I am a firm believer in educational toys. I think that kids need to stimulate creativity & learning. Studies have shown that play is educational for children...so why not present them opportunities to develop critical thinking, artistic ability and other higher brain functions.
We are so fortunate in Sioux Falls to have Child's Play Toys. They are an independent toy store in the middle of the shopping district. Most of their products are educational, but all of them are super fun.
Yesterday was neighborhood toy store day which was a perfect day to visit. There was a chance for the Little Man to try some new craft items and he made an awesome sign!
While he was crafting away and writing poetry (a new talent!) I had a chance to browse for possible gifts from Santa.
Little Man loves to build, and legos, k-nex & kreo offer lots of possibilities. I found two new products that add to them.
One are Snap Circuits.
http://www.snapcircuits.net/products/product_details/snap_circuits®_jr._100_experiments (available at Child's Play for $29.99) it is a building set that teaches kids about building electronic circuits, resulting in being able to light a light bulb, ring a doorbell & tons of other projects. The really cool thing about these sets is each one builds on the previous set, so you expand your knowledge of electronics as you build.
Another super neat building set are Nano Blocks. These are like mini legos (& i mean super mini). there are several different sets available, including the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and a giant banyan tree amongst others. These little masterpieces are only a few inches tall, accurate renderings and really affordable. One of my biggest gripes about other building systems is the cost of each set.
http://www.mynanoblock.com/site/
They retail at Child's Play for $17.99.
Another cool thing that I found at the store were Christmas items from Playmobil. There are both an advent calendar & nativity set (each about $23). http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Show?pid=4884&cgid=Weihnachten &
My son loves to create art, and I encourage it at every turn. My great grandfather was a sculptor, my grandmother was an artist and fashion designer, my mother is a crafter & I am an artistic dilatente. It is only natural Little Man, via osmosis, would pick up on the creative & artistic vibes. He made a clay pot in art class last year, and has been wanting to do more. The kids pottery wheel set looks like fun http://aventura.learningexpresstoys.com/buy/aq62202/kids-pottery-wheel-by-curiosity-kits/ and is $54 at Child's Play.
There are also some really cool (science) magic kits that the little guy was looking at. Also exciting to him were some of the soda can science kits.
My son could usually care less about clothes, but in the Child's Play Wear section, he found a bunch of "skater boy" shirts made out of organic cotton. They came in a variety of neutral, muted hues and featured screened on dragons (lizard?) dogs (wolves?) and other exotic creatures. If he noticed them, then they have to be cool.
There are a ton of stocking stuffers by the door too, as well as a reading room. Little man could spend all day there!
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