Playmobil Advent Calendar

The PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar is an innovative and inexpensive way to build excitement during the 24 days leading up to Christmas, and allows children ages four and up to continue playing with their new playsets long after the holiday season comes to an end (each day reveals a new toy and by Christmas the child has a complete playset).

New for 2010 are PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendars with Pony Ranch and Dragon’s Land themes. With a total of five different play worlds in all, each advent calendar is as unique as the imagination of the child who plays with it.  Please click on the following link to see all of the 2010 themes: http://bit.ly/dbv7iP

Advent Calendars from PLAYMOBIL retail for $18.99 and are available at specialty retailers nationwide.  

We were sent one of the Playmobil Advent Calendars to review, and I was really happy with the surprise package on my doorstep. I had seriously wanted to do an advent calendar this year, and this is a great way to introduce the kidlets to one.  Unlike the traditional advent calendar, where you get a piece of candy or a little trinket from the opened window, you get a little Playmobil piece to go with the city scape. The one we were sent was the Advent Calendar "Police". Each spot contains a little person, pieces for the person, pieces for the city (like a toilet!), and when you have all your pieces are out, you can open up the cityscape and play! I foresee a lot of fun opening this advent calendar during the holidays.

Wild Dill

Have you ever come across one of those sites where you can find all kinds of goodies and you just want to sit there and oogle the site all day? Well that is exactly what happened when I came across Wild Dill. All thanks to Facebook for having their little ad up while I was on.

You will find clothing, toys, art supplies, and gifts all on the Wild Dill website. And making the products even better is the fact that they are organic, eco-friendly, and even fair trade. They use bamboo and soy for most of the products that are sold on the site. The art supplies are all made from soy, which means if your monkey eats the glue, it'll be okay.

We were sent some of the art supplies that are sold on Wild Dill made by Clementine Art. As soon as the box was opened, we had to unroll paper and get to painting. I don't know a kiddo alive who doesn't like art in some form or another. Many children who have sensory issues and can't take the feel of the paint on the fingers, still love to look at beautiful pictures painted by other kids. And many children who can't enjoy the visual beauty of a painting, still enjoy feeling their fingers in the wet paint. Art is just one of those things that can soothe a soul and help you find joy in your day!

The Clementine Art Natural Rock Crayons were a big hit as well in the monkie house. The kids all oohed and ahhed over the way cool crayon rocks. Which kinda looked like little nuts.

The Clementine Art Natural Glue surprised me quiet a bit. It actually works. I wasn't expecting it to work as good as my trusty Elmer's, but I got pleasantly surprised when we tried it out. It holds papers tight, and dries pretty quickly. The drying time did seem to be a little longer than with regular glue, but it wasn't so bad that I would say it was a negative to purchasing the natural glue.

You can also find markers and modeling clay from Clementine Art. Wouldn't this make a lovely gift basket idea for your art lover? Just add some sketch paper, paint paper, and other little art supplies and you have a creative minds best gift EVAH! Check out Wild Dill for all the great products that they offer. You can follow them on Facebook to keep up with sales, new products, and discount codes.

Speaking of discount codes...Use code 15off when you make a purchase at Wild Dill and receive 15% off your total purchase!

Check out the Flickr set for our Wild Dill paint fun!

EcoMom

EcoMom is one of those sites that you can go to for EVERYTHING. Literally. They have organic food, toys, clothing, and even a forum to talk to other eco-conscience parents out there. They literally have everything. You might remember the review I held not to long ago for their organic snacks, in particular their Revolution Foods graham cracker snacks and fruit squeeze pouches. Both of which were a hit.  

Well, like I said before...EcoMom has it all. So when I was thinking of a great site to include in this here Gift Guide, I knew I wanted to have them as a partner. If you are looking for something for mom, dad, or the kids you are sure to find something that they will love. And when it comes to little girls, well they have the perfect gift...

Every little girl at some point wants a dollhouse. Last Christmas I ended up driving two hours to find one (which is now being used as a book case). I paid way too much for it and the quality was not that great. Which is why it is a bookcase now. The girls really loved it, but when the pieces all started to break we just had to re-purpose it. Savanna has already added a new dollhouse her to her wish list this year! But I want to make sure that the dollhouse that she receives from old St. Nick is durable this go round. If you are short on space, you should really try the Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Mini Dollhouse. It measures 13.13"x10.63"x6.13", which makes it perfect for table top play. And the fold up design allows it to store easily and quickly. It comes with a total of 11 pieces of furniture and 2 little people. Cost for the Melissa and Doug dollhouse is $60 on EcoMom and you get free shipping with it as well.This particular dollhouse is for ages 3+.

I am a huge M&D fan and EcoMom has so many of their products for really good prices that I know I will be shopping there a lot. LOL

Another of my favorites from EcoMom, and one I am sure all little boys would want, it the Crafty Kids Shuttle. They also have a little cottage for the girlies.

You can keep up with all that is happening on EcoMom by following along on Twitter, or liking them on Facebook.

Goliath Games

Board games are always a big hit with my kids. They absolutely love the different games that come out, and even the classics are a big hit. One of our favorite companies has quickly become Goliath Games. They have such a fun assortment of games that span all age levels that it is easy to find a new game to place under the tree. I have been on the hunt for games out of the box for the twins. We did Hungry Hungry Hippo, and while it is a big hit, it is stationary and they get bored. So when we were sent Mad Mouse to try out I was thrilled to see that the mouse moves! The cute little blue mouse darts around and the goal is to catch the mouse by the tail with little cat paws. When you catch the mouse you get cheese. Whoever gets the most cheese wins. Easy peasy! The twins actually screeched in delight over chasing this thing. Mad Mouse comes with 4 of the cat paws, the electronic mouse, 9 pieces of cheese, and requires 2 AA batteries. The cost for Mad Mouse is $30.99. You can purchase it on Goliath games website, Amazon, and several other sites. Check for all the places to purchase HERE.

We were also sent Pop the Pig to try out. This was definitely up Braden and Savanna's alley. This is a great game for learning to count and estimation. Why? Well because the players have to guess how many bites it will take the pig to eat the burger. With every time you push on piggies head, his tummy grows. Just don't push too many times, or the tummy pops. Think of the first time you saw a Jack in the Box. And the reaction to "POP! Goes the weasel" That would be Colton's reaction every.single.time that Braden made the stomach pop. Which was every.single.time it was his turn! Pop the Pig is for ages 4+ and it is great fun. It comes with 1 Pop the Pig and 16 burgers. The cost is $24.99 (it is on sale right now!).

Along with these two games there are many more games available through Goliath Games. Check them all out and see which is your favorite!

Learning Curve's Dinosaur Train

I am a big believer in PBS and the shows that they put out for kids to watch. One of our favorites by far is Dinosaur Train. I don't know many little boys who don't love learning about dinosaurs, and most little girls are secretly enthralled by the big animals as well!

Learning Curve is bringing the Dinosaur Train fun right into your home with their new line of Dinosaur Train toys. Directly inspired by the familiar sights, sounds and iconic characters of the popular preschool series from The Jim Henson Company seen daily on PBS KIDS® (check local listings), the new Dinosaur Train product line brings dinosaur play to life like never before. With many of the items available for under $20, the innovative preschool product line includes interactive dinosaur action figures, collectible dinosaurs, plush, train sets, and electronic learning aids. To get a first hand look at the line, I also wanted to send you 3 really cute and funny videos Learning Curve created that feature children interacting with the new toys and the product designers talking about how the items were created.

What makes these toys great is the smart talk technology that has been integrated into each of the toys. The innovative preschool product line includes interactive dinosaur action figures, collectible dinosaurs, plush and train sets, and is available at major retailers across the country. With the Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures your little one will spend lots of time playing and learning about his favorite dinos from the show. In addition to being able to recognize and respond to other Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures, each character is fully articulated and is packed with one-of-a-kind dinosaur features, including a minimum of 40 dinosaur sounds, facts and character phrases. With multiple activation touch points that trigger a signature dinosaur feature, such as stomping or chomping, Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures provide hours of interactive and imaginative fun all by themselves or alongside the other dinosaur friends in Learning Curve’s line.

In addition to the Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures, key items in the Dinosaur Train line making their debut at retailers nationwide include Dinosaur Train Dinosaur and Train Car 2-packs, a detailed collectible dinosaur figure and a train car decorated to match the specific character; and Lights and Sounds Dinosaur Train, a colorful prehistoric train set that expands to fit additional dinosaur friends and their special train cars.

We were actually sent  two of the Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures to play around with. Tiny is my favorite from the show and she is pterodactyl. She has over 40 phrases and sounds that she makes/says. The other one was Buddy. Buddy is the misplaced T-Rex being raised by a family of pterodactyl's (Tiny is his sister). Like Tiny he says over 40 phrases/sounds. It is really cool getting them together and letting them interactwith each other. This is alone will keep em enthralled for a good few bit! Talk about a lot of giggling going on in my living room when they started playing with. All most as much as when we went and checked them out online to see all the items in the line. Connor and Colton have taken over the ones we were sent, so I can definitely see having to get at least one more for Braden. My daughters actually pouted because they didn't get them!

Check out Learning Curve's complete Dinosaur Train line of toys on their website. You can locate a place to purchase the items, watch cool videos showing you more about how the InterAction line works, and get a giggle out of your little one by playing around with the Games and More section!

Learning Curve Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway

Great products for little minds seem to be abundant in the toy industry. But finding a company that has toys that have been parent tested, parent approved, and that offers a range of toys from infant to preschooler is a harder job. Thankfully we have Learning Curve to turn to!

Learning Curve offers developmental toys that engage children, and provide parents with peace of mind, knowing their children are being inspired and enlightened by safe and quality playthings. And our care, safety, feeding and soothing products provide you with solutions to day-to-day needs at mealtime, bedtime, at home and on-the-go..

One of the newest additions is the new Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway. This wooden railway set is perfect for introducing your little one to the joys of trains. The age specified for the products are 18 months+. My boys being 3 and 5 are a bit older than that, but they still had a blast putting the pieces together and building the railroad. We were sent the Early Engineers Roundabout Station Set to review, and I will have to say that my first thought was that this was going to be super easy for the boys to put together and take apart on their own. It is. 

The Early Engineers line offers young train lovers their first stop in wooden train play. Chunky vehicles, sturdy tracktiles, and simple destinations are just right for little hands. And, since Early Engineers is compatible with any Thomas Wooden Railway products, the journey continues as your toddler grows

The Roundabout Station Set includes Tracktile, Maithwaite Station, Thomas, crossing gate, spinning cargo and two track connectors. It can easily be added to with the other pieces in the Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway line. I do plan on purchasing more of these for Christmas for the boys. It makes a great item that they can all share and play with together. Especially when we get a couple of more train pieces and some more track to add! At a cost of $24.99 it isn't too bad a deal for the brand you are buying and the durability of the product. I can really see this toy lasting for a while around here. 






You can purchase all your Learning Curve products from www.learningcurve.com or you can find a store located near you by visiting the Where to Buy page on the website.