Melissa & Doug Deluxe 50-piece Wooden ABC/123 Blocks Set

41c%2BRaRpQJL. SL160  Melissa & Doug Deluxe 50 piece Wooden ABC/123 Blocks Set

  • Building developmental skills is simple with our wide selection of blocks.
  • Promote motor skills and creative development with cardboard and wooden blocks.
  • Teach animal, letter and number recognition with ABC and nesting blocks.
  • 8.7 x 7.7 x 2.7

Product Description
Stack, spell and count with these 50 colorful blocks, each featuring a variety of pictures, letters and numbers. Comes in a see-through storage box with handy carrying handle. Measures 6″L x 6.5″W x 3′D.Editorial Review
With all the high-tech electronic toys available for kids today, it would seem that the basics would be long forgotten. However, often the classic toys are the ones children want to play with the most. This classic block set includes 50 so… More >>

Melissa & Doug Deluxe 50-piece Wooden ABC/123 Blocks Set

Best Electronic Learning Toys for Christmas 2010

Christmas is fast approaching and while parents want to give their kids toys they enjoy they also want toys that don’t dumb them down. There are a number of new electronic learning toys on the market that can offer parents both-the reassurance of a popular toy that will add to the richness of children’s lives.

Learning toys are great, except when they sit in the cupboard unused because your child can’t stand them. Ultimately, they have to be fun and engaging before any learning can take place. Leapfrog and VTech are two of the biggest names in interactive learning toys and they both have new devices on the market, ready for Christmas in 2010, which are specifically designed to help kids learn through technology.

VTech has a long history of making toys with a learning focus and their newest device, the V. Reader is one pretty cool idea. It’s basically an ebook reader for kids and combines animation with audio and reading to engage kids with the books and allows them to interact on a number of levels.

Kids can read the books but also listen to the device read to them. Using their fingers or a stylus they can also touch words and images on the screen and small animations appear, defining hard words or moving the characters. It’s a great idea and at under $60 it is sure to appeal. We liked the clear protector that folds neatly over the screen and keyboard to protect it and just the idea of a kids ebook reader is one long overdue.

Another company with a long and awarded history in learning toys is Leapfrog. They have been a favourite of parents and kids for many years and their latest device is called the Leapster Explorer. Parents familiar with the previous incarnations of the Leapster will know it is a handheld gaming device, much like the Nintendo DS but with games designed specifically for learning. While not backwards compatible with earlier versions of the Leapster the Leapster Explorer is a big improvement.

Like the V Reader it has a touch screen that can be operated by using fingers or a stylus and also uses cartridges to add games and ebooks to the system. The main difference is that the Leapster Explorer is shaped and operated like a handheld gaming console rather than an ebook reader. Kids navigate through the games to learn and answer questions about science, maths, spelling and a whole range of curriculum based subjects. The Leapster Explorer retails for $69.95.

If you are looking for ways to entertain and educate your kids look no further than these two devices, just remember to include some rechargeable batteries in the stocking!

Inger Fountain -
About the Author:

Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous life she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. You can visit her latest website which takes a look at the new Leapster Explorer from Leapfrog including our Leapster Explorer Review.

Christmas Train Sets – Perfect Christmas Gifts


With Christmas 2010 just a few short months away, the search is on for the best toys for Christmas to give that special child in your life. The lists of the hot toys of the season were released highlighting the top Christmas toys and at least one toy is guaranteed to sell out fast. When it does, people will frantically search retails stores and online sites to find the toys and will end up paying more than the recommended retail price.

Instead of competing with everyone else and looking for the hottest toys of the season, give the gift of starting a new family tradition that will be enjoyed for many years. Setting up Christmas train sets each holiday is a tradition many families enjoy and it is one in which every member of the family can participate.

The tradition begins by giving the gift of a small starter train set. The set includes tracks, an engine and caboose, and a few cars. You can add onto the set and expand it each year by adding more track, specialty train cars, and scenery and town settings, all of the things that give the Christmas tree train an authentic look and feel.

Toys today are all about computerized games and electronic toys, but an electric train set is so much more than just a toy. You can open up an whole new world of imagination for a child when you give the gift of a Christmas train set. Entirely new adventures are waiting for them each year when it comes time to set up their train set.

Two companies that are the well known when it comes to Christmas train sets are Lionel and Bachmann. They have trains that come in various scales sizes with the N Scale being the smallest, up to the G Scale, which is the largest. HO scale and O scale trains scales are the most popular sizes since these are perfect sizes when you want to add onto the set. The G Scale works better for an outdoor display since the size is much bigger than the other scale sizes.

The HO, O and G Scale sized trains are are the perfect gift for children around the ages of four and up. Avoid giving N Scale sized trains to younger children since it is smaller and has smaller parts. You also want to keep in mind that you will want to expand the set each year by adding pieces, so you want to choose a scale size that will allow you to do this.

 

KimmieHenderson -
About the Author:

We live in an age of technology and virtual reality toys, but Christmas train sets are sill one of the few time-honored classics. When you give the gift of a Christmas train, you are giving the gift of a tradition that will last a lifetime.

 

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