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Great Toys to Go for Every Age
By Amy Carney Bevins
Whether you are mailing a package across the country or delivering
it down the street, you want to find something sure to please. But
what is the perfect gift to send to the cousins in Oregon, give as a
holiday hostess gift, wrap for a secret Santa swap or tuck away in
case of need? Something light, portable, easy to mail or carry,
inexpensive and most of all, a crowd pleaser.
Here is a listing of great “Toys to Go” – fun-filled presents that
are perfect for holiday giving, last minute surprises or even that
long car ride back from grandma’s house.
(Infant, Preschool, Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Magnatudes™
These adorable stuffed friends “hang out” just about anywhere.
Magnets embedded in their hands, feet and backs make play
possibilities endless. Put their hands together and hang them from a
car seat. Stick them on the fridge. Make an animal chain. Magnatudes™
are great discovery fun for little ones and playtime friends for
toddlers and preschoolers. Teens will love finding them peeking out
of lockers or other hiding places and they’ll even bring a touch of
whimsy to your office. There are 26 Magnatudes™ to choose from
including a cow, frog, monkey, horse, lobster, flamingo, lion,
alligator, dog and pig.
Approximate Price - $7.50 www.gund.com
(Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Stay Alive™
Can you be the last one to Stay Alive? Kids and grownups alike will
love the new travel version of this classic 1970’s game of skill.
The premise is simple, place your marbles on the grid, pull the
slides and hope you don’t drop through the holes. Despite its
simplicity, the game is addictive and challenging. Where should you
place your marbles? Which slide should you move to sink your
opponent and not yourself? With the travel version, you can take
this game anywhere – restaurants, grandma’s house or down the
street. Put on some disco and spend some time with this great retro
game.
Approximate Price - $14.95 www.winning-moves.com
(Infant, Preschool) Fill ‘N Spill Fish
Another award winner in Playskool’s “Let’s Play Together”
collection. Fill ‘N Spill Fish are oceans of fun. The “Mommy” fish
can roll like a ball or open wide for fill and spill games (she’s a
multi-tasker like any good mom). The soft fabric baby fish rattle,
squeak or crinkle as they swim their way around. They can also be
used as finger puppets for even more playtime fun.
Approximate Price - $14.99 www.playskool.com
(Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Totally Gross!™ – Spinner Book™
for Kids
Is it a book? Is it a game? It’s a Spinner Book™ - the best of both
worlds. Read it like a book or play it like a game, either way
you’ll be hooked. Based on the popular Totally Gross!™ Board Game,
this Spinner Book™ is filled with questions kids love like:
Which of these animals eats by spitting its stomach out: cows,
starfish or seagulls?
Which weighs more: The trash dumped in the world’s oceans in a year
or the fish caught in a year?
How much snot do you swallow every day: none, two cups or two
gallons?”
Spinner Books™ are great for road trips, rainy days, ski trips,
campouts – anywhere you want on-the-go fun. Check out other great
Spinner Book™ titles including: 30 Second Mysteries for Kids, Kids
Rule, Dinomite, Kids Battle the Grownups and 20 Questions for Kids.
Approximate Price - $7.98
www.universitygames.com/spinner_books
(Elementary, Preteen) Doodletop®
What do you get when you put together two kid favorites – tops and
markers? You get the award winning Doodletop®,.a pen that draws
while it spins. Just remove the cap, give it a spin and you’re off
on an artistic adventure. You can make miles of silly spaghetti,
crazy curls and super circles because each Doodletop® has enough ink
to doodle the length of five football fields. Also look for
Doodletop Twister® with a spring loaded spinner, refill pens to add
more color to your world and the Doodletop Book® filled with lots of
great Doodletop® fun. “With Doodletop®, the shortest path to fun is
never a straight line.”
Approximate Price - $6.95
www.universitygames.com/colorforms/products.asp
(Preschool, Elementary) Pop Up Port-A-Bug™
Kids are fascinated by bugs. They like to watch them creep, crawl,
fly and just be bugs. And they seem to find them wherever they go.
With the award winning Pop up Port-A-Bug™, you’ll have a mobile bug
catcher available whenever your junior entomologist finds a perfect
specimen for study. Pop Up Port-A-Bug™ is made of lightweight,
escape proof mesh and collapses into a handy tote sack with a
built–in carry clip. For more bug fun, be sure to check out the
company’s live critter packages (butterflies, frogs, ladybugs and
more).
Approximate Price - $9.00
http://insectlore.stores.yahoo.net/popportubsty.html
(Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Cosmic Catch™
Take the game of catch to a whole new level with a ball that calls
the shots. In Cosmic Catch™, players wear colored hand bands. Using
RIFD technology, the ball calls out commands like red, blue, or
purple, and you have to throw it to the right colored band. Are you
smarter than the ball? Play one of four different Cosmic Catch™
games and find out. Cosmic Catch™ is designed for 2-6 players and is
the winner of numerous toy awards.
Approximate Price - $24.99 www.hasbro.com
(Infant, Preschool, Elementary) PuzzleMeUp™ Wooden Puzzles
A toy your child will want to play with over and over again. These
chunky 3-D puzzles are beautiful to look at, are enticing to touch,
teach many different skills and invite imaginative play. Even before
your child is ready to work the puzzles, the bright colors and
eye-catching shapes add whimsy to your nursery décor. PuzzleMeUp™
Wooden Puzzles come in many themes including letters, numbers, sea
life, jungle animals, dinosaurs and birds. These beautifully
handcrafted and hand-painted puzzles are created from
plantation-grown rubberwood – a non-splintering and
environmentally-friendly hardwood. They are brightly painted with
child-safe paints.
Approximate Price - $7.99-45.99 www.imagiplay.com
(Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Pass the Pigs®
What do a snouter, an oinker, a leaning jowler and a razorback all
have in common? They all earn points in Pass the Pigs®, a crazy fun
game of pig-mania. Roll the pig shaped dice, rack up points and be
careful not to “Pig Out.” That’s it. But it is hilarious fun for any
age. This game has been an international favorite for decades. With
its newly designed travel case, you can now go hog wild any time
with Pass the Pigs®.
Approximate Price - $12.95 www.winning-moves.com
(Preschool, Elementary) Pirates of the Tub™, Princess in the Tub™
Yo ho ho! A pirate’s life for me. If your little one wants to
captain his own crew of scallywags and hunt for buried treasure,
he’ll love Pirates of the Tub™. This award winning 38 piece set
includes foam pieces to build pirate islands, boats, a cave with a
treasure chest, three pirate squirters and even a mesh bag for easy
clean-up and storage.
If your little one prefers glitter and royalty, she’ll be able to
take a bath in high style with the Princess in the Tub™ set. With a
wave of her magic wand she can transform into a tub-time princess
with a jeweled tiara, safe foam mirror and water-activated wand with
lights and sounds.
Approximate Price - $14.99 - 17.99 www.alextoys.com
(Elementary) Kids Interstate Road Atlas - Little Passenger®
Sneak in a little learning along with the fun on those long drives.
With mazes, word searches, crossword puzzles, maps and more, your
kids will learn fun facts about the 50 states. When they ask “How
much further?” you can say “Look at your map and let me know”
because this atlas includes full-color maps of each state, the U.S.,
Mexico and Canada. Perfect for junior backseat drivers and budding
navigators as well as kids who like to keep busy in the car.
Approximate Price - $4.95 www.universalmap.com
(Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) A Book of Artrageous Projects
Give your kids the keys to unlock the treasures of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. In this amazing collaboration between the world
famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Editors of
Klutz, your kids will learn the skills practiced by the Masters.
This book provides the tools for an incredible hands-on art
experience – copper foil, light-sensitive paper, color pigments,
rice paper, a paint brush, an incredible variety of stickers and
more. Your kids won’t just read this book, they’ll live it!
Approximate Price - $21.95 www.klutz.com
(Infant) Soothing Sounds Chime®
The gentle sounds of chimes will make you and your baby smile every
time you hear them. With the award winning Soothing Sounds Chime®,
babies can easily activate wind chime melodies each time they shake
it. Babies will love watching the multi-colored beads fall through
the see-through “chime chambers” while listening to their soft
rattling sounds. Bright ribbons and an easy to grasp handle add to
the appeal of this delightful toy.
Approximate Price - $5.49 www.sassybaby.com
(Preschool, Elementary) Monster Trucks Custom Shop
Finally! A great craft kit for boys. Monster trucks to paint,
decorate and best of all to race. The four monster trucks feature
pull-back racing action and come with paint and stickers to
customize them or use your own markers for a truly original
creation. Once they’re decorated, they’re ready to roll, whiz and
race their way to the finish line. Also check out the smaller sized
Fast Car Race Cars for more speedway fun.
Approximate Price - $24.99
www.creativityforkids.com
(Preschool, Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Rocking Moon Game
It wobbles; it rocks, but don’t let it tip over. The Rocking Moon
Game is made of smooth hand painted wood pieces. Roll the dice,
stack a corresponding wooden cylinder on the moon and start again.
How many pieces can you balance before everything comes tumbling
down? What a fun way for kids to learn about color matching, balance
and strategy. The Rocking Moon Game is a wonderful game for kids of
all ages.
Approximate Price - $12.50 www.anatex.com
(Preschool, Elementary, Preteen, Teens/Adults) Pocket SkyO®
Throw it. Catch it. Fold it. Take it with you for fun wherever you
go. The Pocket SkyO® is a perfect gift for active kids and adults.
Its unique aerodynamic design makes this award winning frisbee easy
to catch, throw, hold and fold up. It is engineered for smooth,
accurate flights and floats in the air and the water, making it a
great choice for the beach too. Also look for the original SkyO®,
Mega SkyO® and Ultra SkyO® for even more outdoor fun!
Approximate Price - $3.95-14.95 www.rhinotoys.com
(Infant, Preschool) Happy Hamster House
Your little one will have hours of pretend play fun with the Happy
Hamster House. Nestled inside the soft, go-anywhere mushroom house
you’ll find two adorable stuffed hamsters that are ready to come out
and play. Two acorn chairs, a stick-and-leaf table and a garden
swing add to the hamsters’ enchanted world. Everything tucks inside
behind the big leaf door and awaits your child’s next imagination
adventure.
Approximate Price - $25 www.manthattantoy.com
(Preteen, Teens/Adults) Armchair Puzzlers™
“Sink back and solve away.” Armchair Puzzlers™ books are great gifts
for on-the-go families. There are over fifteen titles in the series
including logic puzzles, mad mazes, optical teasers, cryptograms,
word searches and crosswords. Each book is packed with fun, and the
compact size makes it a perfect choice for plane trips, long drives,
waiting at the doctor’s office or rainy day fun.
Approximate Price - $4.88
www.universitygames.com/spinner_books/default.asp.com
(Preschool, Elementary) Foam Gliders
Get ready to take flight with this award winning Klutz® book. Any
kid fascinated by airplanes will delight in making, decorating and
flying his or her own airplanes. The book includes five uniquely
styled foam airplanes, colorful stickers, display stands for when
planes come in for a landing and suggestions for glider games. With
the easy-to-build gliders, you’ll be airborne in no time.
Approximate Price - $9.95 www.klutz.com
(Infant, Preschool, Elementary) Baby Einstein® Bath Puppets
Enter a world of imagination in and out of the tub with these
colorful puppets. They are one of those wonderful kid products that
fall into more than one category - tub toy, play friend,
parent-child toy and imagination builder. Choose from a hippo, an
octopus, a goat, a green dragon and a cow, many of which are
featured in the popular Baby Einstein® videos. Baby Einstein® bath
puppets are made of soft, durable, non-toxic terrycloth, are machine
washable and have a fabric loop to hang them for easy drying.
Approximate Price - $8.95 www.babyeinstein.com
Amy Carney Bevins is a freelance writer, magazine editor, educator
and mom.
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