Archive for ‘Toys’

The Right Toy Organization Furniture for Your House

By , 5 December, 2010, No Comment

Toy mess got you down?  If you are like most parents, your home has gradually been overrun with children’s toys.  Now you feel frustrated and overwhelmed.

But before you give in to the temptation to buy whatever piece of toy organization furniture or  Toy Boxes For Kids, you can get your hands on, let’s talk about what you will actually need.

The first thing you must do is go through the toys your child already has.  There are likely to be a number that you can get rid of. Throw away any broken toys.  Consider donating or selling those your child does not play with.  You can even enlist your child’s help if they are a bit older.

After you have a reasonable amount of toys left, you are ready to store them away.  What sort of toy organization furniture should you use?  There are basically three types:  toy boxes, toy bin organizers, and toy hammocks.

Toy boxes are the traditional method of toy storage.  However, this method dates back to before children each had a million toys of their own.  Modern toy boxes don’t just need to store toys – they can be toys themselves, like this Thomas toy box.

One thing to consider is that small toys tend to sink to the bottom in a traditional toy box.  This results in the whole thing frequently being emptied out.  If you use this method, consider storing small toys in a box that snaps shut.

Toy bin organizers also work for the small stuff.  The individual bins allow the toys to be sorted and put away.  You can even label the bins to encourage early reading skills.  These are sometimes combined with Toy Boxes For Kids.

Toy hammocks work well for storing small stuffed animals out of reach.  They make an excellent display, and are useful for storing those toys that are not frequently played with but you don’t want to get rid of for sentimental purposes.

Wooden Go Karting

By , 29 November, 2010, No Comment

Have you seen a wooden go kart as of late? Isn’t it a bit nostalgic to see one go and speed off and make the rounds? I bet it made you smile and want to get into it yourself. Who wouldn’t be amazed of it running? We are at an age where game consoles rule and that it’s better to do karting virtually or better yet, go with the gas-guzzler karts to make the rounds. Wooden go karts have a certain appeal among them.

I love wake boarding and any other water sports but i wouldn’t say no to riding a go kart; one that is safe of course as unlike wake boarding. I don’t want to get derailed as that would mean my face against the pavement and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict who wins that face-off. If i have a face and a chin of granite like Antonio Margarito then maybe. Wooden go karts have more character than the otherkarts abound.

If you dont believe me, try to google it and compare their pictures. I’m sure you would marvel at the ingenuity of the one who created his simple, creative and fun wooden go kart crafted by the builders hand from pillar to post as opposed to the mechanical ones built by man.

If you were born in the 1970’s or 80’s for that matter, don’t wooden go karts remind you of The Flinstones? Their car or kart maybe made of a rock but the thought of having to power the kart yourself to run instead of depending on lead contained gases pretty much zeroes in on the comparison. Also, what stands out the most with the wood go karts is that you could build this honey in the backyard or in your garage. It might be no joke creating one but with the internet nowadays, i’m sure there’s a forum for “An idiots guide to making a wooden kart for his kid in the garage”; not at all too shabby.

If this ain’t your thing or if you’re just too busy creating one, there are numerous wooden go kart models sold on the internet. I could paste a couple sites here but i would be making some sort of advertisement for the vendor of it and i have no means to get no commission of it. Nothing is free nowadays. If you have that way of thinking also and you want to have a go kart, think gas-is-for-sale too before making a decision.

For Hours of Fun and Enjoyment, Try Chess, Checkers and Backgammon

By , 9 November, 2010, No Comment

If you have ever wondered what you can do with your kids on those foul weathered days when you are forced to stay inside, then wonder no more. Just pull out those time-tested ‘old-fashioned’ games of chess, checkers and backgammon and have a wonderful time.

Checkers and chess are games that have been around for ages but continue to be long time favorites for the whole family to play. They are games that encourage the development of thinking and strategy skills which children can learn, even at young ages. Both these games involve only two initial players, but getting others involved to give counsel and advice on moves to make and strategy to employ only adds to the fun. Today many of these games can be played on the computer with additional features and graphics added. However, many people prefer to use the old fashioned physical sets where they can sit with their children in front of a warm fire in their comfortable living rooms, sipping hot cocoa and playing away. These games also come in portable travel size where the board and pieces are magnetized so you can play on board a plane or train to pass the time. They are also fun pass-times during vacations or camping trips for fun and enjoyable evenings.

Backgammon is another exciting and entertaining game involving two players. Initial instructions seem complicated at first, but once you start playing, the objective becomes clearer and you easily immerse yourself into the game with a passion to win. Breaking out a set of playing cards on a rainy day opens up further opportunities for having a fun-filled afternoon together. There are countless games you can play with a set of cards that whole groups can play at a time, such as canasta, Uno, king’s corner, rummy, sets and sequences, crazy eights and more.

Chess checkers backgammon and a set of personalized playing cards make excellent gifts for children for birthdays, Christmas or any other occasion. They are fun and challenging activities that are easily available in most any toy store at reasonable prices and provide hours of entertainment for children of all ages.

The Pros And Cons Of Lego Hero Factory Toys

By , 3 November, 2010, No Comment

If you enjoyed the Bionicle series from the Lego Company, you might want to check out the new Lego Hero Factory toys.  There are comic books, a television series, and a movie that accompany Hero Factory.  The movie is scheduled to be released in November of 2010. The story is based in a city named Makuhero City.  This is where the hero factory is located.  Whenever you have a problem, you call them, and they send out robotic heroes customized to meet your needs.  There are a variety of heroes and villains toys to choose from.  The heroes have a crest or symbol on their chest which is the battery or core that keeps them charged.  Here are some pros and cons of what is expected to be one of the top toys this Christmas:

Pros:

Price: Small sets start at around eight dollars, and only have about seventeen pieces.  The next sets have around nineteen pieces moving up from there to about fifty pieces.  The largest sets are the vehicle sets which have from one hundred to three hundred pieces.  The price goes up significantly with the larger sets, but at least you have the choice of purchasing a smaller, cheaper set.

Ages: These sets appeal to a variety of ages.  The smaller sets have fewer pieces for younger children to put together.  They are cheaper, but the figures do not stand up as tall.  They would be greater starters for younger kids.

Design: Lego action figures are sturdy and durable.  They stand easily, and come with different weapons, including different types of shooters, a boomerang, and a sonic boom weapon.

Cons:

Builders: Lego Hero Factory figures seem to be designed more for play.  If you simply enjoy the building aspects of Legos, this set may be disappointing for you.
Bionicle followers:  If you were a Bionicle fan, you know that the Bionicle line has been discontinued as of this year (2010).  Fans of Bionicle may be disappointed with the story line after years of following Bionicle with its nine year saga.

Similarity: Some may be disappointed that Heroes are so similar to the Bionicle story.  The figures are also similar in style.  Hero Factory is possibly a way for Lego to continue the success of Bionicle, while creating a new story line.

Night Fury Plush Toy

By , 29 October, 2010, No Comment

Although the Night Fury Toy was released some time ago now in conjunction with the how to train your Dragon movie it seems to have really gained in popularity of late. So why would this be?

It does seem that certain cheap toys simply take quite a while for the children to know about them. The Night Fury plush toy may simply have taken some time to be known about. But it may also come down to the time of the year. As we approach Christmas many parents find it difficult to think about good toys to buy for the children.

They then have to think about what interests the children have and often they then come up with ideas. And if we are stuck on what to buy our children then thinking about their favorite movies is a great way to come up with an idea for a toy that we are pretty much guaranteed to know that the kids will like.

And this may well be the case with the Night Fury toy. The movie is loved by so many children that we can be fairly sure that if we get them a character for the movie then the children will like it. And the great thing is that this is also a cheap toy that is not too big either.

It makes tons of crashing and banging sounds when tapped so that we know the children will love it. Anything loud is sure to be a real winner with almost all young ones. The louder the better is usually a pretty god motto when looking for things that they will like.

So, if you know that your child enjoyed the movie then you can be pretty sure that they will love the night fury toy if you get it for them.