Jishaku Game is Fun for all Ages!

Written by Elizabeth on August 4, 2008 – 9:31 am -

Jishaku is the Japanese word for magnet, and the game seems so simple-a small square “egg carton” made of foam, and 18 polished hematite magnets. The idea is to place the magnets into the depressions in the egg carton, but there’s a twist. All magnets have North and South poles, and so do Jishaku magnets, but they aren’t marked. As you place the magnets, the poles attract each other, and sometimes not right away. You can place a magnet and 30 seconds later, it suddenly “finds” the opposite magnet, and BAM!, the two magnets FLY towards each other to connect!

You can really make up any game you want, but the most popular way to play is to have two people, each with nine magnets, and the first one to run out wins. See, when you play, if the magnet you put down suddenly attracts any other magnet, you have to pick yours back up plus any that are touching. So running out is harder than it sounds!

It makes everyone who plays the game jump, every time! On the Jishaku website, click the Jishaku in action link to see what I assume is a Jishaku “tour”, where someone took the game around and asked people to play, in both indoor and outdoor bars and I think also Disneyland, because at one point, Jack Sparrow is playing! Click HERE to watch the fun!

Thanks goes to Lisa at Kidstuff PR for sending our family a Jishaku game to review, my oldest son in particular found it addictive. He kept playing and kept playing until he figured out a way to get all the magnets into the carton! And there were NO VIDEO GAMES INVOLVED, which is something I never thought possible :) You can get your own Jishaku game on the Jishaku website for $19.95 (plus shipping), or use the Store Locator to find a store and buy one for a gift or just for a fun family game!


Tags: , ,
Posted in games | 1 Comment »

Meet the newest member of our family, our Karito Kid Zoe

Written by Elizabeth on July 3, 2008 – 2:55 pm -

There are dolls, and then, there are DOLLS. When Lisa from Kidstuff PR emailed me about KidsGive and their amazing Karito Kids dolls, I showed the images to Kaitlyn and asked her what she thought. I didn’t try to guide her towards any one doll, and she pointed to Zoe and said, “can you get her for me?” So, I asked, and Kidstuff came through! I want to thank them right up front, because this is not an inexpensive doll, people. At our local educational toy store, this doll sells for $99.00. I’m going to tell you and show you exactly why that is not too much money to spend on one doll. Meet Zoe:

The Karito Kids World Collection launched in summer 2007 with five doll and book sets:

• Zoe and book “The Manhattan Menace” • Wan Ling and book “Shanghai Secret” • Lulu and book, “Nairobi Nightmare” • Pita and book, “Mexico Mystery” • Gia and book, “Florence Fiasco”
• A sixth doll, Piper from Australia and her book, “Sydney Scandal,” joins the collection in 2008.

Karito [`ka-ree`-toe] noun. Etymology: from the constructed international language, Esperanto, a universal second language created to foster peace and international understanding. 1: charity, 2: love of one’s neighbor

Zoe is dressed in the height of Manhattan kid fashion (or so the box says), and comes with a hardback book and her own passport. The only problem we have is that her hat won’t stay on. But look at how beautiful her hair is:

I love her beautifully detailed face, although her joints are so moveable that her head rotates around on her neck. One night we were sitting on the couch, Kaitlyn, Nathan, myself, and Zoe, and Nathan suddenly says “MOM. I swear that doll just turned it’s head and LOOKED at me!” More likely he just bumped the doll and the head rotated, but his reaction was kind of funny :) Here’s her sweet face:

From the press release:

Karito Kids® World Collection is an award-winning new line of ethnically authentic international dolls and books, designed to empower kids to become globally aware and participate in helping other children around the world. Parent company KidsGive believes that children are naturally charitable and only need to be given the opportunity. They approach this goal through a methodology that can be summed up quite simply as “the more you play, the more you give.”
Kids need no instructions to teach them how to play house. Playing “world” is a little different, so KidsGive has created a simple yet effective way to help teach children that every purchase helps another child. When a child gets their first doll, book or accessory, they receive a special code and are invited to “activate” it on the Karito Kids website, www.karitokids.com. Next, the child can read about four charitable causes that KidsGive supports through Plan USA, a children’s focused charity that delivers an impressive 80% of all funds directly to programs. After learning what life is like for children in other parts of the world, they can choose the cause they want to support. KidsGive donates 3 percent of the retail price of all products to Plan USA.

So, your child gets an amazingly detailed doll to play with, and a chance to directly help a child in another country. And while Kaitlyn chose the doll from Manhattan and not one of the world dolls, I’ve been talking to my boys about it and they are going to help me decide which charity to support with our code. The donations that the four charities have received so far are just amazing:

38% of children who “voted” on their favorite cause through the Karito Kids website directed funds to aid the “Health Project” in Kenya. This money can now buy 15,720 mosquito nets helping children in 357 remote villages.

24% of children directed funds to aid the “Food Project” in China. This has helped children in 13 rural schools which can now purchase 4630 chickens and the eggs they produce for food.

23% of children directed funds to aid the “Homes Project” in Honduras. This can help families live in enclosed homes by building 12 mason homes to be clean, safe and healthy.

15% of children directed funds to aid the “School Project” in Mali. This can now purchase 1,925 textbooks for 976 kids in Mali.

See? Amazing! I am so proud to be helping spread the word about the Karito Kids World Collection of dolls and books. I urge you, if you have a child to buy a gift for, or for your own child, to consider purchasing a Karito Kid doll to not only have a beautiful doll, but to have a chance to make a difference in the life of another child. See www.karitokids.com to learn more about the company’s products and online games, or visit www.kidsgive.com to learn more about the company and its charitable mission.


Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Kids, Products | 11 Comments »