(Ann WIliams $19.99) A beginners sewing kit to introduce kids to the fun of sewing their own “stuffie” a small felt fox that comes complete with clothes with pre-cut holes to make the sewing easier. The directions and a caring adult will introduce them to a few basic stitches that are easy to learn. It’s a complete kit with no extra supplies needed. 6 and up. Ages: Early School Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award 2019 Click here to purchase the product from Amazon.com

(Ann Williams $14.99) In this year of unicorns everywhere, this kit includes two—a unicorn momma and her baby. Unlike the older form of string art with push pins, this is safe enough for younger crafters. The strings are strung and tied on oval forms and decorated with foam stickers. Kids make two unicorns with string that get wrapped and displayed to decorate their room. Also available, two similar string kits with different themes: String Art Koalas with a big and little Ko

(Ann Williams $19.99) This should be called the year of the unicorn! These mythological creatures are showing up on toys for every age, including craft kits. This one features two foam canvases; one with a unicorn another with a heart. This is for older kids who have the dexterity and patience to use the complex design and detailed directions. While traditional string art is done with hammer and nails, this is done with push pins, a lot more user friendly. The kit includes: i

(Mudpuppy $16.99) A good travel toy with tons of facial features to add to the four big background faces that fit into the metal cover and back of the box. The zany faces can turn into a monkey, a frog, cat, pig or a mix of many. There’s no right or wrong, only a great variety of choices. This kind of open-ended play invites children to use their imagination and their fine motor skills to create unique images. Although the pieces have no small magnets, the pieces are all bac

(Mudpuppy $9.99) We’re always looking for good take-alongs that will keep children occupied on long flights or waits in restaurants or doctor’s office. Tuck this Little Artist roll of activities into your bag. We don’t generally review coloring books, in fact, we prefer that kids do their own drawings and coloring, but this is more than a coloring book on a roll. It has mazes, connect the dots, spot the difference puzzles, and bits of history mixed into the fun. It’s six feet

(Mudpuppy $14.95) A big 20 X 20 image of space with comets, planets, rockets and astronauts emerges from this 500-piece puzzle. It’s not easy, but a good choice for a family project. Set up a table where family members can stop and do a bit now and then until you gradually complete the task. The black background makes it challenging but once done, turn off the lights for a wonderful glow in the dark view of space illuminated! Ages:Tweens and Teens Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Plat

(Mudpuppy $16.99) Kids are generally surprisingly interested in maps/geography. You can support that curiosity with this 78-piece map of the world. It has special shaped pieces of iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and native animals of various continents, such as a kangaroo in Australia and giraffe in Africa. It has limited labels, just the names of the continents and oceans, appropriate for 2nd, 3rd, 4th graders. Ages: Early School Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum

(Mudpuppy $14.99) Four chunky books introduce kids to landmarks of the world, vehicles, food, and animals found in various places in the world. For example, the Vehicle Book has a Cable Car from San Francisco, a double-decker bus from London, a sailboat from Barbados, and a tuk-tuk from Thailand. The Animal Book features a lemur from Madagascar, puffin from Iceland, tortoise from Ecuador, and kangaroo from Australia—these are pretty esoteric for very young children. The Food