Pick a Color…any color

Decide on a color of the day…then you can:

1. go put on clothes in that color

2. create artwork only in that color

3. eat food in that color

4. play a game where you each have to name something with the color in it…

Snow Day!

Snowed in? Cranky?

Declare the day  a beach day. Have kids prepare a picnic–and picnic like food. Take out the beach towels.  While throwing on bathing suits can be fun, it’s even more fun over your pjs. Sometimes doing something really silly–can change the tone in your house.  Truth be told–often the parents need a reset button.

Toy Fair 2010: Hasbro Preview/ STAR WARS

If you’ve followed our reviews over the years, you know I have a soft spot for everything Star Wars. It is the one exception to our rule of no toys with aggressive or violent themes (hey,  it’s fantasy).

One of the coolest toys we saw at Hasbro’s preview is from the Star Wars line…but we can’t talk about it until the 12th.  In the meantime, there is a new lightsaber that is pretty cool.  The General Grievous Lightsaber will retail for $34.99 and will be available in August.  Take a look at both videos…one explains how it comes apart and the other demos the movement.  I’m getting used to using my iphone video for giving you sneak peaks.  Thinking maybe I should get a FLIP for toy fair.

Two quick videos to look at:

How it works video.

Demo of movement.

Pick of the Day: Mega Bloks Play’n Go Table

Love this activity table just right for toddlers!  Read our full review.

Pick of the Day: Acting Out Swan Lake Musical Skirt

We’re huge fans of these skirts from Acting Out that come with a motion activated music box.  Our six year old tester got inventive with the music box and played musical chairs with her parents.  Click here to see our full review. We’ve added this one to our Platinum List for 2009.

Five Perfect Toys for Toddlers

Finding toys for toddlers can be super challenging! They’ve outgrown their baby toys–but not quite ready yet for more complex toys geared to preschoolers.  The toys need to match their new found mobility and desire to do things again and again!

Here are just five of my favorites:

Little People Load ‘n Go Wagon (Fisher-Price)

Step 2 Basic Rhythms Piano (Step 2)

Playskool Clipo Creativity Table (Playskool)

Schylling Color Roller (Schylling)

Rollipop Toddler Starter and Advanced Sets (Edushape)

The full reviews are on our site, www.toyportfolio.com.

Toyportfolio.com: Top Ten Toys for Babies and Toddlers Under $20

Sassy Crib & Floor Mirror

With budgets tight, it’s important to bring home things that really count – and there is no reason to break the bank!  Here are some of our top picks for 2009 — all under $20.  Read the full reviews on our site.

Sassy Crib & Floor Mirror (Sassy)

Infantino Wall Mounted  Mobile Mirror (Step 2)

Stack ‘n Surprise Blocks Blockity-Pop Caterpillar (Fisher-Price)

Baby Deglingos Dog, Rabbit, Hedgehog or Cow (All New Materials)

Satin Ears Bear Security Cozy (North American Bear Co.)

Infantino Spiral Spin Top (Step 2)

Kids Preferred Nutbrown Hare or Peter Rabbit Hand Puppet (Kids Preferred)

Bright Starts Bees & Blooms Balls (Kids II)

Earlyears Zippy Zoomer (International Playthings)

Leapfrog Counting Candles (Leapfrog)

Pick of the Day: New Mini Kick Scooters

Our testers love both the Mini and Maxi Kick Scooters from Kickboard USA. The mini is now available in aqua. The three wheel design of these scooters makes them much more stable–which translates into a much faster learning  curve. They are both on our Platinum List this year.  Please remember to bring home a helmet!  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons “Non-powered scooter-related injuries accounted for an estimated 84,000 emergency room visits in 2001, 85 percent of the patients were children under 15.”

Pick of the Day: Kids II Bright Starts Bees & Blooms Balls

There was a snafu with delivery on this product for the Today Show today–so they didn’t make it on the set, but this is a lovely set of fabric balls (that have different textures and sounds) from KidsII.  We usually don’t go for such gender specific toys–but this is right on target for older babies and toddlers. Read our full review.

Today Show Tomorrow…

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about some of our award winning picks for babies and toddlers. Looking forward to sharing some of the really great products for these age groups.  We’ll be there with eight babies/toddlers! Should be lively!! The award winners are all featured on our Platinum List for this holiday season on our website, www.toyportfolio.com