(eeBoo $21.99) Every once in a while, a product lands on our desk that brings forth a round of Oooos! and Ahhhhs! Somehow, we wouldn’t have thought it would be a classic game. But eeBoo is on the mark when they call this “Fancy” Pachisi. It is exactly that. Open the foiled box with its Indian players pictured on the lid, to find a playing board with a hot pink, orange, and green Indian block print pattern on one side and the handsome foiled playing board on the reverse, even

(Djeco $29.99) We know how much toddlers love hammer toys. Some are just too hard, some are way to easy...this chicken tp tap toy is just right! The wood is smooth and beautifully finished. The hammer is well shaped. The balls are too big to be a choking hazard and with a few taps they disappear through the round openings and roll out of the hen's side. Toddlers love the powerful satisfaction of making things happen and this is a fun way to give them that along with some eye

(Mindware $19.95) Create your own whimsical, hand-painted stone décor, perfect for porches, patios and decks. No cement mixing or messy prep work is required; the 8-1/2” tall stone Garden Gnome is ready to paint, right out of the box. Vibrant paints encourage mixing, blending and special effects. Oven-bake your painted creation for a long-lasting, weather-resistant finish. It comes with a the gnome, 12 matte paints, paintbrush and instructions. A fun project that can help the

(Fisher-Price $79.99) WIth 832 pieces, this is no snap to put together. That said, our Pokemon obsessed builder put this together in about five hours and the good news is that it has stayed together. Other good news, Jumbo Eevee has poseable ears, legs, and tail, and can also be posed standing or sitting. A good choice for honing their problem solving skills, patience and fine motor skills, too. Our experienced tester/builder agreed with the 10+ age on the box. Ages: Tweens O

(Fisher-Price $19.99) Designed for beginning block builders, these chunky blocks are also mini-puzzles.Heads and bodies of woodland animals are color coded and fit together. Of course kids will have fun mis-matching them as well and making up funny names for their combo creatures. Kids can put together a bear, fox, raccoon, bunny and deer. Other than putting the critters together, this is a pretty open-ended set that can be used for building whatever kids can imagine. All 30

(Djeco $28.00) We told you about the TopaniFarm from the same maker, with familiar farm animals; that was last year. And now—drum roll! Here they are, the wild animals of the jungle! Hide them under the blocks, or stack them in between the blocks. Monkey has strong arms that are also flat enough to carry a block over its head. What other tricks can the giraffe, gator, lion, and elephant do. Those colorful blocks can be nested and stacked in size order. A good choice for begin

(Kahootz/PlayMonster $15.00) A good long term project to create a 12" x 11" rug featuring a very feminine looking unicorn. Our tester found the directions clear and easy to follow and the materials of high quality. Staying with a craft kit that takes more than one sitting teaches kids about sticking with a task and the satisfaction of projects that take patience. CAUTION: Contains functional sharp points. The kit contains a latch hook craft tool, five bundles of pre-cut yar

(Fisher-Price $49.99) With four different ramps and a double car launcher, kids are going to have good fun using the two Wheelies vehicles to set them zooming down the tracks. Cars might crash together, drop through a trap door, or race down the spiral track. It has a Hot Wheels orange loop, and exciting lights and sounds that add to the action. Our tester reports the set up went together very easily. The posts all have unique bottoms, so that it’s impossible to put a piece i

(Blue Orange $13.99) Our tester family liked this lively game that Players choose a set of colored dice marked with 6 symbols: snow, star, shark, sun, shoe, splat, surf, snake and sock. During each round all players roll their dice at the same time and race to find matching symbols on all of the dice thrown. Spots a pair of dice with matching symbols? Players must call it out to claim their dice by saying "Snow Snap!" or “Shark Snap!” or whatever symbol pairs they spot. A gam

(Kid Made Modern $16.99) Shrink art has been around for years...so what's so special about this? Let us count the ways. The images are precut and large enough for children to color with ease. Of course, the baking part is an adult only activity. Once they shrink, the kit has multiple ways of turning the charms into necklaces, bracelets, keychains, backpack pulls, earrings. We like the neat storage case, the colored pencils, and all the jewelry hardware. This is not a once-and