Gifting STEM Toys This Holiday Season (Copy)

This year I’m making a conscious effort to gift smart! You might be wondering what I’m talking about. I recently discovered the world of STEM toys and was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t learned about them before. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math but STEM toys focus on so much more. Although they look just as fun as regular toys, they’re actually tools that help kids develop their abilities while they have fun and learn. STEM toys generally consist of board games, building blocks and science kits and are available for children as young as toddlers all the way to teens!

We tried out and are sharing 3 STEM toys that can all be found in the GIFT WHIZ tool that was created by Learning Resources and we loved the toys so much that we’ll be using it to make informed and personalized choices for gifts for all the kids on my holiday shopping list this season!

Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ.

Counting Surprise Party

This toy is the gift that keeps giving! Your little ones will be thrilled to discover presents that are filled with surprises! This gift will help them learn their colors, to count and to identify objects such as robots, cats, guitars and even a plane! It’s priced at under $20 so it’s the perfect gift for any 3 year old on your list!

Click here to check out the Counting Surprise Party

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl helps your kids strengthen hand-eye coordination as well as an introduction to colors, shapes and number recognition skills. Your children will drop the coins in a slot on the owl’s head and use scissor skills to flap the wings and the coins come tumbling out!

Click here to check out Hoot the Fine Motor Owl.

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1-2-3 Build It!™ Construction Crew

There are 3 different ways your little engineers can put this toy together! They can build a digger, a dump truck and a bulldozer with easy and big snap together pieces. This toy helps to develop and strengthen fine motor skills, hand strength, coordination and other skills that help prepare them for preschool! Your kids imaginations will run wild while they learn and have fun playing with the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

Click here to check out the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

The GIFT WHIZ will guide you and help you choose the best gift for the children in your life! It takes all the guesswork out of holiday shopping! Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ by Learning Resources.

Gifting STEM Toys This Holiday Season

This year I’m making a conscious effort to gift smart! You might be wondering what I’m talking about. I recently discovered the world of STEM toys and was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t learned about them before. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math but STEM toys focus on so much more. Although they look just as fun as regular toys, they’re actually tools that help kids develop their abilities while they have fun and learn. STEM toys generally consist of board games, building blocks and science kits and are available for children as young as toddlers all the way to teens!

We tried out and are sharing 3 STEM toys that can all be found in the GIFT WHIZ tool that was created by Learning Resources and we loved the toys so much that we’ll be using it to make informed and personalized choices for gifts for all the kids on my holiday shopping list this season!

Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ.

Counting Surprise Party

This toy is the gift that keeps giving! Your little ones will be thrilled to discover presents that are filled with surprises! This gift will help them learn their colors, to count and to identify objects such as robots, cats, guitars and even a plane! It’s priced at under $20 so it’s the perfect gift for any 3 year old on your list!

Click here to check out the Counting Surprise Party

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl helps your kids strengthen hand-eye coordination as well as an introduction to colors, shapes and number recognition skills. Your children will drop the coins in a slot on the owl’s head and use scissor skills to flap the wings and the coins come tumbling out!

Click here to check out Hoot the Fine Motor Owl.

---

1-2-3 Build It!™ Construction Crew

There are 3 different ways your little engineers can put this toy together! They can build a digger, a dump truck and a bulldozer with easy and big snap together pieces. This toy helps to develop and strengthen fine motor skills, hand strength, coordination and other skills that help prepare them for preschool! Your kids imaginations will run wild while they learn and have fun playing with the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

Click here to check out the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

The GIFT WHIZ will guide you and help you choose the best gift for the children in your life! It takes all the guesswork out of holiday shopping! Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ by Learning Resources.

Make a Gazillion Memories This Summer!

With BBQ season finally here, I've found the MUST have products to keep children entertained: the Gazillion Bubbles Collection! Their bubble machines and wands will keep children of all ages busy and playing outside, instead of in front of the TV. Make a Gazillion memories this summer with Gazillion Bubbles! Their top secret bubble solution makes the brightest and most colourful bubbles that are eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic and won't stain clothing or furniture!

The Gazillion Bubbles Tornado is a must have for any backyard or patio. You turn on this machine and there are literally hundreds of bubbles within seconds! It's light weight and affordable so I'm even going to bring mine to the park this summer! Be prepared to be the favourite parent in the neighbourhood with this machine!

Their bubble wands are just as fun! Zane had a blast chasing the bubbles and this is definitely something I'm going to keep in our stroller all summer. Gazillion Bubbles also has Crazy Wands (scroll down for a few pics) which are for kids a bit older than Zane but I think they would also make such awesome loot bag ideas if you're planning a birthday party this summer!

Gazillion Bubbles products are available for purchase in Canada at Walmart & TRU Canada

Make a Gazillion Memories This Summer!

With BBQ season finally here, I've found the MUST have products to keep children entertained: the Gazillion Bubbles Collection! Their bubble machines and wands will keep children of all ages busy and playing outside, instead of in front of the TV. Make a Gazillion memories this summer with Gazillion Bubbles! Their top secret bubble solution makes the brightest and most colourful bubbles that are eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic and won't stain clothing or furniture!

The Gazillion Bubbles Tornado is a must have for any backyard or patio. You turn on this machine and there are literally hundreds of bubbles within seconds! It's light weight and affordable so I'm even going to bring mine to the park this summer! Be prepared to be the favourite parent in the neighbourhood with this machine!

Their bubble wands are just as fun! Zane had a blast chasing the bubbles and this is definitely something I'm going to keep in our stroller all summer. Gazillion Bubbles also has Crazy Wands (scroll down for a few pics) which are for kids a bit older than Zane but I think they would also make such awesome loot bag ideas if you're planning a birthday party this summer!

Gazillion Bubbles products are available for purchase in Canada at Walmart & TRU Canada

Best Wooden Toys Under $20

If you follow my blog then you know I love children's wooden toys and the ones we have are among Zane's favourite.  I've rounded up the best on Amazon for under $20! Let me know if you have any other amazing finds that should be added to my list! Click the image or product links below for more info :)

Rainbow Stacker Wooden Ring Educational Toy

Promotes hand-eye coordination and concepts of colour and size.

Stack and Sort Board - Wooden Educational Toy With 15 Solid Wood Pieces

Colourful skill-building toy for toddlers and preschoolers. Promotes hand-eye coordination

Primary Lacing Beads - Educational Toy With 30 Wooden Beads and 2 Laces

Promotes hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills

Shape Sorting Cube - Classic Wooden Toy With 12 Shapes

Promotes colour and shape recognition and problem-solving skills.

Take-Along Tool Kit Wooden Construction Toy (24 pcs)

Promotes hand-eye coordination, counting, sorting, colour recognition, and problem-solving skills.

Deluxe Wooden Pound-A-Peg Toy With Hammer

Promotes colour recognition and hand-eye coordination.

First Bead Maze - Wooden Educational Toy

Improves fine motor skills and colour and shape recognition

Stacking Train - Classic Wooden Toddler Toy (18 pcs)

Great for hand-eye coordination and imaginative play

Xylophone Musical Instruments Toys- Wooden 8 Key Notes Xylophone Toys Hand Knock Piano Music Instrument for Toddle Kid,Rainbow color

Classic ABC Wooden Block Cart Educational Toy With 30 Solid Wood Blocks (LC)

Features numbers, letters and pictures to identify for vocabulary-building

Deluxe Pound and Roll Wooden Tower Toy With Hammer

Brightly colored, smooth-sanded pieces help build early shape, color, and size differentiation skills

Abacus - Classic Wooden Educational Counting Toy With 100 Beads

Promotes counting, colour recognition, fine motor skills, and early math skills.

Preschool Educational Toy Wooden Balance Scale Toy with 6 Weights for Kids

Learn the theory of balance through balancing the scale and train your baby's hands-on ability

Food Groups - 21 Hand-Painted Wooden Pieces and 4 Crates

Encourages counting, sorting, pretend play, and an interest in food and nutrition.

From Dragons to Princesses to Farms... You Will Find It All at PLAYMOBIL!

PLAYMOBIL® is known for their iconic figurines and imaginative play. They have everything from Ghostbusters™ to NHL® to Christmas themed play sets for children of all ages! So in time for the holidays, we got a chance to try out 2 of their toys from the 1.2.3 Collection, which is meant for younger children. We tried out the 1.2.3 My Take Along Noah's Ark and the Ladder Unit Fire Truck. 

We loved the Take Along Noah's Ark! For starters, the deck opens up so that all the animals and accessories can be stored inside, which means no lost figurines and no clutter! #momwin. Zane loves the animals and the bright colours, and soon enough he'll be using his imagination to create new adventures for all the animals :). This toy is recommended for 1.5 years+ because some of the pieces are a little small, so I stored the smaller pieces in the arc, and let him play with the ones that were appropriate! The Take Along Noah's Ark even has a handle on it so when your minis need to go with you to grandma's house or over to someone's for dinner, it's a super easy toy to pack up and bring along. 

The Ladder Unit Fire Truck is also great! It has a ladder that swivels around and it even comes with a little fire man figurine so your children will be able to save the day and put out any imaginary fires that they may find! I may get the Fire Rescue Helicopter next for Zane that so that his Fireman has a friend :). The firetruck has room in the basket or the driver's seat for any of the 1.2.3 figurines, so if you have another one of their sets, you can turn any character into a fire fighting hero! I really recommend checking out the PLAYMOBIL website - they have Take Along Farms, Ships and a ton of other figurines and sets that your littles will love! Click here to visit their website to find the perfect gift in time for the holidays!