Top Toys To Stimulate The Mind

Top Toys To Stimulate The Mind

The Holidays are over and done with, leaving a whirlwind of wrapping paper and new toys strewn about the house. Some may be used once or twice and forgotten about quickly, others received may become life long favorites. When it comes to shopping for your kids, how do you sift through all the junk and find a toy that's both fun and educational? You want something that's more exciting than a book, but at the same time it should inspire some sort of stimulating activity, whether it is physical or mental. Well, here's a list of some of the hottest toys, designed with your kids' minds in mind!

Toys for Toddlers (Ages 1 - 3)

• Yookidoo Discovery Dome: This fun play set for toddlers encourages physical and cognitive stimulation through imaginative play. The dome includes ball play, shape sorting and peek-a-boo games. Bright colors, lights and sounds add to the overall experience - engaging your child's senses. With plenty of space under the dome, the Yookidoo Discovery Dome encourages cooperative play. Oh, and the dome folds away for easy storage! Perfect! Price: $100 at The Discovery Channel Store
  

Toys for Pre-Schoolers (Ages 3 - 5)

• LeapFrog Tag Reading System & Game Bundle: Now I know I said earlier that books are a boring gift idea...LeapFrog is a book that's actually fun! Tag is a touch reading system that is designed to fully engage a child while reading about his favorite characters. Simply touch the "Tag Reader" to the pages and characters come alive - speaking and singing to your child! With more than 20 books to choose from, your kids will learn the joys of reading in a fun and innovative way! Price: $50 - $70
  

  
  

• Step2 Art Master Activity Desk: Get your child in touch with his or her creative side with this arts and crafts table from Step2. Its huge work surface lifts up to reveal extra storage for all of the essential supplies. It comes with a 15 inch stool which is both comfortable and sturdy! The desk also features a handy push button light (which shuts off after 5 minutes).Price: $80
  

Toys for Grade Schoolers (Ages 6 - 9)

• LeapFrog Didj Custom Gaming System: Also from LeapFrog, the Didj Custom Gaming System is a hand held gaming system for the grade schooler in your family. Connect it to your computer and play action-packed games, sharpening your child's studying skills. Playing each game earns you points, which can be traded for cool downloads allowing you to personalize and customize your game system to your liking. Interactive and educational. A perfect combo. Price: $80
  

  
  

• Balitono Works of Ahhh...Painting Sets: From Balitono, comes a group of fun painting projects designed with your creative child in mind. Each set includes an item for your child to paint (a dollhouse
  dresser, for example), non toxic paint and artist quality brushes. These fun painting sets are sure to inspire the artist in your child. What's more, made from natural, sustainably harvested hardwoods and featuring non-toxic paints - this toy is all "green"! Eco-friendly toys are in this season! Price: $12 - $15
  

Toys for Tweens & Teens (Ages 10 & Up)

• Project Runway Graphic T-Shirt Design Studio Set: Even if your kids don't watch Project Runway on Bravo TV, they are sure to enjoy this fun and artistic crafts game. This fun set has all your child needs to be the next big thing in fashion! The set includes 6 fabric markers, the Cooler Jeweler Tool (gem and stud setting tool), 50 gems, 50 studs, 2 yards of ribbon, stencils, patterns and an idea book! Your child will be creating some fabulous T-shirts in no time! Price: $25 at Amazon
  

  
  

• Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS: Guitar Hero is such a fun game for both kids and parents alike! On Tour offers the same fun as the real game in a hand held, bite-size version. Hook the guitar grip to your Nintendo DS and rock out to the tunes of Nirvana, No Doubt and more! You can customize your own rock character - choosing clothes, hairstyles and more! Interactive, intuitive and so much fun - this is the must have game for teens and tweens alike! Nintendo DS sold separately Price: $50
  

As you can see, if you're trying to find a toy that's the perfect blend of fun and learning - your options are abundant! Some of these games are so much fun that you might feel the need to borrow them after the kids go to bed!

In the Spirit of this Thing We Call Christmas....

If it's one thing I miss, it's having my own vehicle. Right now, it's just not possible I guess. I've tried everywhere to get a decent running vehicle, but in the end it always turns out a no go. While I've given up on getting a vehicle... There are others out there who are still hoping that someone can help them.

Car Angels is one of those people. They take car donations from people like you and helps others with your donations. Car Angel (www.carangel.com) is a non-profit company that uses car and other donations to make videos for kids and teens. They have given away over 2.4 million videos.

Like this one:


Giving your car as a donation to Car Angels is also tax deductible. How cool is that? Even better is, they also except homes, rvs, boats and even planes.

The best thing however is the fact that you'll be giving your donation to a child or teen who enjoys the videos that car angel makes. Now seriously, how cool is that???

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap

This was a must share. Enjoy!

Music To Your Child's Ears

A few months ago I was sent a CD from Name Your Tune and promised a review. With personal problems on the rise and my busy schedule I must apologize for this long overdue review. Also, due to the late review, I am placing a link for Name Your Tune's website until after 2008 at the sponsored area to the right of my page. I also want to thank Name Your Tune for sending me the CD and allowing me to review it. Now, on to the review!

Name Your Tune's CD for children isn't any ordinary kid's music CD. It's far from it. Each musical CD allows your child the experience of hearing their name over and over again through each individual song on the CD. Your child can sing along to classic favorites like, Wheels On the Bus, Head And Shoulders and the ABC's Song.

At first when I presented my kids with their music CDs, the look on their face was, "Uhh Okay." However, after hearing their names in each of the songs, their eyes lit up and they were non-stop talk about the CD for hours. It's a CD I know they'll enjoy for a long time.

Each CD is special since it is specifically made for your child. Your child's name is used over 80 times in 14 fun songs your he or she will want to sing along to. And with Over 3,000 names to choose from, you're sure to find your child's name. If not however, you can simply let them know and they'll record your child's name to their next recording session. You can also personalize your child's CD with a message to him or her, making it a gift that will be cherished for years to come.

The best part about it is the price. For a personalized CD, I expected an expensive price tag. Not so with Name Your Tune. Their CD's are only $20 each or $18 when you purchase two or more at the same time. Even greater is the fact that Name Your Tune donates a portion of their sales to Hear Here, a non-profit organization that purchases hearing aids for children in need. How cool is that?

The fun thing about it is, even celebrity moms and dads like, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon and Adam Sandler have a Name Your Tune's music CD.

If this sounds like something your little one would enjoy, please be sure to drop by Name Your Tune's website. If you do decide to purchase a music CD from them, please feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think of the CD. Keep in mind that the CD would make a wonderful birthday or Christmas gift. I gave mine as birthday gifts. :)

A Utah Child in Need

If you have ever known the fear of losing a child then you'll know this mom's fear very well. Her son Parker is by far a miracle. He is going through so many medical problems at the moment that it is heartbreaking to say the least. yet he continues to play, to live, to be a child. In order to raise the money that is needed for Parker, his parents are holding a benefit concert. If you're from the Utah area, please attend. The cost is only $5.00 per person. If you're not from the Utah area, you could easily send a donation from Parker's Website. If you'd like, you could even help another family who might enjoy going to the concert, but cannot afford to, by paying for their tickets. If you're still not sure... if it was your child, what would you do?

For more Information you can visit Parker's website at:
www.prayingforparker.com

The Importance of Your Eyes

As a child I was told I needed glasses in order to see far distances. After grade school my glasses were broken by several classmates and I never wore glasses again. A few years ago I considered having lasik surgery on my eyes. I went as far as having my eyes examined only to discover that I did not need lasik eye surgery. The doctor went on to say that as I age and everyone is in bi-focals I will have 20/20 vision. That of course is great news!

Unfortunately not everyone will hear news like that and that is where Aging Eye's Eye Digest steps in. Aging Eye's Eye Digest Is an informative digest that wants you to be aware of aging eye diseases and how important it is to know about them. An aging eye disease doesn't care about it's victims, it can affect both the young and old and result in loss of vision.

Aging Eye's Eye Digest provides readers with information on Macular Degeneration, Dry Eye, Glaucoma, and Cataract. You can also find information on symptoms, treatment and even new developments on each of the diseases. Eye Digest also provides information on Lasik and financial aid if it is needed.

If you have children, you'll want to check out the section about pediatric eye care. There you will find information about Amblyopia(also known as "Lazy Eye"), treatment options and why it's important to have it treated before the age of 5.

I can't believe how informative The Eye Digest is. I don't think there is any stone left unturned. They've covered it all. If you're not concerned you really should be. The number of aging eye diseases could very well double in the next 30 years! If you're not concerned for yourself, please take a look for your children.

For more information check out these links:

Eye Diseases
Macular Degeneration
Dry Eyes
Glaucoma
Cataract
LASIK, Epi-LASIK & Sub-Bowmans laser surgery

I Changed My Mind

I wrote a post a while back about the school system and their thermometers being off. Then I went on about some garbage sentence saying -"So to all those schools who we understand are concerned about our children's well-being, we love you for it..."

I've changed my mind about one particular school. Why???

Because yesterday, I received a phone call from my fiance's daughter's school. Apparently his daughter had gotten on the wrong bus and was now at another school instead of home with mom in another town. Luckily I was at home since my fiance was at work and her mom could not be reached. After bringing her back here, I received mom's panicking phone call after finding out her child had not gotten off the bus where they lived.

Apparently the school had told her the same thing they'd told me at first. She'd gotten on the wrong bus. When her mom questioned how that happened, they then changed their story and said she'd gotten on the right bus, but gotten off at another school.

Now what's seriously messed up about the matter is, first of all... It's very obvious they were trying to cover their ass and blame it on the child. BAD IDEA. VERY BAD IDEA!

Every day the school's teachers, count heads and make sure every kid makes it on the correct bus to get home. Every day the bus driver does the same exact thing. Now any way you look at it, someone working for the school, screwed up BIG TIME!

What's even more messed up is that they would have never known she had even gotten off if it were not for my fiance's daughter who did the right thing and told the other school's principal that she was not suppose to be there. That was the only reason the school knew where she was!!!! What would have happened if someone would have snatched her or if she was scared enough that she didn't know what to do? She could have wandered away from the school!!!!

It pisses me off that they had no idea where she was at, didn't even know she was missing until that child told them and then they tried to cover their ass and blame it all on her!!!

It's not the first time a school has lost a child either. When my 10 year old started kindergarten at another school in the state of Oklahoma, the very first day, his teacher lost him. I almost understood that it was a first day and she didn't know all of the kids yet, until.... she walked away, back to the rest of the class without a concern in the world that my child was missing.

Come to find out, he had went to the other side of the school to find his oldest brother.
The very next day, I reported the incident with her to the principal. The rest of the school year he was always in trouble for some reason. Funny however, after that school year, he never was in trouble again.

And to think we have to put our trust into these schools!

When Schools Go Too Far

I was viewing a recent reader's post when it reminded me of one of our local school's and our recent dealings with them.

A few months ago I received a call from my fiance's daughter's school. She was sick they said and I needed to pick her up. I knew she was getting over a cough which we'd been taking care of at home, so I set out thinking her cough had just gotten worse. When I arrived at the school, I was told she was running a 106 temperature. 106??? I panicked (more so because of the time's peanut butter scare) and then became outraged that the school had not bothered to tell me this over the phone. Then I looked at her and checked her forehead. She felt a little warmer than usual, but not a concerned 106. After questioning why they had not told me this over the phone and then asking if they were sure the temperature was right (they argued it was and the principal went as far as saying he wanted to speak with my fiance) I quickly called my fiance and his daughter's doctor so that we could rush her in as an emergency appointment. While waiting for my fiance to get home, I checked her temperature myself with two different thermometers just to make sure. 98 was what I got for both. Between the time my fiance made it home and we made it in to the doctor to have her checked was about 20 minutes from the time we left the school. Now keep this in mind folks.

After the doctor had checked her he came up with the same results I did. 98. Then we asked how the school nurse could have came up with 106. He said he didn't know, but there was no way her temperature could have been 106 and dropped that drastically even if she's had tylenol or any liquids(I never gave her anything). It might have been a little higher because of her cough, but not 106! Then he went on to tell my fiance about his kids going to the same school and being sent home with an exaggerated temperature. So we asked for a doctor's note to explain that her temperature was fine, but to keep her out for the remainder of the day since she did have a cough.

When we returned to the school with the note and asked to speak with both the principal and the nurse we were told they were not there. Then when we explained what the doctor had noted, the secretary mumbled she couldn't talk about the situation, but would let the nurse and principal know. Then she went on to say I had to have given her something to drop the temperature! When I explained I hadn't and even if I had the time frame could still not have dropped the temperature that drastically, she argued with my fiance and I. So we simply told her to have the principal confirm it with the doctor since he was the one who confirmed it. She stopped arguing and went on to again say, she couldn't talk about the situation. Sigh.

We checked back Monday to speak to the nurse and principal. No nurse and no principal. For a principal who insists on speaking with my fiance, he sure wasn't around anytime my fiance asked to see him. After another failed attempt a few days later, we finally gave up.

Now we are slowly learning from other parents who have came out of the woodwork, we are not the only ones whose child has been sent home for an exaggerated temperature. We are very sure the school's thermometers are off, but will the school listen? Nope.

So to all those schools who we understand are concerned about our children's well-being and we love you for it... If you get a situation like the one above, please check your equipment. If it had been a real situation with faulty equipment, there's no telling what the outcome may have been!