Children's Day Gift Review

 

the Review Source

 

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    Children's Day is the second Sunday in June so once again, I'm delighted for the opportunity to provide a few reviews of items you might want to consider as gifts for the special children in your life! Just like we celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day, let's enjoy the opportunity to celebrate Children's Day! This year I have reviews of items that would make wonderful gifts for children as well as items you might want to consider presenting to your entire family in lieu of individual gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day and Children's Day.

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infantino

Lots a Box Ages - 6mo+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes four animal play pals - two finger puppets and two beanies with rattles

  • variety of colors, textures, sounds, prints, activities and a mirror combine to make a great first toy

  • encourages recognition, reaching, imagination, interactive play

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Foot Rattles Ages - birth +

• Favorite Features -

  • excellent combination of colors, sounds and warm toes

  • encourages early understanding of cause and effect

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Bucket Buddies Ages - 6mo+

• Favorite Features -

  • three soft, animal buckets

  • variety of colors, prints, textures, sounds, faces and friends

  • encourages imaginative play, nesting and stacking

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Easy Rider Size - 8-20lbs

• Favorite Features -

  • option for baby to face in or out

  • includes a front storage pocket

  • designed so baby's weight is distributed for comfort of adult

  • easy to clean

  • "bib" to protect your clothes

    You absolutely can not go wrong with a gift from infantino! I love everything they send for our review! I'm constantly impressed with the creativity and imagination they show in the use of colors, texture, sound and design to create toys children will not only love to play with, but will also challenge and encourage little ones as they learn about the world they live in and learn about themselves and what they can do! infantino clearly is totally committed to safety, quality and creativity! Tremendously well done, infantino!

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Sassy Baby

On the Go Duo Ages - Birth+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful, fun characters - elephants and lions - with a mix of parents and baby animals

  • Velcro fasteners - perfect for carriers, swings, car seats, etc.

  • encourages reaching, thinking, grasping

  • includes bells and chimes

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Cuddle 'N Chew Pals Ages - Birth+

• Favorite Features -

  • available in four colorful animal friends

  • variety of colors and textures combine for a great first friend

  • encourages - grasping, imaginative play, chewing

  • paws are great teethers

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Lily Pad Lagoon Developmental Playmate Ages - Birth+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes more than 18 activities

  • colorful play mat with added textures, activities makes a great play/learn item for baby

  • seven clip-ons, music, lights, colors, animals and teethers

  • turn on/off button for music and lights

  • canopy is easy to assemble and includes a tummy bolster

  • encourages thinking, reaching, muscle coordination

    Sassy's new items are sure to provide babies with hours and hours of fun and learning as they discover their new world! I love the color and imagination Sassy puts into each item they create! Sassy baby items are great choices for the babies in your world! Tremendously well done, Sassy Baby!

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Plush toys and puppets

 

Manhattan Baby

	Pokie Dot Bear
	Pokie Dot Dog
Ages - birth+

• Favorite Features -

  • soft, huggable

  • easy to clean

  • embroidered face for safety

   

      These plush toys make great first friends! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Baby!

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Sparkle Dragon Ages - 6-18mo

• Favorite Features -

  • variety of textures, sounds and lights

  • includes a mirror, teething surfaces

   

      Unique, colorful and fun this is a great toy for little ones! Extremely well done, Manhattan Baby!

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Manhattan Toy

Fluffles Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • soft, cuddly, very pink and fuzzy

  • large completely huggable toy

   

      Any girl who loves pink and dogs will love this amazing plush toy! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Toy!

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Mesozaures
	Brontosaurus		T-Rex
	Stegosaurus		Triceratops
Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • 10" plush dino friends

  • unique textured, colored plush

  • attention to details - toenails, teeth - add to the fun

   

      Amazing plush dinos - any boy or girl who loves dinos will be thrilled beyond words with any of these new friends! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Toy!

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Royal Renaissance Guinevere Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • unique fabrics make a fun toy

  • variety of textures and colors

   

      Creative, unique, fun, imaginative plush! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Toy!

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Cuddle Cubs Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • amazing, unique, silky soft plush

  • perfect size to hug

   

      This bear will absolutely become a loved friend! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Toy!

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Galoompagalots Podge Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • unique creature makes a one-of-a-kind friend

  • fun combination of colors, textures for a fun look

   

      The creativity that went into creating this toy encourages creativity and imagination in any child who receives it! Tremendously well done, Manhattan Toy!

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Folkmanis

 

	Mini donkey			Mini puppy
	Mini Loggerhead turtle			Mini piranha
Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • extremely soft, colorful fabrics

  • finger puppets encourage imagination and creativity

  • Piranha's teeth glow in the dark

   

      The quality, creativity and imagination I've grown accustomed to with Folkmanis puppets certainly shows through with these new mini puppets! Realistic, imaginative and definitely fun, these puppets make great add-on gifts or a special treat for fun in the car on trips! Tremendously well done, Folkmanis!

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	Harbor Seal Puppet			Flamingo Puppet
	Camel Puppet			Three Headed Dragon Puppet
	Peacock Puppet
Ages - 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • creative, colorful, unique fabric - the peacock and flamingo look like they have actual feathers!

  • includes facts of interest and a short story with each puppet

  • "soft" eyes give the seal a "real" look

  • rings inside flamingo allow you to operate the neck from the inside for "movement"

  • extra attention to detail

  • peacock utilizes two handed operation

   

      Absolutely amazing! Folkmanis' quality is second to none! I have never seen a more amazing puppet than the peacock! Folkmanis truly sets the standard for plush puppets! Tremendously well done, Folkmanis!

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Building Toys

 

Gears! Gears! Gears! by Learning Resources
	Movin' Monkeys Ages - 4+			Dizzy FunLand Ages - 4+
Illumabot Ages - 5+			Gearbotics Robot Ages 6+
			M Gears Motorized Building Set  Ages - 7+

 

• Favorite Features -

  • sets work with other Gears! Gears! Gears! building sets

  • complete, easy to follow illustrated building directions included with each set

  • sets are complete and include all pieces necessary to build pictured item as well as motors/remote controls where needed

  • colorful building pieces

  • encourages imagination, creativity, hand/eye coordination, mechanical thinking, building skills

   

      Incredible, imaginative, completely enjoyable building sets that will provide hours of fun and learning for children of all ages! I love that the directions are simple enough for a child to follow, but the building sets also allow for open-ended imagination and creativity on the part of a child so they may build their own creations! Tremendously well done, Learning Resources!

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Lego

Dino Pod Ages 6+

• Favorite Features -

  • directions included to build three different dinos

  • stores in a cool pod you can carry in your pocket

  • encourages imagination, creativity, hand/eye coordination, mechanical thinking

   

      Great Lego items for any occasion - perfect surprise to bring out on a long trip or rainy day! Extremely well done, Lego!

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Zoo Ages 2-6

• Favorite Features -

  • includes animals, people and buildings to encourage little one's imaginations

  • encourages hand/eye coordination, creativity, mechanical thinking

  • ask your child to tell what the different animals say and show how they move

   

      Tremendously well done, Lego! The perfect building set for little ones! Large, easy to use pieces with lots of color encourage children to play and learn at the same time!

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Mattel

 

Ice Age Meltdown Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes two figures and one ice vehicle, ice loop, ice cave breakout, geyser jump and avalanche for lots of fun and imagination

  • encourages imagination and interactive play

  • characters from Ice Age 2

   

      Return of characters from Ice Age in a fun toy kids will truly enjoy! Very nicely done, Mattel!

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Ice Age Mudblaster Manny Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes three foam balls

  • shaped like Manny from Ice Age

  • encourages interactive play

   

      Kids will love this fun and unique toy! Extremely well done, Mattel!

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Hot Wheels Micro Madnetics - Madloop & Vehicles Ages 5+

• Favorite Features -

  • magnetic micro vehicles

  • set includes two vehicles

  • encourages interactive play

   

      Children will love this micro set with mega magnet fun! Great new twist on micro vehicles! Tremendously well done, Mattel!

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Fisher Price

Imaginext T-rex Mountain Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • lights and sounds add to the fun

  • batteries accessible only with a screw driver

  • encourages imagination, creativity, hand/eye coordination, interactive play

  • includes dino and cave man

  • step by step illustrated building instructions

   

      Children who love dinosaurs will be thrilled with this building set! The variety of options for building make this an open-ended building set that will challenge children to create! Tremendously well done, Fisher Price!

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Dolls

 

Precious Moments

 

Life is a Bowl of Cherries

• Favorite Features -

  • 12" doll

  • every detail is there in the dress, hat, shoes, entire outfit

  • doll includes a bowl of cherries

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Color My World with Love

• Favorite Features -

  • 12" doll

  • painter's smock, jeans, painter's beret, pint pallet and brush complete the look

   

      Adorable doesn't even come close to describing these two dolls! The "Life is a Bowl of Cherries" doll is perfect for the little girl who loves "frills" and "dress-up" while the "Color My World With Love" doll is perfect for the "budding artist"! The classic Precious Moments look in the face of these dolls is sure to make them a loved friend any girl will treasure - and save to pass on to the next generation of little girls! Again, the incredible attention given to quality, detail and design are obvious and are clearly part of what makes Precious Moments more than just any "doll"! Tremendously well done, Precious Moments!

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Games

 

    Children of course love toys, but maybe this year for Children's Day, you might select games. Remember, it does rain in the summer and new games can go a long way in helping to keep spirits up and cranky children at bay on a rainy day!

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GameWright

Leaping Lizards Ages 5+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful, unique, fun game

  • encourages counting, taking turns and playing by the rules

  • doesn't require reading

  • 15 minutes or less to play - great for short attention spans!

   

      The five-year olds I know who played this game, absolutely loved it! They liked that they could jump their lizard over their opponents lizard! Creative, colorful and fun, tremendously well done, GameWright!

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Granny Apples Ages - 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • encourages counting, math, playing by the rules

  • easy to pay

  • 15 minute game

   

      Creative, fun, unique game - I love the wooden apples! I appreciate the variety of options to make this game interesting and different so it isn't always the same. This would be a great game for a grandma to keep at her home to play with grandchildren! Tremendously well done, GameWright!

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Cuckoo Zoo Ages 6+

• Favorite Features -

  • encourages color recognition, animal recognition, knowledge of sounds animals make and playing by the rules

  • easy, fun game for the whole family

   

      I like the "cuckooness" this game encourages - we can all stand to be a little cuckoo now and then! Get this game and enjoy it with your family! Extremely well done, GameWright!

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USAopoly

Disney Princess 3 in 1 Card Game Set Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy 8's in a tin

  • jumbo cards with princesses on the cards

  • simple rules encourage taking turns, playing by the rules, counting and matching

   

      The girl who loves Disney Princesses will love this set of card games! Extremely well done, USAopoly!

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Morning Star Games

www.morningstargames.com

Pet Detectives Ages 7+

• Favorite Features -

  • fun, unique detective card games

  • colorful cards - would like to see a Basset Hound and definitely NO tarantulas!!!

  • comes in a fun lunch box tin

  • you can add pictures of your pets to the game cards - nice feature

  • includes tips and simple rules

  • encourages taking turns, playing fair, learning about animals

   

      Extremely well done, Morning Star Games! I love the color and fun in the cards, all the different pets are fun - except for the tarantula - and kids are sure to enjoy playing this game!

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Jabber Jot Ages 10+

• Favorite Features -

  • encourages creativity, imagination and writing

  • unique and fun

  • I like the variations of play and game tips

   

      Great family fun! Sure to get your imagination flying! Tremendously well done, Morning Star Games!

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Talicor/Aristoplay

Whap! Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • unique, fun family game

  • simple, "refreshing" rules

   

      This game is all about wet fun! Creative! Tremendously well done, Talicor!

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Green Alligators Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • fun card game in English and Spanish

  • active, creative fun!

   

      I love the combination of learning languages with the movement of charades. Tremendously well done, Talicor! Great for the whole family to play together!

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VeggieTales Puzzle Card Game Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful cards with loved Veggie Friends

  • easy to play matching game

  • cards show where it fits in the picture

  • encourages taking turns and matching

   

      Veggie fun for the family! Extremely well done, Talicor!

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Big Idea's Jonah, the Overboard Adventure Game! Ages 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful game

  • encourages color recognition, playing by the rules, taking turns

  • fun game with Veggie friends - especially the pirates!

   

      Great game for the family! Easy to play! Tremendously well done, Talicor!

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Monkey in the Middle Ages - 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • encourages counting, grouping, small motor development, color recognition

  • simpler version for younger players

  • excellent way to combine fun and learning

   

      Fun! Unique! I love this game! Tremendously well done, Aristoplay!

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Monster Stomp! Ages 4+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful board with fun illustrations

  • encourages color recognition, hand/eye coordination, small motor development, counting, dealing with fear of monsters

   

      Creative! Children will love stomping monsters! Tremendously well done, Aristoplay!

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Dinosaurs and Things Ages 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • options for more challenging play so younger and older children can enjoy this game

  • encourages matching, taking turns, colors and knowledge of dinos

  • bonus listing of museums across the US and Canada with dino exhibits

   

      Children have a tremendous time playing while they learn about dinos! Excellent game, very easy to understand. Challenging, but never overwhelming! Tremendously well done, Aristoplay!

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Herd Your Horses Ages 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • options for game play include a solitaire game - unique

  • includes amazing cards with illustrations of horses and information on each breed

  • encourages playing by the rules, taking turns, learning about different horse breeds, strategy

   

      My reviewers said this was a fun and easy game to play - "what a blast!" Any children who love horses will truly fall in love with this game! Tremendously well done, Aristoplay!

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Parker Brothers/Milton Bradley

 

Disney Scrabble Jr. Ages 5+

• Favorite Features -

  • two game boards - one with Disney characters and the other with objects

  • easy rules

  • encourages reading, spelling, taking turns and letter recognition

   

      Creative way to encourage reading and spelling skills and make them fun! Tremendously well done, Parker Brothers!

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Candy Land Dora the Explorer Edition Ages 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • encourages color recognition, taking turns and playing fair

  • board is in English and Spanish

   

      You can't go wrong with this classic game and when you combine it with the much loved Dora the Explorer, preschoolers are sure to be doubly pleased! Extremely well done, Milton Bradley!

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Rook Ages 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • 100th anniversary edition

  • classic card game

  • includes rules, tips and score card

  • encourages strategy, playing with a partner and math

   

      I grew up playing Rook with my grandparents and have wonderful memories of Summer nights at the lake spent playing Rook - my Grandpa and I were "cheatin' partners" and we always won! We didn't really cheat! Rook is a great game for families to play together and develop their own memories to treasure!  Tremendously well done, Parker Brothers!

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Deluxe Edition Yahtzee Ages 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes tray with built in dice holders, tokens, score pad and rules

  • encourages strategy, counting, adding and following the rules

   

      I played this with a  five and six year old and while they needed help deciding which dice to keep and which combinations they still needed to complete the game, they were able to count their points - which they loved doing! Play this classic game with children and adults in your life and create memories to treasure! Tremendously well done, Parker Brothers!

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Sorry Card Revenge Ages 6+

• Favorite Features -

  • includes talking large pawn, cards, home boards and player pawns

  • encourages taking turns, following directions, counting, strategy, number and color recognition

   

      Hilarious, outrageously fun game the entire family will love! You never know what to expect with this game! I played with a young reviewer and had to draw seven cards. He played his cards. I couldn't play and had to draw six more cards - lucky me! He finally had to see what the talking pawn would tell him to do and he got to play any card he wanted! Needless to say, he won! Creative and fun Parker Brothers did a great job with this game! Tremendously well done, Parker Brothers!

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little wonderland

www.littlewonderland.com

 

The Mouse Teeters Ages 3+

• Favorite Features -

  • colorful wooden game

  • teaches balancing, taking turns, counting, color and shape recognition

   

      This is a truly adorable game! Clearly quality, creativity, imagination and learning are all values little wonderland holds to and it shows in this game! Little ones will love to play this with their parents and it makes a wonderful first game! This is a game parents will love playing with thier child and then save to pass on to grandchildren as it is a heirloom quality game! Tremendously well done, little wonderland!

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Dread Pirate Ages 8+

• Favorite Features -

  • unique and creative cloth pirate's treasure map game board

  • quality playing pieces - the pirate ships are amazing

  • encourages reading, strategy, counting, playing by the rules, good sportsmanship

   

      I am completely amazed by this game! Unique, creative, fun, imaginative, amazing - all excellent words to describe this game. I love the attention to detail - like the "treasure chest" this game comes in - as it all combines to add to the ambiance of being a pirate in search of buried treasure! The children who played this game absolutely loved it - the winner loved being able to call himself, "Dread Pirate, Gabe"! This is the type of game a family will play together, enjoy, create many memories and then pass on as it is a heirloom quality game!  Tremendously well done, little wonderland!

   

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  Last Updated July 4, 2006

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