Thursday, November 29, 2007

Holiday gift guide

Today’s Ledger-Enquirer includes a holiday gift guide for children – actually a compilation of proven favorite toys suggested by about a dozen mothers I contacted. Go here for the guide and then view some of the featured items below:

Captain Feathersword sword


Grab ball (modeled by Owen)





Go here to view the BoBo Brooklyn kids capes.


Some more mom recommendations I received that didn’t make the print edition:

Two baby favorites:

Buzz the Bug Baby Toy



Bendy Bug flexible rattle with clacking rings




Other ideas:
Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Hi Ho! Cherry-O board games “for learning about taking turns and about winning and losing,” as one mother of now-grown children said.


One of Will’s all-time favorites is a Shure wooden puzzle box, which contains four emergency vehicle puzzles. It was a birthday present from friends, but I found one online here for $14.95. A sure bet if you have a fire-truck-loving, puzzle-doing kid like Will.

An idea from a press release I received this week: Filo Lacing Set by Quercetti (which won a Parents' Choice Award this year). Here’s a description: The Quercetti Filo Lacing Set, for ages four and up, allows children to draw with the included laces to create brightly colored designs, undo them quickly, and then draw something new. A special board holds the laces firmly in place while children push the lace into the self-locking slots. The set includes four brightly colored laces and retails for $19.99 (or $14.99 on Amazon).


Also, here are some Web sites with an assortment of classic, wooden and imagination-inspiring toys:

livingplaying

Hand in Hand: Fair Trade & Natural Children’s Items

The Wooden Wagon

Live and Learn

The Vermont Country Store


Try eBay or a local kids consignment store as a way to buy recycled gifts and get a bargain at the same time. Rob and I also had a great time in the IKEA children’s department in Atlanta last weekend. We got puppets, masks, a little indoor tent and a ceramic tea set. (But don’t tell Will!)

Shop safe:


Finally, if you want to avoid dangerous toys go here for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group report “Trouble in Toyland: The 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety.” Jump to page 33 to view examples of potentially dangerous toys.

Now it’s your turn. Any more toys to recommend that your children have loved? Any favorite stores or Web sites for shopping?

2 comments:

customer service said...

Dear Customer,


"Thank you for your generous comments about The Vermont Country Store. We always enjoy hearing from our customers and hope you will visit again soon."

Sincerely,
Laura Dunham
Customer Service Manager
The Vermont Country Store

KristinDoula said...

Playsilks! My kids LOVE their playsilks and have found so many ways to use them! They are beautiful and soft and encourage creative play! (My son is getting some "boy colored" one for Christmas! Sssshhh! ;-))