Reviews for $0-20
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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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 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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These live butterfly 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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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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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 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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Friendly Animals Matching Game by Eeboo$13.30 at Amazon.com |
We’ve been searching for a matching memory game that we can embrace and we’ve found it! One of the reasons we love this Friendly Animals Matching Game by Eeboo is that the illustrations are precious — each tile adorned with a “memorable” (thank goodness — that’s the point!) animal you may recognize from beloved children’s books. Although a form of cardboard, the tiles themselves are extremely sturdy — not like other games with cards that are easily bent. Matching memory games can be challenging for young children, depending on the number of tiles you use (this version has 48). So although your grandchild can begin playing in preschool, he or she will need your help for a while (it’s intended age-group is 5 year-olds and up) — or you can split the tiles/pairs up and use a smaller number, gradually increasing them as your grandchild’s skills improve. This game is just one of several matching memory games, and many other products by Eeboo, that we love. Eeboo’s products are simple and traditional in concept (lacing cards, paper dolls, dominoes, travel diaries and birthday books, to name just a few), while expertly designed, using eternally stylish and adorable children’s book illustrations, as well as quality materials and construction. For instance, you can tell the animals in the matching game were painted or drawn by a real artist, rather than spawned by a computer program. Furthermore, the box/packaging is strong and compact, eliminating typical frustrations found with other flimsily-packaged games, and making it possible to travel with. Stay tuned, because we intend to introduce you to more of Eeboo’s products soon!
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Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby$19.99 at Amazon.com |
We tested this Giggles Computer Funtime software with babies (its intended market), as well as toddlers and preschoolers, to see how they like it. It was a big hit with all three groups! This is due to the expertly designed, entertaining graphics that are set to a variety of kid-friendly music that you can select for baby, or that a toddler can select for herself. There are three packages to choose from (ABC’s & 123’s, Shapes, and My Animal Friends), each featuring 14 activities and more than 50 songs. When your grandchild hits any key or moves the mouse, something fun instantly happens. For instance, in ABC’s & 123’s, when you hit a key, a number or a letter immediately pops out, floats up, or somehow appears. Cause-and-effect relationships are introduced in all of the activities through these instantaneous visuals, as well as zany little sounds that indicate that a key has been pressed and that something fun has “happened.” In an ABC’s & 123’s Activity called “123 - What Do You See,” babies and toddlers are even passively (and age-appropriately) exposed to some basic counting principles, whereby the number 3 may appear on the screen with three adorable little bugs. As a grandparent or parent of a baby (6-24 month old), you’ll certainly appreciate how engaged your grandchild is, sitting on your lap at the computer, having fun and simulating something he or she sees mom & dad (and you) doing all of the time. You’ll also appreciate the fact that your important computer files are protected and safe while the Giggles software is running. Babies can press several keys at once and nothing but more onscreen fun happens! And the music choices are also appealing to both children and grown-ups, from very recognizable kid favorites (toddlers and preschoolers will boast that they “know that song!”), to classical, jazz, and even cowboy music. This software has won too many awards to mention — you can’t go wrong with this gift purchase, whether it’s for your own computer time with your grandchild, or for time at home with parents. Go ahead and “Get the Giggles!”
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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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This Boca Beth bilingual CD is great for the car, where young children are a captive audience and tend to sing along to music. Our kids have been picking up some key Spanish words and phrases pretty quickly, such as “Hola Amigo” (Hello Friend), “Por Favor” (Please), “Gracias” (Thank You), and “De Nada” (You’re Welcome). They’ve also learned to count in Spanish, and know many of the Spanish words for colors. One reason it’s easy for young kids to learn the Boca Beth songs and their intended lessons is because they’re set to classic melodies that your grandchildren already know and enjoy, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” Skip to My Lou,” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” They can focus on the words and their meanings without having to worry about the tune. Boca Beth has plenty of other bilingual education media products for young children, including more CD’s, DVD’s and videos, as well as Boca the Puppet and mini-maracas. Boca Beth products are educator-created, and have won numerous awards, including the iParenting Media Award and the 2007 Teacher’s Choice Award.
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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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