I'm not very good at math, so I can't tell you precisely how many different forms and figures your child can create out of 25 wooden blocks, but I'm going to say it's approximately a gazillionthousand. The ShapeMaker wooden block set by …
My daughter is a normal three-year-old: obsessed with being big, doing grown-up things, and wearing leotards for 90% of her life. Okay, so maybe the leotard thing isn't normal, but it's no wonder she gets bored with the same old princess…
President's Day has typically marked nothing more than a vacation day to my kids. But this year, I feel pretty good that they have actually learned something about their government after watching the smart but entertaining So, You Want t…
I know you totally made little woven potholders when you were a kid. Or maybe you didn't. But I did. And loved it. so I loved discovering that Blueberry Forest Toys sells inexpensive potholder looms that look remarkably similar to the on…
When I first discovered the show last year, I didn't think I could be any more impressed with Dottie's Magic Pockets as cool kid entertainment. But they've gone and done it again with their newly-released CD, The Super Secret Seashell Ca…
I want my kids to know that Martin Luther King Day represents more than a three-day weekend. But instead of watching more grown-up documentaries that can be a bit scary for little eyes, I'm thrilled to have a copy of Scholastic's new DVD…
I wouldn't say I'm the mom who wanted my babies to come out of the womb speaking four languages and then send them to a tri-lingual preschool to learn a few more. But I do think it's cool to see more and more children's items available w…
If there's one thing our kids' rooms have in common, it's very packed bookshelves. Here are some of our favorite books, music and DVDs to help educate, inspire, and just keep kids cool. Kristen: Thanks to The Double Daring Book for Girls…
You don't need us to tell you about the latest Elmo toy or Hannah Montana guitar, so we work hard to point you towards toys and other playthings from small companies or independent artists that you might not know about yet. After a year …
Look, I'm going to be honest: When I read that Family Matters is the family game for ages 8+ that helps your family get to know each other better, I steeled myself for my daughter rolling her eyes and my son sliding underneath the table,…
I want to be the mom who sits on the floor and plays board games for hours with her kids, but I usually start losing interest right around the same time my son tries to see how far he can hurl the dice. So we've tracked down some fantast…
Next week is Thanksgiving, and if you're like my family, that means lots of little kids around. The cousins are all getting to the age where they can entertain themselves (hallelujah!) which means we're stocking up on craft supplies and …
It's no secret that mail is cool. I'll bet I'm not the only person who still gets a little flutter of excitement when I come home to see envelopes poking out the top of my mailbox. In fact, I know I'm not the only person because my daugh…
My kids can play "birthday" pretty much every day. We have a ridiculous number of play cake sets, and if they're not around, my girls are happy to crumple up a piece of paper, stick a Q-tip in it and belt out Happy Birthday anyway. So wh…
I find The Nutcracker a bit hard to explain to fidgety kids, so before I fork over $50 a seat to take them to see it in person, I'm going to let them watch Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker to their heart's content. What makes this…
My daughter loves puppets. I mean, she really loves puppets. She carries them around and tells them stories and engages them in fisticuffs. (Put Bert on one hand and Ernie on the other and smash them together and you get the picture.) So…
Now that my husband has just returned (yay! he's back!) from his two month long deployment as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Veteran's Day holds a lot more personal meaning. But even if you don't have a Veteran in your family, you c…
I'm not much for toys with vchips and dolls that talk - in fact, they kind of scare me. But I will say I'm making an exception for the Teach Me Time clock for children which blends form and a lot of function. The first thing that drew me…
Just six months ago, my daughters planted seeds from their organic growing kits, re-potted the shoots in Grandma's vegetable garden, and late this summer, they were eating their own little yellow teardrop tomatoes. You country folk make …
This year we're teaching the kids more about the joy of giving , so I wanted them to think of something they could make for their (mostly girl) cousins. Then along came the jewelry making kits from Bijoux in a Box and bam, problem solved…
It seems like App-mania is sweeping the nation and our neighbors to the north are responsible for a fantastic new one called NFB Film , as in National Film Board of Canada. Best of all, it's free. The NFB App is packed with channels of e…
Want an awesome holiday gift for a two-year old? Something he'll love and cherish and want to play with every free second? And it's also got to be totally affordable? Here's the idea of the century - and don't laugh. Children's scissors …
Personally I'm a fan of the Deglingos dolls, though I understand the quirky hedgehogs and crazy-eyed lobsters aren't everyone's cup of stuffed animal tea. But the brand new Woodours bears from the same French company, Ebulobo, I'd imagin…
I confess; I made my own baby food. But just so we're clear, I was less a domestic goddess and more a garden-variety control freak. I spent late nights cooking and chopping and freezing, and honestly, I took no joy in it whatsoever. Bori…