toys - 4/5 - Views From the Ville

Museum Tour’s Top 10 Toys & Gifts for 2013

For the Kids, For Toddlers 13 Responses »

Nov 262013

I received an item from Museum Tour in order to facilitate my review. No additional compensation was received; all thoughts and words are my own.

I’ve always loved getting catalogs in the mail, especially toy ones. Christmas was an especially good time of year for it, as there was always the Wish Book and other thick catalogs that would arrive. But no matter what time of year it was, I was always on the lookout when my Mom would bring the mail home.

One catalog that I wasn’t familiar with – but that you very well may be – is the one sent out by Museum Tour. Their fall catalog reached 2 million homes. It’s packed full of toys and fun learning activities for children to participate in beyond museum or science center walls.

Belly Bump Jr. from Museum Tour

Melissa & Doug Toys Review and the Terrific 25 List

For the Kids, For Toddlers No Responses »

Nov 252013

Melissa & Doug carries some of our favorite toys! This year they have again put together their Terrific 25 List, listing the Top 25 gift ideas for the holidays. They are also giving away one toy per day until November 28th, and one Grand Prize winner will also receive all 25 toys! Keep reading for the entire list plus a review of a couple of our favorites.

A couple of my favorites on the Melissa & Doug Terrific 25 List are:

Take-Along Show-Horse Stable
Catch & Count Fishing Rod Game
Let’s Play House! Stainless Steel Pots & Pans

Check out the entire list of 25 toys and start making your wish lists now! And don’t forget to visit the Melissa & Doug Facebook page to enter their giveaway! Continue reading »

Clean Up Games Make Picking Up Toddler Toys Easy

For the Kids 12 Responses »

Nov 202013

Thank you to Delta Furniture for sending us something to help with getting toddlers to pick up! All words and opinions are my own.

Bubbles is usually pretty good about picking up her toys. She might not get to them right away, and there may have been a whirlwind of blocks, trucks, dolls, and more around the living room and her bedroom before it’s completed, but it does get done. Occasionally, though, it does take a little prompting.

Rather than turning those rare “I don’t wanna” toy clean up times into a flow of tears, Bubbles and I came up together with a game. It’s such a fun game for her that she has been known to strew crayons and Lincoln Logs across the floor just so we can play. No method is perfect, right?

One of Our Clean Up Games: "Find it Flashlight"

We call our cleanup game the “Find It Flashlight Game”. And it’s very easy to play. Bubbles brings me her little flashlight and I swirl the light beam around the room, saying “Hmm, what do I see… what do I see?” Then the beam of light lands on a toy, and I call “I found something!” prompting Bubbles to run over to the toy, pick it up, and store it away. Continue reading »

Welcome to the Neighborhood: New Daniel Tiger Toys

For the Kids, Reviews 11 Responses »

Nov 192013

I participated in this program on behalf of The Fred Rogers Company and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

I don’t think that I’m alone in the fact that I grew up watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. It was a show I stopped to watch no matter what I was doing, one that I would specifically request if it wasn’t already switched on. Fortunately with such great values and lessons being modeled, my parents were happy to oblige me.

Sharing Mr. Rogers Neighborhood with my daughter is something I had hoped to do, and I was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to do so. Then one day last fall I flipped over to PBS KIDS and saw something new: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. It’s a new animated follow-up to the original Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and it instantly took me back to my childhood.

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with some of the folks behind Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and the new line of Daniel Tiger toys. It was awesome to see the enthusiasm and passion that they had for the original and how well they were able to carry over the storyline. If you look at the side-by-side of Mr. Rogers and Daniel Tiger you can easily spot the similarities.

Meet the Friends of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood #DanielTigerToys

Brilliant Sky Toys & Books of Louisville

Local 6 Responses »

Oct 292013

I received Brilliant Sky Toys & Books products in order to facilitate my review. No additional compensation was received and all words and opinions are my own.

Growing up we had basically two options when it came to shopping for toys: toy stores and catalogs. I remember pouring through those catalogs every time they came in the mail, especially before the holidays. And when we actually had the opportunity to visit a true toy store full of just toys and games, we never wanted to leave.

Now people do most of their shopping online. I’m certainly one of them; it’s very convenient and sometimes it’s easier than braving traffic and weather to visit a store. But as much as I love online shopping, it’s still a treat for me when I get to visit a cool brick and mortar store, especially when it’s full of toys.

Brilliant Sky Toys & Books of Louisville

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