toys Archives - Page 3 of 6

What we’re playing with: Schleich figures

You know how some toys are so beloved that they are returned to over and over again throughout the years? Schleich figures definitely fall into that category. These were one of the first toys we bought for my daughter, purchased so she could play with them on the long plane ride to Europe, and they are one of the few early toys that she still plays with today.

She {or maybe it was we} got so addicted to these little figures that we eventually had a drawer full, and then two drawers full, and now we've got a massive amount of these little guys.

What we’re playing with: Wishbone Flip

Remember my post back in 2012 about the Wishbone Flip, the coolest ride on toy, ever? {I'll wait while you check it out here}

Our Flip has gotten so much love in the past two years that it is simply called "sweet ride". As in, "I love my sweet ride," or, "get your sweet ride out of the kitchen, I'm trying to cook dinner." That kind of love.

Seeing as how the life of most baby toys is typically a few minutes, tops, I fully thought he would be done with his sweet ride by now. But, not only is he not anywhere near done with the Wishbone Flip, it's the one toy we rarely make him share because he's almost always riding on it.

Part of what made the Wishbone Flip last so long is that it's been able to grow with him. Not only does it adjust for height so it physically grows with your child, it also can be used in three different ways. First as a great toddler pushing toy, then as a rocking toy, and now as a super fast ride on toy that can be used in just about every game my little guy plays.

This will always be how I remember his childhood:

Circa 2011 – Look at him! He's just a teeny tiny baby!

Educational and fun toys from Museum Tour

Toys these days are just so cool. Sure, you can still find cheap, plastic junk at just about every big toy store, but there are also a handful of companies still making classic toys and gifts that will delight for decades. The problem is finding those companies is a full time job. Thank goodness I can turn to Museum Tour to find those companies without having to search high and low.

The Museum Tour catalog and website were created by a former museum director and educator in order to help take learning beyond the museum and science center walls. With items chosen to help parents teach their children essential life skills at home, the Museum Tour collection of products includes many previously hard-to-find items and learning toys.

Museum Tour believes that children will want to learn if presented with toys that have been created with both education and fun in mind so they have packed the pages of their catalog with the best of the best in terms of high quality learning toys.

I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed when shopping for kids toys, wondering what’s just going to collect dust in the bottom of a toy bin. When I found Museum Tour, it was as if I had curated the catalog myself and I was in heaven with page after page of the good stuff. It’s got the classic, the unique, and the toys that really wow.

Want to be a brilliant gift giver this holiday season? Try Brilliant Sky Toys & Books!

My aunt buys the best kids presents, ever. Growing up, I never had to give her a list of what I would like if her daughter drew my name in the Christmas exchange, because she always just knew what I would love better than I did. Now, when she buys for my daughter, I am always grateful that she includes the gift receipt – not because I’m going to return the present, but because I am dying to know where she shops.

So, want to know where she shops? Hint: it’s not the big toy stores with aisle after aisle of the “popular toys” that changes every week based on whatever movie or TV show is coll at the time. It’s the small stores run with one goal: to offer kids a diverse and eclectic mix of high quality toys that they will treasure for years.

Stores like Brilliant Sky Toys & Books, an amazing toy store that operates in 15 states {and counting}. The first Brilliant Sky Toys & Books was founded by a husband and wife team in 2002 and their goal was to be the finest upscale specialty toy store in America and offer amazing and personalized service with a smile.

In the past 11 years, Brilliant Sky Toys & Books has grown from a single location to one of the fastest growing toy retailers in the country, which just goes to show you that what they are offering is what people really want.

So, what are they offering? They feature more than 10,000 high-quality specialty products and offer a place where everyone can find their way to play. They describe their approach as “vibrant yet warm, exciting yet comforting and exploratory yet safe.” Their stores are designed with rich colors and woods and low sightlines and custom fixtures, to make the Brilliant Sky sensory experience unlike any other.

They say, “Discover, experience, explore, interact, and enjoy. That's the Brilliant Sky way, and it's the way to play”. Seriously, who wouldn’t love to shop here?

VTech Switch & Go Dinos

My son is crazy about dinosaurs and about vehicles of all kinds, so I knew he would think that the Switch & Go Dinos were basically the coolest thing ever. Whenever he sees the brightly colored dino covered boxes when we’re out shopping, he can’t help but hug them all. Of course I couldn't say no when offered a set of Switch & Go Dinos to review right before his birthday.

If you haven’t seen them in stores yet, Switch & Go Dinos are robotic dinosaurs that transform into various vehicles with just a few motions. When in dino mode, they roar like prehistoric animals, and when in car/truck/flying object mode, their engines rev and they make vrooming noises. Pretty much the best toy ever, in a little boy’s eyes.

I already knew that my son would think it was pretty awesome if a few Switch & Go Dinos came to live with us, so I was sure they would be the perfect birthday present for him this September. My daughter recognized this as well and decided that of all the other toys on the market, she really wanted to buy him one of these dinos for his birthday.

VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Tablet prevents “Summer Brain Drain”

Do you remember as a kid you would go back to school each fall feeling like you were in shape from staying active all summer only to find your legs and abs burning after one gym class because you were now using muscles you had neglected during the past few month? Well, that is exactly what happens to your brain, too, and in a phenomenon commonly referred to as Summer Brain Drain.

What is Summer Brain Drain, you ask? According to research from the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, students typically lose one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer break because they are not regularly exercising their brains.

So, how do you combat Summer Brain Drain? You find fun ways to infuse learning into everyday activities to keep kids’ brains sharp even during the three long months of no formal schooling.

But, how can you do that when most of the summer is spent on the go and you don’t want to spend your days cooped up inside reading or in front of screens? You get a portable learning device that can grow with your child, offers age-appropriate content in a broad library of subjects and that keeps them learning no matter where they are.

Something like the awesome InnoTab 2S, the latest learning app tablet from V-Tech that is perfect for on the go as well as at home. We got to review the VTech InnoTab 2S for the past few weeks and we absolutely love how much fun it is for various ages and how it keeps the kids begging to keep learning.

Motorworks Customizable Cars and Tri-Level Super Garage

One night my daughter came to me, head down and forlorn, and she asked, “Why don’t I love cars like Brother does?” I started by explaining that people like different things and it’s what makes us all special and unique. Then I suggested that she not focus on the one thing the two of them … Read more

Indoor and outdoor fun with Toy State trucks and cars

My son is a pretty well rounded boy with interests that range from crafting to digging in the dirt {although usually not at the same time}. But, while he loves his stuffed animals and playing house just as much as my daughter, there is one thing that he loves even more: anything with wheels. So, … Read more

Sound the Octo-Alert: Octonauts toys are here!

Remember my post about how much my kiddos adore the Octonauts TV show? Well, the love they have for the show has only grown deeper in the past few weeks and it’s now the only thing my daughter wants to watch these days. Her world has shifted from one of unicorns and rainbows to something … Read more

What We’re Playing With: Motorworks Customizable Wooden Cars

This little car-loving guy spied something fun on the counter and asked me to get it down "so he could hug it". Clearly, he's got me all figured out. And then he noticed a second Motorworks customizable wooden toy car on the counter and of course he wanted that one, too. Because, you know, "they … Read more