The Toy Report » 9 year old

Fred Snack and Stack – “Lego” silverware!

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:34:55 +0000

I was just looking at these and a couple of 7 year old boys walked by and immediately said “I want that! Can we get those!” So now we have a pretty good indication of the target user of this especially cool spoon, knife and fork set. It is made by Fred and Friends (I Love Fred and Friends). They are dishwasher safe and feature Lego like silicone handles for eating and stacking fun. Looks like a great lunch box set.

Related Toy Reviews:

Has There Been A Silly Bands Recall?

Remo — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:38:22 +0000

Seems like with every super popular kids toy or trend, there are always rumors of a recall. The shelves empty, news reports that the popular toys are banned from schools, and suddenly everyone is asking if there has been a recall.

We get a decent amount of our readers from web searches like Google or Yahoo and can see a list of all the search terms people use to find our site. In this case, we’ve been seeing a bunch of searches for things like “is there a silly bands recall” and “silly bands recalled”

If you are impatient, as far as we know, there has been no Silly Bands recall. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a situation where they would be recalled. Most recalls involve something like a breakage hazard such as your kids scooters wheels falling off, or something intended for babies or toddlers that can result in strangulation, or something made of toxic metals or something inherently dangerous to all ages such as Jarts. Seems unlikely that there would be anything toxic about them, considering they aren’t intended to be ingested at all, but you never know.

With Silly Bandz we’re basically talking about rubber bands here, just not the traditional round shape. Yeah, it might hurt if you stretch them too far and they snap. Sure, you could hurt a person’s eye with them if you stretch and shoot them. But they’re essentially rubber bands, which have been around for over 150 years now. We don’t expect a Silly Bandz recall anytime soon.

That being said, you might have trouble finding them at you local toy retailer. As they become popular with kids, they tend to sell out quickly. And nothing serves to drive a toy’s popularity than to ban it as some schools have already done, citing the shaped rubber bands as a “distraction” to kids during the school day.

If you have trouble finding them locally, you can always order them at reasonable prices and shipping by clicking here.

Note that Silly Bands are marked as not for kids under three, as they do present a choking hazard when balled up. Also, remind kids that they should NOT be stretched and used as a necklace either.

Related Toy Reviews:

Silly Bandz Silly Rubber Bands

The best popsicle makers

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:19:42 +0000

A friend (thanks E.!) just sent me the link to this popsicle maker from Williams-Sonoma and I felt the need to share. It seems to have a base that is frozen in your freezer like an ice-cream maker. Then you put in your popsicle ingredients and it freezes them in 7 minutes! Instant gratification and yummy home made popsicles all in one! Behold the Zoku Quick Pop Maker

For those of you who feel that $49.95 is too much to spend on instant gratification in popsicle form, I have alternatives for you. Tovolo makes amazing popsicle molds, but you will have to wait for them to freeze in your freezer at the normal rate. My favorite is the Tovolo Freezer Jewel Pops.

They are little, just enough for kids to eat before they melt. The popsicle bases are shaped like rings so they can be worn like ring pops while eating. We have these and they work great. Te base keeps them standing straight in the freezer and they come out of the molds easily (sometimes we run them under warm water for a few seconds). The best part is we only use juice that everyone likes so we don’t get stuck with a freezer full of lonely purple popsicles that no one wants to eat.

Also cool is the Tovolo Blue Rocket Pop Molds. Because juice pops are more delicious when shaped like a rocket. You could probably freeze in stages and make realistic replicas of the ice cream truck red white and blue rocket pops. If you are feeling like being more adventurous in your summer popsicle creations you can always try the book Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone. It looks quite fancy, as popsicles go.

Beach Toys

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:52:33 +0000

When you have three kids who each need their own sand toys the beach toy bags can get a little bulky. There are many toys that can be shared, but everyone realy needs their own bucket and shovel. I am seriously considering, in the interest of saving space in the beach bags, switching to collapsible sand pails. I especially like the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Cinco Starfish Collapsible Bucket.

Not only for the cuteness (but really, the cuteness!). Holds sand or water and can be smushed flat for ease of storage.

Honestly, this along with the Melissa and Doug Cinco Starfish Scoop and my kids can entertain themselves for hours at the beach. We often bring other toys too, but sometimes if I am the only grown-up and I can’t manage to carry more than the snacks and towels then we jettison all the toys except what the kids can carry themselves. We have found that with a bucket and shovel each, they don’t really need anything else.

For the days when we bring the larger collection of beach toys, I am thinking we may need one of these Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Clicker Crab Hourglass Sifter and Funnel. Can be used with either sand or water, I can envision the boys timing beach races with this hour glass.

Related Toy Reviews:

More Melissa and Doug Sand Toys

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:34:52 +0000

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch sand toy week continues. I really like the general baking set.

Officially called the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand baking Set, it performs all the basic functions of any sand bucket set. It has a mixing bowl/bucket with a lid that doubles as a sifter. It has a mixing spoon/shovel and a whisk. Also includes three measuring cups, perfect for sand baking.

I am also a fan of the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Speck Seahorse Sand Ice Cream Set. It comes with an ice cream bucket, ice cream cones that you can scoop sand into with one of the ice cream sand mold scoops and a shaker for sand sprinkles. Because these toys don’t include the kinds of little molds that the cookie set and the cupcake set, I think they have a wider age range, fun for kids as young as one or two. The youngest kids may not get that they are scooping ice cream, but they will have just as much fun with scooping sand into different containers and dumping it out.

Related Toy Reviews:

New sand toys

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:32:56 +0000

The Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch collection includes some great new sand toys perfect for the beach (or sand box) this summer.

Every year I like to put together beach bags for the kids. I salvage anything that can be saved from last yer and pickup some new sand toys. We spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer and some simple shovels and buckets see the most use. You can find past sand toy reviews like the sand sac here and sand wheels here.

Well, thus year Melissa & Doug have outdone themselves. I love their food themed sand toys and I know my kids will too since they frequently serve me sand cake and sand ice cream. The first is this Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cookie Set (that is a really long name).

It comes with a rolling pin, cookie cutters, plates and a sprinkle shaker for sand sprinkles. Best of all it comes in its own mesh bag (I love toys that come with bags to help keep them all together).

My other favorite is the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set.

It comes with hinged cupcake molds, a “baking” tray, and different shaped frosting molds. It also comes with a handy mesh bag for storage. I can just see my kids digging out a sand oven to bake all their sand treats. I can also see Rainbow trying to sell his treats to other beach goers (he is on an earning money kick).

These toys look like so much fun, but the molds maybe a little fiddly for younger kids. I think four and older may have the most fun with these. Have fun digging!

Related Toy Reviews:

Seven Year Old Girl Birthday Presents

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 03 May 2010 01:47:51 +0000

We attended a birthday party last week for two 7 year old girls and got them each the same thing. This stitch-it doll kit from The Little Experience.

Adorable and the box turns into a chair for the doll.

Also, a copy of Babymouse: Queen of the World. Everyone loves Babymouse.

Related Toy Reviews:

More Sewing Kits For Kids

Cool Kids Night Lights

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:45:44 +0000

A few years ago the boys wanted night lights they could take to bed with them. We finally found some kids night lights at Ikea for their 6th birthday.

I recently saw these OXO night lights and I know what to get if we need new nightlights. I love these blue and green OXO Candela Tooli lights. They are rechargeable and have a safe recharging base that has no exposed electrical parts. They will light for 8 hours and can be lighted while recharging (in case you forget to charge it during the day). They also come in orange and pink. Having twins, a set of two is perfect for us, but you can also get a single OXO Candela Tooli.

Now, are you ready for the best one? The new OXO zoom light.

Awesome, no? I know so many kids who would love to take this light up rocket to bed. I think these sorts of things make great presents for kids when you don’t really know what to get them. Great for a wide range of ages and you don’t have to know whether they prefer pirates or dragons or princesses or baseball.

Related Toy Reviews:

Gardening with kids

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:25:55 +0000

It is officially spring and after spending so much of the cold months stuck inside kids are eager to get outside and dig in some dirt! Put them to work with some garden tools their size. The Toysmith kid’s big tool set looks just like the grown-up version which will appeal to kids who love to help in the garden. If you want to “plant” something for the doll house garden too, try the Plan Toy doll house vegetable garden, We have this and boy is it cute. You can plant the wooden carrots and radishes and then pick them and serve them to the dolls for dinner.

Related Toy Reviews:

Make Friendship Bracelets

Remo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:57:20 +0000

It’s amazing how some childhood traditions continue to last year after year and generation after generation, and friendship bracelets are one of those things.

I remember making friendship bracelets as a kid at camp and wearing ones given to me for months it seemed, until they finally fell off in pieces. Being a child of the 80’s I remember making these bracelets out of gimp, a strong plastic lacing that could stretch a bit

Make A Friendship Bracelet Kit from Alex

If you are looking for the perfect gift for a seven, eight or nine year old, look no further. The Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Making Kit from Alex gives you everything you need to make tons of different varieties of friendship bracelets. It comes with two different looms to make different styles of friendship bracelets, as well as eight different patterns. There are 22 different colors of floss including solid and multi-colored threads, as well as beads, a beading needle and detailed instructions to making many completely different and unique friendship bracelets.

Click here for more infomation on the Alex Friends Forever Bracelet Kit

Wooden Bead Friendship Bracelets from Melissa & Doug

If you have a younger child interested in making friendship bracelets, then the Alex kit might be too complicated for them. For a four-six year old, you are far better off with a wooden bead bracelet making set. Small hands make light work of putting beads onto thread and tends to be far easier than trying to weave and knot the patterns required for a thread based friendship bracelet.

Click here for more information on the Melissa & Doug Wooden Bead Kit

Related Toy Reviews:

Toy Story LEGOs

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:21:32 +0000

Our boys are pretty exclusive to the Star Wars LEGOs, they aren’t as interested in the other sets. I imagine that will change once they see the Toy Story LEGOs that are being released to go along with Toy Story 3. I like the Woody’s Round Up set which also includes a LEGO Stinky Pete. I love Stinky Pete.

But I suspect the boys will be all over this Construct-a-Buzz set.

He has pop-out wing action. Everyone loves pop-out wing action.

There is also a Construct-a-Zurg. “So we meet again, Buzz Lightyear, for the last time.”

Related Toy Reviews:

Boon Odd Duck

mrstoyreporter — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:48:59 +0000

Know anyone who you could describe as an odd duck? Well, here is the perfect present for them. Yes, quite literally, and odd duck. Boon, as anyone who ready this site knows, is a minor obsession of mine (let’s just say I’m a fan). I am still hoping for a Boon animal bag or four for Christmas. The Boon Odd Duck may just be the best thing to ever happen to a rubber duckie. May I introduce to you:

Squish

Bob

Jane

And I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but I think I love this one best, Slim.

Related Toy Reviews:

Not The Best Stuffed Animal Storage Options

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:09:17 +0000

I have already confessed my love for the boon animal bag in my Stuffed Animal Storage post. One of the reasons I love it so is that the stuffed animals don’t seem terribly miserable inside of it. Sure they get sat on, but any stuffed animal who has had some coveted time on the bed has been squished plenty and I don’t think they mind that so much. Not having bones must help with this. (Can you tell we have been reading Toys Go Out again). What I really object to in stuffed animal storage is making the snuggly toys look as if they are trying to get out.

I think jail is completely the wrong way to go with stuffed animals. What could they possibly have done to deserve this?

Hanging from a chain seems unpleasant, even if you have no bones.

The other version of this is hanging from a tree. I don’t think this is better but it is somehow more disturbing. Like they grew there.

There is nothing wrong with an old fashioned toy box, but I think boon gets points for style.

Stuffed Animal Storage

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:31:15 +0000

We have a bit of a stuffed animal overpopulation problem at Chez Toy Report. There is a huge wooden chest filled with them upstairs, storage boxes in the attic, an empty duvet cover filled with them downstairs, and all the current favorites on the beds, of course. Now, I would be happy to thin the herd but the boys switch favorite animals all the time and we periodically go on hunts for stuffed teddy bears or bunnies or brown puppies or whatever is needed. They would certainly notice and be distraught if they disappeared forever. I have done extensive research on how to store stuffed animals and I have determined that there is only one truly good solution. The Boon Animal Bag.

I haven’t ordered one yet, but I am dreaming of them as the answers to all my problems. I think the single green one is cute, I may have to acquire one to see just how much of the plush menagerie fits inside.

The genius of these bags is that you end up with functional bean bag type seating in addition to stuffed animal storage. The bags zip open and animals get stuffed inside, but there are see through panels in the bags making it easier to spot a a favorite if needed. Of course, having imaginative kids, there are always some unreal concerns here. There are certain plush animals that really do not belong together. You cannot put the plush manatee and plush seal in the same bag as the stuffed shark, and woe be to the parent who packs the tiger plush together with the plush bears. You may wake up one morning to find a bag full of shredded fluff and stuffing.

My only real concern is that we have three children and I’m not sure I can invest in three separate bags so everyone can have their own. I am tempted by this triple bag, but I’m not sure how if three actual children could sit on it together. It would solve the issue with large stuffed animals fitting in the smaller bag though.

The lounger model looks comfy, but we again have the three kids problem.

This is absolutely the best stuffed animal storage I have ever seen, and boy are there some terrible options out there. I’ll tell you about the unpleasant alternatives later.

Related Toy Reviews:

Sand Sac

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:00:29 +0000

I saw this on Cool Mom Picks last week. The Sand Sac is a 100% cotton pail that comes with a bamboo shovel (admittedly it looks more like a spoon but it will still shovel sand). It also comes with fabric markers so you can decorate yourself. It is such a perfect sand toy, especially for anyone concerned about having to much plastic. It will carry sand or water just like a plastic bucket but it made of renewable resources, is machine washable and contains no petroleum products (yay!). It is also collapsible, meaning it takes up much less room in an overcrowded beach bag. I think I may put this on my list for all summer birthday parties. The Sand Sac people suggests using them as party favors – and now I have another reason to wish my kids had summer birthdays.

Related Toy Reviews:

Radio Controlled Jousting Knights

Remo — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:23:37 +0000

We get a lot of random mail here at The Toy Report asking us if we’ll post something on this new toy or that new gadget by various manufacturers, and typically we ask a toy manufacturer to send us a sample of their stuff so we can have our playtesters evaluate it fully.

However, in some cases we see a toy so darn cool that we just can’t wait to let you know about it, and this is one of those times. We’d never heard of Bluw.com before Myriam contacted us asking if we’d review some of their toys. Everything on the site is designed by the company and they have toys like you won’t find anywhere else.

This one really caught my eye. Yup, those are radio controlled jousting knights. The goal is to joust and knock the opposing knight from his seat which ends the battle.

Note, this is not a toy for the very young, as it has small parts and appears to be quite fast and challenging for even adults to joust accurately. Probably put this one in the 8-12 year old range.

Check out the video of them in action:

It’s a Brand New Ant Farm

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:05:12 +0000

Did you know that NASA has developed a translucent, nutritious, non-toxic gel for ants? Well they have and you can feed it to your very own ants in an updated version of the traditional ant farm. A friend’s child was given one as a present and I can attest to the fascination of all the children I ever saw come into contact with it. Our children ave not stopped asking for their own ant farm, and I have to admit it is pretty cool to see the ants digging the tunnels through the gel.

I kind of like this Xtreme Ant Farm too. It must be for those skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX bike riding, X-Game ants. It has a climbing wall. I think they might be overestimating the amount of leisure time that ants enjoy. But perhaps ant farm ants don’t get the exercise that wild ants get so they need to be lured into activity by the street luge speedway.

The Yggyssey

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:20:58 +0000

The lovely and talented, prolific and beloved, adored and adorable Daniel Pinkwater is letting you read his latest book, The Yggyssy, for free. Seriously. You can go to The Yggyssy web site and read the whole thing there. It is subtitled “How Iggy wondered what happened to all the ghosts, found out where they went, and went there,” and if that doesn’t make you want to read the book than I don’t know what will. Have I mentioned my crush on Daniel Pinkwater? It all started with Lizard Music, perhaps the greatest book ever written about lizards and space invasions (and there’s a chicken too). I love his NPR spots as the Ambassador to Children’s Literature. Yup, a serious literary crush.

Related Toy Reviews:

Gardening with Kids

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:57:56 +0000

I think the secret to gardening with kids is to not care too much about what actually grows. This is an adventure that is much more about the journey than the destination. If you are the sort to want to plant a garden that you can actually harvest, then perhaps you should have two gardens, one that the kids help with and one you do on your own. That’s not to say that the kids’ garden won’t produce lovely plants, just that it may not be as predictable as a well ordered garden.

If you are looking for some help with how to incorporate gardening into your kids’ outdoor activities, look no further than Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots, by Sharon Lovejoy. This is a fabulous book with all kinds of ideas about what to plant, what to do with what grows and how to plan gardening activities for kids.

Add a set of kids garden tools

and a wheel barrow

and you’ll have a crop of something exciting by summer’s end. Or at least a lot of good, not-so-clean fun digging in the dirt.

The Toymaker

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:01:50 +0000

Oh, Toymaker, how do I love thee? Here at chez Toy Report we love The Toymaker, a lot. Go to this site, right now. I’ll wait.

I know! So amazing, right?!

You can download pdf files of the most amazing toys, for free! Yes, that’s right, for F-R-E-E, free. You just print them, fold them, glue them and then play with them. And boy, do they get played with. I use card stock when I have it, the resulting toys last little longer, but regular paper works just fine. Some recent favorites include the rocking horse and the bear wagon.

How amazing is this puppet theater? And it is all paper! You can totally make this. The kids and I have made many of these and we are by no means experts in origami or anything.

If you don’t want to print your own or want to give this as a gift to someone, you can get many of the Toymaker toys in the book, The Toymaker: Paper toys you can make yourself. I am so giving this as a givt, probably a lot.

Look, polar bears with a wagon!

The Toy Report » 9 year old

Fred Snack and Stack – “Lego” silverware!

Related Toy Reviews:

Has There Been A Silly Bands Recall?

Related Toy Reviews:

The best popsicle makers

Most Commented Posts

Beach Toys

Related Toy Reviews:

More Melissa and Doug Sand Toys

Related Toy Reviews:

New sand toys

Related Toy Reviews:

Seven Year Old Girl Birthday Presents

Related Toy Reviews:

Cool Kids Night Lights

Related Toy Reviews:

Gardening with kids

Related Toy Reviews:

Make Friendship Bracelets

Make A Friendship Bracelet Kit from Alex

Wooden Bead Friendship Bracelets from Melissa & Doug

Related Toy Reviews:

Toy Story LEGOs

Related Toy Reviews:

Boon Odd Duck

Related Toy Reviews:

Not The Best Stuffed Animal Storage Options

Most Commented Posts

Stuffed Animal Storage

Related Toy Reviews:

Sand Sac

Related Toy Reviews:

Radio Controlled Jousting Knights

Most Commented Posts

It’s a Brand New Ant Farm

Most Commented Posts

The Yggyssey

Related Toy Reviews:

Gardening with Kids

Most Commented Posts

The Toymaker

Most Commented Posts