Reviews for 12 years and up
We love the simple premise of Family Talk and Grandparent Talk — card decks with questions that provide the perfect spark for conversations among family members and peers. The games include 100 diverse question cards clipped together and small enough to bring anywhere where it might be helpful and enjoyable to pass time or become lost in memorable conversation. The questions have been developed for ages four and up — the younger set will need help reading the cards, of course. In Family Talk, questions are as simple as, “What is your favorite color?” or can get as detailed as, “What is one of the most important things your parents taught you?” Grandparent Talk is designed to help deepen intergenerational relationships among family members and keep family history alive. Questions range from: “Did you have your own bedroom growing up?” and “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” to “Are you afraid of anything?” and “What do you think about kids today?” Writing about this makes me want to turn back time to play this game with my own grandparents. Both games (as well as a Family Talk 2 version) come in the portable clip format or in a tabletop jar format. The Founder of Around the Table Games is a working mom who enjoyed learning all she could about her grandparents and great grandparents — and who knows how today’s busy lifestyles can prevent us from enjoying these types of valuable interactions. The games are great gifts for kids and their families, or for yourself — to keep at your home for when your grandchildren visit. Your “talks” will never be the same again!
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When I first played with Think-ets at the 2008 Toy Fair in NYC, what initially interested me was the game’s tiny size and simplicity — a travel pouch that easily fits in a pocket, filled with 15 intriguing little objects gathered from around the world. However, after playing it for a while with my kid-testers, I soon realized that although the game is small, and it’s materials simple, the brain-exercising activities they promote are endless. Think-ets includes a small pamphlet describing 11 games, including “What’s Missing,” where 5 or more trinkets are laid out, one player looks away while the other takes a trinket away. The player who looked away needs to guess which object is missing. In another game called “What’s Your Story,” imagination rules. The first player chooses from a few trinkets and begins a story highlighting that item. Then the next player chooses another trinket and continues the story using that item as the next subject, and so on. The inventors encourage kids and their families to devise new games and email them along to the company. The trinkets in Think-ets are purposely timeless (a tiny copper goblet, satin flower, wooden alphabet block, donut, gold band, etc.) making it a thoughtful game that transcends generations — perfect for playing with your grandchild. You can choose from one of 3 games, each with a different-colored pouch containing different trinkets — or buy all 3! The manufacturer recommends ages 8 and up (and of course, advises you to keep the game away from children under 3), but Think-ets are also fun for younger children, whose memory skills are constantly being developed and whose imaginations run wild. The game’s size makes it wonderful for restaurants and vacation travel — or for fun, thoughtful time at home with your grandchildren. Enjoy!
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Pentago is a strategy game from Sweden, where most designs are clean and simple, yet smart and sophisticated. The rules can be learned almost instantly by most age groups (5 years and up), yet similar to Chess, layers of strategy can be practiced for years by “master” players. Pentago is like Tic-Tac-Toe — the goal is to get 5 marbles in a row, in any direction, before your opponent does. When a player places one marble on the board, he or she then twists 1 of 4 game blocks 90 degrees, in either direction. You can twist any game block — not just the one where you placed your marble. So it is with this twisting and constant changing of the game board that things get interesting and continuously challenging. Your grandchild (and you!) will practice spatial and hand-eye coordination, not to mention logic and problem solving. We especially like the design and packaging of this new travel edition, because the blocks turn easily but are still all connected — and there’s a cover to keep all of the marbles contained. Or you may prefer the solid birch editions (in either natural or red), where the blocks detach completely. Pentago has won plenty of awards, including Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Award, Mensa Select Award, and Creative Child’s Game of the Year Award. This is a thought provoking intergenerational activity that you can share with your grandchild for years.
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We played Numbers League for the first time at the 2008 Toy Fair and were impressed for many reasons. Associating math with superheroes is a genius idea, since boys (and some girls!) are fascinated by this genre. The heroes are all-new and unique to Numbers League — you won’t find Superman or Spiderman in this game, but you will find expertly illustrated characters, both male and female, who will capture your grandchildren’s imagination and get them excited to practice their math skills in a fun and creative way. Numbers League: Adventures in Addiplication is meant for 2-4 players ages 8 and up. Very simply put, the superheroes must defeat the villains by exactly matching their number using basic math. There are two levels of play. You can also purchase a Numbers League Infinity Level Expansion Kit, which raises the age level to 11 and up and the number of players to 6. It includes multiplication of simple decimals and multiplying by negative numbers. We’ve linked to Bent Castle Workshops, the independent manufacturer of this and other creative card games. You can purchase directly from their website, or search through their list of retailers for a local game store near you.
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You may have noticed that flip-flops have become the footwear of choice for many teenage girls and young women over the past few years — even in cooler months. These flip-flop socks are a great gift for your older granddaughter, allowing her to extend her flip-flop season, while ensuring her tootsies stay snug. The socks are made in Japan — the official home of this style of footwear, and come in neutral-colored patterns (green leaves or blue leaves), as well as cute frog or rabbit patterns. Of course, the cotton, nylon and polyester blend socks feature a separate section for your granddaughter’s big toe. They are 13″ long and should fit most teenage, college-age and mom-size feet. We should note that we’re not condoning flip-flop use in the snow, but we do understand the importance of fashion for teens. With these socks, your granddaughter will be a trend setter at school and beyond. And you’ll feel great about how practical they are!
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If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway vacation with your children and grandchildren and, please excuse the cliché, “fun for the whole family,” then you may want to consider a Disney Cruise. It’s not the first cruise we’d recommend to adults without children (although plenty of couples choose it as their honeymoon destination!). Since we’re talking about an intergenerational vacation, however, and since most kids are fascinated by all things Disney, chances are you won’t regret this choice. Of course, the cruise is another vehicle for disseminating the Disney message, and you’ll need to embrace that fact prior to embarking. More importantly, it’s a way of enjoying a first-class cruise and all that it offers for adults, plus plenty of top-notch activities (some Disney-related and some not) for your grandchildren. The nice thing about the Disney Cruise is that in addition to having lots of luxurious amenities for all ages, children are treated like “little adults” on board, each age group with their own space to play, or “hang out” — all day, and well into the evening, if they wish. Younger children are supervised and escorted by qualified counselors. Disney puts great effort into pleasing kids in every stage — from tots to teens. There are 2 ships (Disney Wonder and Disney Magic), and a variety of cruising options — as short as 3 and 4-night Bahamian Cruises, to 7-night Caribbean and Mexican Riviera Cruises, to a 15-night Panama Canal Cruise. Most of the cruises include a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, equipped with all things Disney… island style. And let’s not forget the food (now we’re talking!). All-family dining includes 3 differently-themed restaurants that you rotate through at dinnertime. Also included is an “adult only” restaurant for those who need a little break from the kids, or simply wish to indulge. Finally, as you’ve probably already guessed (or heard from others), the Disney Cruise is not an economy vacation — as with anything, you pay for quality, which this cruise line does provide. For more information, follow on our “Click Here” button (below) which takes you to Disney, then click on the “Travel” button at the top of the page, and then the “Disney Cruiselines” button on the left. Of course they make it easy to shop for other Disney toys and gifts while on their site.
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This art kit by Ooz and Oz is an outstanding gift, and a winner of 16 National Toy Awards. It re-introduces a 500-year-old art form called Anamorphoscopes — yup, that’s what it’s called! The kit inspires 5 to 14 year-olds (and grown-ups, too) to create art, and explore science and magic. Curved mirror decoders transform secret squiggles and swirls into astonishing reflections. The kit comes with 48 optical antics including: morphed pictures, “finding” games, a maze, and a “4-Dot Challenge.” It also comes with 2 child-safe mirror decoders, crayons, and instructions, all in a portable “desk”. Of course, this is perfect for children interested in art or magic, but most anyone, even you, won’t be able to stop making these fun and educational crafts!
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Your older granddaughter will feel good about being bundled up in this wool scarf that is hand-made by women artisans in Nepal. The muted colors are derived using natural vegetable pigments, and since each scarf is hand-crafted, every one is wonderfully unique! The program in which the artisans participate is called Sana Hastakala. Started by UNICEF, it helps underprivileged artisans with business and community development. Choose this scarf, or browse through World of Good’s beautiful selection, from wools, to rayons and silks. And don’t forget to check out all of the different products World of Good makes available via fair trade programs throughout the world.
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This set is great for kids just learning chess (5 or 6 and up), or for older grandchildren and anyone who already loves the game. The faces of the pieces are designed to get a chuckle, and young kids will love the way the rubber pieces feel in their hands. The entire set — plastic board with circles instead of squares, muppet-like faces, and modern colors — gives the game a fun makeover. A carrying case is included.
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By now you probably know about the iPod revolution. Your grandkids (12 and older) long for this new iPod that incorporates Apple’s “touch” technology introduced earlier this year in their beloved iPhone. Of course, the iPod Touch plays and stores music and photos, as Apple’s other iPod models do, and also plays video (tv and movies), as is featured in the latest iPod Nano (see our review). But the iPod Touch also allows you to browse the internet comfortably and in style! The iPod Touch’s “multi-touch interface” allows you to control everything using your fingers on the touch-sensitive screen (there’s no physical keypad). And it is so intuitive that, for example, if you turn the device horizontally, the display will automatically switch to “wide-screen” mode. We could describe its features in much greater detail (Amazon’s product description and the Apple website can fill in the blanks). Just know that any grandchild who receives this gift will be one very thrilled person, because the Touch is truly magical and highly prized!
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