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'!

showing products 1 - 16 of 160
The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord

Mix the magic of Harry Potter with a taste of Oliver Twist, and you'll have some notion of the yarn that awaits young readers with this book. Two orphaned brothers arrive in Venice, attempting to escape from the nasty couple who want to adopt them. They're sheltered by a band of young urchins and ...

Reviewed for Middle School, 2007
Butterfly Canopy

Butterfly Canopy

This is a toy with a shelf-life, but that’s okay — your kids will continue to talk about the experience long after the butterflies have fluttered away. It all starts with a box containing a canopy, instructions, and a caterpillar order form. Once your adopted larvae arrive (for the ...

Reviewed for Kindergarten, 2007
Peep and the Big Wide World DVD Set

Peep and the Big Wide World DVD Set

This newly hatched chicken and his best friends, a robin and a duck, are pure preschool magic. For young children, science is all about hands-on exploration, and this series plays to the innate wonder of everyday objects and events. Each half-hour episode contains two animated stories which ...

Reviewed for Preschool, 2007
The BFG

The BFG

Considered one of Dahl's most imaginative works, The BFG tells the story of the Big Friendly Giant who blows good dreams into the bedrooms of children. One night he takes an orphan girl named Sophie from her bed and brings her to the world of Giants. The other Giants, with names like ...

Reviewed for Fourth Grade, 2007
Meade Telescope

Meade Telescope

If your knowledge of astronomy begins and ends with finding the Big Dipper, but you want to spur your child on to greater heights, never fear. This 80 mm-telescope is easy to put together. The instruction manual explains how to use each feature of the telescope to get your child up close and ...

Reviewed for Middle School, 2007
Fantacolor Tecno

Fantacolor Tecno

This unique toy gives "learning the nuts and bolts" new meaning. Using a multicolored assortment of plastic screws, wrenches, nuts, bolts, and screwdrivers, kids can create designs by attaching and detaching a slew of shapes to the special board (which folds up to become a handy carry-all for the ...

Reviewed for Kindergarten, 2007
Plan Toys Parking Garage

Plan Toys Parking Garage

To most parents, spending hours navigating a crowded parking garage sounds like a living hell, but for kindergarteners it can be a little slice of heaven. A three-level parking structure, complete with elevator, helipad, car and parking attendant, this play set is crafted of quality wooden ...

Reviewed for Kindergarten, 2007
Zingo

Zingo

(2 or more players) Ready for Bingo, with a twist? This game helps kids practice shape and pattern recognition, memory, and concentration, as they attempt to fill their card with matching picture tiles before anyone else beats them to it. There's nothing revolutionary here-- it's basically the ...

Reviewed for Preschool, 2007
Jewelry Design Studio

Jewelry Design Studio

Beading isn't just sissy stuff, it's actually grounded in math curriculum and promotes constructive creativity. Sequencing lays the foundation for understanding number sense and patterns, while the act of measuring helps to practice geometric concepts. And, as any nine-year-old girl will tell you, ...

Reviewed for Fourth Grade, 2007
iKaraoke for iPod

iKaraoke for iPod

With this unique iPod attachment, belting out favorite songs karaoke-style has never been more convenient. The lightweight microphone is about the size and shape of a fountain pen. Would-be singers just plug it into an iPod, select whether they'd like to connect to the stereo or over FM radio, ...

Reviewed for High School, 2007
Woodkins

Woodkins

Little girls just can't put Woodkins down! These wooden versions of "paper dolls" are a wholesome alternative to blinking electronic toys. Place squares of brightly colored cloth beneath the doll's surrounding frame and your child can create socks, pants, shirts, dresses, and belts. Woodkins also ...

Reviewed for Kindergarten, 2007
A Pizza the Size of the Sun

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Got a kid who claims to hate poetry? Sic this collection on her, and try to suppress your smile as she devours the thing. From Improbable Emporiums stocked with fur umbrellas and hippo dental floss, to pizzas that take a year and a half to bake, this book is chock-full of fun-loving absurdity. A ...

Reviewed for Third Grade, 2007
Mixed-Up Politician

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 ...

Reviewed for High School, 2007
Super Fort

Super Fort

This toy provides all the straight-up fun of a home-grown fort, but without the mess of misplaced sheets, chairs, and pillows. Using flexible foam tubes, many-sided magnetic connectors, and multi-colored fabric panels, kids can build just about any kind of lair they want, whether it's a tug-boat, ...

Reviewed for First Grade, 2007
Half Magic

Half Magic

In this charming and classic story, four siblings are set to spend a hot, boring summer in the care of a babysitter, when they come upon a coin on the sidewalk. They soon realize that the coin has special powers, but in the classic tradition of wish fulfillment gone awry, it only does half the ...

Reviewed for Third Grade, 2007
Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples

By the time they are in fourth grade, most kids will be the first to tell you: they can read and write lots of words. But what they're just learning is how words can stretch beyond concrete definitions and into all sorts of delightful meanings. At this exciting stage, we can think of few cooler ...

Reviewed for Fourth Grade, 2007

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