Gift Guide2009
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'!
15-String Harp
Parents, want to trade in the drum set? There's nothing quite like strumming a harp for a harmonious musical experience.
Veggie Cutting Set
You may not be able to get your child to eat his veggies, but with this set, he'll sure enjoy cutting them up! Packed in a wood crate, with a small cutting board and smooth-edged wood knife, this toy makes playing with food fun.
Farkle
Once in a while someone comes up with a game that is so profoundly simple that it requires only a few low-tech pieces, and yet is so fun that kids return to it time after time.
FirstScope Telescope
This scope gives many that cost thrice the price a run for their money.
T'Rung Mini
Percussion instruments are a great way to learn about rhythm, which is the backbone of music making.
Beastologist: The Flight of the Phoenix
Nathaniel Flood is sent to a distant cousin, who also happens to be a beastologist. Before he knows it Nathaniel is in Arabia, entrenched in an effort to ensure the world's last remaining phoenix delivers her egg safely!
Snap Circuits RC Rover
When your child begs for a remote controlled car, let her build her own. This toy inspires experimentation, with snap and go components that click into a mini circuit board.
Puzzibits Super Safari Set
Each of these 450 interlocking pieces consists of pegs and loops which can be used to connect it to others, but you'll need a firm hand to bend the flexible pieces into place.
School of Fear
Madeleine, Theo, Lulu, and Garrison have one thing in common: a terrifying fear of something. Determined to cure their phobias, their parents send them to a place of last resort: The School of Fear.
Tales from the Book of Dragons
A magical reading of two short stories from one of Edith Nesbit's classics, this CD will inspire kids to head to the library, so they can read the other six tales not included here.
Softies Simply Natural Puppets
Eco-friendly animals on the outside, playful puppets on the inside, Softies are made from 100 percent natural cotton and colored using vegetable dyes.
Classic Juggling Balls
Bring some circus home! These three brightly colored balls are weighted well for beginning jugglers.
Wooden Blocks
These days, kids are surrounded 24/7 by high tech gizmos and beeping "educational" toys. What a joy to find these low-tech beauties - high quality wood blocks with embossed images. Comes in the alphabet and numbers and Nursery Rhymes sets.
Bento 2
Whether it's keeping track of assignments, logging miles while training for a marathon, or organizing To-Dos, this mini personal database makes it easy to collect, search, and display information on the go.
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
Ridiculously witty and entertaining, Geektastic is chock-full of laughs, Comic-Con humor and real-world drama. Despite the abundance of Klingons, Vulcans, droids and the like that populate the book, thereâs something deeply human about each of the stories in this quirky collection.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
The mix of mystery, science fiction, action and adventure in this pulse-pounding, suspenseful thriller will keep reluctant readers of both sexes glued to the page.
