As a family which always try to spend quality time together, playing games is definitely one of our favourite activity. I can tell you that it is definitely no easy task trying to find a game that a 6 year old can understand and play while a 10 year old or even an adult (us parents!) can also enjoy. Pictureka is a game that makes it possible.

Pictureka by Hasbro is another purchase which I made through Amazon.com and it is basically a visual hide and seek game with a twist. Players compete with one another to collect mission cards in order for them to win. The game is ever changing, so your family will surely enjoy this game, and at the same time, allowing them to make good use of family time.

So, how does one play this game Pictureka? It starts off with all players roll on who goes first. After you distinguish who goes first, each player takes turns to roll a dice to know which color cards he or she picks from. There are 3 color cards to roll for which are red, green, and blue. Blue color allows all players to find that card and whoever finds that card wins the card. Red allows players to bid how many he or she thinks they’ll find a particular card before the timer runs out. Green allows a person or the player to find that card before timer runs out. The overall goal of each player is to find 6 cards in order for them to win. But 6 cards won’t be always being the case, people could choose to increase it to be 9 cards or 12 cards, you have the total ability to pick how many cards to win.

Although, Pictureka is recommended for ages 6 and above, I find it suitable for all ages. As far as a family game goes, Pictureka definitely gets the two thumbs up from me!

Disclosure : I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.

I have always loved Crayola products and my young daughter has given me an excuse to purchase them once again. In my opinion the Crayola Color Wonder Travel Tote is great for entertaining kids while on the move. Our relatives are spread out all over the state so weekends can be a time when we do a lot of travelling in the car. It can be hard keeping my five year old entertained during these long drives as I need to keep my eyes on the road.

The travel tote comes with all those things that a young artist needs to be creative. I liked the fact that it is possible to store the contents so easily in the case. I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent previously searching for my daughter’s crayons. The set also contains enough interesting activities to keep her engaged over a long period of time. Another great thing about the crayons is that they can only be used on paper; although my daughter has thankfully gone beyond the stage of trying to write on walls. I would imagine that most kids would get a kick out of this product from Crayola. You can easily get this travel tote from Amazon.

Disclosure : I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.

My ten year old has recently become very interested in science and this is something that my husband and I are keen to encourage. I had my own microscope at his age so I was pleased with the idea of having something we could enjoy together; the great thing about having kids is that you can revisit your childhood. It was actually a colleague at work who suggested the duo-scope microscope, as she had bought one for her son, and it turned out that this was good advice.

I ordered the duo-scope from Amazon and I was surprised to see how many people had given it a full five stars; I read the reviews and they were all positive. I ordered it for a reasonable price and didn’t tell my son until it arrived. He was delighted with the microscope and I also felt impressed; it actually made my old microscope seem a bit cheap in comparison. This one is well made and functions impressively. It is not recommended for young kids, but ideal for somebody around my son’s age. I sometimes worry that we buy too many toys for our son but this microscope is something that will benefit him. I don’t regret the purchase one bit and would recommend it without hesitation.

I can attest to the fact that I surf the net to read Holiday Gift Guides for gift ideas when I do my holiday shopping as it makes the mad shopping rush less stressful. So, I figured that you, my readers may appreciate some recommendations from me as well. So, here’s my 2008 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids featuring toys of $25 and Under:

1. NMC Toys are a retailer of quality European and American Toys. Many of their toys have received awards and meet or exceed USA safety standards while some selected toys offer a lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer.

School Bus Puzzle $19.95 (Ages 3 and up) -  This 20 piece jigsaw puzzle is perfect for little hands. See the joy in your child’s face when they put it all together.

My 1st Blocks $23.99 (Ages 1 and Up) – 6 brightly colored blocks fit into this 8″ long wagon. Whimsical train design screen printed on the side of the wagon will sure fit into every child’s room.

2. Schylling - From Classic Preschool, Pretend Play, Tin Toys, Fun & Games, Music, Outdoor Toys, to Science and Construction, they have over twenty different product categories where you will find over 125 new products for 2008! Check out some of the coolest toys below:

Gone Fishing Game Wind Up $2.99 (Ages 3 and up) -One of my daughter’s favourite toy. Made of plastic. The objective is to catch as many fish as possible with your fishing pole.

Flower Fairy Dress Up Set $14.99 (ages 3 and up). For the adorable little angel in your life. The set comes in a plastic carrying bag and includes wings, headbands, wand and tutu.

3. ImagiPLAY is another of my favourite store as it sets itself apart from the rest through its motto, “Toys with Integrity.” By producing quality products that connect with nature, have eco-friendly sources, and hold educational value, ImagiPLAY works to benefit the earth we share and the people that inhabit it.

Dolphins and Turtles Puzzle $14.99 (ages 3 and up) – This 7pc hand-crafted, hand-painted Dolfins and Turtle puzzle stands up to brighten any room. Great intermediate puzzle. As beautiful to look at as it is fun to put together! Because the pieces are double-sided, this puzzle is equivalent to a 14pc puzzle, since you don’t know which side is up.

PuzzlePlay Sea Life $19.99 (ages 3 and up) – A playset and puzzle in one! Kids will engage in hours of imaginative play with these versatile 16 pieces of creatures of the sea.

4. Briarpatch has been an innovator in the development of games and puzzles for children of all ages since its inception in 1992. Today, with more than 275 awards received, Briarpatch maintains an inspiring, fun and educational product line and is a highly respected leader in the toy industry.

Sea Monsters Board Game $20.99 (Ages 5+) – Set sail for the New World across uncharted waters where players must navigate through typhoons, get blown off course, drift out to sea or worst, a Sea Monster may appear out of nowhere to wreck your ship! Absolute FUN!

Clothespins! Game $12.99 (Ages 5+) – Comes with 4 Game boards and 66 playing cards. This is a fast paced, strategy game where players score points by completing clotheslines of matching patterns or items of laundry.

5. Kobold Toys – First opened in Panama City, four years ago and have since built a reputation as a highly successful toy store that brings children the best educational toys available in the global market. With its online store, Kobold Toys have made shopping convenient for busy parents who appreciate the flavours of global toys.

It’s Time To Call 911 $7.95 – Featured in ABC News, Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, this is a great book that teaches your child about emergency situations, how to dial 911 and what to say to get help in an emergency.

Dancing Alligator $18.99 – Made of rubberwood, this brightly painted green alligator is sure to thrill your toddler as it makes a rhythmic click-clack sound while being pulled. Ideal for toddler of age 12-18 months.

For Ages: 1+
Made In: USA
Manufacturer: Holgate Toys
Dimensions: ea block 1-3/4″

Did you know that by the time babies are a year old, they should be able to play stacking or balancing games? Thus, the Holgate Baby Blocks would make the perfect  toy to help your baby develop her creativity, hand-eye coordination as well as build fine motor skills.

Each set contains six blocks made from hard maple wood and on each side of the blocks, there are pictures, numbers and alphabets. The rounded edges of the blocks received a two thumbs up from me as a great safety feature for babies. There are numerous ways to play with these blocks but for the younger babies, you can start off by stacking them up towerlike and letting your baby knock them down.  My 18 months old niece had a blast with these blocks as she was already able to sort them by colors. We have also started teaching her to recognize some of the pictures and when she grows older, we will use these blocks to teach her simple three letter words.

Overall, I would highly recommend these Made in USA Holgate Baby Blocks as they make delightful and educational toys for babies and toddlers alike.  Get yours today from NMC Toys!

Let me tell you why I am a big fan of ImagiPLAY’s Counting Bunnies Toy. Three words :

• Eco-Friendly
• Non-Toxic
• Fun

Like any other parent, recalls on toys have resulted in a lot of concern over the type of products that our children should be playing with. Many parents are now in favour of environmental friendly made toys as opposed to the regular plastic made ones. At the same time, we want to ensure that our children enjoy these eco toys and that they are made to encourage development and creativity in children. ImagiPLAY’s Toys Of Integrity has definitely not disappointed me.

The Counting Bunnies by ImagiPLAY is a great tool or toy to teach numbers 1 to 10 to young children. The handcrafted set comes with eight bunnies numbered from 1 to 8 and two carrots with number 9 and 10. The pieces are small enough to fit the hands of younger children and colourful enough to retain their attention.

Now, the main objective is to line the bunnies up in the proper sequence of numbers so that they are able to get the carrots. However, there are numerous ways for parents to work with their children to get the numbers right. It all depends on each person’s creativity. 

On a final note, I would highly recommend this toy to those who have children of age 2+ to 4.

Thanks to Mom Central, I was given the opportunity to review a new line of games launched by Cranium. I took the games Let’s Play Count and Cook and the Let’s Go To The Zoo Seek and Find Puzzle home to the delight of my 4 year old daughter.

I love the fact that Let’s Play Count and Cook can be enjoyed with a minimum of 2 players. The objective of the game is to pick any of the recipes in the cookbook and gather all the ingredients for it.

To start off, players have to put all the tokens face up on the game board. The player whose birthday is coming up next gets to start first by rolling the die and moving your chef the number of spaces shown, going in either direction on the play path. If you land on an ingredient you need for your recipe, add the token to the recipe. If you land on a star, add a special ingredient to the recipe -anything you want. If you are the player who manages to collect the last ingredient, you win the game! The winner gets to open the secret window for a surprise (find out for yourself!).

Let’s Play Count & Cook Game includes the game board, 20 ingredient tokens, 4 chef movers, recipe book, and die. My daughter gives it the thumbs up as she gets to pretend play with the game. Even my 8 year old son finds it interesting enough to join us in the game. Overall, Let’s Play Count and Cook is ideal for teaching counting, matching, turn taking and working together. Retails at $12.99 from Cranium.

 Let’s Go To The Zoo Seek and Play Puzzle is not the typical puzzle that springs to mind. Apart from putting the pieces of puzzles together, players also gets to search for animal and shapes in the puzzle such as peacocks and polar bears, lemurs and lions. How the game is played : Once the puzzle has been pieced together, each player is given three cards from the beginner or advanced deck.  Then, each player takes turn to search for the puzzle for the items on the cards. Mark your discovery by using the dry erase marker to circle it. The advantage of using the marker is that you can wipe the marks off with a dry tissue. However, it can get tiring wiping them if there are too many.

Let’s Go to the Zoo Seek & Find Puzzle comes in a box with 24 puzzle pieces, 30 cards and an erasable pen. Great for age 3 to 5 as these younger kids get to brush up on their spatial thinking, counting, color and letter matching and fine motor skills. However, I would not recommended it for older kids as it can be less challenging to them. Retails at $9.99 and available from Cranium.

1. Wizard Watergames (Price $9.59)

How long will it take you to get the pieces in place? From Tomy, these best-selling Wizard Water Games are addictively fun to play! Tic Tac Toe invites the player to move colored balls into rows. Star Catcher scores points by shooting the balls up to the star, and then droping into the scoring tubes. Ring Toss is just like the name says- try to get as many rings on the pegs as possible! Perfect for at home or on the road. For children ages 3 and above.

2. Take Along Water Colour Set (Retails at $2.59)

Create fabulous fridge art and school projects with this Melissa & Doug Take-Along Watercolor Set from Lights, Camera, Interaction! Contains 12 vibrant non-toxic colors. Brush and mixing tray included.

3. Play-Doh Case of Colors – Hasbro (Price $5.29)

Use your imagination to build, sculpt and decorate with this Play-Doh Case of Colors that includes 10 two-ounce cans of Play-Doh modeling compound. The variety of colors makes for endless possibilities for creative, colorful fun! Cleaning up is easy; just remove the excess compound, allow the remaining compound to dry, then scrape or vacuum it away. Suitable for age 2 and up.

Simple turn the switch “on” to activate the motor & blow gazillions of bubbles! Comes with a 115ml bottle of Gazillion bubble solution.

Perfect for car seats and stroller canopies, this Tag Along Chimes Set from Infantino® features a lovable lion and adorable elephant that attach easily with convenient, magnetic fasteners. Your baby will be fascinated with the melody of chimes, bright colors, and soft textures of these fun take-along toys! Recommended age : Birth to 24 months.