OK, so it’s not Oprah’s list from the last “Fave Things” episode, which included 20 items that knocked the cover off the ball. Listed below are a few items that deserve a mention, as well as video from the toys guys on MomTV that has a whole list of toys. If you’re still shopping, make sure to check these out:
On MomTV, Jim and Chris bring you “Time To Play” every Friday, where they review the latest toys and hottest gadgets. If you still need to grab a few holiday gifts, check out their Time to Play toy review from the showcase a few weeks ago. Watch Jim and Chris every Friday at noon on MomTV.com for an entertaining, informative show about all things toys.
Build A Bear Small Frys
One of my favorite companies introduced a line of plush toys that are adorable! Build-A-Bear Workshop offers Small Frys that tell a story. Marble Monkey, Endless Hugs Teddy, Fabulous Frog and many more styles come in a “French fry” container with ingredients on the back like this: “1 serving of this fabulous frog contains 100% of your daily allowance of love, adventure, courage, friendship and coolness!” The collectible bears are available for a limited time and are reasonably priced at $10. The bears can also play together at buildabearville.com. To order, go to buildabear.com.
ZhuZhu Pets
Whether it’s Kung Zhu for the boys or princess for the girls, ZhuZhu Pets are the hot toy to have this year. Available in most major retailers, the ZhuZhu’s are on most lists this year, and with good reason. These adorable hamsters provide hours of fun running through their own play sets, making cute, squeaky noises and best of all for moms – they don’t poop!
dB Logic Headphones
With all of the iPod, iTouch, laptops and assorted listening devices in our house, I love the newest earphones from dBLogic. The sound quality is amazing, and the company developed the products to help protect users from long-term hearing damage, which I appreciate for my tween and teenage children. Once my children got a turn with these earphones, there was a battle to keep them! They come in great colors like Pasion, Envy and Sky (the color we have), as well as patterns and prints! dB Logic products don’t need batteries and are reasonably priced from $29.99-$39.99. Visit dblogic.com for information and to purchase your own dB Logic headphones or earphones.
If you want a really cool Christmas gift but are worried about receiving by Friday, order from dblogic.com and print out a picture of the item to place in a box and wrap. I ordered the earphones in Pink Valentine then printed out a color picture of the item and placed the picture in a box to wrap and give to a friend. A great gift for parents and children.
Epson Workforce 635
One of our office printers recently quit at the worst time –under deadline! Shopping for a new printer, we needed a printer that could handle all kinds of projects…and fast. The Epson has proved to be a terrific workhorse, all-in-one printer that we can share on our network. We’ve printed professional quality color presentations, scanned, faxed, everything.
The reasonably-priced Epson series starts at $199 and are available at major computer, office and electronic stores. For information, go to epsonstore.com.
Freddie the Frog Children’s Book Series
While there’s nothing new about kids loving music, science involving music and the brain proves that learning music early in life enhances brain development. In the fantastical Freddie the Frog® 4-book series (hardcover with companion CD; $23.95 each) detailed below, preschool through elementary-age children learn musical concepts while they are duly immersed in Freddie’s colorfully illustrated adventures.
Now a nationally beloved fictional children’s book character, Freddie the Frog has become the mascot of music education for kids. Developed and authored by music teacher and speaker Sharon Burch, these books and companion CDs provide an accessible, entertaining and highly effective form of literature-based music education that kids absolutely love.
“Nothing compares to music in brain stimulation and development,” notes Burch. “The plethora of music and brain research findings are clear – music training profoundly affects brain development and music education benefits every child. The Freddie the Frog books were purposely developed to make learning music easy and fun!”
Enjoy a narrated sneak peek inside Freddie’s world here:
http://vidego.multicastmedia.com/player.php?v=ou387311 and discover the cognitive benefits of music here: http://www.freddiethefrogbooks.com/childmusicoutline.html. There are four books in this delightful series that children and their parents love.
Have a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends and fun!
Maria
