September - 2019

The Independent Guide to Children's Media

Sassy Whirling Waterfall

Sassy Whirling Waterfall

(Sassy $9.99) We showed you this toy as part of a set. It's also available as a stand alone and good fun for under ten dollars. This is one bath toy that can double as a tabletop toy, as well. With a sturdy suction cup it attaches to tub or table and a swipe of a hand sends the many little colorful cups spinning. Standing in the tub, water will help power the motion and spill as the cups reach the top. Standing on a table, the rainbow of colors will blur as it turns. 6 months

Sassy Sensory Activity Panels

Sassy Sensory Activity Panels

(Sassy $14.99) Cleverly designed panels with high contrast images on one side and touchy-feely panels on the back, these four fabric panels can be used as a kind of fabric book. But it works best when the panels are taken apart. Separate the Velcro edging and explore the panels one at a time for lap time play. For tummy time, connect two panels can stand up for baby’s visual stimulation. There’s a panda with big eyes, that will attract baby’s interest; a squared target, and t

Sassy Rain Shower Bath Ball

Sassy Rain Shower Bath Ball

(Sassy $8.99) Not only is this a fun bath toy with multiple knobs that sprinkle, spin, drip and pour, it can be played with as a ball or spilt apart and enjoyed in new ways. This kind of experimenting builds on little children’s natural curiosity about real things and how they work—in this case, it’s all about the nature of water and what it does and what they can do with it. Sassy has also managed to design a bath toy that will not hold dirty water, one that comes apart and

eeBoo Toolbox Memory and Matching Game

eeBoo Toolbox Memory and Matching Game

(eeBoo $9.99) A set of memory cards for knowing and naming all the typical tools found on a workbench. Playing around with these images might interest some kids who would otherwise not be willing to work at matching and memory skills in a typical concentration game. This includes everything from a nail, hammer, wrench, drill and vise to a funnel, drill, c-clamp and more. Marked 3 and up, but this is more like a game for 5s and up. Ages: Early School Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Go

Arcade Coder

Arcade Coder

(Tech Will Save Us $96 on Kickstarter; $159 thereafter) We’ve seen a slew of coding toys this season and many of them involve robots that will appeal to younger techies. This is quite a departure. Although it looks like a futuristic light peg board, it's really a platform for learning how to code, working with an iOS app. Kids learn to program games using guided lessons. Several games come pre configured, but can be customized as kids learn the interface and how to make chan

Lego Downtown Fire Brigade

Lego Downtown Fire Brigade

(Lego $99.99) Top of the line, firefighting here! Downtown Fire Brigade set, with 943 pieces, features a detailed fire ladder truck with working light and sound brick, a neat swivel ladder and fire hose with a pump with ‘water jet’ function. There's also a 3-level building with roof, construction area with fence, falling lamppost and a must have, porta-toilet with removable top and front. For getting to the top and bottom of everything, there's a free-standing crane with rota

eeBoo 1000-piece Puzzles: Life in Space, Mother Earth, and Viva La Vida

eeBoo 1000-piece Puzzles: Life in Space, Mother Earth, and Viva La Vida

(eeBoo $19.99 each) Looking for a gift for a teen or a project for the family? These 1000-piece puzzles have stunning graphics. They are challenging, but making it a team effort is one way to give kids a way into giant puzzles. Life in Space features a fantasy image of dozens of humanoids and aliens working, shopping, and dancing in outer space. Viv La Vida centers on an image of Frida and scenes from her life, all done in a decorative fashion. Or consider the joyful Mother E

eeBoo Space Scratch Papers

eeBoo Space Scratch Papers

(eeBoo $13.99) They get twenty sheets of scratch paper with two patterns below. One has greenish and yellow colors with a glow of stars. The other pattern is purple and reds with a silvery glow of stars and milky way below. Using the bamboo stick, kids use the same eye hand skills needed for pencil and paper tasks, only scratching the surface to expose the colors and glow below is less demanding than shaping letters on paper. This kind of playful activity is a lot more fun an

eeBoo Beautiful World 100-piece Puzzle

eeBoo Beautiful World 100-piece Puzzle

(eeBoo $19.99) Living things from land, sea and air of our Beautiful World are scattered over this challenging 100-piece puzzle. All the illustrations by artist and naturalist, Kelsey Oseid, are labeled by name, which may help puzzlers find connecting pieces. It’s definitely not easy, but right on for the next level up. The pieces are fairly large and the finished puzzle will be 18 X 27 inches big, so give kids a good-sized table to start on, since you won’t want to have to m

eeBoo Decorative Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System Poster

eeBoo Decorative Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System Poster

(eeBoo $12.99) eeBoo’s Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System Poster is more than decorative. Space minded kids will find it heavenly...with 41 glow-in-the-dark stickers. It not only illustrates our Solar system it has trivia facts, such as our distance to the sun, the Moon’s circumference and more. Not exactly a toy, but it is an entertaining poster that kids will enjoy studying by day and falling asleep in the glow, by night. Ages: Early School, Tweens Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold A

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