(Crayola $19.99) A clever combination of two classics—spiral art and spin art. You do the spiral art first and it’s pretty easy BUT don’t look at the image on the box. It shows two spiral forms together. That's wrong! You use only one at a time with this easier setup. Place one piece of paper in the holder and ONE disk on top. Put one of the six markers into a hole and keep your moving disk in constant contact with the outer edge of the platform. You’ll get an amazing geometr

(LeapFrog $29.99) A toddler activity center with a play kitchen theme. It has buttons to push and handles to press to make things happen. It works without sounds, but toddlers will enjoy the feedback they get when they put toy dishes in the dishwasher and the door says open and close. The sink handle makes fake water spin, the soap dispenser makes a spritz sound and counts with every push. The toy dishes fit into size and color slots. There’s a sliding door that that makes th

(WowWee $29.99) If you’re in the toddler zone, you almost assuredly know this the Baby Shark Song this smiley shark is singing. Soon to be a TV star, Baby Shark is the Barney of its day. Funny how toddlers bring no fears to toothy creatures when they are wrapped up in colorful plush with a song to share. Toddlers will like singing along and dancing with this very friendly bright yellow shark. They can activate it by touching its head, squeezing its fin or clapping. Before you

(eeBoo $12.99) We don’t usually do flash cards of any kind, but these are the exception to the rule. An amazing set of cards about leaders of the Suffrage Movement, who lead the fight to victory in 1920, just 100 years ago. Their stories have been little told and often in books that made history dry. These handsome card tell interesting little stories about each of them and they are beautifully illustrated. An important story of a multi-cultural and monumental fight that wen

(Kellytoys $10.75 and up) There are lots of new Squishmallows this season. Some small enough to fit in a hand. Some, like a cute raccoon with small arms to grab, a unicorn with a short metallic horn. All of these soft squishy pillows have stitched features and velvety covering. They are all totally soft and huggable BUT they are not to be put into a crib! Just as you would not put a pillow into a crib, these are in fact, exactly like pillows that are potentially dangerous fo

(BigJigs $120) There’s so much to do in this miniature play setting. Climb up to the hay loft with the ladder, let the animals in and out with the working gates. There are stables for the horse, a pen for the pigs, a duck pond in the yard. Our testers liked how the roof panels come off so they could really get into the barn. Be forewarned, there are no animals or play figures in the box. They are available, but an extra purchase and this farm will be pretty empty with out the

(Ravensburger $19.99) Four little birds are missing their tail feathers! Players draw feather cards to match their bird card holder. The play rules are easy to learn and the colorful bird card holders are easy to hold and load. A quick game that ends with counting the feathers —player with the most feathers wins. We think you can use these holders for other card games if you have small cards. That said, this is a good game of chance with no real strategy skills needed. That m

(Mindware $25.95) Designed to give young kids a first taste of coding. The little readymade robot comes out of the box with a booklet of clear instructions. Load it with a few batteries and it’s ready to take simple commands to go forward, left and right. It's quite simplistic, but probably just on the mark for the youngest players. That said, kids will need an adult to assist and get them started. Use the directions as a reading game with playful rewards. The kit includes w

(Epoch Play $16.99) All fabric blocks are not alike. Some are too big and firm for baby’s little hand to grasp. These four colorful blocks are easy enough for baby to grasp, since they are soft inside and have firm rims to grab. They also have some sound without overwhelming little ears. One has crinkles, another a quiet jingle, one has nothing, and one has a rattle sound. The are fun to stack so baby can knock them down. Light enough to toss, shake and explore. There are rib

(Mattel $14.99 and up) It's so important to get both girls and boys interested in careers in science. We think it's a step forward that Mattel and National Geographic partnered to create a new direction for Barbie, a doll better known for glamour and fantasy. Yes, Barbie has gone from her glittery lifestyle to try on the many careers in science. Entomologist Barbie studies insects. Her play set comes with Barbie dressed for the field where she studies insects. Her a lab conta