Product Type: Toys
Age: Preschoolers
Categories: Active Physical Play
2000 Awards
(Playhut $29.99 Score:
) Here's a new twist on play tents. Choose School Bus, Ice Cream Truck, Space Shuttle, or Fire Engine (app. 28" L x 55"W x 36"H). Kids love enclosed spaces where they feel big and imagination takes off. A bit more literal than a tent made of a blanket, but either makes a great rainy day prop for pretending. We wish the ice cream truck were a little less pink and lavender. 3 and up. Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2000.
2006 Awards
(Small World Toys $8 Score:
) Preschoolers need soft, lightweight, easy-to-catch balls that will not bend back a finger or hurt when they hit. Gertie Balls are gummy and soft enough for kids who may be scared of big heavy balls coming toward them. Also fun, Supersized Gertie Balls ($13), really oversized and great fun for this age group and next. There's also a super cool Magic Gertie Ball that changes color with hot and cold water. 3 & up.
SNAP INFO: These colorful balls are soft and slightly sticky to the touch, making them easier to catch and hold onto. They come in a variety of sizes and with different textures. Testers especially liked the knobby one which gave kids an extra way to grip and hold. These are not for toddlers because the air tube can come out and could pose a choking hazard. ACTIVITY: Getting control takes practice. Hang a big hoopla hoop from a tree branch and try to get the ball through the hoop.
Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2006. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
1998 Awards
(Rainbow Play Systems $1100 Score:
) Steel parts are vinyl dipped, the wood is chemical free, built of redwood and cedar. This is the Cadillac of gym sets. You'll need to buy a toddler swing for the under three set. Also, avoid tall climber attachments with toddlers and young preschoolers who may climb higher without understanding how to get down. Also, avoid frames with climbers that run across the top of the swings. Age: Toddlers,Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 1998.
Awards
(Step 2 $100 Score:
) There's room for several kids to play side by side and together in this tugboat shaped sandbox. Of course, this takes lots of sand but there's built-in pretend power with a captain's wheel for steering the jolly boat anywhere! They say this converts to a wading pool, but hardly something you can fill and dump with ease. 2 & up.
THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND PARTS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE!
TOO BAD.
Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: .
1998 Awards
(Little Tikes $12 Score:
) Scaled down and light-weight, these are perfect to take to the park, beach or sandbox. Made of rugged plastic these have smooth edges and won't rust if left out in the sand. Perfect for filling and dumping and vroom! vroom! games. Age: Toddlers,Preschool. Award Year: 1998.
Award
(Step 2 $45 Score:
) A small sandbox shaped like a frog with a cover-up lid for keeping animals out of the sand. This is for tight places and won't hold many tots. If you have less space the Frog Sandbox will be a good choice. ($30) Age: Toddlers,Preschool. Award Year: .
2001 Awards
(Little Tikes $49.95 Score:
) This has become a classic. A small beginners sandbox for tight spaces. This won't accommodate lots of tots and is apt to be outgrown quickly. But if it is all the space you have-go with it. For bigger spaces consider the Dinosaur Sandbox.
Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2001. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Awards
(Little Tikes $650 Score:
) This gym has an attachable metal swing set extension that also needs to be anchored with concrete for stability. Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: .
Awards
(Brio $40 Score:
) Learn how locks lift ships with this wet and entertaining hands-on waterway. We've seen waterways before, but this system goes together with greater ease and no leaks. New for 2001 (and very pricey), Waterway Waterslide set ($90), designed for younger kids, was not ready for testing. Adult help needed. Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: .
Award
(Fisher-Price $19.99 Score:
) If playing golf is big in your family, your preschooler will no doubt want to try it, too. Here's the perfect set to start-comes in new colors with two clubs, and a rolling case that also holds and dispenses the golf balls. Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: .
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