Pop On Pals Amusement Park Playset by Spin Master

Pop On Pals are round, pudgy little figures that are the perfect size for little toddler hands. The pals come with interchangeable rings that act as simple costumes to change the personality of the little pal. The Amusement Park is a colorful and active playground for your kids to explore through the Pals. The Amusement Park Playset comes with one Pal, three theme rings and the Park itself.

My older son did not find it very interesting; however, my toddler LOVED it. He took to the Pop On Pals right away. When my older son did want to play, they fought because this set only comes with ONE figure. That was a bit of a pain.

There are nine spots for the figures to explore including a strong man striker, milk toss game, dragon swing, Ferris wheel, and roller coaster. It’s a lot to do, with only one figure. I really think the Set would make more sense if it came with two Pals. (You can buy them separately, though since Little Dude is not as excited about it, I probably won't buy any more people-JR seems fine with just one.)

What I Loved:

My 2 year old really enjoy this toy. My son likes to make the Ferris wheel spin and switch the Pop-on rings and act out different scenes. Based on JR's reaction, I think Pop On Pals will be a big hit with toddlers.

What I Hated:

The Amusement Park Playset really should come with more than one Pal. Having only one Pal made it a toy that really couldn't be shared, even though multiple things could be going on at the same time, give you had more Pals for it. Also, I hated the fact there was no place to store the extra pieces-keeping up with the different arms and "outfits" was a bit of a chore, since there was not a good spot on the toy to snap them or stack them while not in use. Again, my older son, who is 4, did not play with this for more than a few minutes, then he lost interest in it completely, so I don't think preschoolers would be big fans. I also feel it is a little pricey for only having one toy with it-I do really wish there were 2 or 3.

Where you can get it:
The Amusement Park Playset is $34.99. It and other Pop On Pals, including Airplane and School Bus Vehicles and Mix & Match Pal Sets, can be purchased at stores nationwide like Toys R Us, Target and online at Amazon.

Thank you to Team Mom for supplying the Pop On Pals Amusement Park for review.

Safari Backyard Outfitters

Backyard Safari Outfitters equips young explorers like my sons with all the essential field gear they could possibly need for scoping out wildlife in their backyard or local park! From tools to catch insects, to binoculars for bird-watching, the collection includes more than 30 different products, including the practical Cargo Vest, the cool Bug Vacuum, and Mega View periscope shown in the photos below.

Now that we have this VERY fun set, my sons don't go outside without all their "explorer supplies"! Made of a rugged poly-twill fabric, it’s really good quality, and has held up to both of my sons sharing it on all kinds of outdoor play. There are plenty of cargo pockets, as well as six D-Rings and two shoulder pieces with snap closures that let you clip and hang all kinds of stuff! The large pocket is perfect for storing binoculars, and the clear-view chest pocket for the Pop-Up Field Guide, which comes with each Backyard Safari Outfitters product. It’s full of rich illustrations and ideas to inspire backyard exploration. The vest is a little big on my 2 year old, but on my 4 year old it is a comfortable fit. I’d say it easily fits a 5-9 year old and you can buy it for $19.99.

My favorite item from Safari Backyard Adventures? The Bug vacuum! It allows you to capture bugs without ever touching them! And for a mom of two little boys that LOVE to capture bugs, this is quite the lifesaver for me! Now I don't have to be scared of the bugs my kids want to catch-and they can build the confidence in catching the bugs themselves!

Both of my sons started capturing little, defenseless creatures like roly polies and then quickly moved up to bigger, scarier insects. I’ve also found it to be very handy myself, to get rid of spiders and crickets that I sometimes find in the house. I also love that they can catch a bug, observe it for a bit with the built-in magnifying glass, and release it outside. The Bug Vacuum retails for $19.99 and requires four “AA” batteries for operation.

The Mega View Periscope is very cool! 3 nested sections telescope for a reach of over four feet! This allows for stealth viewing over high bushes, backyard fences, and around corners. The water feature is neat. Flip the periscope upside down and a full 16 inches of it can be submersed into a pond, lake, or pool for under-water viewing. It would probably be fun to take to the beach as well! The wide-view face is easy to look through and the hand grips are comfortable, making it easy to hold. Indoor fun is enjoyed on the boy's bunkbeds too-they pretend it is a submarine and use the periscope for "observing" underwater fish and "bad guys". They both LOVE this toy. You can buy the Mega View Periscope for $24.99.

What I Loved:
Everything. I have no complaints about any of their products. I even loved them so much that I went and bought a second set so the boys don't have to share anymore and can now both be "explorer men". They LOVE this stuff.

What I Hated:
Nothing. I think this is the perfect set for a boy or girl to really get out and enjoy observing nature. Hands down some of the best toys I've reviewed. We have had these toys for months now and the kids are still so into them.

Backyard Safari Outfitters allows kids to not just walk through nature, but experience it with these products that encourage kids to get active, play outside, and explore! Best for kids ages 5 and up, this essential field gear is available now at Toys ‘R’ Us, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and Target. For more information about Summit Toys and a complete list of Backyard Safari products, please visit www.summittoy.com.

We were very excited to try out the Backyard Safari Outfitters cargo vest & bug vacuum!Backyard Safari Outfitters periscope thanks to Team Mom.

K'NEX 400 Pieces Tub

With a husband in construction and two boys in the house, we do a lot of building. We have blocks everywhere and it is so fun to see what Bill and the boys will create next.

Except, JR, our "baby Godzilla", often finds more joy in destroying what Little Dude has worked so hard to create, rather than creating himself, much to Little Dude's dismay. On these occasions I do have to referee, because it is the one thing that will get them fighting (Little Dude) and biting (JR).

So when I got the chance to try out the K'NEX 400 Pieces Tub, I honestly wasn't terribly excited. I mean, after all, we already have TONS of building blocks, and it already causes enough of a fight when the "buildings" get knocked down.

You know what though? K'NEX are different-they snap together! They are easy to do! AND they withstand a swat from baby Godzilla!!! I know. I'm in love. Little Dude can snap them together all by himself, and the K'NEX 400 Pieces Tub comes with an instruction book with ideas for 20 different models, AND it works with other brands, like Lego!! How awesome is that? The K'NEX 400 Piece Tub also comes with lots of movement parts-wheels on the cars, propeller on airplanes, Ferris Wheel and merry go round spin in encourage after building play. Awesomee.

Building toys, like K'NEX, stimulate creativity and curiosity, offers open ended building activities to encourage imagination, has easy snap rods and connectors plus bricks to help develop and strengthen fine motor skills and enhance hand eye coordination. Also, the flexible building system lest your child explore and build both 2D and 3D models.

The suggested price is $20.99 and you can by it at Target, Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us.

Would you like to WIN some K'NEX? You can enter the K'NEXion video contestt (see official rules here) from until Dec 7th-simply put the video on your own blog or website and submit the link with a completed entry form to knexvideocontest@knex.com,. Learn more here.

Good luck!

*I was given a 400 Pieces Tub for product testing but was not paid for this review*

Myth Busters Weird World of Water

My sons LOVE bath time. Really, they love anything to do with water. We had a fire pit party with our neighbors last week, where we cooked smores. The kids enjoyed the smores, of course, but you know what my sons REALLY loved? Helping me spray down the area around the firepit with WATER.

I have a coupled of water lovers on my hands, so when I got to try out the Mythbusters Weird World of Water science kit, it was a HUGE hit. The Mythbusters Weird World of Water science kit goes through hands on, kid appropriate discovery experiments that show the different sides of water. Freezing, Boiling, and Turning into gas were big hits for my sons.

Though JR was a little young, he, of course, wanted to take part, so for most of the experiments we worked through over the past week, he got to observe, though was too young for hands on items. He could touch the water before and after freezing, but I doubt he understood that the ice was the water he had splashed earlier; however, he had a ton of fun!

Little Dude LOVED doing all the experiments, and he really enjoyed doing the "school" type projects and loved getting to stand in a chair and observe how boiling water became steam.

The kit was super great; though I would suggest that older kids would enjoy it even more and would get to have a more "hands on" approach; whereas I did most of the experiments while Little Dude had to watch (like boiling the water, he obviously could not be at the stove, though I did let him stand on a chair by the table so he could be tall enough to see everything, but too far way to possibly touch it.)

The Weird World of Water kit also lets you test the power of whirlpools (THAT is COOL), create a liquid rainbow (which Little Dude said was for GIRLS) and launch your own water-powered rocket (Little Dude gave it a "TOTALLY DOMINANT" rating.)The rocket I had to mostly do myself, since Little Dude seemed too young to do it.

The Mythbusters science kits are available now at Toys R Us, Target, and Walmart for around $19.99

Zooni ConFEETi 3D Socks

I received the Zooni ConFEETi 3D Socks for free in exchange for my review.

Now that I have two boys, aged 3 and 1, I usually only buy white socks. Why? Well, because I am awful at losing socks, and I swear there really is a monster in the dryer eating up all the socks. So, to keep it simple, I buy the same type socks in the boring white color.

Now though, after having SO much fun with the Zooni ConFEETi 3D Socks, I had to buy a couple more pairs for the boys. I received one pair free (see the picture of JR wearing them on my main blog) that fit JR, and so I ordered 2 pairs for Little Dude and another pair for JR. The best part? The size is on the sock.

Because even though I solve the missing socks and different sock sizes problem by just sticking with one color, it is still annoying to sort them, since the boys feet are close in size already.

So, with Zonni ConFEETi 3D Socks, the boys get CUTE animals and characters on their feet PLUS I get the skid proof textured bottom that displays the sock size, for easy, quick sorting.

I've also washed them a few times already and they have stayed just as soft and snuggly while the textured bottom has not torn or cracked, which was the one complaint I had with the textured bottom socks you can find at Target or Walmart. (Those seemed to crack or tear after just the first few washes).

Looking for some fun socks as a baby shower gift, or even just as a fun item for your kids to enjoy? Then I highly reccomend the Zooni ConFEETi 3D Socks, and you can buy them here. Who knew kids could enjoy playing with socks? JR is in love with his puppy dog ones, and so am I!

Eating Right Kids

I work part time from home, which is really hard to do with my two little boys. I love my job, and I love that I get to stay home with my sons, but meshing the two together can be a huge juggling act.

Something that will now be making my life easier? Eating Right Kids, a new food line from Safeway and Warner Brothers. Eating Right Kids is a line of affordable, healthy, quick food choices for busy families. What I love? My sons love the fun characters on the packages-can anyone say no to Bugs Bunny?-and by seeing the label, I can trust that the foods are nutritious,healthy, packed with vitamins, and free of harmful additives.

Sounds like I have a new time saver, and I am so happy that my grocery shopping has just gotten a little easier. Now instead of spending time staring at labels, trying to decipher serving sizes, saturated fats, and figure out what the dirxanthexWhatChaMaCallIt additives ARE, I can spend that time doing more important stuff. Like enjoying a fun picnic at the park, chasing the boys around, or even finding some quiet time to myself(I can dream).

Would you like to make sure your kids are Eating Right Kids? Keep an eye out for the Eating Right Kids products coming to grocery stores now.

My kids were able to try the ravioli (made with wheat and veggies), the granola bar (packed with vitamins and low fat/low sugar), all natural 100% juice drink and the fruit cups (in real fruit juice, not syrup) and it all disappeared FAST. There wasn't even any left for me to try! .

But I don't mind, seeing my kids eat every last bit of whole wheat pasta and veggies is enough of a taste test for me and the Eating Right Kids food products will now staples in our pantry.

*I was given the Eating Right Kids food items, ravioli, granola bar, fruit cup and juice drink for free in exchange for my review.*

TRIO Blocks by Fisher Price

My little boys love building with everything and anything they can get their hands on. My downstairs often looks like a construction zone, as towers, tents, tunnels and more are created and in progress constantly.

My husband enjoys the building fun, as well, though my Tupperware was not always as happy. Now though, we can have even more fun, thanks to the new Fisher Price TRIO blocks! TRIO blocks are created with kids aged 3 and up, but they don't have the "baby" feel that younger aged Lego's have.

My son, Little Dude, even decided that the TRIO blocks are for "big boys" while the larger building Lego type blocks we also have have been labeled "baby toys". Can you tell he is in love? Oh he is. He has already pointed out how he NEEDS the Fisher Price TRIO construction set for Christmas...

What is different though about these blocks? They are EASY to snap together and build with AND they are a great shape and size for older children that are still just a little young for Lego's (or any other type small building blocks). TRIO building blocks also come in great packages, like construction, castle, and more, to create fun building adventures.

And unlike duplos or Legos, there are no tiny pieces to lose, and there is a great starter kit that comes with a storage box. Also, when you build with the TRIO blocks, you can create all kinds of things, from robots to towers, cars and planes, and you can get great instructions online or with your set to create an endless amount of creativity.

Little Dude even created a plane all by himself, after a few pointers from the instruction pamphlet.

These are the one blocks that I don't have to snap together or constantly get apart for Little Dude; however, they are also so fun and easy that I enjoy sitting forever and building with the boys! JR, though younger than the age the blocks are designed for (he is 15 months) also enjoys playing while supervised (Kids that might still try to eat the blocks should be supervised; they could choke!)The pieces are easy enough to snap together that JR can also join in the fun, but the blocks are also sturdy enough that he can't completely destroy whatever Little Dude builds with a swat. THAT is nice for mama!

Would you like to get some TRIO blocks for your children? Then enter my contest! Leave a comment telling me what TRIO set you like the best, and you will be entered to win the Fisher Price TRIO starter set with storage box!

The contest ends on September 25th. Have fun building!

Melissa and Doug Puzzles

A few weeks ago I was asked to test toys for a company called ebeanstalk. They sent out a number of baby toys and toys for 1 year olds to everyday moms for their review. Through reviews such as mine, this helps ebeanstalk select great learning toys . The toy they sent was the Geometric Shapes Puzzle from Melissa and Doug, who makes lots of wooden toys.

I was so excited when we were sent the Melissa and Doug Geometric Shapes puzzle to review with JR. I just love puzzles, but since JR is only a year old, we were not able to play with any of the other ones we had because they all had some pieces that were still small enough for JR to put in his mouth.

So, whenever Little Dude wanted to play with his puzzles, we would have to make sure JR was either napping or in another room, otherwise he would find a way to chew on a puzzle piece!

When the large Melissa and Doug Geometric Shapes came,from ebeanstalk.com, my worries about JR eating the pieces was put to rest. The pieces are LARGE and they have great nobs that are perfect for JR's little hands to grasp and move. The puzzle is also great because the shapes are color coded, as well, making it a great tool for teaching shapes AND colors. Jr is just in love with it, and that makes me love it, too. You can watch JR loving his new Melissa and Doug puzzle below:

Jump Start

I work on the computer, but somehow I never quite thought my toddler would be able to get around on it-boy was I wrong!

When I was offered the chance to try out and review JumpStart.com, I was a little hesitant, because I really thought my son would be too young to get much from an educational online game-but again, boy was I wrong!

Jump Start is FANTASTIC for teaching kids, the award-winning adventure-based 3D virtual world is personalized, imaginative and really entertaining, all the while teaching math, reading, and critical thinking skills so kids get a real "jump start" in life.

Since I used to teach preschool, I understand how much of an advantage getting that little "jump start" on understanding basic math, letters, and critical thinking can be your our children once they start school. Not only will having these basic school skills learned give your child confidence in their new surroundings-which may be a bit of shock if they didn't go to day care or preschool-they will also give your child a strong basis for learning the next level!

What is also great about Jump Start? You have to register and your kid's profiles stay private, so you don't have to worry about their personal information ending up on the internet somewhere. Your kids can play in virtual worlds, work on their math skills and learn valuable life lessons-like the Golden Rule-while also having a world of fun! The best part? You can print out progress reports of how your child is doing at the game and what skills they might need extra help with. How wonderful is that? So while your child thinks they are just having fun on the computer, you can enjoy the fact they are learning, and you can learn what skills you need to spend extra working with them to improve! Fantastic!

JumpStart.com is created by an award winning early childhood learning company, and provided me with a free trial of JumpStart.com to try out with Little Dude, who is not yet 3. This review was not paid and the online interactive world of JumpStart.com is geared for ages 3-10. You can find out more about joining Jump Start here.

Primrose Schools

Before I started staying at home with my munchkins, I worked as a day care provider for other people's munchkins and loved every second of it. In fact, if Bill's job had not transferred him to Tennessee shortly before Little Dude was due to be born, I would have gone back to work at the day care and just taken Little Dude with me. I loved my job that much and knew he would have a blast with the other teachers I worked with.

I loved working at the preschool/day care I worked at, and becoming an "adopted" part of each of my children's families was a huge honor. In fact, I still keep in touch with the majority of parents whose children I cared for over the years I worked.

So, I was super excited when Primrose Schools contacted me and asked me to take some time to review their preschool and new blog on early childhood expert tips and fun by Dr. Mary Zurn at www.DrZandMe.com. Can I tell you I am in love with Primrose Schools? I really enjoyed the preschool system I worked with, and would go back to working there in a heartbeat; however, Primrose Schools has so much to offer, like Spanish, Music, Physical Fitness and special programs for children with special learning needs.

My favorite part of Primrose Schools is their Balanced Approach to Learning. Most preschools/day cares go too far one way or the other. Some are purely child lead learning, and others are purely teacher lead learning-but Primrose has figured out the best way. They have a balance of child lead and teacher lead learning to help your child get the most time dedicated to what they are interested in while still getting the instruction and direction to try learning new things.

Their new blog, www.DrZandMe.com is a great resource, too. You can find summer time boredom solutions, rainy day activities, and you can ask Dr. Z all your early childhood questions. I know I will be calling on Dr. Z for help in busting the apartment boredom blues!

You can check out Dr. Z's blog now to get instructions on 10 summer time activities your children are sure to enjoy and you are sure to enjoy creating with them. Have fun!

Idbids

Iddy Biddy steps for a Greener World can be made by your children, thanks The Nature Conservancy! Idbids is a fun group of soft, plush toys and each one represents a different part of nature. With the purchase of each kit, a child can enter a code online that will help protect the habitats of animal friends through The Nature Conservancy's Plant A Billion Trees campaign, Adopt an Acre® or Rescue the Reef® programs AND your child can play along at www.idbids.com!

We got Waverly, the Water Drop Idbid, and he helps with The Nature Conservancy's Rescue the Reef® program. Once you buy Waverly, a donation to the program is made and you are able to go online to www.idbids.com with your personal code (that Waverly comes with) so you can pick out one of Waverly's friends and learn about how to help take care of your new friend's habitat.

The Idbids site is such a great learning tool for all ages of children, and my 3 year old just LOVED picking out a friend, naming him (Little Dude picked the clown fish and named him Nemo) and learning all about where "Nemo" lived. It was great fun for me, too, as my son and I got to explore and learn about how to "save Nemo".

So Little Dude is enchanted with Waverly, the Water Drop and I am too because of all the learning he is inspiring in my son (and me!) But most of all I love Waverly because he is an Organic USDA certified handcrafted toy. That means I don't have to worry about my youngest son chewing on Waverly, or wonder if it is OK for Little Dude to be sleeping with Waverly. Waverly is made with conserving nature in mind, so he is made out of organic cotton and the tag is printed in the US on recycled paper with eco friendly inks.

How's that for a company being responsible? You can learn how to get your Idbid at The Nature Conservancy and you can buy your own Idbid at NMCtoys.com.

Thomas The Train

On the 18th, my sons got a huge treat: we were able to see Thomas The Train Live on Stage!! I have to send a HUGE thank you to the wonderful people at Mom Select and BSM Media for giving me the tickets. Since JR was young enough to not need a ticket we let Little Dude choose a friend to bring, and so his friend Cole got to come. Little Dude was SO excited to have his friend along!

The show was so wonderful and the Progress Energy Theater here in Raleigh, NC did it right. The kids had booster seats for the theater chairs and popcorn and soda was allowed in the theater during the performance. The Thomas The Train performance was all about a Circus coming to the Island of Sodor, so the popcorn and soda made the atmosphere just perfect.

The whole show was very interactive, and we were lucky enough to have seats in the very center, front section, (THANK YOU!!) and some of the train drivers, circus performers, and other cast characters came out to be interactive with the audience right around us. They did a great job of spreading the interactive characters out too, so that all the seating areas got to get up close with them. It was just GREAT. I can't express enough how much all three boys loved it.

Little Dude was just losing his mind at the show and all the fun and, oh my, the popcorn and SODA and the great circus tricks. Yes, the Thomas performers actually put on a little "circus" at the end, complete with some real circus type acts-it was just fantastic.

JR was even entertained the whole time and the best part for him was that every other kid in the audience was encouraged to sing along, yell out to the trains, and answer questions asked to the audience, so whenever JR decided to yell out, it fit right in and instead of interrupting (as I had feared) his little yells and babbles became quite a hit with the other parents around us who decided that JR trying to participate was the cutest ever.

My husband and I loved how interactive the whole Thomas and Friends show was and how very kid friendly the theater worked at being for the show. It is a show I would defiantly pay money to see next time it comes around-not only did my children LOVE it because they are IN LOVE with Thomas, but it was entertaining for me, and the great interaction the cast created with the children was just infective. You couldn't help but pick up on the joy and energy the cast and children feed to each other.

My only complaint? That the parking decks in downtown Raleigh don't take debit on the weekends...who knew? That lead to a nice little journey to find an ATM, but no fear, we made it in plenty of time to get all the kids with us popcorn and settled in time for the amazing journey to Sodor.

Would you like to see if the Thomas and Friends Live on Stage shows are coming near you? You can check here to see, and trust me, it is well worth the money to see the show at least once while you have children because it is so smartly geared to the whole family and so very fun for everyone.

Leslie Patricelli Kid Books

As a mom, there are some classic books you turn to and immediately add to your child's bookshelves, knowing they will be loved and read many times over in the years to come. Well, get ready to make a little more room.

Leslie Patricelli is an author/illustrator that has just released a set of children's books that are sure to make some of the top spots on bookcases around the world. Her lovely, yet simple illustrations lend creativity to her simply story lines, and offer great backgrounds for letting you or your child improvise new story lines and new fun!

I was able to read "Higher! Higher!"-a story about a little girl getting pushed in a swing by her daddy-with my toddler, and he fell in love with it. The story is simple-the little girl keeps asking to go higher and higher; however, the expressive illustrations offer the real story. She went higher than a building, a giraffe, and finally met an alien boy getting pushed higher and higher in HIS swing!! My toddler loved to answer us when we asked, "What is she going higher than?" And he loved pointing out all the items in the scenery she was flying over! The story was also simple enough that he has it memorized, even though he is only now getting to the point of recognizing his letters. Little Dude feels so special for "reading" the story to us sometimes too! "Higher! Higher!" is a book I highly recommend to the parents of any toddler. What I loved: Everything. What I didn't love: Nothing.

Leslie also has a group of board books targeted towards infants, and I got the "Baby Happy Baby Sad" one. This book also has the same fun and creative illustrations, and the simple story line also lends itself to imaginative expanding to the simple story. Geared to teach the simple concepts of happy and sad, the book was fairly effective, though honestly my 9 month old, JR, was not terribly taken with the book. I think perhaps the images could have been a little more clear, perhaps of real babies instead of a drawing, or perhaps a bit more of a story to go with the drawings, instead of just repeating "baby happy, baby sad" on each page with an extemely simple image explaining each. Overall I thought the book was cute, but I do wish there had been a little more story to go along with the images, or vice versa. What I loved: The size of the book; perfect for my son's little hands and sturdy enough to take a beating and still look great. What I didn't love: Wish there had been a little more story along with the word repetition.

Overall, I think "Higher! Higher!" will be an instant classic for many children, and a very special story for a father to share with a daugther, since the characters are a father with his daughter. I will be checking out more of Leslie Patricelli's children's books and adding them to my children's library for sure! I hope you all enjoy them as much as we did.

Bella Sara Treasures and Minatures

I love the whimsical world of Bella Sara and thanks to the wonderful people at Team Mom, I have been able to share the fun world with my children!

Your kids can adopt their very own horse to care for online, get trading cards, find great games and activities, and now play with the new Bella Sara Miniatures for active, imaginative play!

While the site is geared more towards girls, my toddler son LOVES playing around online with me and taking care of his very own horse! After all, at some point in life ALL kids want a pony, and going to the Bella Sara site is a perfect way to fulfill that wish! Your older children will love playing with and enjoying the great treasures and miniatures!

The online world of Bella Sara boasts more than 4.3 million registered users and offers interactive stables, games, puzzles, coloring pages, storybooks and customizable cottages. Over 80 million cards have been sold since the games global introduction two years ago.
Bella Sara was created in Denmark by Gitte Odder Braendgaard. Braendgaard was inspired to create Bella when she worked as a social worker. In keeping with Braendgaard’s positive values and love of children, Bella Sara features inspirational, meaningful messages and imagination-building game play designed to support a child’s development.

In stores March 3, 2009, Bella Sara Miniatures Series 1 Collection will be available for an approximate retail price of $1.99; Bella Sara Treasures Card Pack $2.99. The entire Bella Sara collection is available throughout North America at BellaSara.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders, Kmart, Target, Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart stores, as well as regional chains, booksellers and toy, hobby and equestrian shops.

Eric Carle's 40th Anniversary Book

Holgate Blocks

Simple is best, in my opinion. That is especially true with children's toys. Simple items inspire greater use of the imagination, and that, my friends, is what childhood is all about.

The basic, simple toys of all childhood should be wooden blocks. Blocks to stack, sort, build, balance, and knock down can teach way more to your child than any rigorous study program at any preschool, because your child learns through play. Stacking the blocks works on eye and hand coordination, gross motor skills, and, as the stack gets higher, fine motor skills to keep the blocks balanced. Your child will learn spacial relationships between objects in the world by building, tearing down, building, and knocking down the blocks over and over.

If your child has blocks with images or numbers, you can bring in color, number, and shape sorting to the floor play. Most of all, by playing with blocks, your child is NOT watching TV, and is even developing his use of language as he exercises his imagination to build whatever he can dream, hopefully with you buy his side.

As opposed to "educational toys" that light up and talk to your child, simple blocks encourage an imaginative give and take kind of play between a child and himself (or imaginary friend), children and other children, or parents and children that build and develop the use of language and roll playing that are so crucial to a child's self image, understanding of trial and error, and overall development.


Blocks are truly a parent's best friend and a child's greatest learning tool, and my favorite blocks are Holgate Baby Blocks. They are made of sound wood, the beautiful brightly colored images don't chip off after rough use (trust me, if my two year old can't scratch or eat the images off, nothing can), and best of all, THEY ARE MADE IN AMERICA. Yes, you can heave a big sigh of relief when your child does decide to try licking the blocks because everything is safe, non toxic and made to last for your kid's grandkids to use. I am in love with the blocks and have already ordered more to give as gifts. Everyone should have these lovely, colorful and made in the USA blocks on their children's gift lists this holiday season.