Toys Are Tools? What's That?

WHAT: Toys are Tools in 2015 and beyond wrapped up in one colorful logo
LOGO INVENTOR: Don Carter
DOES: Logos forces one to make a statement about oneself
INVEST: self-confidence and trust in others
TOOLS: The whole box

Latest at Forbes- Holiday Toy Shopping List on Non LEGO Blocks

ZOOB DNA photo courtesy of inventor of ZOOB:Michael Joaquim Grey

WHAT: Latest Forbes.com list- Why Buy Something Other than LEGO?  Here are ten reasons why. 


I love LEGOs as do many of you but I find that as you get older, kids really benefit from having played with another system.  They don't have to amass an entire collection like they do LEGO but getting different stuff helps.

Best Toys and Games 2013 List- Vote For Your Favorite

Can you guess who the winner is?

See Laser Pegs Below*

Yup, this is a Woodmobiel Christmas Tree- Standard Kit with a few pieces left over to make an easel

WHAT: Best Toys and Games List 2013 (20 Categories! 30 Product Suggestions)
Superb gift ideas ranging from $10 to $300

GIVEAWAY PRIZE:$50 Gift Card to The Winner - But You Gotta Give Us A Piece of Your Mind!

Review + Giveaway: What's It?: Do You See What I See?

Be Warned: Even Though It's Not ME-AGAINST-YOU, Cooperative Games are Tough and Competitive!  I love that!

WHAT: What's It? by Peaceable Kingdom
INVENTORS: Rosie Roberson and Joyce Johnson

DOES: work cooperatively as a team while still being competitive, be rewarded for knowing your teammate

INVEST:  $24.99
AGES: 8+ (Can be modified to fit younger audiences without compromising on the fun)

TOOLS:  Flexibility is My Superpower, Express Yourself

EXPERT OPINION: Susan Schwartz, MAEd, Learning Specialist, Friends Seminary

GIVEAWAY Details Below: Win your own box of What's It? Wonder!
 

Review + Giveaway: Design Tiles: How to Make Sense Without Saying a Word

WHAT: Design Tiles by eeBoo
INVENTOR: Saxton Freymann

DOES: allows your child to make complex designs without pen, paper, computer, or even a crayon

INVEST:  $19.95
AGES: 5+

TOOLS: Express Yourself, Think Like a Scientist/Engineer, Family Fix-it (create calm in your home)
GIVEAWAY: see details below

Review + Giveaway: Multiplication Slam: Extract Attention From Tension

Is this the cure for Table-itis or even Table-phobia?  Educational Insights decided to throw out the table and make slammable bubbles instead.  Works for us! For sure!

WHAT: Multiplication Slam by Educational Insights
INVENTOR: Fred Lusignan

DOES: delivers math learning through different roads which may be better suited for your child's knowledge factory 

INVEST:  $39.99 
AGES: they say 8+ but if your child is starting to skip count then you might want to consider this sooner than that.

TOOLS: My Body Needs to Move, I Can Take of Myself, 

GIVEAWAY: Yahoo! One Winner will get ONE Multiplication Slam! Canada and U.S. addresses only.

Review + Giveaway: Disruptus: The Kids Will Blow You Away

 You will want to be a disruptive person after you read this review and everyone will think you're awesome!

WHAT: DISRUPTUS by Funnybone Toys
INVENTOR: Julien Sharp

DOES: it really is possible to practice creative problem-solving with real-life themes in a controlled game setting, excellent way to practice communicating ideas via speech and/or drawing

INVEST:  $24.99 MSRP
AGES: Box says 10+ but we went a bit lower. See Adaptive Play ideas here.

TOOLS: Think Like a Scientist/Engineer, Express Yourself, Work Experience
GIVEAWAY: Two winners will each get a game of Disruptus- Open to U.S. and Canada

Review & Giveaway: Mastermind: Games for Young Scientists

I love to watch my kids think.  It looks like this sometimes and I love it even more when they start talking to themselves to solve a problem.  Gayle thinks that this kind of self-talk is important.

    
WHAT: Mastermind and Ultimate Mastermind distributed by Pressman Toy Corporation
INVENTOR: Mordecai Meirowitz 

DOES: an educational game that gets kids thinking like scientists and has them practice reflecting on what went wrong

INVEST: $15 for Mastermind and $20 for Ultimate Mastermind (MSRP)
AGES: 8+ (you can modify for younger)

TOOLS: Think Like a Scientist/Engineer, Lose and Win Gracefully

EXPERT OPINION: Dr. Gayle Herman, Child Psychologist
GIVEAWAY: Win both Mastermind and Ultimate Mastermind!

Review & Giveaway Package Prize: Top Travel Games Part 2 ($100+ value)

Travel games can do more than keep your kids from getting bored. I think it can also be used as a exercise in something crazy - that is, the practice of BEING a family. Think about it, when do all of you get together, travel together, be only with each other, and have to compromise with each other all day long?  Answer: your family vacation.  The thing is, it also sounds like being in a classroom, doesn't it?

Classroom learning requires a good amount of "shared attention skills" and so do family vacations.  We must all share the attention to remain part of the group and that is one thing games do very well in its own lighthearted but still structured way.  Playing games as a group can help a family just "BE" with each other. I'm not used to the group thing myself and I actually develop quite a bit of anxiety before going to any group function, even if it is just my own family that is traveling with me.  Still, I do believe that games can ease tensions before, during, and after vacations.  Try playing games before your next getaway.  See what happens.  Here are some suggestions.  This review pays special attention to the little ones but still has fun games that cater to all ages.

Creativity Week Part 4: Review & Giveaway: Kaleidograph: Math is a Delight in Variations

BILLIONS of combinations can be made with your child's hands but that would take a lot of time so please don't let them do that.

WHAT:  Kaleidograph distributed by Red Hen Toys
INVENTORS: Norman Brosterman, John Lilley, & Scott Bultman

DOES: you can make beautiful rotational symmetrical designs that are totally unique; prop it up to declare your mood for the day? use it as stencils? car toy? order a customized t-shirt? perfect gift for kids and adults alike

INVEST:  $12.99 - $14.99 depending on retailer
AGES: When they stop chewing on board books, they can have a go at it?

TOOLS: Social Scene Helper, Express Yourself

EXPERT OPINION: Petra Pankow,  Manager of Tours and Gallery Interpretation, Montclair Art Museum and independent museum arts educator at various institutions (MoMA, Guggenheim)

GIVEAWAY:  Win your own pair of Kaleidograph Toys (Crystal and Flora)

Review + Giveaway: TENZI: Make a Decision and Roll With It!

No, it's not just dice. I can explain.

   
WHAT: TENZI from Carma Games, LLC
INVENTORS: Steve Mark and Kevin Carroll

DOES: good mood maker, great icebreaker, Q-bitz fans would love this, brings whole family together even the g-parents, absolutely adaptable for younger kids

INVEST:  $14.95

AGES: 7 and up (but you can definitely do younger ages!)

TOOLS: My Body Needs to Move, Lose and Win Gracefully, Social Scene Helper

GIVEAWAY:  TWO Winners will win their very own customized sets of TENZI.  (You can choose from the available colors- I am jealous that I can't enter this one so I'll be mad at you if you don't go for it.)

Review + Giveaway: PicWits! Sharpen Your Social Wits!

Number 1 loves to say "Awkward" as a one-word comment.  I think that's a thing to say these days.

WHAT: PicWits! from Mindware
INVENTOR: Nicolas Cravotta and Rebecca Bleau (Blue Matter Games)
DOES: practice being flexible and fun with language; practice being a better social communicator

INVEST: $24.95

AGES:10 and up (you may be able to go lower with adult guidance)

TOOLS: Flexibility is My Superpower, Foment Love of Language, Lose and Win Gracefully

EXPERT OPINION: Nicole Kolenda, M.S., CCC-SLP, P.C., Speech & Language Pathologist
GIVEAWAY:  Win your own box of PicWits!