Growing Tree Toys Blog » Amazing Kids

Who Needs a Kid’s Basketball Hoop?

Kristin Bushong — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:00:15 +0000

I loved visiting arcades as a kid, frequenting the pinball machines, Skee Ball, and primarily, basketball. I really liked the one with the moving hoop and both 2- and 3-point shots. While my skills have diminished over the years, they were totally trumped by a recent video I saw: a girl making 128 shots in a row!

This made me think, there must be hundreds of videos out there with kids showing off their shooting skills, like the amazing golden hockey goal I wrote about earlier this year.

One that caught my eye was this little boy who makes a whole lot of shots in a row. (And it’s real!) But what makes the video so great? Not only is he playing in a garage, but there is a “kiddie hoop” in there, and while it seems to be more “his size,” he’s obviously outgrown it already! How many do you think he makes in a row? Check it out:

Your kids can shoot hoops at home, too! Take a look at Baby Basketball for the little ones, and the Catch and Shoot Basketball Game for kids 6 and up!

The Amazing Max: A Growing Tree Toys Amazing Kids Post

Ellen Yates — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:00:33 +0000

Seven-year-old Max loves the colors purple and brown, Toyota Siennas, spaghetti and car washes. His very cute smile will always brighten my mood when I’m tired of writing product descriptions. And Max has special powers.

Shortly after Max was born he suffered a bilateral stroke, which resulted in his having cerebral palsy. Ellen Seidman, Max’s mom, chronicles Max’s struggles and successes (as well as her own) on her blog, Love That Max. Today we want to celebrate some of the amazing things that Max has accomplished too, as part of the Amazing Kids series!

Cerebral Palsy can affect a person’s movement and motor skills; create sight based, perceptual problems and sensory issues; limit communication and sometimes limit cognition. But despite everything that Max is up against, he accomplishes amazing feats all of the time!

For instance, Max has a knack for identifying car models. He frequently points out his favorite Toyota Siennnas, distinguishing them from other types of mini vans. He can also identify a Honda Accord, which his babysitter drives. Most impressive of all, he recently identified a Lincoln Town Car like the one his family took to an airport 18 months prior. When he saw one he excitedly said “airplane!”

It has historically been difficult for Max to enjoy noisy or crowded public places without getting upset. But it looks as if he might be breaking down this personal barrier. Ellen reports that he was able to interact with guests and have lots of fun at his cousin’s large birthday party recently AND happily went out to get a haircut within the same week!

Max’s speech was affected by his cerebral palsy, but recently he has been exciting his parents and Love That Max readers by pronouncing words with more and more precision. A video of Max on the phone with his grandma, shows him pronouncing a “sh” sound and perfecting his pronunciation of the word “NOOOO!” In September Max reportedly pronounced “getting dressed” over the phone more clearly than any words Ellen had ever heard him say.

“Something really big is going on with Max’s speech. I mean, B-I-G,” writes Ellen in this post. “It’s just a little over a year after the stem cell infusion. And I’m beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, it did something.”

On August 25, 2009 Max received a stem cell injection from his banked cord-blood as part of a Duke University Clinical Trial and if Max’s recent progress is linked to it, there’s exciting news for kids with cerebral palsy everywhere.

There’s no way to know yet if there is a connection. The important things to consider about Max’s progress and effectiveness of the stem cell injections are: A) Max was already making amazing progress B) He has a large support network of friends, family, teachers and therapists who help him to learn and grow all of the time and C) Cerebral palsy affects everyone differently.

The best news is that Max continues to show signs of progress. Congratulations to Max who uses his special powers to spread smiles and hope!

This has been a Growing Tree Toys Amazing Kids post. All photographs are property of Ellen Seidman and were borrowed from Love That Max.

Amazing Kids Rock Children’s Day at the Arts Festival

Ellen Yates — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:00:21 +0000

Last Wednesday, Downtown State College was invaded by hoards of kids! They set up tables full of arts, crafts and games along Allen Street and started selling at the Arts Festival Children’s Day. As a kid, I spent hours walking down the three block stretch of crafts, buying cool toys from my peers. I still think Children’s Day is the most fun day of the festival.

This year, according to local kids’ day tradition, there were kids selling headbands with beautiful princess streamers, a few pop guns, and the requisite grass head dolls. It seems that someone in every generation reinvents these Art’s Fest staples.

I bought three exciting pieces of artwork! I couldn’t resist the little girl who had written “Portraits of Dogs 50 cents” on her display poster. She gave me an excellent picture of a sled dog team. But then I found Wild Pig and Monster Ray, two strange creatures drawn by an imaginative young man.

I picked up a copy of “Monster Ray Saves the Day” and a portrait of Wild Pig. Monster Ray is a bat-like, horned and very cool comic book hero who can fight in space. The story follows Monster Ray as his small ship gets sucked into a larger one. Creatures in the large ship come to destroy Ray’s ship, but he busts out of it and destroys them instead. Next Monster Ray saves Snarkle, his nemesis, from the crashing ship. In the last panel, Snarkle asks, “Why did you help me Monster Ray?” And Monster Ray replies “Heroes always help.” A very satisfying story.

The Growing Tree Toys Store Staff was hard at work making visors with kids outside of the store. More than 900 kids showed up to make a visor in a mad visor making dash that took less than three hours! That’s 300 visors an hour!

Despite the extreme heat, it was a successful Children’s Day. I saw some talented kids from the State College Suzuki Program, playing piano on the Allen Street stage. There was a National Marionette Theater performance of Hansel and Gretel and of course the beginnings of the giant sand sculpture in Central Parklet! There were also tons of educational activities from local wildlife organizations and art programs.

But my favorite part of the day has always been the Children and Youth Grand Procession of kids wearing paper mache masks and banners made by local artists. Luckily, I could watch it from my window!

If you missed all the fun, plan to drop by next year on July 13th. We’d love to see you here!

This has been an amazing kids post, celebrating all of our creative Pennsylvania kids! Images from the festival and marionette show are from the Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival Website. Monster Ray, Wild Pig and the Dog Sled Team are scans of the Original artwork from awesome up-and-coming artists (whose names I didn’t get permission to share, but you will know them by their imaginations)!

Support Kids Who Give

Kristin Bushong — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:35:14 +0000

We just wanted to share a neat promotion sponsored by Farm Rich, makers of tasty mozzarella sticks and other frozen foods.

Kids Who Give was launched by Farm Rich in March of this year to find amazing kids around the U.S. “with a strong understanding of the meaning and purpose behind giving to others.” Right now they have ten outstanding semifinalists that will be narrowed down to five. Please visit kidswhogive.com to read biographies and see pictures of all ten kids. If you can pick a favorite – or just spread your votes around! – vote every day from now till July 20th.

(A neat side note: at the end of each biography is this thoughtful text: “Note: In the hope of capturing the spirit of youth and integrity of the entrant’s personal story, submission content has not been edited for spelling or grammar.”)

See more about Kids Who Give on Twitter and more about Farm Rich on their Facebook.

Jump Rope for Heart and Your Health!

Kristin Bushong — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:00:42 +0000

One of my shining moments to this day is when I was asked to be part of the fifth grade jump rope club as a mere first grader. It wasn’t just any club though; we echoed the era with high energy, choreographed “dances” that we presented while our fellow classmates enjoyed their lunches.

A whole different sense of group jump roping shines in the neat yearly fundraiser, Jump Rope for Heart. Students all over the country jump to raise funds for the American Heart Association, which supports cardiovascular disease research.

On February 1 of this year, 88,000 jumpers in California took part in the CAHPERD Jamba Jump Day™, jump roping simultaneously for 10 minutes. They easily eclipsed the world record held previously by Australia for “Most People Jumping/Skipping Rope at the Same Time”!

Overall, jump roping is great because it can span many age groups and skill levels, and the minimal equipment needed is rather inexpensive!

What if you or your kids want to take part in one of these special events, but need some practice first? Among all our neat toys are two unconventional jump ropes.

One of our fun jump ropes doubles as a craft project! The Make It Yourself Rubber Band Jump Rope Kit is constructed from woven rubber bands and connected to foam handles.

Just like all of Green Toys‘ products, their jump ropes feature recycled plastic, as well as 100% cotton rope! Take your pick of pink or purple.

But what about the jumps? You can learn about all the kinds, from the Backward 180 to the Swing Kick, as well as various partner and Double Dutch skills at the American Heart Association website!

No matter what kind of jump rope you use, it’s a fine activity for getting your heart pumping, and you can even support heart health research in the process. Get inspired with this fun video recapping the CAHPERD Jamba Jump Day™ feat!

Photos courtesy of the Auburn Journal. For more super kids doing great things, check out more Amazing Kids posts!

Zach Paints an Amazing Ninja Turtle

Ellen Yates — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:15:41 +0000

Smearing paint all-over paper is really fun for expressive toddlers—even if the finished picture looks like the aftermath of a Where the Wild Things Are rumpus. Feeling smooth, cold paint between our fingers is among the great physical sensations that humans experience.

While finger painting is a therapeutic and tactile activity, controlled paintings can be produced with a little patience and technique. Zach, a 3 year-old finger painter and YouTube star, has mastered a pointillist approach to finger painting that is pretty amazing.

In this video, Zach creates a portrait of Leonardo the Ninja Turtle.

Zach is a gifted painter, but his work is a cute reminder that there is more to finger painting than meets the eye. Toddlers can take their own finger paintings further by incorporating some of these easy ideas:

•Folds: Only have kids paint on half the page. While the painting is still wet—fold it in half to create a symmetrical design. Kind of like a colorful Rorschach ink blot test!

•Stencils: Most flat things work as stencils—look for objects with interesting edges or holes. Place these found or purchased stencils onto paper and start painting around the edges, using the stencil to maintain white space on the page.

•Draw First: Sometimes when kids take a few minutes to draw a scene in pencil first, they are happier with their final painting. Drawing a picture before applying finger paint teaches kids to plan ahead. Make sure they draw big shapes so they can fill them in with paint!

•Accessorize: Once a picture is dry, toddlers can use stickers to make a scene! Adults can also help toddlers to glue pressed flowers, sequins, buttons or whatever kids think of onto the dry painting.

This has been a Growing Tree Toys Amazing Kids Post. For other great finger painting ideas check out these Crayola Techniques! The still frame of Zach’s painting was extracted by ManiacWorld.

A Nine Year Old’s Amazing Golden Goal

Kristin Bushong — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:17:27 +0000

The highly entertaining 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia came to a close with a thrilling gold medal game in men’s hockey between the United States and host Canada. In what was the most publicized and popular hockey game since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. victory over the then-U.S.S.R., the commentators acknowledged how kids would be on their rinks and streets back home pretending to be the stars of the game.

Perhaps, though, some kids don’t need to wait for “superstar” status. Between periods, pro hockey games often feature on-ice entertainment, from funny games to shot competitions. In a 2009 Boston Bruins game, 9-year old Oliver Wahlstrom may have fooled everyone with this crafty goal.

He hardly even looks like a 9-year old in the video! Can you imagine how impressed the fans (and maybe any scouts in the stands!) must have been?

Stay tuned for more kids doing amazing things here at the Growing Tree Toys blog.

Hands-Down Entertainment on Wheels – The New Way to Handstand

Kendra Confer — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:30:46 +0000

My first handstand attempt at 6 years old: I was standing barefoot on the edge of the hard blue gym mat with my hands held shakily in front of me. Taking a step forward to brace myself, I placed my hands on the mat and pushed my feet in the air (but they didn’t stop there) – they kept going and going until … I crashed miserably onto the floor!

Balance and coordination are two skills I don’t have, so I’ve a laundry list of “no-no” activities that require large amounts of both, including handstands, skateboarding, and walking (on occasion). As an outsider of the “balance and coordination” group, I was awed and amazed to find that there are people – with awesome skills and years of dedication – that actually combine all three!

The question becomes: What has four limbs and rolls upside down? A handstanding skateboarder of course! These daredevils combine their love of skateboarding with their gymnastic ability to not fall over when their feet are in the air, leisurely coasting down hills and around curves up to a few miles at a time.

Best of all, this is one upside down activity that all ages can enjoy. In this YouTube video, Greg Bock throws down the skateboard handstand that he’s been practicing since 1975 – and he’s managing it on a curved, downhill driveway!

While I don’t recommend that you try this “hands-down” brand of skateboarding, I do think that it looks like fun (from a spectator’s point of view)!

Two Talented Toddlers – A Capital Genius and Finger Painting Picasso

Kendra Confer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:30:01 +0000

According to my parents, I learned to read whole books when I was 2 (it was probably closer to 3), I learned to walk at 9 months (which is true), and I was “oh so smart and talented!” What did you expect? They are my loving parents.

While I believe I was a rather ordinary child, I’d like to introduce you to two toddlers who are anything but ordinary!

Two-year old Aiden Silva, with the aid of GeoPuzzles from GeoToys, has memorized the names of every country and its capital across the globe – even with weeks of studying, most adults would not accomplish such a task! From France to Ethiopia, this super-smart toddler can identify each country by shape and expertly pronounce (for a 2-year-old at least) their tongue-twisting capital names.

Aiden’s mind-blowing talent was justly awarded the Relly Award in the Junior Achiever: Amateur category. Way to go Aiden! I know I couldn’t remember all of those countries and capitals – especially in front of a studio audience! NOTE: The Relly Awards are Regis and Kelly’s spoof of the daytime Emmy’s where the winners are presented with a golden stool.

Here is a video of the terrific toddler in action:

Another toddler who turns ordinary into extraordinary is three-year-old Zach – a fantastic finger painter who turns splotch marks into works of art! Considering that even as an adult I have trouble drawing stick figures, it’s strange to watch this tiny tot create a picture of a Ninja Turtle using only blue paint, green paint, and his fingers. Watch the master at work (enjoy!):

What a talented couple of toddlers! They blow me away!

Source Citation:
“3-Year-Old Relly Award Winner Makes ‘em Roar!” http:abclocal.go.com. September 29, 2009. November 19, 2009. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/entertainment&id=7038555

Bounce, Pounce, and Flip – A New Action Sport for our Gymnic Hop Balls

Kendra Confer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:38 +0000

I remember the good old days when extreme sports were skateboarding and skydiving, but as more kids and adults attempt to conquer extreme sports, sport innovators reinventing the concept of “extreme” in hopes of out-performing everyone else. While trying to create a sport no one has ever seen before, one amazing kid has combined two of my favorite childhood toys – the hop ball and the trampoline – to create the ultimate bouncing experience!

Now, you may love the original Hop Balls (as well as the colorful and sparkly ones made today), but did you ever dream of turning your favorite low-to-the-ground bouncing ball into a sky-high aerial assistant?

And while I loved attempting to perform front flips on my neighbors oversized trampoline, I never dreamed that it could be used as a building block for the most unconventional action sport I’ve seen to this day.

So, the question becomes what do you get when you combine a traditional Hop Ball, an oversized trampoline, and a dedicated aerial acrobat? Why, you ask? Here’s why … Drum roll, please!

(We don’t recommend you try this at home – ever!)

Can you believe this kid was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with two extreme bouncing forces and come out on top? I can’t! And (for 10 minutes after I saw the video), I was smug enough to think “it’s not that hard” until I took my old trampoline and my sister’s hop ball and tried to just bounce up and down – I failed miserably! This new action sport requires use of coordination muscles that I have yet to develop, which leaves me with a whole new respect for this fancy flipping, sky high daredevil.