Plan Toys Push-Along Duck
(Plan Toys $35 Score:)

This all rubberwood push toy has a cute little duck that walks along with flip flop orange webbed feet. It makes an amusing quacking sound as it goes along. For a less noisy variation there’s a blue Push-Along Elephant ($35) that is slightly less noisy and a little harder to push. Though this is a pricey toy, it’s a classic toy that will appeal to toddlers. Once they are up on their feet and walking they enjoy anything that moves along with them and their active independent life style. 19 months & up.  The lower score reflects that there was some difficulty for many of testers to push these two with ease.  The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2009.

TotSports Bowling Set
(Little Tikes $14.99 Score:) Six see-through plastic pins are loaded with colorful balls that shake rattle and roll when they are knocked over with the big but lightweight bowling ball. A good classic toy with a fresh new look. Fun for active play indoors or out. Says 2 & up, but 2's won't understand this or enjoy it as much as preschoolers and even early school aged kids. See the SNAP suggestions for making a math game for older kids (800) 432-5437. SNAP Activity: This is a good game that develops eye hand coordination and requires repetitive setting up and fetching the ball. Taking turns and following rules are also built into the fun. Young kids love such games for their own sake and especially if the grown-ups in their lives are bowlers, too. If appropriate, you can build some simple counting or adding skills with this,as well. With preschoolers, keep track of how many pins were knocked down. Keep a tally with chalk or pencil and paper. Make bundles of five stick marks. Player who gets two bundles first is the winner of that round. For school aged kids, tape numerals 1-6 to the pins and have your child add up the scores. Set a number for grand slam winner. First player to knock down ten wins the round!

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: .

Nobbly Wobbly Beach Ball
( $12.95 Score:) (Hands On Toys) Here's a pretzel of a beachball with several interlaced plastic tubes that you blow up individually to make a 19" beach ball. Because it's not a solid ball, it is easier to catch. We didn't find the enclosed pump very useful—we blew it up the old fashioned way!

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2003.

ChildLIfe Ultimate SuperChief
(Childlife $3600 Score:) This isn't your father's playset! ChildLife's play gyms are made from yellow cedar that is then covered with green enamel- giving it a smooth, splinter free finish. Older climbers will be attracted to the rock wall, the buoy ball swing, and the clubhouse. Starter sets begin at $800 but you can always add more and more features (kind of like designing a kitchen). The company will help design your "dream" system on their website, by phone or with an authorized dealer. With all climbing equipment, adult supervision is a must. The government recommends a minimum of 6 inches of ground covering (wood chips, recycled mulch, pea stones, fine sand) and a minimum perimeter of 6 feet. For more guidelines, please visit www.cpsc.gov.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2000.

Hook, Line & Sprinkler
(Little Tikes $13 Score:) Nemo-esque fish spin around a little starfish. Can be used in a stationary position for younger children. Turn the starfish, and now the sprinkler will spin and shoot water in different directions. Also new but disappointing, the Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler ($13 ). Once you hook the ball up to the hose, you can’t really kick it around. Testers gave this a thumbs down. (800) 321-0183.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

2 in 1 Hitting Trainer Hit-a-Way Jr.
(Coop Kids $29.99 Score:) Our baseball players-in-training can work on their swing with the well-designed low-tech hitting machine. The ball is tethered so that you don’t have to run after every hit. Be sure to load the base with water for added stability. (760) 931-5733. For a T-ball that also converts into a battery-operated hitting machine, our testers gave high marks to the new Triple Hit Baseball (Fisher-Price $25). (800) 432-5437.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

Super Sounds Soccer
(Fisher-Price $29.99 Score:) Young soccer players will enjoy hitting the inflatable ball into the goal (approximately 2' tall x 31?2' wide). You can adjust the target that yells "goal" when hit! Our experienced builder parent said this was a little tricky to put together. (800) 432-5437.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

Kiddo Supertrike
(Kettler $80 Score:) This gender-proof primary-colored trike has a stroller bar and high back bucket seat (seat belt available), storage bin, and air-filled tires. Well built, this has an adjustable four-position frame for growth. Kettler trikes tend to run small and fit younger preschoolers only. (757) 427-2400.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

Mini Golf
(Alex $19.99 Score:) Our four year old testers thought this circus-themed miniature golf set was loads of fun. Comes with two clubs (with foam heads for safety); two balls; and six illustrated targets. For a basic plastic set of clubs, TotSports Golf Set (Little Tikes $20) comes with a pull cart, two clubs, and three balls. The Little Tikes set is marked 2 and up, but we'd say 4 and up.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

Crawl N Fun
(Playhut $25 Score:) Testers giggled their way through this 6'-long tunnel as they crawled along! Also top rated: longer and more spacious Yellow School Bus and Red Fire Engine and a blue Deluxe Train engine. These each easily accommodate two kids for pretend fun. 3 & up. (888) 752-9488.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2005.