Something for the Lil ones: Sit to Stand Alphabet Train

Don’t let the name deter you – this is not just for teaching the alphabet. It is a great gift for much younger children, actually. As young as 1-2 years old, actually, and they will have years of fun with this train – guaranteed. This one is a colorful large plastic train, with 26 double [...]

Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board

What an awesome gift for artistically inclined children – and if you hurry, you can still have it shipped to them by Christmas. So, what does this board do? It’s a special lights-on board, where kids draw with six glowing neon markers and have their creation lit up like a real neon sign. Yes, it [...]

littlest pet shop – the plush .com version

Following the last post about Littlest Pet Shop Playsets, I figured I should also mention the .com alternative: playing in the LPS online world with your own unique character, while snuggling the plush representation of  that character. I guess you could say this is a webkinz kin, as the concept is very similar. A plush [...]

Girl Tech Stylin Studio digi Game

When writing about gifts for kids, I am often faced with the gender dilemma: should I label a game or a toy as gender specific? With this particular computer game, the problem has been solved by the makers. It’s proudly called “Girl Tech” and marketed for girls only. A shame, in a sense, for all [...]

Hasbro Biggest Littlest Pet Shop Playset

Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop series is a major hit this year, high up on the lists of bestselling toys on Amazon. It’s a nice little twist on the old concept of a dollhouse, with miniature pets replacing human-like dolls, and a variety of “houses” including a pet shop, medical center, gym and even an entire [...]

Explore the World: EyeClops Bionic Eye

There is a list of cool instruments parents feel inquisitive young minds can benefit from. Telescopes and microscopes are both high on the list. I remember my own excitement when I received my own microscope as a child. I spent hours upon hours preparing interesting samples to view, then sat down crouching over the black [...]

Air Hogs Havoc Heli

This gadget is absolutely amazing. For years, my husband had wanted a remote controlled flying helicopter (“a very educational toy that will be teach our kids important skills”…) They used to be too pricey for us, though. Until last year, when my parents-in-law visited China and brought back that little flying gadget! It was amazing [...]

Barbie Dolls for the Holidays

Barbie dolls are often criticized for presenting little girls with the “wrong” body image and setting unachievable and unrealistic standards for the next generation of women. Personally, I believe these standards are thrown at us women from every possible angle in the media. In fact, Barbie dolls may be too “artificial” to actually be perceived [...]