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Our computer DVD has been having problems and little by little we lost the ability to run any kids games that need a DVD to run. Now that it’s fixed, the kids are re-discovering their old friends, I Spy Mystery and I Spy Fantasy from Scholastic…. all the time, and it’s easy, and fun, for adults to peak in and join them in their quest for objects and words hidden in fantasy landscapes and setttings.
Category Archives: Toys and Games
Finding a Wii to buy despite lines and at the regular retail price
May 24, 2008 – 1:52 pm
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If you mom told you never to pay retail, buying a Nintendo Wii even at the manufactured suggested retail price may seem like a violation of mom’s warning. You just can’t find one on-line or in stores without superhuman efforts (tipping the manager, waiting outside the store before opening hours on days when shipments are expected, or paying a $60+ premium on eBay or Amazon). Here’s another option that worked for me though it took a while. Warning: this idea is not for those in need of a quick Wii fix for a birthday or upcoming holiday. It is purely for those who can’t spend the extra cash, or who want to brag to their friends that for once, they “paid retail” and that was the best deal you could get.
Another Nerf football, but made for little hands to throw farther
May 2, 2008 – 2:50 pm
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…. 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.
A no-tools, no assembly-required tricycle – the “Fropper”
May 2, 2008 – 8:08 am
Some reviews indicate that this is a toy for the park, but the small wheels make this a better stay-at-home toy, though it does collapse for easy travel with a convenient handle…. Real life users though suggest that over-active bouncing by kids at the top of that weight limit can result in a quickly broken seat and a crying child on the floor.
Monuments, landmarks, and building in a manageable size
March 31, 2008 – 3:26 pm
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…. 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 museum asking to take my collection on tour.
Labyrinths for fun and inspiration
March 25, 2008 – 7:57 am
I’d still recommend it on a coffee table to divert desultory visitors who need distractions during cocktails (or to occupy a teenage visitor who has to sit with adults)…. Please chime in on what you know about this subject, but labyrinths date from Greek and Egyptian times and have been used in mythology, and later in the Christian church.
I can’t guarantee it still won’t bore you silly
February 21, 2008 – 3:18 pm
At first, I thought this was going to be a complicated “make your own Monopoly” set-up where you’d have to upload a bunch of photos and choose how they would be laid out on a board, before it created a custom-printed board for you.
…You supply the photos out of the shoebox, cut them to fit the boxes, and glue them on. It sounds like a big project, but promises to “unleash your creative genius” (if you have one lurking inside).
Simple toy teaches counting – the Imagiplay Number Snail
January 24, 2008 – 11:53 am
I don’t know how many times I’ve put this thing together, but I always sit with him a minute and try to think of another angle on the activity…. While he has learned how to count to ten (a not small achievement), I’ve relearned an important lesson on the value of sitting down with your kids and engaging with them even on something as seemingly infantile as this silly puzzle.
Review of Marble Runs
January 22, 2008 – 4:38 pm
The plastic marble run – Marble Run” (Quercetti Toys) This is a fun set, but requires some skill to balance towers so that as you grow them, they still stand up…. The prices here are far more affordable at $55.00 for this big set, but the toy is a lot more free form (think erector set) and requires more imagination (or dad involvement) to get excitement out of it.
Good game for the car
January 7, 2008 – 3:27 pm
Cheap, portable and easy to play for most ages (4+), Namits Original Game from Great American Puzzle Factory , this is a simple idea. Given combinations of words (tasty, crunchy, smelly, for example), players think up words that fit the description.