I just had coffee with a friend who is already shopping for Christmas. Since folks are shopping already I thought I’d toss out one of our favorite toys.

We discovered Kapla blocks at a science museum for kids on the west coast. My husband and son were immediately drawn to them, so we bought two large boxes and rolled them out on a three generation family vacation where folks of all ages joined in the fun.

It has been three years and we still play with Kapla blocks. We use them to make tall towers, drum sticks, zoo enclosures and even line them up on window ledges just because we can. If you are looking for an open-ended toy that appeals to a broad age range and doesn’t come with small parts or BPA, you might want to add them to your list.

My son recently discovered a puzzle toy that once sat on the coffee table of my college home. Everyone who walked in would try to put these geometric pieces into the shape of a 3 by 3 cube. Some folks did it quickly, some took hours, and some never figured it out. My son was kept similarly busy exploring the shapes and I realized that he was onto something and started trying to find out what these mystery shapes were called and where I could find more. I walked into Loudoun Learning asking about some 3D manipulatives that I did not know the name of that might have been a popular game in the 70s or 80s. The staff looked doubtful, but pointed me towards the rear of the store which is where I hit the jackpot and discovered something very similar.

We now have sets of two dimensional and three dimensional pentominoes and a book of pentomino activities. It was quite a splurge for this frugal mom, and worth every penny. They are perfect for a rainy day, for when you are stuck home sick for a few days, for homeschooling, or as a unique gift for the preschooler who has everything.

saras-toy-box.blogspot.com

There are so many folks out there with advice on which toys to buy… Here’s a new blog inspired by all the recent recalls. It highlights some creative toys, including some from one of our new favorite places to shop, A Toy Garden. Enjoy!

This website was recommended on a list I was on, and when I checked it out I was WOW-ed. Even my inlaws were WOW-ed and they are some of the most discriminating consumers I know (in a good way!).

A Toy Garden is filled with lots of thoughtfully chosen options. If you are looking to start avoiding plastic toys from China that seem to be meriting recall after recall these days this site is worth checking out. Or if you are like me and just prefer toys that challenge the kids in your life to use their imagination, and want to give gifts that are unlikely to be duplicates and are sure to spark conversation this might be a perfect resource. It also allows you to create a wishlist which might be a great way to help extended family choose a perfect gift.

I just ordered fundanas for my neices — they are bandanas with games on them that challenge kids go outside and hunt for seasonable objects, and use found objects like pebbles or acorns to mark your progress. It would have been a fun thing to have in my pocket back in my outdoor leadership days!