Well, we’re in the full holiday swing here, so I figured it was time for our very own holiday gift guide. So – without further ado:
1. Two of the best things we got this year was our WeeRide Co-Pilot and Kangaroo Carrier.
In fact, we liked the Kangaroo Carrier so much we got two of them, one for August and one for Kato. This allowed for the whole family to be able to bike together.
I particularly like the Kangaroo Carrier because it sits between your legs as you ride, so that your kid is in front of you where you can see him. It also has a sort of padded flat area off the front that was often used as a headrest when the kids fell asleep on longer rides. The Co-Pilot (the wheel that attaches to the back of your bike) is great for older kids who can pedal themselves. Both are easy to mount and unmount when you’re not using them. Five stars.
2. Since we’re on the subject of bikes, I would be remiss not to mention our balance bikes. We got Alden the Prince Lionheart balance bike when she turned three, but it was much too big for her (she’s tiny, though).
I custom painted it for her, so you can’t get that PARTICULAR model. I like it because the tires are actually inflatable and it’s quite sturdy and well-made. It has a decent turning radius, but the handlebars don’t turn TOO tightly, so jackknifing doesn’t happen as often as it does with Kato’s bike. We had to get Kato a different brand of bike because he’s even tinier than Alden. We got the Chicco Red Bullet for him. It has a much lower seat for kids with short legs, but the tires are hard plastic and after a year and a half of hard riding, they’re starting to split. But it’s well worth the not-stellar construction to hear your kid refer to his ride as the Chicco Red Bullet. If you have a tiny one, start with this one. Kids learn to ride without training wheels in about 10 minutes. They are the best.
3. Kato’s all about rockets. So, we bought a little rocket launcher to play with in Alaska, and spent many hours sending rockets up and chasing them down.
I would NOT, however, recommend the one that’s in the picture – the launching balloon wore out pretty quickly and the whole thing was pretty flimsy. We have a new one that is a huge improvement called the Stomp Rocket Jr. It’s much sturdier. The link will link you with the Glow-in-the-Dark version, which I wish I had known about. I would get it to replace the one we have in Alaska, except that it never gets dark up there in the summer.
4. More rockets! These little handheld ones make great stocking stuffers or cheap gifts for distributing to many school friends ($8.97 for 12)
5. A wall-mounted mailbox for your kids’ room for all the mail your kids get. I like this red Post box because it’s red, but the kids like it because you can separate incoming and outgoing using the newspaper compartment at the bottom.
6. And while we’re on the subject, how about getting some subscriptions to fill that mailbox with? Of course, first off, there’s your Bobbledy Books club membership (shh! with coupon code HOLIDAY you can get $5 off!). But our kids also enjoy very much a couple other subscriptions they have – Nat Geo Kids is a great little magazine – small format for little hands and lots of great photos and interesting factoids. They also love their Puzzle Buzz subscription from Highlights – though it says it’s for ages 4-7, I think you can probably go younger depending on your kid. Since Puzzle Buzz was such a hit, we also got the Hidden Pictures Club subscription. Puzzle Buzz offers more variety, but if your kids are really into the hidden pictures (as ours are), this is a good addition.
7. Those old school balsa wood gliders are always a hit. If you happen to have an excellent gift shop like Twigs & Teacups, go to it! Otherwise, you can come to Chestertown for your shopping (btw, they have TONS of cool stuff beyond the gliders if you do). Or, there’s the Amazon route: the Jetfire Twin Pack or the propeller glider.
The Jetfires are even good for playing with inside, but the propeller ones need some space to really go.
8. Our kids somehow aren’t especially good at board games. They aren’t very good at following the rules, so most games we have played end up with missing pieces and highly modified play. Two games that have passed the let’s-follow-the-rules test are The Busy Town mysteries game and Cariboo by Cranium. Oops. I just noticed that Cariboo is selling for just $179! Well, if you’re that desperate, I’ll sell you our (slightly worn) version for $150. So – the BusyTown game has lots of tiny pieces to lose, but the instructions are simple and the best part is that it’s a cooperative game – everyone works together to find clues and move forward on the board. You win by keeping Pig Will and Pig Won’t from eating up your picnic before you arrive. It’s one of the few games that doesn’t bore me, either. It helps that we have lost some of the picnic items, so we substitute our own treats and when you spin the dial and it says lands on “Pigs Eat” we all yell “PIGS EAT PIGS EAT!” and whoever spun the dial gets to eat one of the treats. And thus there is incentive to be even LESS competitive, because you get to eat treats.
9. Our house is considered a top playdate destination, all because of our Ikea Ekorre hanging seat. It’s lots of fun to swing on, and Alden has perfected her rope-climbing skills on it as well.
I would NOT recommend purchasing it as an ESPN-watching-hammock-chair for your husband, because he will no doubt be much too big for it and will resent you for it for at least 3 years (in which time I also notice the price has gone up, so even MORE reason for you not to buy it for your spouse now).
10. A board book for the babies: Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. I had this as a kid and was only reminded of it by my brother. It’s a nice book for rhythmic repetition, and I just adore the kooky monkey illustrations.
August likes pointing at his thumb.
11. Q & A a Day for Kids. I love this book and the idea behind it. There are 365 questions in it (one for each day of the year) and then it repeats 2 more times. It should be fun to see how their answers evolve over the years. As it is, we’ve lost Alden’s and we’re not terribly good about doing them, but I have high hopes. High hopes!
12. We have a couple shape-making games, and I can’t really recommend one over the other. One is Magnetic Mighty Mind and the other is Imaginets.
The kids love both of them. The Mighty Mind cards are actual size, so you can put the shapes right on top of the image – this is great for beginners or younger kids. The Imaginets cards are small, and so you have to look at the card and then look at the shape you’re building to try to match them up. I think this probably helps with visual recognition skills but can be frustrating to younger kids. The Imaginets are more attractive, but the box is quite large, so the Mighty Mind set generally travels with us. So, pros and cons for both, but I think they’re both excellent games.
13. This is one I’m kind of eyeing for myself… Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space.
It looks BEAUTIFUL and is full of interesting information about space. I’m waiting until my kids are a little older to buy it so they don’t ruin it before they can appreciate any of it. But you – YOU surely have more careful and/or intelligent children.
14. One of my favoritest bands from way back in the day They Might Be Giants have three albums for kids – Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s, and Here Comes Science. These have been stand-bys for a long time. I’m a particular fan of The Seven Days of the Week:
in part, I guess, because its subtitle is “I Never Go to Work” and shows the kid eating bon bons on the couch, which, you know, is what I do all day long.
Alden loves The Alphabet of Nations:
And Kato is particularly fond of Meet the Elements.
If you’re torn, definitely get the DVDs. The videos are great and fun and charming and I love them.
Of course, if you haven’t been a Bobbledy Club Member for long enough, also have a look at our CD from year one, I Don’t Wanna Brush My Teeth by our dear friend and awesome songwriter Drew Bunting. The album features the surprise break-out hit “Mothra,” which you can see re-interpreted here by Bobbledy Club members Spencer and Tyler.
15. The SkyTrix Radical Glider is just what it says it is, most specifically, it’s RADICAL.
We got this to play with in Alaska and had so much fun playing with it that we never took any pictures. You basically swing it around in a circle and let it go, and boy does it go! I would recommend this for older kids (or adults) who have more finely tuned large motor skills than my kids apparently have. That said, they had as much fun chasing as I did tossing.
16. And finally, if you’re looking for some stocking stuffers, how about some fruit? It was a tradition in Matthew’s house to put an orange in the toe of the stocking, but it might be fun to try something more adventurous. Like pomegranate, for example!
Our kids love pomegranates and think they’re kind of an adventure to eat. If you are distressed by the trickiness of getting those seeds out, here’s the best way I’ve found to cut them open. I don’t bother with the deseeding part, but maybe you will.
Another exotic favorite is the star fruit.
And especially appropriate given the starry snowflakey season.
And I suspect if our rinky-dink local supermarket carries these things (our local rinky-dink supermarket is actually named ACME) then yours ought to, too.
AND SO:
For all of you who have stuck with me to the end, here’s the short list:
- 1. WeeRide Co-Pilot and WeeRide Kangaroo Carrier
- 2. Prince Lionheart balance bike or the Chicco Red Bullet
- 3. Stomp Rocket Jr.
- 4. More rockets! These little handheld ones
- 5. red Post box
- 6. Subscriptions: Bobbledy Books club membership (GET $5 OFF WITH COUPON CODE HOLIDAY), Nat Geo Kids, Puzzle Buzz, Hidden Pictures Club
- 7. Balsa wood gliders Jetfire Twin Pack or propeller glider
- 8. Board Games The Busy Town mysteries game and Cariboo by Cranium
- 9. Ikea Ekorre hanging seat
- 10. Board Book for Babies: Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
- 11. Q & A a Day for Kids
- 12. Shape Making Games: Magnetic Mighty Mind and Imaginets
- 13. Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space
- 14. They Might Be Giants Albums – Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s, and Here Comes Science as well as our very own Bobbledy Books album “I Don’t Wanna Brush My Teeth”.
- 15. SkyTrix Radical Glider
- 16. Pomegranates and star fruit.
Happy Holiday Hunting, everyone. Hope this helps!