The Toy Review

Here we go with another episode of the Melissa and Doug show! Ok, just kidding about the show part, but today’s feature is another Melissa and Doug product. They really have the neatest stuff, and the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Stringing Beads with over 200 beads is high on my priority list just now. I have recently started beading and I think my little girls would like to “join” me at my new hobby. It’s rated for ages 4-7, but I am rating it at 3 with parental supervision.

Here is another game I want, and I am not entirely sure I want to wait until Christmas for this one. I have always enjoyed playing Yahtzee, and I was amazed when I looked it p on Amazon to see that there are about 3 pages worth of “Yahtzee” results. Regular, deluxe, pc, mac, halloween. Shoot, I even saw a book in there. And scorecards, previously the Gordian Knot of Yahtzee play. Amazon has the scorecards!

Here we have another one for the Christmas list. You think I am kidding, don’t you? One of the best things about writing the toy blog is that I get to take the time to look at and choose the toys and games I want through the year. When it is time to do my Christmas shopping, I can type “Christmas” over there in the search field, and it will generate a list of the posts I mentioned Christmas in. And I make it a point to do that when I am talking about something I plan to buy. Please don’t tell my kids that I am making my shopping list right here in public, ok? So, on to Othello. I’ve played this game a few times and really enjoyed it. I’ve even played in on the computer a few times, but I have never owned it. That should change, don’t you think? Incredibly simple and yet very complex, it will be great mental exercise for all of us!

Oh, look! Another item for my Christmas list. This Fisher-Price Musical Tea Set has 17 pretty pastel pieces, and the teapot plays “I’m a Little Teapot” when you press the lid. I have at least one little girl who NEEDS this tea set, and three more plus me who would like to have pretend tea with her. Please pass the plastic cookies, it’s time for a party!

Babies love it! And a happy baby makes for a happy mom, right? The toy uses 3 AA batteries to keep little ones amused for hours, with it’s almost-realistic musical sounds. The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube features the harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin playing some of Mozart’s most familiar pieces.

Now, who doesn’t remember The Farmer Says? Like most kids, I had a couple of these growing up, only mine worked with pull strings. We’ve entered a whole new world, and today’s Farmer Says works with a lever, and it is also smaller than the one I grew up with, but with more animals, because of the flipping board. It’s still enough fun to make a toddler’s eyes light up as she kicks her feet and giggles. And they still learn how to make cool animal sounds while they play with it. We have this one, and another one, and we love ‘em.

Following up on Boggle, which can help your beginning reader, how about IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit to encourage your burgeoning writer? The cost of the kit includes having the story professionally printed and hard-bound and you can even order extra books for gifts. Do be aware that each book is limited to 12 pages and each page can have 20 words. This isn’t the kit to get to record your life story, but it would be great fun for a young child.

This is an old favorite, isn’t it? I remember playing this back in the day, and I was pretty good at it! I’m betting that at least a couple of my kids would enjoy playing this with their old mama. The game is rated for 8 and above, but I am thinking younger children could play if you changed the rules just a bit, to give them more credit for shorter words. As a bonus, your beginning readers will get more practice without feeling like they are in school. It’s fun and it builds brain power. That means we can call Boggle a win/win/win game.

Is it hot enough for you? I declare, we are cooking here, just as surely as if this were a giant crockpot. And according to Al Gore, it is, LOL! But the Little Tikes Beach Ball Sprinkler looks like a fun way to cool off, doesn’t it? I bet it wouldn’t take long for the whole neighborhood to show up if you had one of these in the front yard! Rated for 18 months and up, this looks like fun for the whole family to me.

Ooooh, this game looks like lots of fun! Ticket to Ride is a cross country train adventure that’s for the whole family, provided that the family members are all eight and above. The players own choices dictate how the game plays out, so the game will be new each time it’s played. Played by 2-5 players, games will last 30-60 minutes, and once you are ready for a new experience, there are other editions to try.