The startling bursts of color and dramatic effects made possible (and easy) by Metallic Mania take art-making to a new level of fun and excitement. Just flip open the Black Paper Sketch Pad and whip out the Metallic EcoPencils, Gel Sticks, and Markers. Every stroke on the page takes on a vivid depth and boldness, inspiring you to new heights of creativity. Experiment with touch when using the EcoPencils to create varied, ...Read more

We've encountered few games that get the wheels in your brain turning as quickly as Mine Shift does, while generating a massive dose of fun. 10 tiles (from a 27 tile deck) are laid out to create a playing board. Each player starts with 4 same-colored jewels on his/her home tile and strives, during the course of alternating turns, to advance all 4 jewels across the board onto their opponent's home tile. The first player to...Read more

Kids need to be actively engaged, their minds challenged, imaginations nurtured, their artistic and creative talents encouraged and rewarded. Creativity for Kids, the maker of Mossy Meadows Gnome Garden, should be applauded for the diversity of high quality hands-on creative/craft products they release each year, products that give kids the opportunity to explore and create. Mossy Meadows Gnome Garden is a prime example, ...Read more

We dare anyone to play with Mr. Bubble Bathtub Monsters without breaking into a huge smile! This bathtub treat lets you build your own soap monsters in the blink of an eye, really cool-looking creatures that turn bath time into exciting fun. Just press the nozzle on the can and the foam flows. Shape and mold it as you like, then add the colorful soft foam pieces that bring instant detail to your creations - silly or sinis...Read more

With Mr. Bubble Ice Cream Shoppe, bath time becomes filled with a sense of magical adventure. Set your imagination running free with your own soapy ice cream shop in the tub. The Ice Cream Station attaches to the side of your tub with suction cups, and will hold your cone creations as you create them. Swirling designs spring forth from the can of Mr. Bubble Foam Soap, just by pressing the nozzle. The surprisingly ice crea...Read more

Mungi Bands are jewelry with a twist. The bands - interchangeable, silicone strips that come in a variety of colors and patterns - connect to one another through magnets built into the ends, enabling kids to design (and re-design) their own jewelry in a flash. A single band becomes a ring or earring. Two bands form a bracelet. Several can morph into a necklace, headband, an anklet. They're soft, very flexible, lightweight...Read more

My Plate Food Bingo comes with a stunning array of information and bonus features, enabling kids to easily absorb knowledge on nutrition, healthy eating, and active living while playing the classic game of Bingo. And judging from the onslaught of statistics in the news media about children and obesity, it couldn't have come at a better time. Based on the USDA's MyPlate food categories, the game is designed and organized i...Read more

Noah's Ark 2-in-1 Floor Puzzle has 48 jumbo pieces, each sized so that it can be easily manipulated by hands large or small. There's artwork on both sides of each piece, meaning there are two puzzles in all. The two-sidedness adds a wee bit of intricacy, but once you've decided which puzzle you're going to build in a given sitting, it's very doable even for younger children. The artwork on each side is different enough, a...Read more

OgoBild Bits is similar to OgoBild Nexus (see review directly below) in that the component pieces included in this smaller set are ingeniously designed and act as a springboard to instant creativity, construction, and fun. There are enough pieces with OgoBild BITS (about 17 attachments versus the 90 or so found in OgoBild Nexus) to create a variety of creatures - a propeller-powered asteroid, for instance, or a friendly c...Read more

The sheer creativity that must have gone into thinking up the strange, fantastical, inter-connectable pieces of OgoBild Nexus pales next to the creative impulses it unleashes in those playing with it. It's a little like suddenly being able to be the mad scientist you always knew you were meant to be, without the need for test tubes, power tools, or, for that matter, a degree in physics. The central component that makes Og...Read more

OgoSport RAQ is one of those rare outdoor action toys destined to be popular for generations to come. This set includes two RAQs and a Flux ball. RAQs are ingeniously designed, ultra-lightweight discs with handles. The high-strength nylon-spandex membrane has a surface about 11 inches in diameter and is highly effective for batting the Flux ball through the air, sending it sailing up to 150 ft. The RAQ is highly adaptable...Read more

We dare anyone to not enjoy the heck out of Penguin Panic, a game that gets players laughing right from the get-go. Players take turns removing plastic ice blocks from the midst of a pile stacked on a tray in the penguin's arms. The goal is to do so without causing the pile to fall, but there's a big twist that makes the game extra-unpredictable and giddily fun. After removing a block and stacking it on top of the pile, a...Read more

There's nothing quite as enjoyable as family members seated around a table, intently assembling a really good puzzle. Now it just got even better, because with the new Pieces of History series, putting the last piece in place doesn't mean the fun is over. Instead, it signals the start of the next phase of fun - hunting for dozens of objects hidden in the puzzles' gorgeous artwork. Accompanying each 300-piece history-them...Read more

This exciting craft kit from The Orb Factory makes it remarkably easy to fashion a personal, artistic expression of friendship. It's a plush pillow whose centerpiece will be a photograph of you and your BFF framed by an elaborate decor of your own making. The result, even when completed by young children, is professional-looking and requires no cutting or sewing. Just use the stylus (included) to quickly anchor small, col...Read more