Important Advisory:

The Asterisk on the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Lead-Free* Platinum Award list indicates that samples from only one particular batch of these toys tested lead free.  Other production runs or samples of the same products may contain lead.

We have not had the other toys on our website independently tested for lead content. For the future, we are requiring companies to provide us with documentation that their products have been tested by an independent lab and found to be free of surface and embedded lead, as well as phthalates.  

The school year isn't new anymore and some of the gloss has worn off. For many kids this is the time of year when new skills are being honed. Without drilling -- there are playful ways of helping your child solidify those skills.

You don't want to turn home into a Q&A situation where kids are fearful of not measuring up--but there are Projects that give them a chance to use the school skills they are working on--in fact, using those skills in fun ways helps them to see the purpose of working on those skills.

Writing:
Many kids are reluctant writers. Giving them a reason or a subject they like to write about will get some kids past their writer's block and give more comfortable writers a great project.

Pet Story ($28.95) Kids write their story about their family pet(s). Take photos and have kids draw pictures,too. Kit comes with stickers that can be added to photos and story. Send the manuscript and pictures to manufacturer and the book is sent back published and bound. You can even get extra copies of the book for an extra fee. School classes can also do a co-operative kind of book about the classroom pet. This is a project pet lovers of all ages can enjoy. (CreationsbyYou.com or 303 762 7888).

Of course, children can do this kind of story by hand or on the computer and put it into any blank book.

We didn't have time to show this related kit-It's a Paint Your Own Dog Dish ($20). The kit includes a ceramic dish and paint. Kids design the dish and then you bake it in the oven to make the paint permanent. Kits like this require flexing their artistic muscle and fine motor skills. Once dish is painted, it's baked to set the design. Younger artists may like this, but it's ceramic and breakable-so it needs adult supervision. 8 & up.Bc-clay.com (877) 877-3313.

Reading

Second, third and fourth graders often get bitten with the magic
bug--they love putting on shows- and learning a few tricks can lead to a long term hobby. Learning how to do the tricks requires kids to read the directions and follow a sequence--both very important school skills. You don't get instant results-there's a need to practice! Another big idea! You can borrow books from the library like the DK First Magic Book and learn tricks that can be made with things in your home. Or you can bring home a magic kit--like the Wizard's Workshop Magical Cauldron Set: They say 7& up - we'd say 7's can do this only with adult help- otherwise this is a better bet for 9 & up. Cadaco.com $14 (800) 621-5426.

We didn't have time to show you all the great new games that also build reading skills that we found recently. We like games that center on talking and provide a great way for you and your kids to connect. Game playing can also can help you discover gaps in their knowledge that need attention.

Chatter Matters (Mattel $20) A great family game with questions that invite kids and parents to learn about each other, requires writing, drawing, reading. A good talking game for mixed ages. Not threatening--but one young tester-pulled a card that told him to list all the vegetables he could in 3 mins. We were amazed when he said, "I'm never quite sure what's a fruit and what's a vegetable." That's what we mean by games helping you get another view of those little gaps that need backing and filling. 8 & up. (800)524-8697.

We were also surprised that kids were so willing to play this spelling game-Vowel Play ($39.98) The board game is based on a baseball. Players of mixed ages can play since the playing cards come in four levels of difficulty. On each turn players have to "read" the words on the playing card. The words are printed without their vowels and players advance bases by reading and spelling them. For example: adding only vowels what four words can you make with b_d; b_d; b_d; b_d Although the two boys ages 11 & 8 are baseball fans, they liked using the word cards more than the baseball format and adult players liked the challenge,too. It's not a simple game, but one that seemed to hold the interest of players of all ages- which is pretty rare. They say 6 & up- we'd say play on a team with the younger players. It's really more like a good bet for 8 - 80. Timbukiigames.com (800) 863-9053.

Math
We're always looking for ways to make math and numbers come alive. Rather than flash cards- play a game of math catch. As you pass the ball count by 2, 3s - a fun way to build up speed on math facts.

Kids who are wild about dinosaurs --will often spout off the dinosaur's long names and how big they grew--but how big is that compared to the living room-say or the block you live on? Kids can use a traditional yard stick, tape measures or they can count how many steps they need to take to measure 3 feet. Another choice is to measure off 10 feet of string. If the Allosaurus model they are building was 36 feet in real life --have them compare that to the house you live in…how many car length could that be? Other dinosaurs in books can be compared the same way. By the way, wooden dinosaur models (B.C. Bones $30 & up depending on size) requires working in a step by step way-translating directions from paper to real thing. Kids also need to use spatial relationships and a far amount of patience.(bcbones.com/(800) 331-3252. 9& up

We also love this new math game that you can play with mixed
ages--this is a gem that's played with dice on an uncomplicated board. Countdown($24) is a quick two player game that can be used with kids just learning to count or by kids who can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Each player has ten wooden blocks on the board numbered 1-10. The object is to be the first player to turn over all of their blocks by rolling the dice. Players may add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers they roll in order to get the number they need. But, watch out- if you roll a double six you have to start all over again! (Fabygames.com/(800)387-1140. 6 & up.

Science
It's also the time of year when we get eager for spring to get here--you can rush the season a bit and introduce the big idea in a hands on way that the winter trees are not dead--but dormant and ready to bloom--bring in a few twigs of a forsythia shrub and put in water in a warm sunny window--have kids draw how it looks today--label it with date.. and draw it again in a few days. Or, if you just can't wait for the garden to bloom-try making paper flowers with the Tissue Paper Flowers book from Klutz($16.95)that introduces kids to the names and parts of the flowers and helps them notice the shapes that distinguish one flower from another. Again--there's reading involved along with dexterity and this is the kind of craft that can grow into a hobby that you might want to join in on. 8 & up. Klutz.com (800) 558-8944.

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