From the category archives:

8 year old

Family board games for a rainy day

July 30, 2011
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On a beach vacation but it won’t stop raining? Well aren’t you glad you packed a few cooperative family board games to pass the time? We love the game pictured above: Sand Castles by Family Pastimes. It is a cooperative game, meaning that players are rewarded for working together toward a common goal, instead of [...]

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Beach toys that won’t break

July 23, 2011
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Tired of all those cheap beach toys that break the first week of summer? I long ago decided that when it comes to sand toys, quality is more important than quantity. I have since found that a lighter beach toy bag (that can be easily carried by each kid) is a great thing too. My [...]

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Angry Birds Real Life Game

June 27, 2011
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Getting bored playing a near infinite number of Angry Bird levels on your smart phone?  Longing for the satisfaction of knocking things down in real life that just can’t be replicated on a screen? Well look no further!  Now there is an Angry Birds game you play in the real world. No, I’m not talking [...]

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Robot Kits

May 14, 2011
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We have two boys and we have built two different robot kits in recent months. I am here to tell you their relative merits. The first robot kit, pictured above, is the Toysmith 4M Tin Can Robot Kit. (I have no idea what the 4M means). This kit was put together by an 8 year [...]

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PlasmaCar riding toy

May 12, 2011
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I really, really want a PlasmaCar. Not for the kids, I want one for me. Have you seen the PlasmaCar riding toy? They are riding toys that you can move forward by turning the steering wheel back and forth. Once you have a little momentum built up you can steer in any direction you want. [...]

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Elephant and Piggie Toys

May 10, 2011
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Are you or is someone you love obsessed with Elephant and Piggie? I don’t blame you/them, Elephant and Piggie are awesome! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well you should go right out and find one of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. They are genius, so funny and perfect for beginning readers [...]

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Magnetic Building Balls

May 7, 2011
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There seems to be a magnet construction balls war going on these days.  We visited the Museum of Science in Boston over school vacation and of course made the requisite stop in the gift shop.  I had trouble getting the boys away from the sets of these little super strong magnet balls that you can [...]

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid Game

April 26, 2011
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Have you heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books? If you have a child between the ages of 7 and 14 I am certain you have. Written by Jeff Kinney, they really are delightful, following the misadventures of one Greg Heffley making his way through middle school. They are really funny for anyone [...]

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Mad Libs

April 18, 2011
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The post last week about the Have a Silly Easter Mad Libs made me start thinking about how fun Mad Libs are.  I remember them from my childhood, but haven’t thought about them in ages. What I remember about them is how much fun we had writing them and how hard we laughed reading them [...]

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Easter Basket Ideas for Older Kids

April 15, 2011
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The main attraction in the Easter basket is the candy. But if you are looking for something for the kids to do after the chocolate bunny and all the jelly beans have been devoured, I suggest loading up the basket with activities.  I love the Faber-Castell Shrinky Dinks Easter Fun set. It comes with pre-cut [...]

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