The weather does not make us think spring is around the corner, but it is. Planting with grandchildren is fun, but so are the many award winning toys we can bring when we visit. There are many wonderful options for infants and older from the Oppenheimer Toy Awards on www.toyportfolio.com. Here is what is recommended and why:
Babies and Toddlers:
Platinum award winner: Lamaze Chime Garden ( Learning Curve International)
Our eight-month old tester enjoyed tapping the flowers on this colorful floor toy. Talk about making things happen, his touch set off a not-too-loud chime and a light, as well. This is scaled just right for the sitting up baby. Flick a switch and instead of single sounds each flower will play a familiar song. An attractive musical toy that gives baby a sense of empowerment and a beginning grasp of cause and effect. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. A sample of this toy was tested in an independent lab and determined to be lead free.
Click here to buy.
Platinum award winner: ELC Music Garden (International Playthings)
Talk about making things happen, this is it! Touch the flowers and set off the music and lights and sounds. There is no right or wrong way to make this work. We really like the musical selections, not because they ar classic melodies, but the quality of the sound is excellent! That alone sets this toy apart from all too many of the so-called musical toys for tots. There are several modes of play to explore: the scale, animal sounds, silly ones and pure music. The tote handle will please toddlers who like carrying their favorite toys as they move from one room to another. This does have a volume control and teaches kids about cause and effect as well as empowering them to make music. 6 months & up. SNAP: For all the reasons above, this is a pleasing and interesting toy for learning about cause and effect and giveing children a sense of power, by making things happen. It has a lot of sensory play value.
Click here to buy.
Platinum award winner: Little Tikes Discover Sounds Activity Garden (Little Tikes)
Here’s a little setting that will be enjoyed as a baby grows from crawling to toddling and even beyond. A soon-to-be three spent a happy time testing all the bells and whistles of the Activity Garden. It is not so much about gardening as it is about making things happen. There are doors to open and close and window with built-in ball run and shutters for games of peek-a-boo. The doorbell has a three buttons that activate three pleasing sounds. A crawl through archway will be fun for active play. There is a mailbox shape, movable bugs to slide, pictures to click, and a detachable three-language phone with buttons that say the numerals baby presses in English, French or Spanish. This is a wonderfully inviting play setting with a terrific variety of activities for fine and gross motor skills. You can convert the four-walled setting into an open one, but we found it is less stabile in the opened positions. This does require assembly, but it went together with relative ease. It is a big toy, almost 34 by 25 inches. If you have the room it will be used for a reasonably long time.
Click here to buy.
Platinum award winner: Educo Butterfly Garden Push Toy (HaPe )
Scaled just right for beginning walkers, this jolly push toy has a big multi-colored flower that turns and three butterflies that twirl above as it is pushed forward. The flower sits on bright green wheels and has a green handle. Holding something in their hand as they walk seems to help some beginning walkers with their balance. It’s a way of holding on while letting go. This is not a weighted toy to hold them up. They need to be able to walk without it, but it is a fun toy to match their new-found walking abilities.
Click here to buy.
Preschoolers:
Gold award winner: Mega Bloks John Deere Garden Cart Play Set (Mega Blox $45)
For your youngest garden assistant, here’s small wagon with plastic garden tools and a few mega bloks. This is more of a pretend toy for outdoor carting fun and comes in the traditional John Deere green and yellow colors. Or use it indoors for storing blocks that can be built up on the handle, which serves as a base. Also fun in this line, a Mega Bloks Dump Truck that will work in the sand box or at the beach. 2 & up.
Click here to buy.
Gold award winner. Little Tikes 2 in 1 Garden Cart and Wheelbarrow (Little Tikes $39.99 Score:)
Just right for your little gardener who will love having his own tools and easy to push wheelbarrow to assist with the family gardening! The wheelbarrow was slightly challenging for our builders to put together. It would have been easier if they had had a power drill or power screwdriver for the task. We’ve found that many of the plastic toys for the past few seasons require more assembly than before. That said, this wheelbarrow offers lots of pretend power once it’s put together. Comes with two pretend potted plants. Our testers especially loved that it had a working water sprayer (easy to fill up). There is a removable striped canopy for shade protection. Great fun for outdoor play. 2 & up.
Click here to buy.
Early School Age:
Gold award winner: Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit (Green Toys)
We always like gardening kits and this one has a nice twist. The three pots are made from recycled plastic milk containers. Set also comes with a trowel, three packages of organic seeds (sunflower, basil and zinnia soil disks.) We had great success with our plants!
Click here to buy.
Then there are some great award winning books:
Maisy Grows a Garden (Candlewick)
As always, Maisy’s pop-up action is simply splendid as the illustrations trace the steps in making a garden. Pull the tab and see Maisy dig the ground and discover the worm below! Pull the next tab and Maisy plants the seeds in a row. Pull again and Maisy is watering the plants. Turn and pull to see the seedlings pop up! Pull up and help Maisy tug the weeds out of the garden. At last, there is a crop to pick and finally on the last page some beautiful sunflowers that open. Young science for the youngest lapsitter. 2 1/2 & up For follow up fun, try planting some seeds indoors that can be moved outside when the ground gets warm. Or try making an avacado pit or seeds from an orange sprout on the windowsill.
Click here to buy.
Lois Ehlerts’s Growing Garden (HMH)
For the growing season this set of three handsome picture books may well inspire a new crop of young gardeners. These are all reissued in a smaller paperback format that retains the artful look of the originals. Eating the Alphabet is an alphabet book of fruits and veggies. Growing Vegetable Soup is a treasure of artful veggies with a recipe for making soup. Planting a Rainbow is a color concept book with more than 20 different kinds of flowers. The gift package comes with a poster to hang in the kitchen or a child’s room.
Click here to buy.
The Gardening Book (by Jane Bull, DK $12.99) There are many planting projects here that can be done on a windowsill or in a pot on a patio if a garden is not a possibility.
In fact, many of the projects here can be started before the ground is ready to be turned out of doors. Fun projects for parent & child to share. 6 & up.
Click here to buy.
Grandchildren need little encouragement to play in the dirt! They love to be helpers and helping grandma in the garden is great fun. Many projects can be started with the Oppenheimer Award winning toys and books. So, grandma at a visit can plant with the grandchildren or bring a great toy or book as a present, or both. Enjoy springtime fun with
Joy,
Mema
Comentarios