“Felt? What kid wants to play with felt?” was my initial reaction. And I stood by it – what kind of gift is the gift of felt? But, importantly, I kept an open mind and I played with the kids and 3 of the Felt Tales boards: Busy Day on the Farm, Heroes to the Rescue (Fire and Police officers), and Pirates at Shipwreck Cove.

I have to admit, it’s rather fun. In fact, in an age of colorful, everything-is-moving-quickly, electronic toys, the Felt Tales were a breath of fresh air. Interestingly enough, my kids taught me a lesson about them, as well: if you have 3 boards and many characters and objects – why not mix and match? A police woman could be on a pirate ship that houses animals. The possibilities are endless.

Pros:

• Well constructed and sturdy boards and figures
• Many figures to choose from on each board (each board declaring “Over 20 pieces!”)
• A nice step away from digital-everything
• Good for the imagination
• Truly entertaining

Cons:

• Getting the kids interested at first. We named all the characters first in order to draw them in.
• Storage – all those little felt pieces can easily go missing if you’re not careful

All in all I’m happy with the 3 Felt Tales boards. They brought together the family – they’re good for a one on one story, creating stories, or just telling them. I think the kids enjoy them too – they get to spend time with family and it’s not blasting noise at them or flashing. Plus, they get to make up any part of the story they want. Who knows? Maybe on day a piggy might actually be made to walk the plank by Brownbeard!

Anyone who has ever been to Disneyland and climbed the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse (now recast as Tarzan’s home), imagines how cool it would be to have a real treehouse sanctuary. For kids, you can probably increase that by a factor of 2 to 3. I don’t know why treehouses have that special allure. Is it just because it’s having a place of your own, being taller than your surroundings, getting away from home and chores. Whatever it is, I was envious of this guy’s kids, and in awe of how much work he put into creating this treehouse for them, at one point even planning on running water to add to the full code-friendly electric. He says he “doesn’t have any idea how much it all cost” and doesn’t want to know. His wife looks a little suspicious of how far he would have carried this if she hadn’t stepped in.

It’s almost the end of the school year, and, despite the soaring cost of gas, you likely have some travel in store for you and the family during the coming months. Here are five ideas you can keep at the back of your mind when the “how much longer?” questions start coming fast and furious.

1. Twins and triplets - Use “twins” to have everyone name one thing that comes in twins. Think “mom and dad,” “soup and salad,” “stop and go.” When it’s your turn, you can shout out an answer. If the next person doesn’t have an answer in three seconds, the following person can fill in. Players keep score by how many they have come up with. It’s obviously easy at first, but gets harder after a few times around. “Triplets” is even more challenging.

2. Horse - The first player says a letter and the following players have to add letters until a word is formed. The player who adds a letter that forms any word loses. The trick is that players must have a word in mind that could be created as they add a letter. So spelling H-O-R and adding an S might lead to forming “Horse” for the next player unless they could form a word that starts with H-O-R-S but does not have an E next.

3. Which would you rather be? - Choose odd combinations of things to quiz people on their inner selves and true desires. “What would you rather be: a whale or a shark? A theatre usher or a candy counter attendant? A professional singer or a librarian? A dog or a cat? ” The list goes on and on, only limited by your imagination and curiosity. You might actually learn something about your kids or spouse!

4. License plates - This is an old chestnut, but can keep kids busy for a few minutes at least while they realize that license plates come on cars from all over the country. Some kids wait years before seeing one from Hawaii or Alaska.

5. Alphabet soup - I almost hit a truck looking for an R during a recent car trip so I’m cautious about this game. In this game, each player has to find letters of the alphabet in alphabetical order starting with A. Each player keeps track and tries to avoid cheating. Little kids love to hunt for letters while they ride, and this game can be safely played from the back seat.

That should be enough to keep them at bay for at least ten miles.

For other travel activities with kids, there are some good ideas in “Travel Wise with Children though many require extra props or preparation.

Nerf Vortex Mega Howler from (Hasbro) We like this new invention from the Nerf people. It reminds us of the lawn darts of our youth, without the fear of spearing the cat. The principle is somewhat similar: a light football that is attached to the rear-end of an arrow, making for an aerodynamic missle. The spin is that it’s a football, so the arrow tip is blunted and the Nerf, or course, is soft; not soft enough to save mom’s crystal vase, but safe enough not to snag a passing cat.

What’s also cool here though is that the ball is small enough for a five year old to get his fingers around it. His throws, aided by the rear fins, give him or her confidence in his natural throwing ability. Dads will enjoy the ability to really throw this ball a long distance even if you were a wimpy passer in high school. It’s not quite as easy to catch this little ball, but it sure is simple to toss.

We demo’d the Vortex Ultra Light so I can’t vouch for how the whistle works on the Howler version, and if it makes too much noise to use in the house. In general, this is not an indoor item, however, so plan for beach or yard use.

Like most people, I have a dirty little secret: I collect tacky souvenirs from monuments and buildings when I travel.

Like collections of snow globes, one monument alone is a tasteless souvenir. But put together a FULL CITY of monuments and you make a statement. My wife could never understand this mania, or “neurosis,” as she puts it, until a few years ago when the San Francisco International Airport featured a full concourse exhibit of souvenir monuments from around the world. There, in plenty of glory, were miniature reproductions of every major edifice in the world. Suddenly, my puny collection gained stature and value, rather then just being the goofy past-time of a middle-aged traveler. Some day, I could bequeath my collection to the Museum of Modern Art or even the Met!

As a former New Yorker, when I saw these, I knew I had to have them. The cars are cute too, but I’d skip them for a PanAm building, miniature Whitney, or a Columbus Circle. In fact, I’m getting two sets. I’m getting one set for my little boy to place between tracks of his train set (yes, the scale is a bit off), and one to go up on the shelf until I get a call from the mus

eum asking to take my collection on tour. They will make a perfect addition to my collection of stone, plaster, bronze and wood miniatures from cities I’ve visited around the world.

To read more about the history of this crazy hobby, check out this book: Souvenir Buildings Miniature Monuments: From the Collection of Ace Architects, which is a good book for dads and kids. My four-year-old son loves looking at the monuments. The book is divided mostly into major city-scapes, composed of mostly bronze and iron replicas of local landmarks and buildings. This is a fun book for both dads, kids, and budding architects.

I see very few of these, but need to get something like it for my budding 7-year old artist who always seems to have a new masterpiece she’s created. If you can’t tell, this is a fairly simple clipboard that hangs from the wall and makes it easy to swap out the hot new artwork as family tastes change or new art is created. Check out AIPaper.com for store locations.

Come on, Monopoly is game for another time. In this ADD era, who has the patience to sit at the kitchen table for six hours waiting to exhaust fellow players going around and around the board. That’s why 20 Monopoly Expressis such a good idea. Now you can play in a plane, train, or at bedtime without feeling like you’ve just signed up for an afternoon of drudgery. $12.99 from Hasbro.

Tell me if this is a national phenomenon or just a game my seven-year-old daughter invented with her little pals. When we’re out driving, which seems is a constant in our schedule of playdates, piano lessons, and tennis class, my daughter and I look for Volkswagen Beetles. If I’m the first person to spot one, I call out, “Punchbuggy 1, 2, 3, 4..10 and the color.” For that effort, I get 100 points, though we never add them up, and, as far as I can tell, they can’t be redeemed for anything. My daughter loves this game and it does pass the time while you’re driving though you have to be careful since it’s just slightly less dangerous than scanning license plates for the “collect a state” game. Beetles are just rare enough that you don’t see them everywhere, and distinctive enough that there’s never a doubt if you’ve really spotted one. My son likes the same game with cement mixers and cranes. Have fun!