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Playtime Helps Children Develop Their “Power to Be”

September 28, 2009 By

Duracell believes that children have the power to be anything they want to be, and that play time is an important part of helping them achieve their goals. In partnership with toy experts Chris Byrne and Jim Silver from www.TimeToPlayMag.com, Duracell selected some of the most innovative toys that can help kids develop the skills they need to reach their goals. This past Spring, Duracell completed the Power to Be survey, which interviewed 507 U.S. children ages 8-12 to find out what they want to be when they grow up. Some of the top professions were:

• Athletes (10 percent of boys)
• Veterinarians (17 percent of girls)
• Teacher (14 percent of girls)
• Military professionals (11 percent of boys)

I surveyed my three kids, and the answers were Paleontologist (Ryan),  Scientist (or race car driver) (Nathan), and Mommy (Kaitlyn).  The results of the survey were published on Time to Play, the online toy magazine. Time to Play reviews pretty much every toy there is, then rounds them up by category as Editor’s Picks.  Time to Play contacted me about the Duracell survey, asked me what my kids had said they wanted to be when they grew up, then sent me toys that would reinforce the skills they would need to reach their goals. How cool is that?

For Ryan, who wants to be a Paleontologist, we received the board game Ruin. Two to four players move their pawns around a three-dimensional board towards the center of a Mayan ruin with every roll of the huge 20-sided die. By putting down cards, players change the path and can either help the player create a secret passage OR wall off their opponent so they have to turn around and go a different way. Ryan and I ended up giggling nonstop as we kept throwing down cards and turning each other around and around! Ruin won several awards last year including a Parent’s Choice and the iParenting Media Award for Greatest Product. Buy it directly from the manufacturer, Buffalo Games, for $24.95. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
buffalogames_ruin

Nathan’s career ambitions are still ambiguous, but he looked at the toy choices from Time to Play and picked the EyeClops Bionic Eye made by Jakks Pacific. EyeClops is a handheld magnification device that plugs into your TV with A/V jacks and then magnifies what you are looking at. Just plug it directly into the A/V jack on an ordinary television and use the adjustable multi-zoom lens with 100x, 200x and 400x magnification to turn ordinary objects into extraordinary images right on the TV screen. We looked at a clump of dog hair, a Cheerio, the skin on our hands. It’s a cool way to introduce kids to the idea of looking at ordinary objects up close to see what they are made of. Just don’t be surprised if your boys want to look at boogers :P    Buy it on the Jakks Pacific website for $39.99, recommended for ages 6 and up.

bionic_eye

The toy we received for Kaitlyn is Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee’s Dollhouse, which I reviewed separately here. Please come read the post to see why this is the ONLY dollhouse you need to buy this Christmas!

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Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery from Jakks Pacific

September 2, 2009 By

Following up on the success of the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker, Jakks Pacific has introduced the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery. It comes with everything you need to bake and decorate your own cakes just like professional bakers do! (well, almost). Before I show you the photos of our review of the Cake Bakery, here’s the commercial for it:

JAKKS partners with world-renowned celebrity baker Duff Goldman of Food Network’s Ace of Cakes on the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery product line, with which young chefs can create elaborate mini 2-tiered fondant cakes in just 30 seconds in the microwave. Product info:

With the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery, young bakers can whip up delicious mini 2-tiered fondant cakes that they can customize and decorate! Just add water to one of the delicious cake flavors, stir and pour into the double cavity cake molds, then place into the microwavable safe container and microwave for 30 seconds. No hot ovens involved! Next add water to one of the colorful fondant mixes, stir and roll out onto the non stick mat. Remove the cakes from their molds once they have cooled then cover the cakes with sweet colorful fondant.

Finally, place the mini masterpiece on the decorating turntable, and create away — just like Duff does — using the air powered gel decorator gun! Add candy garnishes included in the set for a beautifully finished 2-tiered mini fondant cake! The Cake Bakery set includes a motorized gel decorator, decorating gel, decorating utensils, 2 delectable cake mixes featuring Chocolate and Vanilla, Red, Blue and Yellow fondants, bowl, spoon, cutters, non-stick pad, candy, tool caddy, and instructions. Ages 8+, Suggested Retail Price: $34.99

Just like Girl Gourmet cupcakes, Cake Bakery ingredients are gluten and wheat-free, trans-fat free, and are produced in nut-free facility in the U.S. Many children who suffer from Celiac and nut allergies are now able to safely participate in the art of baking.

Okay, so. Now that I’ve explained what is SUPPOSED to happen when someone uses the Cake Bakery, allow me to show you with photos exactly why I’m a BLOGGER and not a CAKE DECORATOR. We had no problem mixing up the batter and baking the two tiny round cakes. The problem was with the fondant. I know now that fondant is supposed to be the consistency of Play-Doh, but I thought it was too dry and added extra water, which made it runny. So then I had to add more dry fondant powder to get it the right consistency, so I started with blue fondant powder and added red fondant powder. Not only was the color funky, but the consistency was bad, so when I tried to drop it over the cakes, it tore in places.

Also, there’s a very cool tool included that you load up with white decorating gel, which is included. You flip a switch and the gel starts flowing out of this pen thing, and the idea is you turn the cake on the turntable and direct the flow of the gel to make cool patterns or whatever. Only…well, I’ll show you:

Cake 1

We were supposed to mix up more fondant and cut out circles to decorate the sides of the cake. But the kids couldn’t wait that long, so I let them dig in. Nathan gives the taste of Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery cakes a BIG THUMBS UP:

Thumbs Up Nathan

You can buy the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery at Toys “R” Us and at Walmart, and also from Amazon.com. If your kids are interested in trying their hands at cake decorating, this would be a fun item to get them.  The cakes are delicious even if you don’t get the decorations exactly perfect.  I know my kids didn’t mind what the cake looked like as long as they got to eat the results!

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Outdoor Summer Fun with Jakks Pacific

July 16, 2009 By

Maybe it’s just me being a pushover, but it seems like it’s harder for me to get my kids to go outside and play than it should be. I remember spending HOURS every day during the summer just outside playing.  I constantly have to find new ways to entice my kids out into the fresh air, and thanks to my friend Janis at Jakks Pacific, we have some new summer toys to help.

Kaitlyn is loving her Disney Erasable Patio Set with two chairs sized just for her and a friend, and a surface she can draw on with the included dry-erase markers. This easy to assemble table comes with it’s own umbrella and two folding chairs. Kaitlyn got Mickey:

Mickey Table

Best for ages 3-7, I was happy to see that the table features a safety locking mechanism to keep it from collapsing. Who needs paper when you can draw right on the table?

Kaitlyn Closeup

I found the Erasable 4 Piece Patio Set at Toys “R” Us for $32.98 in Mickey, Disney Princesses, Barbie, and Handy Manny. When it’s too cold to sit outside, I plan to put the table and chairs in the playroom.

Jakks Pacific also sent us two Star Wars kites but we haven’t had any windy days for testing them out!  Also available at Toys “R” Us, for $24.98,  the kites come in the shape of Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter, Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing, and Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon. Each high-quality kite is made of a durable rip stock nylon material, fiberglass spars and re-enforced grommets and includes a 15′ tail and a unique STAR WARS high speed winder.

I’m always happy to review products by Jakks Pacific because of the quality, affordable prices, and because Jakks Pacific seems to really understand what kids enjoy playing with. They are a name brand to look for.

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