Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Fun Toy: Tricky Fingers

I was at a Craft and Vendor Fair on the weekend, for the first time, with my toys!

It was a fantastic afternoon.... many, many children were attracted by my "wares" and parents were equally as interested! I mean, seriously, why wouldn't they come see my table? Discovery Toys are SO colourful and attractive you can't help but be drawn to them.... and you can tell they are well made! Like I tell everyone, as a mom I am looking for toys that are SAFE and FUN that help my kids LEARN.... and that, my friends, is exactly what a DT toy delivers!

But, as exciting as all that was for me, it was not want I wanted to talk about today.... I wanted to let you know about TRICKY FINGERS.

GET IT HERE!


When I first saw this toy, I wasn't really sure about it.... however, since it came in the mail, and I have been playing it, I totally get why it is one of DT's best selling toys! It is addictive!

So, basically, you get two of the marble-filled cases and a set of cards with a grid/pattern on them. The goal is to get the different coloured marbles in your case to copy the pattern of the coloured circles on the card. You can play it solo, or challenge yourself against a friend to see who can complete the grid the quickest!

This toy was one  of the ones I displayed on the weekend, and I was thrilled by the diversity of people who played it! Two little 6 year old girls kept coming back and playing it over and over again! A tween boy was also quite taken by it, and I had Moms and grandparents playing it too - one fellow even wanted it to take to the cabin!

You can get Tricky Fingers and other toys form DT's Clever Connectors collection here. 

Remember to....
Play Every Day!

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” 
– George Bernard Shaw

Thursday, 18 April 2013

A Perfect Bouquet!

How CUTE is this idea???? I simply must do one for me, and for each of the grandmas.... I may even jazz it up a notch, and do them on a plate at Clay Cafe instead of just paper.... though even on paper, framed, it would make one helluva Mother's Day Gift ;-)

I got it here. 

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Words of Wisdom

The shock of yesterday's horrific events in Boston have yet to wear off. I think it will take a long time for all of us... such a senseless act! How could somebody AIM to harm people? To hurt children? My heart aches.

The boys have noticed the news.... at 8 & 10, it is hard to keep such things from them. I struggled to explain and comfort them at the same time. Then. later, I was on Facebook and came across this image..... Oh, Mr. Rogers, you still have answers!

From Today's Parent on Facebook here. 





Monday, 15 April 2013

Hammer Away

I had a visit yesterday from my Aunt and my sweet little cousin, soon-to-be-two Amy. Amy was fascinated by all my Discovery Toys items.... but this may have been her favourite: Hammer Away! Her immediate reaction was "Oh! Wow!" and she proceeded to explore... putting the balls through the holes,smacking them in with the hammer; matching up the colours.... when she realised the balls were coming out on the bottom she said "I did it!".  I can't WAIT for her next visit!
find it here

Friday, 12 April 2013

DT's Discovery Dough

Who doesn't love play dough? It's fun, it's squishy, it smells funny....

Here is an easy play dough recipe from Discovery Toys. This one uses the Measure Up Cups, each size corresponds to an actual measurement (#12 = 1 cup, #6 = 1/2 cup, etc), so your kids can use them to help you make any kid-friendly recipe! Plus, the Measure Up Cups stack really high, and the designs imprinted on them are great for stamping on play dough and cutting it out - TONS of FUN!

To get your own Measure Up Cups, order online here.

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Lalaloopsy Paper Bag Puppets

Sometimes, I come across something uber-fun, like these cute little Lalaloopsy Paper Bag Puppets and I wish I had more kids!. Scratch that - it happens often, not sometimes, LOL. These are unlikely to spark interest with my two pre-tween boys....but maybe you have a kid or two who would like them ;-)

find the print outs here
You can find a ton of Nick Jr. inspired crafts on their website here.