Gift Guide2007
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best products for each grade that will build your child's brain as well as being chock full of fun. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
Caps for Sale
This book has had preschoolers rolling in the aisles since its release way back in the 1940's. The repetitive cries of the peddler who falls asleep after a particularly tough day and wakes up to find all his wares on the heads of monkeys, has an irresistible rhythm kids love. Ham it up with some ...
Doorway Puppet Theater
This detailed hanging theater is just the thing for impromptu puppetry performances. Easily hung in a doorway by tension rods, the theater features curtains that can be tied back during the performance, backstage pockets for puppets and props, and a generous window with enough space to accommodate ...
Castle Tabletop Puppet Theater
This tabletop theater gives aspiring hand puppeteers the royal treatment. Big enough to accommodate the hijinks of two hand puppets, but small enough to tuck away after the show, it features real sliding curtains and a whimsically decorated wooden frame. Interlocking pieces make assembly easy and ...
Gears, Gears, Gears! Beginner's Building Set
Want to teach your child about simple mechanics and cause and effect, without a trip to the reference department at your local library? This toy is a future engineer's dream-- with dozens of gears, cranks, connectors, and interlocking plates, ripe for three-dimensional discovery. Because the toy is ...
What's Gnu?
This game is a terrific way to teach young children new three-letter words, and to build confidence in spelling and reading the ones they already know. Plus, it takes a scant twenty minutes to play. Designed with easily distracted kids in mind, What's Gnu? involves a lot of shouting and giggling, ...
Howl's Moving Castle
This novel was made into a movie. Which means that most kids will skip it. That's a shame, because the book packs a potent punch of wonderful characters, outrageous plot twists, and dry humor. Sophie Hatter is a bookworm, and she knows from her reading that as the eldest of 3 daughters, she's bound ...
Pictureka!
In this visually stimulating find-it-first game, players face a constantly moving and shifting game board bursting with hip and wacky illustrations. Draw a green "mission" card, and you have thirty seconds to find as many items, such as beards, musical instruments, or things found in the ...
RipStik Caster Board
This new toy is all the rage at skate parks around the country. Sure it looks a little odd, with its rotating deck and wheels that turn 360 degrees. But unlike its skateboard cousins, this means kids don't need to push off to keep this baby rolling; a twisting motion with shoulders and hips is all ...
Magic With Cards
Cross a deck of cards with a wide-eyed, wise-mouthed middle schooler, add this delightful collection of "113 Easy-to-Perform Miracles" and you've got Magic with Cards, a how-to book that should keep your kid enthralled for hours at a stretch. Under the capable guidance of authors Garcia ...
Super Magz 130
Super Magz is a great addition to the current line of Magz toys because the bars are larger, the spheres are bigger, and the magnets are a lot more powerful. Beyond the obvious fun of constructing various shapes, buildings, faces, flowers, and other objects out of the colorful plastic magnetized ...
"Every Day Is a Birthday" by Brady Rymer
Parents who shop in the alt rock section will feel right at home with Brady Rymer, a former roots-rock musician who's made the switch to children's music. The title track, describing all the kooky ways birthdays are celebrated across the world, is an instant favorite. Rymer shared the stage with ...
The Intellectual Devotional
For those teens excited to hit the college stride, but nervous about competing in a new intellectual environment, The Intellectual Devotional is the perfect pick. Modeled after bedside books of meditative or inspirational passages, this book aims not to quiet the mind, but to awaken it. Meant to be ...
I'm Dirty
This backhoe braggart is sure to be a hit with kids, as he lists all the reasons he relishes his job. From his favorite pie (mud pie, of course) to the glory of a long bath when the day is done ("make that a mud bath"), this guy knows how to get dirty. In between all the sass and ...
Lego City Recycle Truck
Bring the idea of recycling home with this cute toy. Lego is perfect for this age because it works on counting, spacial reasoning, pattern recognition, dexterity, and fine motor control-- key components to reading, writing, and math. Once they've snapped this truck together, kids can put the ...
Mixed-Up Politician
This little toy puts a whole new spin on the term "politically incorrect." The box contains 200 magnetized, scrambled words that make up famous quotes uttered by politicians. Can your teen put the quotes together correctly, or perhaps mix them up in hilarious combinations? "I believe a thousand ...
10 Days in Africa
Can you get from Mauritania to Madagascar in just ten days? If you're game. Board game, that is! In 10 Days in Africa, players must "travel" by plane, truck, or foot. Using a big board, but no pieces, and plenty of geography and strategy, players arrange country and travel cards to chart a course ...
