Imagination is in no short supply around these parts. One of our toys can have half a dozen alter egos and we love and encourage the unstoppable creative flow. And so when we were introduced to the Clump-O-Lump crew of stuffed animals th…
There's something that seems to be universally fascinating to kiddos, generation after generation, about playing doctor - and by that, I mean the kind with stethoscopes and tongue depressors and a plethora of toilet paper "bandages." My …
I've got four words for you: Steampunk. Lego. Monster. Fighters. I haven't even gotten to the part about the castle. Thank heavens I was alone when I found the new Lego Monster Fighters display at Target this week. Why? Because I blurted…
Poor Bun-Bun. I received the stuffed pink rabbit at my first baby shower for my first baby, and he's been around and loved ever since. Two houses, two kids, and one horrifying overnight stay in the litterbox had turned Bun-Bun from a che…
Between the heatwaves and the crazy downpours, I feel like we've been getting more use out of our creative indoor toys this summer than our scooters. And now here's one more that I'm just smitten with, because it's more than just a build…
I jumped through many hoops to get my son to finally use the potty: candy rewards, sticker charts, pleading. But I never did try a potty-training doll since I found most of them to be kind of unappealing as a doll that you'd want to snug…
Its been a while since we first discovered Imaginative PlayToys , and the gorgeous handmade felt table covers she makes to turn your card table into oh...say, a pirate ship. Checking back again after awhile I discovered a new shop name a…
One of my children's very favorite thing about Grandma's house is the the swing in the backyard. We are city-dwellers after all, and swings are generally something you have to wait in line for. This one started as a little baby swing han…
When my kids were little, they had a bunch of plastic "tools" that they could use around the house. But once they outgrew these toys and actually wanted to "saw" something, I was at a loss since our real tools were just too big and dange…
For those of you like me who spent far too many hours playing Tetris on your Gameboy (RIP), you'll know instantly why I thought these blocks for kids were a fantastic idea. The Tetris Blocks by Kubix come with 50 colorful, geometric bloc…
Finding that Higgs Boson particle is pretty cool, I guess. But maybe it's time to go back to the roots of invention and adventure that make America so great. Namely, dirigibles, freeze rays, lasers, and zombies. all of which come to life…
We admit it: we're blockheads. We love blocks. Old fashioned blocks. Presidential blocks. Chemistry blocks. Alternative blocks. So when we find beautiful blocks that look like a designer's dream and can teach over 100 words in Korean? Ou…
We're about to head on one of our annual summer road trips , which means packing plenty of toys for the car. We try to avoid the DVD--and generally succeed if we've planned ahead. Here, some of my favorite toys for the car for toddlers a…
I need a birthday gift idea for my soon-to-be 5-year-old daughter. She has tons of Barbies, tons of clothes - she is a girly girl and loves all things to do with painting nails, wearing girly stuff. I feel like we have way too many toys …
Puzzles are the new family time favorite of our preschooler who is outgrowing her wooden pegged farm animals for more complex designs. I am happy to indulge her, but I refuse to throw down any more money on unimaginative cartoon characte…
Once kids are past the age of banging on an overturned pot and wooden spoon,they can now move onto something more melodious than a simple percussion instrument. And while their fingers may not yet be big enough to tickle the ivories, the…
When I brought home a Best Pals rag doll for my youngest daughter, I had no idea it would end up becoming one of her very favorite of many (many) dolls an stuffed animals. I mean, clearly I loved the simplicity of the design and the wond…
Long before it was considered the "right thing to do", one of our favorite toy companies, PlanToys was making imaginative, eco-friendly toys in cool, modern shapes and bright colors. While they've pushed the standards in environmentally …
We love the whimsical designs, beautiful black and white contrast, and durability of Wee Gallery products. So not surprisingly, they make for some of the most interesting nesting dolls we've ever seen. Hurry, though-- quantities are limi…
I'll be frank, quite a few of us groaned along with many of you when LEGO Friends was announced; that series of pastel-colored, "girl-friendly" kits which seemed heavy on the pink and purple, with themes like Butterfly Beauty Shop. (Gah.…
I've seen enough tangram activities in my kids' math books to know that they are supposed to be great at fostering an early understanding of geometry , spatial reasoning, and design. But eh, my kids just think they are fun and make neat …
Living with three LEGO-obsessed children, it does seem like these little bricks multiply like magic. But now, it appears that those innocent-looking little minifigures have been busy doing a little uh, multiplying on their own. Oh, yes, …
When I had my first daughter almost eight years ago, I decided that my gift to each of my children would be to start a collection of some kind. And so, whenever I'm at an antique show or making my weekly Etsy rounds, I look for the perfe…
Confession: I've never totally understood the stuffed-animals-that-turn-into-blankets thing. Pulling a blankie out of a stuffed animal's middle always seemed kind of... weird. Of course, it's not up to me--kids seem to love them. And luc…