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With about a month till Halloween, we wanted to share some fun craft ideas to extend the fun of this spooky holiday!

Spooky Eyeball Bucket
Ages: 5 and up
Materials: Plastic bucket, sandpaper, yellow construction paper, black marker, white craft glue, black craft paint, scissors
This bucket, adorned with construction paper-made eyeballs, is perfect for trick-or-treating!
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Halloween Favor Boxes
Ages: 3 and up (for decorating)
Materials: Cardboard toilet paper rolls, paint, glue, decorations
Make festive favor boxes out of empty cardboard toilet paper rolls.
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Pasta Skeletons
Ages: 5 and up
Materials: Dried pasta in various shapes, white glue, construction paper
This simple craft from Martha Stewart takes advantage of the different varieties of pasta available.
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Pom-Pom Pumpkin Patch
Ages: 7 and up
Materials: pom-poms, wiggle eyes, felt, pipe cleaners, glue, scissors, wooden skewer
This fall-themed craft makes a great decoration all season long.
[instructions]

Pretty Paper Autumn Leaf Magnets
Ages: 3 and up
Materials: Cardstock, fall leaves, tissue paper, white glue, paper plate, marker, scissors, magnetic tape
Another craft not only for Halloween, younger kids can enjoy this project.
[instructions]

Peeking Goblin
Ages: 7 and up
Materials: Cardstock, color printer, scissors, utility knife
Your mini-blinds serve as the home for this spooky goblin.
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Pumpkin Bird Feeder
Ages: 8 and up
Materials: 3-5 lb. pumpkin, pumpkin carving tools, twine, decorations, birdseed
This earth-friendly craft is literally for the birds!
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Pumpkin Masks
Ages: 4 and up
Materials: Paper plates, yarn, glue, scissors, hole punch, construction paper, decorations
Enjoy one of six eco-friendly crafts available at the Go Green Blog.
[instructions]

Check out all of the crafty Halloween projects available from Martha Stewart,
Kaboose, and the Go Green Blog.

What can I say – sorry for the delay on the highlights of the 2010 Toy Fair! Sometimes – who am I kidding, ALL the time – sifting through the notes, catalogs, handouts, and the other material we get at Toy Fair is a laborious, time-consuming process.

But, we are definitely not complaining over here because it is always fun to review the new products, feel the excitement of finding a brand new manufacturer, share notes on the fun toys with which we played, and start filling our warehouse and store with the latest and greatest of the toy world. And while the 4 days felt like a whirlwind of toys, toys and more toys, we have had some time to review, and to relax, and we are happy to clue you in on some of the things we saw and loved!

We always feel like we are lacking in great outdoor toys for kids – while we have a lot, we think we should have more! That is why we are overly excited to finally be bringing Zing into our product mix. Talk about a great line of thrilling toys for kids of all ages – I caught Jon enthusiastically playing with more than one of the toys in their booth (don’t deny it Jon!). From the coolest flying toys to the smallest hopping action toys, Zing has a bit of indoor and outdoor fun for everyone.

But, for those that want to exercise their brains instead, the introduction of Recent Toys was a mind-bending pleasure indeed! We are excited to add this new game manufacturer, and the hand-held brainteasers of this company will not only captivate children (and adults!), but they will surely offer hours of challenging game play.

And let’s not forget what some of our current manufacturers debuted at Toy Fair, like the exciting new Wild Science line from International Playthings, the absolutely adorable Groovy Girl dress up clothes and Fraggle Rock dolls from Manhattan Toy, new Le Toy Van/Papo castles for both knights and their evil counterparts, the reintroduction of the retro Bed Bugs game from Patch (one of my childhood favorites!), the sweet selection of soft toys from Kids Preferred, the astounding assortment of new products from Alex Toys, and the list just goes on and on!

While we always pick out new toys year-round, this time of year is always full of exciting decisions that allow me to tap into my inner child and get SUPER-enthusiastic about the toys we plan on carrying. Whether they unearth some of my favorite childhood memories – like travelling down to Fraggle Rock or pulling my Fisher-Price xylophone – or they allow me to picture little girls dressed up as their favorite Groovy Girl, I love imagining the hours of fun and play these toys bring to children, as well as the “child-at-heart” in all of us.

Well, time to get back to work and get some of these new toys in here for you to enjoy! While some of these products will make their “debut” in our store and on the website soon, sadly some will still be months away. Either way, we will be sure to let you know when they arrive!

Bed Bugs Game Image Source:
Board Game Geek. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/35248/bed-bugs?size=large

We field many questions from parents, grandparents and others looking for fun, educational toys, and we enjoy providing insightful, personalized answers. In an effort to help more of you who may have similar inquiries, we will now feature your popular and interesting questions!

Our first question comes from Kelly H., a shopper in our State College, PA store.

Kelly’s Question: As timing would have it, there are three(!) baby showers in my family this month. I tend to give a similar gift basket-style present at showers, but I really don’t want to show up at each with the same thing! Can you give me some ideas of the latest and greatest in baby toys?

Growing Tree Toys’ Answer: A good reply is probably what the toy store employees choose to give to their own friends and family! Our top choice is definitely Cloud B’s Twilight Turtle (and its friends, the Twilight Sea Turtle and the Twilight Ladybug). Turn off the lights and the plush creatures with hard shells (or wings for the ladybug) project actual constellations onto the ceiling! A soothing toy for babies, we can report that older kids and adults like them as well!

Another plush favorite is perfect for when you know whether the proud parents-to-be are going to have a boy or a girl. Super-soft Bear Baby Mats come in pink and blue with a huge surface for playtime or naptime. The new baby’s new best friend is 31″ long – perfect for growing babies – and parents will love him too, as he is machine washable AND is reinforced with a non-slip material.

How about a colorful toy that promotes multi-sensory fun? At only $14.95, the two foot-long Musical Inchworm Baby Toy from Lamaze features eight segments that rattle, squeak, crinkle and jingle, and even a head that plays “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands” when squeezed! And, parents can use the inchworm’s belly to measure their growing bambino – something new parents love to track!

For more, check out the Music ‘n Play Table by Chicco and Infantino Toys’ Pink Surfboard Tummy Time Mat. Also watch our whole Baby Toys category for new and exciting additions from this year’s Toy Fair! We guarantee you will find the best in baby toys to bestow upon parents-to-be – and be the hit of the shower.

Have a question of your own? Feel free to reply to this post, or mention on our Facebook wall!

The fact is – sand gets everywhere! Whether you’re playing in a sandbox or lounging on the beach, sand will cling to every piece of cloth, it will fill every visible and unknown crevice, and it will provide hours of building amusement for youngsters and adults … who could ask for more?

I loved playing on the beach when I was younger because – for me – sand was the best thing since play-doh. Whether I was molding sand castles, digging holes until I struck water, or burying my dad up his neck, nothing was better than feeling the warm, coarse sand between my fingers and toes! However, my favorite part of every beach vacation was walking along the boardwalk where masters of the sand would shape, sculpt, and chisel amazing works of art in front of spectators!

Nowadays masters of the sand don’t need a beach to create their art, only a lot of sand, a lot of water and their trusty tools!

From the famous Ocean City, Maryland religious sculptures to classic ocean themes, sand sculptures represent a plethora of passions and myths. Without further ado – take a look at the sculptures of a few gifted artists!

I don’t know about you, but this is one 3D replica that is too good to be true! The only way this artist could add more “life” to these characters would be to add some Technicolor. Although I love the turtles – Crush and Squirt – the jelly fish steal the show as they seemingly “float” through the air.

While bringing your favorite characters out of the ocean to display on land is impressive, building a 5 star luxury castle for ocean royalty including Neptune, the god of the ocean, is an undertaking that (in my mind) is more difficult than rocket science! From inlaid graphics to chiseled stone work, it’s a shame these sculptures are – in fact – vulnerable to simple forces including water, wind, and gravity.

While I’ve never chiseled sand in my life, I (like many of you) have built my fair share of sand bucket castles. They may not have been pretty but they were fun to build! But for families who can’t make it to the beach or that don’t have the space for a backyard sandbox, never fear – sandy fun is never far away!

The only tabletop “sandbox” play sets I’ve ever seen are made by the Be Good Company, and thankfully, they come in a variety of themes and designs. Each set includes lots of accessories for kids to let their imagination run wild. Two of my favorite My Little Sandbox Sets are the Mermaid and Friends My Little Sandbox Set, and the Big Builder My Little Sandbox Set. While these sets aren’t the same as building on the beach, they’ll keep kids coming back for more play fun until they can get their hands and bodies and clothes covered

Then again, why would we travel to see sand sculptures when, in our hometown of State College, Pa, we have our very own exhibition each year. During the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the Central Parklet becomes the home of some awesome artistic talent. A few years ago, Brad Goll spend 5 days (Wednesday to Sunday) sculpting a collage of “classic toys” that astounded and amazed – and held a special place in the heart of Growing Tree Toys.

Look closely and you can see some of the nostalgic toys from your childhood hidden within the collage. I picked Mr. Potato Head and the Etch a Sketch out from the crowd right away – they were always my favorite toys. Can you find yours?

Source Citation:
Mountz, Annemarie. Work continued Saturday on the sand sculpture in Central Parklet. December 9, 2009. http://live.psu.edu/image/18146

I’ll never forget the scraggly pre-school pipe cleaners that plagued my beautiful art projects! Sure, pipe cleaners were perfect to use as the arms and legs of paper projects, or to make cute animals, but when they touched a glob of glue their soft fuzz would shrivel and all but disappear. These less-than-fuzzy pipe cleaners also failed the “bend and build” challenge – they’d fall apart midway through making anything! Well, not anymore!

The tiny, inadequate pipe cleaners we all knew (and loved to loathe – in my case at least) have been replaced by monstrous-sized, fluffy fiber sticks that are certain to hold up the endless creations kids can imagine and build – over and over and over! Best of all, these pipe cleaners feature bright, bold colors and cool striped patterns, which add even more fuel to the imaginative fire!

With new and improved pipe cleaners popping up everywhere you look, it’s no wonder kid’s are making some truly crafty creations!

This is one red hot dragon creation that’s very cool! Featuring a thick, furry pipe cleaner body, realistic wings, and additional embellishments that add to this fierce dragon style, there’s nothing meek and mild about this creature!

As pipe cleaners become more popular than ever, some companies are taking their love of these fuzzy fiber sticks to exciting extremes. This playful puppy was created using Brain Noodles– they’re the new non-traditional pipe cleaners that are available in themed kits to keep the imagination intrigued! These kits include such favorites as the Brain Noodles Stripes Kit, the Brain Noodles Fabulous Flowers Kit, and the Brain Noodles Big Kit!

No matter which brand of super-duty, fiber sticks you choose for you next arts and crafts project, you can be sure that they can withstand any bend, fold, twist, or spiral you give them! These durable sticks make it easy for kids (or adults) to take one project apart and start building a new one using the same fiber sticks.

Here are a few fuzzy pipe cleaner creations that I hope will make you smile:

To this day I am the reigning Uno champion among my family and my friends. While most of them say that my luck is too good to be true (ahem… that I cheated), I say that I’m merely lucky – lucky enough to attract most “Draw Four” and “Wild” cards in the pile. I admit that, yes, that sort of luck seems suspicious, but the game of Uno is and will always be about the luck of the draw. So, how can you cheat chance?

When you see the Uno Card Game today, you can experience themed Uno decks ranging from the Simpsons to the Cars movie to the extremely popular High School Musical 2; however, I was fortunate enough to grow up with the blissfully blank original version of this classic game (which I still have to this day because classics never die).

While the mechanics of the Uno Card Game have always been deceptively simple – there are 4 colors of cards (red, green, blue, and yellow) with numbers that range from 0 to 9, 3 “action” cards (reverse, skip, and draw two), and special action cards (draw four and wild) that players use to empty their hand of cards – players often forget that their success relies strictly on chance.

Then again, unless you were playing with your parents (and not even always then), the official Uno rules were strictly voluntary making “chance” a little less likely. I mean whether you drew cards from the “pick up” pile until you had one to play or you discarded as many action cards in a row as possible during a Uno face-off, everyone made their own rules to this game – whether or not they admit it.

Here’s a small piece of Uno history that I dug up from the YouTube archives – the very 80’s Uno Game commercial (Enjoy!):