Bring home one of your favorite carnival treats with the Nostalgia Old Fashioned Snow Cone Maker ($49). This old-fashioned carnival snow cone maker quickly shaves mounds of “snow” to make your very own flavored snow cones. Or make ice for more grownup treats (margaritas, anyone?).
It’s hot, and the kids are clamoring for ice cream. In the time it takes to drive to the local ice cream parlor, you can make your own delicious ice cream at home with the Half Pint Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker ($30). Just fill the freezer bowls with your fresh ingredients, and in 6-12 minutes, you can serve two delicious homemade treats, right in the same bowls. Includes two 12-ounce freezer bowls and six easy recipes for ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet. The kids will think you’re a hero, and you’ll love the money you’ll save.
Give your kids a greener lunch with the Butterfly Waste-Free Lunch Kit ($45). BPA, lead and phtalate free, this kit includes a recycled cotton lunch sack, stainless steel bottle, 2 round containers with lids, napkin and food kozy. Use them together for a complete lunch or individually for on-the-go snacks. With its sleek design and stylish prints, you might just want your own for the office. Now, if only they would pack themselves…
Bring a bit of fun back to school with the Ladybug Mini Stapler ($9). The ladybug is a symbol of good luck – and this one comes with a box of 1,000 staples. How lucky is that?
Kids love to go bike riding and roller blading. Wearing helmets…not so much. With HelmetZoo Helmet Covers ($40) your kids will actually be excited to wear their helmets. From princess crowns to devil horns (and lots of animals in between), there’s something for every kid. And they come in adult sizes, so you can be cool and safe too.
Ah, to be a baby. Every day is a world full of discoveries. Like, “what happens if I dump my milk on the floor? Boy, does that get a reaction from Mommy!” Put away the mop and give your baby Fisher Price Stack & Roll Cups ($12). These stacking, nesting, fit-together-roll-around cups offer lots of fun discoveries, with different colors, sizes and numbers to build early identification skills. This set includes 10 colorful cups and a smiling jingle ball that can nest inside any cup, or crown the whole stack. “Hmmm, what happens if I pull on the toilet paper? Oooh, fun!”
Like a strange creature from the future, Okiedog Cheeky Chick ($52) is a unique ride-on that will have your toddler rolling along in no time. Cheeky Chick is easy to push, stable, and folds to a fraction of its original size, making it convenient to carry and store. Best of all, it’s ready right out of the box – no assembly required! Three words every parent loves to hear, right after “I love you.”
Whether you’re trying to save money, eat healthy, or take care of your little slice of Mother Earth, planting your own vegetable garden just makes sense these days. And it’s a great project to do with your kids – they can get their hands dirty, discover how a tiny seed grows into a plant, and learn about caring for the environment. And then they can tell their friends all about it with the Grow Your Own Food Gardening Kid’s T-Shirt ($14). Screenprinted by hand in white ink on a Kelly green 100% cotton, this tee really is “green.”
Kids love to play with their food. Now you can let them with the Constructive Eating Utensils Set ($20). Cleverly disguised as construction tools, these utensils are on the job to help your child successfully move that food from plate to mouth (or ‘round and ‘round the plate). This “crew” includes “Fork Lift” Fork, “Bulldozer” Pusher and “Front Loader” Spoon – all scaled for little hands to hold, with textured handles for easy gripping. Made from PVC-free, phthalate-free plastic these utensils are rugged, yet lightweight, and dishwasher safe. If only they could guarantee your kids would eat their peas…
There’s no use crying over spilled milk, especially if it’s Spilt Milk ($11). Designed to look like an accident in progress, this soft, flexible silicone bowl will add a splash of fun to your table. Dishwasher safe and practically indestructible, this bowl is perfectly sized for a helping of Cheerios, or ice cream…
Kids love LEGOS and they love playing games. Now the two come together in Creationary ($35), the fun new game that you build, play and change. With the unique buildable LEGO Dice and changeable rules, Creationary is never the same game twice. Roll the LEGO Dice to select one of four exciting building categories – vehicles, buildings, nature or things. With three levels of difficulty your kids can show off their building skills, as you guess what they are creating. A great way to encourage imagination, creativity, building and guessing skills. Take game night to a whole new level!
Keep your personal thoughts and treasures safe with the Keep Safe Diary ($20) – a musical diary with a secret compartment. You create your own electronic password, then press the correct combination of musical buttons to open the diary. With a large hidden compartment for storing your special things, diary paper, a gel pen and fun stickers, this diary has it all. Now you can keep prying eyes and snooping siblings out of your diary and your secret stuff. Unfortunately, it can’t keep them out of your room.
Add some variety to Family Game Night with Picky Sticks™ ($34), the crazy game of magnets and balance. Sticks the Hedgehog has lost his quills! Be the first to re-attach all of your quills to win. But be careful – Sticks is picky about how you put them back on. If one falls off again, you’ll be in a “sticky” situation. Includes 2 yellow quills with metal rings, 20 green quills, 20 short blue quills, 2 support beams, 1 metal rod, magnetic hedgehog, game board and rule booklet. Remember – where there’s a quill, there’s a way!
It’s 3 a.m. and your adorable little bundle of joy will not fall asleep. You’ve fed her, burped her, changed her diaper, swaddled, rocked, bounced, and walked with her, but she will. not. go. to. sleep. Don’t despair! Ocean Wonders Soothe & Glow Seahorse ($14) is here to help! With a gentle squeeze, this cuddly little seahorse glows and plays soft music, lullabies and soothing sounds of the ocean. After five minutes the music fades, lights dim, and baby drifts to sleep… And you stumble back to bed for some much needed rest. At least until she wakes up for the 6:00 feeding. [Thanks Jason]
Prepare your baby for a close encounter of the cuddly kind with the Snuggly Spaceship ($15). This super soft blankie is attached to a brightly colored plushie spaceship with ribbons for baby to grasp. Teach your small human to trust the little green men from outer space – they come in peace (and snuggles). Just don’t let the men in black get a hold of it!
Playgrounder is a web magazine helping parents and kids find the very best stuff. Our team digs up the best toys, games, gear, clothes, DVDs and more. New items are posted daily. Learn More »
