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Blog Article Archive |
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Keeping the F-U-N in Toys
In a previous post we talked about age appropriate gifts for kids and how important it is to make sure that your children get the right toys for their developmental levels. No one wants your kids to have more fun than we do, however we want your kids to always have their fun in the safest possible ways. Another concern many parents have, especially with the recent rash of major toy retailer recalls, is the overall safety of the toys their kids are playing with - most pointedly - the materials those toys are made from. A great example of a simply designed yet very fun toy is the Pretend Play Fruit and Vegetable Set. Getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies is a challenge nearly all parents face. Making their food something they associate with fun and good times is a great way to get your kids to see those veggies on their plates in a whole new light.  The Pretend Play Fruit and Veggie set is created using naturally processed rubberwood. It is a replenishable resource and also created preservative free. The toys are made using designs that have no sharp edges and the toys are completely non-toxic from top to bottom. Safety considerations are part of every level of this toy's manufacture and even the glue that holds the interior parts together is made from a proprietary non-formaldehyde glue in place of the traditional and toxic wood glues commonly used on other toys made of wood. Pretend play is a powerful way for children to learn and study after study has shown that kids learn and retain knowledge at greater rates when they learn through their own methods, largely including pretend play games. Give your child a jump start on learning about their fruits and veggies with their own pretend play set and know you're giving them a great toy that is safe! Labels: cooking toys, educational toys, girls toy, learning toys, pretend play, pretend-play, special needs kids, toddlers toys, toys, wood toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Thursday, December 27, 2007
Did Your Child Get Age Appropriate Gifts?
 The holiday season is one of the happiest times of the year, however it can also be one of the saddest when your child gets injured through simply playing with a toy they have received as a gift. Every year, injuries are reported by parents of children that are playing with toys that are beyond their age limits. Well-meaning friends and relatives may give your child a very fun toy, but one that can cause injury because the child just isn't old enough to be playing with it. Much like you screen your child's candy at Halloween, make sure their holiday gifts won't cause any harm. No one knows your child better than you and even though a label may say "3-years old and up", your 3-year old may not be mature enough to play with a toy that launches objects or has small parts. If you have a child that still puts things in their mouth, put up toys with small parts or only let your child play with them under direct supervision. Toys that make great gifts no matter what age are puzzles. Chunky puzzles for little ones that are still prone to put things in their mouths and the few pieces are easy to learn and they don't find frustrating. Older children will enjoy more complicated puzzles and puzzles can either be a solitary or group activity and once the puzzle is done it can be done again or even race to put together the puzzle with a timer in teams. Use these tips and make sure every holiday is safe and fun for your kids in not only the gifts they get but also the gifts you give! Labels: crafts, educational toys, fine motor skills, Floor Puzzles, girls toy, Learning Resources, Melissa and Doug, wood toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Saturday, December 22, 2007
Stimulate Little Minds Early!
 Got a little one in your life? Whether it's your first, fifth or simply the friend of a relative or child you love and adore - you can't start stimulating his or her mind too early. Study after study have shown that the majority of infants and toddlers respond to and have their minds jump started with simple, repetitious play. The simple is so it's easy for the young child to catch on to the object of whatever activity you choose to do and the repetitious is also important in the beginning as babies especially can get frustrated if they don't know what's going to happen. Simple colored ring toys have been a staple of young children's toy boxes for decades and as it turns out - they are also very good for the development of both senses and skills. The bright colors will stimulate the cognitive skills of the child and the graduated ring shapes will stimulate the motor functions necessary to put the rings on the holder. The rings you had as a child were probably made of plastic - these rings are made of wood and make a fun "clack - clack" as they are placed on the holder on top of each other. Build the rings from the biggest to the smallest at first and then turn the game around and make it from the smallest to the largest on top. You can also teach your child colors with ease by saying, "Let's put on the red ring" and when the child picks up the appropriate ring, praise them mightily. It's a great way to learn without knowing they are learning a thing - as far as the little one is concerned, it's just a fun game! Labels: childrens games, educational toys, girls, Holgate, special needs kids, toddler toys, wood toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ready, Set, Action!
 With the cold days of winter here you kids may be spending more time inside than they usually do and when they do the walls of the house can seem more closed in and smaller than ever when you have a couple of bored kids in the house. Even if you live in the parts of the country that stay warmer during the winter months - there will still be cold, rainy days your kids are indoors. Pretend play is a great way to pass the days and encourage group play, turn taking and stimulate imaginations - all they need is the right tools to do so. Something as simple as a play tent can do the trick. The Train Station Play Tent is a marvelous way to give your kids a place to play and create imaginary scenarios. This pop up tent is perfect for providing hour upon hour of fun play. There's lots of space with mesh roof windows for plenty of fresh air, as well as roll-up windows. The tent is made of long wearing 70 Denier 190T polyester and combined with the Pacific Play Tents exclusive "G-3" patented pole system, the indoor/outdoor tent is a breeze to assemble with the color-coded tent pole system and attached connectors; the train station will be ready to begin hosting endless imaginary play with your kids within minutes. An accessory that is very fun but must be purchased separately is the 19" tunnel portal that your kids can run through to get to the train station. The Train Station itself has flaps and velcro stays and is easy to keep clean with mild soap and water. Labels: bedroom, boys, children, childrens exercise, childrens furniture, dramatic play, dramatic play for children, girls, kids, learning-toys, make believe, pretend play, toddlers
posted by SensoryEdge
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Sunday, December 16, 2007
Introducing Plan Toys at SensoryEdge
 SensoryEdge has added eight Plan Toys items to its selection of educational toys. PlanToys are created using advanced technology to ensure they are safe and non-toxic. PlanToys products are made of replenishable "preservative-free" rubberwood. It is processed naturally, and free from any wood preservative. All sharp corners and edges are removed for greater safety. These wooden toys have safe, non-toxic and child friendly colors in line with international standards. PlanToys assembles our products using a proprietary non-formaldehyde glue in place of the traditional toxic wood glue and is E-Zero which means it contains no Formaldehyde emission. The current Plan Toy line up at SensoryEdge is:The addition of Plan Toys will enhance our solid selection of pretend play toys for small children. Labels: educational toys, Plan Toys, pretend play, wood toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Saturday, December 15, 2007
There's Nothing to Do!
 With the colder days of winter fast upon us -and your kids stuck inside the house during inclement weather - you'll be hearing "There's nothing to do" even though they have a drawer full of video games, a computer, a television, bookcases full of books and numerous toys - what they might need is some imagination stimulation that will keep their minds creating and therefore keeping boredom at bay - try art. Kids love to create. Whether it's with clay you bought at the store or tried out your Mom's old recipe for making flour based salt-clay-doh for the kiddos to play with, painting or other artistic endeavor - your kids will love to create. Why not make it even easier with a central place to do it in? An art station makes a wonderful place for just one or even a small group of kids to gather around the table and create to their heart's content. The Creation Station has drying racks to hold priceless works of art while they dry, recessed paint cups for easy access for brushes and hard to spill, trays to hold the brushes neatly, rolled paper for endless artistic creations, paper towel holder to keep it neat and six supply shelves to keep the art station neat and in order. Be prepared for those winter blues when they hit and have an activity ready for your kids. Give the kids a theme and let each one draw a specific thought or feeling - it is so interesting what each child will come up with. Add a Creation Station to your child's play area or bedroom - it will keep boredom at bay! Labels: art, art table, boys, girls, kids, learning toys, make believe, painting
posted by SensoryEdge
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
It's a Bicycle, It's a Skateboard...It's a SKOOOCH!
 For over ten years, Skoooch has quietly been making kids all over the world very happy with their combination skateboard and bicycle scooter. The beauty of a Skooch is that kids can learn to ride it with a very small learning curve unlike both skateboards and bicycles that usually cause injuries (although mostly minor) during the "learning to ride" process. The Skoooch will also encourage your kids to get away from their computer screens and video games and go outside and get some exercise. The age appropriate range for Skoooch is 3-6 years of age. Kids that are too big for a scooting toy and too small for a "big kids bike" will love to ride their very own Skooch. As with any riding toy, make sure that your kids wear the appropriate safety gear when riding this toy. This can include a helmet and knee and elbow pads. The Skoooch has dual read skids and a hand brake that most children learn to use with ease. The non-skid footboard makes it easy for little feet to grip and best of all, the Skoooch comes 98% assembled in the box, so no waiting to go play! Labels: boys, exercise, girls, Kids Exercise, Outdoor Toy, pretend-play, ride-on-toy, toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Saturday, December 08, 2007
Give Your Child an Heirloom
 Even in the modern day of video games, Wii, XBox, junior text messengers and other high tech inventions, kids still love to play and relax the old fashioned way. Most kids will drop the video games to fast moving game of War with an old deck of cards or boards games still bring many children joy. The difference? Most people believe it's the actual "hands on" experience that you just don't get with video and computer games. A keyboard or a joystick needs to be held - but the experience can't be considered truly hands on. Another once commonplace item that is making a comeback for kids is their own rocking chair. It's a great way to harness young energy and the majority of children are naturally soothed by a gentle back and forth rocking motion. When choosing a rocking chair for your child, make sure it is truly designed for a child as there are certain safety requirements for furniture for children such as the length of the rockers and the size of the space between the slats that won't allow a little head to get caught between them. Another plus to purchasing a quality made rocker is that it will most likely last well past your child's young years and when your child is a parent of their own - their rocking chair will be ready to provide a ready seat to their own child. Labels: bedroom, boys, childrens exercise, childrens furniture, girls, kids furniture
posted by SensoryEdge
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Thursday, December 06, 2007
ARGHHH! It's a Pirate Filled Holiday!
 The bad part about winter weather is that the kids basically get cooped up inside and when there's a lot of excess energy they aren't expending, you can have some grumpy kids. The good part about winter is you can make it fun by adding an indoor play toy that will keep the kids occupied and playing. Kids love pirates and the "Pirates of the Carribean" movies have done nothing to diminish that and with that in mind, you can give your kids a fun pirate filled holiday season. Start off with the Pirate Ship Loft by Guidecraft which is a colorful and feature-filled toy that not only will keep your kids occupied, it also encourages the expansion of young imaginations as well as group play. Your kids will love playing on their own pirate ship and it has fun extras such as stairs to the upper decks where your kids can slide down to the floor again and again while pretending that they are in charge of their very own pirate ship. Include a pirate costume for each of the kids and maybe even let them create their own treasure maps and "treasure". This loft will deliver hours of fun for your kids - don't lament the long days of winter - let your kids be pirates! Labels: boys, girls, Guidecraft, kids, make believe, pretend-play, toys
posted by SensoryEdge
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Saturday, December 01, 2007
Creating with Foam Blocks
 If you have a little one on your holiday shopping list that you want to get a toy for that will allow him or her to exercise a growing imagination instead of playing a toy that requires either staring at a computer screen or video game screen for hours or basically plays by itself'; the answer you're looking for is found in Wonder Foam Blocks. This is an age appropriate gift for kids ages 3-years old and up. This amazing set of blocks comes with 152 pieces, the largest being 12-inches by 6-inches and 2-inches thick. These are made in bright colors and not only help children maximize their learning of their colors and shapes, but also their hand and eye coordination skills and in a group setting it's great for encouraging group play. Best of all these fun blocks can be used in the bathtub! It's also easy to keep these blocks neat, when you're kids are done playing - the blocks fit neatly in their own storage bag that comes with this set. Give your kids a fun gift that will light up their minds with all the new structures and creative buildings they can make, get them Wonder Foam Blocks this holiday season. Labels: boys, building block toy, children, learning toys, playroom toys, pretend-play
posted by SensoryEdge
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