly facts, and a certificate for 3-5 “painted lady” caterpillars. Once you choose the right time for the project (during warmer months), you simply send in your certificate and the caterpillar larvae arrive in a small container with all of the nutrients they need for their trip. The metamorphosis from larva to butterfly takes about 3 weeks from the time you receive the larvae. During this process, you and your grandchild will be able to watch the larvae grow, form chrysalides, and transform into beautiful butterflies that you can set free together. It’s a little bit like watching your grandchildren grow, only faster! Note: the butterflies shouldn’t be set free in temperatures lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This is an intergenerational activity that’s sure to engage children of all ages!
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Children love rocks — collecting beautiful ones, plopping them in water, and making glorious piles of them. But building structures with them? It’s not often that you find a collection of small, naturally-shaped rocks and stones that can truly build things. Stonees natural building blocks are a new product made from real rocks crushed with natural pigments, that are subtly shaped so children (and adults), with practice, can build creative things with them. They are all individually shaped to enable them to build upon each other in some way, but they are still rocks, so tumble they will, especially if they aren’t balanced properly. Building with Stonees takes a certain level of motor skill development — and they’re also smallish and hard (they’re rocks!) — so they’re not recommended for children under 3, and probably best for kids 5 and over. They also require patience and discipline, as it takes a while to figure out how Stonees best fit together, and a fair amount of practice balancing them. Once your grandchild has that down, the creative options are endless. I found that sitting down and working with my son (age 5), introducing him to the concept and testing various configurations together, helped avoid any possible frustration and gave him a great basis to work from. After that, he was off and running, creating walls to complement his action figure set-ups, towers, etc. We recommend you doing the same with your grandchild. Stonees are naturally fun and challenging, and can be used inside or out.
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What an incredible way to get kids (ages 7-10) to challenge themselves both physically and mentally! We’re not surprised that Wild Planet’s game Hyper Dash has won several awards, including an iParenting “outstanding product” award. Kids set up five different colored targets wherever they want (as far apart as they want), inside or outside. Then they hold an electronic “tagger” that calls out which targets you need to hit, while also playing energizing music to encourage them to go as fast as they can through their “course.” There are four different skill levels, with the first calling out certain colored targets to be tagged, up to level four where they need to solve an addition or subtraction problem in order to know how many targets to hit. There are also other play modes, such as “micro dash,” a memory game, and multi-player mode, promoting teamwork — although the game is equally as fun being played solo or head-to-head. Loads of fast-paced fun!
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This Alex Monkey Balance Board is a great “active” toy for girls and boys that encourages physical activity either inside or out. It builds leg strength and balancing skills, and is just the right size for little feet (ages 3-6). The wooden board is solid and sturdy with no weight limit, and is adorned with an adorable monkey. Perfect activity for a rainy day, and equally as fun outside.
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