Toys for Holiday Fun

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s the season of family, of food, and of football, and not necessarily in that order, what with three anticipated NFL games scheduled for the infamous turkey day. But, this year, instead of parting ways when the table’s been cleared, why not beat boredom and fight fatigue with an interactive family game?

So, in the tradition of sharing what one loves with others, I’ve put together some silly, informative, and puzzling games that the whole family can appreciate!

Colors and shapes – oh my! A quick and quirky game that promotes strategic reasoning and color and shape recognition, Qwirkle from Mindware is like a tile version of UNO with the layout of Scrabble. A great game for young children because no reading is required, but just as exciting for older kids and adults, Qwirkle challenges players to combine quick thinking and strategy to win. For 2 to 4 players.

Explore the globe from the comfort of your own home, all while learning fun, educational facts about our planet and the animals that inhabit it. An interactive game that will puzzle and excite players, the Planet Earth DVD Game from Imagination Games brings the popular television series down to size to show how much you really know about the planet. For 2 to 6 players.

Meeting in the middle has never been such a challenge. The Blokus Game from Mattel challenges players to start a color train and keep that train going despite the other players’ colors quickly closing in on you. Be the first player to get all of your pieces on the board while blocking your opponents – sounds easy right? Maybe not so easy, but tons of fun! I block you, you block me, he Blokus – what a game! For 2 to 4 players.

Roll, count, and shut – the Double Shutter Game from Blue Orange Games is that simple! Or is it? Play is easy – players roll 2 die, add the numbers, and strategically “shut” the numbered tiles. Players continue to roll and “shut” number tiles until there are no moves left. Do you have what it takes to clear the board? For 1 to 6 players.

A fun-filled cross between poker and Yahtzee, the Yamslam Game from Blue Orange Games promotes calculated risk and smart strategy. In this game, it’s all about the luck of the dice roll because players score points based on what combinations (or attempted combinations) they roll. Score high and score often to claim victory! For 1 to 4 players.

At the end of the day, Thanksgiving is about so much more than food. It’s about spending time with family and friends – and scrounging for points, taking the lead and landing in the winners circle with everyone’s favorite family games. Gobble Gobble!

[Charlie Brown] I can’t cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.  [Linus] That’s right. I’ve seen you make toast.

Charlie Brown may not be able to cook a turkey (he’s not allowed to touch a hot oven), peel potatoes (no playing with sharp objects allowed), or sweeten yams (what is a yam anyway?), but he’s still one good cook! From beautifully browned toast with butter to perfectly popped popcorn, everyone’s favorite character brings all of his friends together for the holidays with a dinner spread any kid would love!

When it comes to creating a holiday meal for the entire family, little ones are adorably notorious for finding ways to ‘help’ with the preparation so they can be just like mom and dad! So, this year, why not give kids the tools they need to create their own fantastically delicious and imaginatively nutritious Thanksgiving meal from start to finish.

With the sugar shock of a happy Halloween slowly wearing away, the Pretend & Play Supermarket Set from Learning Resources Toys provides children with the supplies they need to open their own store and shop for all of their Thanksgiving dinner needs. This 93-piece set includes a durable cotton apron with dry-erase nametag, shopping basket, groceries, assorted dry-erase sale signs, coupons, assorted plastic coins, paper play money, pretend credit card, and shopping lists – everything kids need to shop successfully!

Now that kids have ‘bought’ their groceries, do they have any cooking supplies? Look no further than the Completer Cooking Set from Alex Toys – the play set that is just the right size for kids to stir up some fun and bake a soufflé of play! This kid-sized, 9-piece set contains an oven mitt, pot holder, whisk, measuring spoon set, wooden spoon, sauté pan, 4.5” pot with lid, and sauce pan. Watch out Emeril, there’s a new chef in town!

No one likes bland and boring turkey – kids can add some zest to any pretend meal with the Melissa & Doug Magnetic Kitchen Bottle Collection Play Set! Common condiments that will certainly spice up imaginative play, this set features removable, color-coordinated magnetic caps and includes salad dressing, olive oil, tomato ketchup, jam, and mustard. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm!

And no one knows better than a child that there is always room for dessert, even during play, so the Slice and Bake Cookie Set from Melissa & Doug is sure to hit the spot! After a long day of cooking, the Slice and Bake Cookie Set lets kids create a decorative dessert as fancy or as simple as they like with the included 12 cookies and 18 different toppings. This delicious play set also includes a cookie sheet, a colorful kitchen mitt, a spatula, and a knife. These cookies are certain to appease the creative sweet tooth!

When the imaginative oven cools off and the delectable and creative cookies have been devoured, kids will be proud that they made their very own meal – just like mom, dad and Charlie Brown. Whew, I’m sure kids will be exhausted from their day of play. How about a nap?

[Lucy]
A person should always choose a costume which is a direct contrast to her own personality.

When it comes to Halloween classics, you can’t go wrong with Charles M. Schulz’s It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – a cute, colorful comedy about traditional Halloween “protocol” as I like to call it. In fact, Halloween “protocol” are the only guidelines my 9-year-old sister has ever followed willingly! And even though my sister has been planning her costume for this year since 30 seconds after she finished robbing the neighborhood of every ounce of candy last year – talk about planning ahead – I know that not everyone is as motivated for the scaring season as my family.

While many children go crazy for the latest and greatest costumes that grace the shelves of retailers near you, which include superheroes, cartoon characters, and beyond, sometimes the classics work best. As an avid costume maker, I usually strive for outlandish and fanciful costume creations, but I can still appreciate the costumes that have stood the test of time. Drum roll please … and the classic costumes of choice are:

Fire Chief Firefighter Dress-Up Set from Melissa and Doug This radical red costume is perfect for little ones who root for their everyday heroes and want to be just like them! This imaginative costume comes complete with a firefighter jacket with reflective trim, a badge, a helmet, a fire extinguisher, and a bullhorn with sound effect. You’re ready to go with this “cool” costume.

Doctor Dress-Up Set from Melissa and Doug No little one likes going to the doctor, but what about playing the part? A great way to let the inner healer out in little ones, this pretend play set includes a long white jacket, a mask, a head reflector, a thermometer, a stethoscope with sound effect, a syringe, a reflex hammer and an ear scope. Whether young ones are patching up ghosts or giving zombies their flu shot, this Doctor Dress-Up Set will steal the spotlight.

Flower Fairy Dress-Up Set from Schylling Toys Never underestimate the power of pretty princess! Let little ones shine among the ghosts and goblins as a magical fairy princess with fabulous flutter wings and a cool crown. This imaginative costume comes complete with pretty pink wings, a poofy headband, a magical wand, and a sheer tutu.

Doctor/Dentist/Veterinarian Dress-Up Set Who knew that one little white coat could prompt so many imaginative ways to play? An ode to the re-usable costumes of the past, this Doctor/Dentist/Veterinarian Dress-Up Set lets little ones dress the way they feel without ever changing their clothes! So whether kids choose to save animals, humans, or the injured tooth this costume provides them will all the necessities: a long white lab coat and a black medical bag filled with a plush needle, otoscope, and stethoscope.

Sugar Plum Fairy Musical Play Set from Acting Out Calling all prima ballerinas – this precious purple skirt with matching boa will have little ones dancing to the beat as they run along their trick-or-treat route or practicing pirouettes! Whether young ones have twinkle toes or love to dress up in true dance style, this musical play set has everything they need including a tiara with adjustable combs, a feather boa, LED lights, and an on/off music switch. Who needs ghouls and goblins when little ones can dress to impress?

When it comes to this classic scare-tastic season, it doesn’t matter if children dress scary, pretty, or practical as long as they dress-up – I mean, there’s no better excuse to look silly than to get free candy! I know I’d still do it if I could!

[Child Corpse Trio]
Tender Lumplings everywhere
Life’s no fun without a good scare

[Parent Corpses]
That’s our job, but we’re not mean
In our town of Halloween

Directly from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, this excerpt of the song ‘This is Halloween’ brings back so many ghoulishly wonderful Halloween moments from years past, such as hostess duty, candy duty, and scare duty! In my household, we thrive on the thrill of a good scare and make sure to stock up on all of the holiday necessities months in advance: plastic spiders and snakes, crepe paper ghost and pumpkins, goblin wall hangings, festive fall leaf window decals, and the “oodles of candy” list for the big night!

So, in the tradition of sharing what one loves with others, I’ve put together some sweet and stimulating Halloween accessories that all kids (and adults) can appreciate!

Yes, it is the season for a seemingly non-ceasing sweet tooth to take over your household – what with candy corn, caramel corn, and every other Halloween inspired candy that is manufactured today that seems to be calling to little ones (and big ones) alike. But, instead of simply calming that ravenous sugar craving, why not satisfy the craving in every child’s mind with a cool science kit – candy-inspired and edible of course!

For kids who love to experiment with tasty treats that are as close to professionally made as you can get, the Candy Factory Science Kit from Thames and Kosmos is the one-stop-shop for all things confection related. This kit is complete with molds, cutters, a candy thermometer, delicious recipes for kids’ candy favorites and so much more – there’s never a better or tastier time to explore the wonders of science.

You’ve heard of a “sweet tooth,” but have you ever heard of a “sour tooth?” The Sour Candy Factory Science Kit from Scientific Explorer brings the sassy side of sweet treats to the foreground for an experiment that tests your taste buds. This kit is complete with molds, recipes, sour powder and more to help candy-crazed mad scientists experiment with “sort of” sour and “too sour to talk” sour treats!

Calling all bakers! An introduction to the world of real-life baking (with supervision, of course), this baking set is the perfect accessory to craft those crazy Halloween-themed cupcakes. Meant to make baking as easy as 1,2,3 this Cutie Cupcake Baker Play Set from Toysmith includes a 6-cup mini baking pan, 200 colorful paper baking cups, inventive icing decorator with 6 interchangeable tips, and 4 exclusive Bella Bistro cupcake recipes.

At the end of the day, the Great Pumpkin holiday will have kids running ragged on high amounts of adrenaline and extreme levels of sugar, but hopefully some of these silly sciences will sink in or a young bake will emerge!