Gift Guide2008
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'!
Tiki Topple
This game is a blast! Using strategy and more than a little blind luck, players take turns trying to maneuver their given set of "tikis" to the top of the heap. This fast-paced strategy game takes a mere 20 minutes or so to complete, and keeps kids mesmerized as they play Polynesian!
Lego Creator Cool Convertible
Kids will jump at the chance to construct this cool convertible, which can be rebuilt into a hefty truck, or miniloader with a moving platform. They'll be developing fine motor skills and mastering complex, sequenced directions. But with a kit this cool, they won't need much convincing to get ...
Uluwatu Bamboo Longboard
Skateboarding is still cool, but these days, it's also practical. Sure, kids are still grinding tricks on old-school "street" boards, but many people (adults included) are finding that cruising to school and work on a smooth-turning "longboard" is the name of the skating game.
Cranium WOW
Cranium WOW is an updated version of the wildly popular board game, and it takes the cake for retaining the successful format, while adding new details that make the game more fun than ever. There's a challenge for everyone, whether you're a sketch artist, intellectual, thespian, or vocab pro.
Play and Learn
This 3-layered box contains all the ammunition kids need to fight rainy day boredom. The first tier has a double-sided domino game, the middle has 12 lacing activities, and the bottom contains a 25-piece double-sided alphabet puzzle. Plus, it's as good for the earth as it is for your kid's noodle!
BuildImagination Blocks
These are not your grandpa's blocks. The Water Set, with its sealed windows filled with colored liquid, can be overlaid to show how colors mix. And the Twisted Blocks transform triangles into parallelograms, allowing kids to turn angles upside-down with a quick flip of the wrist.
Lego City Coast Guard Patrol Boat and Tower
With 444 pieces, this baby will keep your kid scrambling around the rug for hours. Where to start-- the cargo ship, the patrol tower, or the dock? Because it comes with three separate models to build, it's easy to convince a child to put down the pieces and save some for later.
Barn Buddies
This gift-giving, consider giving your child a Barn Buddy Sponsorship, which provides feed, board and medical care to one very special animal, such as Mama, a Bay thoroughbred rescued from a semi-truck accident, or Pepe, a black sheep who was bottle-fed after his mother rejected him.
Design a Doll
This kit hearkens back to a time when little kids learned to sew magical things out of modest means. Complete with yarn for hair, patterns, a muslin figure, and a sack of sewing accoutrements, it will teach your child to sew her own "eco" doll using materials made in America.
Spill and Spell
This letter game works like a movable crossword puzzle, with players all scouting for letters to join together into words. The tiles are in a "face-up" pool for all to see. When a player spots a word sitting in the pool, he scoops its letters out and lines them up.
