Go for essentials- onsies, bibs, socks, etc. You get the idea, don’t get the run of the mill stuff- you want to get something memorable (also not too expensive, from my experience with three babies- expensive does not necessarily mean ‘quality’). Get natural fiber stuff and if possible get natural rubber toys and pacifiers.

Pictured above is some excellent stuff from the Modern Baby Company. There products are consistently made with quality fabrics (super-stretchy onesies and tops make it easy to change the kid) and sweet modern designs.

Here’s a wonderful timeless gift for a kid. I mean really what kid wouldn’t love a high-tech ant farm filled with mysterious iridescent blue goo that the ants eat and turn into a maze of tunnels. And don’t worry parents, no queens included. The container has a LED light on the bottom so when you turn it on their whole blue goo world glows with light. It’s pretty clever. An ant farm night light.

Evidently, the mysterious goo has all the food and water needed for these Harvester Ants to survive. And don’t worry parents, no Queen in these colonies, so no need to fret. The gel arrives as a solid. Once you add ants to the gel, then the true fun begins.

The ants bite off pieces of the gel and carry them around the gel ant farm in much the same way as they would particles of sand. Watch them dig an endless maze of tunnels. Using the included magnifying glass and extreme zoom lens, you can observe their behavior.

Kids will get to see first hand how colonies are developed and maintained, how the individual ants interact with each other and see them collect and carry their food and keep their nest clean.

Related Links & Articles:
Insect Kits | Ant Farms
Build your own ant farm
Classic Ant Farm Kit
Ant Farm Central | Good information about get kits

39 clever Lego advertisement campaigns from around the world.

Vis a vis Speckyboy.Com

Perhaps it’s a rainy day or a snowy one, or maybe the kids have finished all their homework and they’ve built every puzzle in the house or they’re just driving you a little crazy and the usual tricks aren’t working. Enter Kongregate, a website with over eleven thousand free games to play.

I understand there’s a time and place for mindless drivel and let it be said, I am a huge proponent of limited screen time for kids and parents alike, be it television, game console or computer screen time. Whenever I try to talk about the redeeming qualities of video games and the likes of, it’s as if I am trying to argue the nutritional value of Twinkies.

Depending on the genre and the game, there is some value in some of them. Personally, I am drawn to builders, multi-players, strategy games and puzzle solvers. One could argue that these have a fair number of redeeming values assuming they are well designed and executed, sure some may think I am stretching here but I concur, it beats watching re-runs.

Many feel like “sketches” of games with placeholder art, stick figures and all, while others have a very impressive professional ‘gloss to them. But when you get down to game play many of them are quite fun, dare I say (a tad) addictive. With titles like Shopping Cart Hero, Fantastic Contraption, and Monsters’ Den there is plenty to explore. Set the egg timer (otherwise, you’ll lose track of time) and have a blast.

This 10 piece hand-crafted puzzle stands up to brighten any room. As beautiful to look at as it is fun to play with, this makes an excellent first puzzle!

Kids love to play with the pieces like a playset, parents love the puzzle as room decor. Made with lead free, child safe paints and constructed from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.

Ages 3+

On Sale at Monkey Grass for $25 [+ shipping], usually $30

Otto’s Orange Day

Otto’s Aunt mails him an orange (Aladdin’s) lamp and he quickly finds that he has one wish, where he can have anything he wants. With this, he wishes everything orange. Once his mother serves him orange spinach, he starts to realize that everything isn’t better orange. Knowing that he has used his one wish he has to think quick to turn everything back to the right color. To save the day, Otto will need his family’s help, some quick thinking, and…a pizza?

Cammuso’s art is both stylish and approachable for kids new to the -indicative of comic books, while Lynch’s writing is clever, lighthearted and attainable for this young audience. I read this to my four year old and two year old on a regular basis and both grab it from our crammed bookshelves over and over again, and that in itself speaks volumes.

Sited & Related Links:
Jay Lynch & Frank Cammuso | Otto’s Orange Day
Jay Lynch & Dean Haspiel | Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever

Based on a classic Eastwood western, the Clint Eastwood; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Minimates Box Set features entertaining characters from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Don’t let these gunslingers get away!

They have put the Mini-mates spin on this classic Western! Bring your favorite Wild West gunslingers to life with this Minimates box set based on the 1966 spaghetti-western classic! Featuring the Good Blondie, the BadAngel Eyes and the Ugly Tuco as they search for buried gold, this set also includes Showdown Blondie from the epic final standoff! Sculpted and designed by Art Asylum, each 2-inch tall Minimate features 14 points of articulation and sculpted accessories!

So cool.

Clint Eastwood; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Minimates Box Set at Amazon.Com ($16 bucks [+shipping])

This is definitely not bargain basement shopping, but what my wife and I have discovered with three children is certain pieces of clothing can be worthy hand-me-downs, ultimately saving you money. One of those key items is a good winter coat. Check out these beautiful Petit Bateau pea coats for both boys and girls.

On sale for $96 bucks at TrendiChic.Com (they have a clearance bin as well)

I stumbled upon this fresh wooden train set at a small toy store in the area and wanted to share it with you all. What I like besides the cool simple designs is the fact that the makers of these Nuchi Trains made them compatible with existing wooden tracks (ex. Thomas the Train tracks). Really adorable, simple and easy designs, I like them.

$15-20 bucks at the Little Little Little Toy Company (*good prices at Amazon, too)

How many times have I had downtime with the kids and they are bored, they’re slumping around the house with gaze fixed on me, as if to say, “Dad, what can we dooooooOO?” It’s not easy having fresh ideas to pull out of my hat, some of you dads might know what I’m talking about. Here are five free activities that will entertain the kids for hours.

I often try to see this as an opportunity to bond with the kids and to teach them the finer point of playing well with others and communication which usually means picking up on social cues, keep in mind I am talking about toddlers and preschool kids.

Over the next few months I will throw out a few more ideas and maybe eventually I will compile a master list. Moms and Dads, please pipe in.

1. Shadow Tag: all it takes is a sunny day – go to an open area, chase each other around using shadows. Whoever is “it” steps on somebody else’s shadow thus making that person “it.” Of course you don’t have to play with them, but explain the rules and set them up for a friendly round or two of tag, so they can get some exercise, have some fun and maybe blow some steam off. 

2. Play Fort: I just did this with the boys yesterday. It was cold and rainy outside. They had an absolute blast. Span blankets across the backs of two chairs or simply throw a sheet or tablecloth over the dining room table, viola – a “fort.”  They filled the fort with pillows, stuffed animals, snacks and flashlights. Once the novelty started wearing off, “Daddy Monster” came in to attack them when they were inside the fort, squeals of joy – that’s all I’ll say.

3. Monster Mask: regardless of your artistic abilities, I think everyone can have a good time with this. Take a brown paper shopping bag and have the kids draw a scary face with crayons, pencils, markers, whatever… Cut the eyes out, unless they old enough to do it themselves. Have them take the time to paste colored paper (perhaps for the hair), paint it (poster or tempera paint would work good), color it in, be creative! Have them put there Monster Masks on and have them chase you or each other around [*be sure to give them good-sized eye holes so they have some type of peripheral vision].

4. Fly a Kite: I got a cheap $5 kite on a whim months ago because I saw some dad flying one with his kid in the park. I have since taken my kids to the park to fly that cheap $5 kite over a dozen times! They really get a kick over wrestling that little thing as it gets tugged up and down and all around.

5. 20 Questions: on post-it notes write down characters, people or things that your kids know (ex. Mickey Mouse, Daddy, giraffe, peanut butter sandwich, etc.) and tack them on your kid’s back and have your kid do the same for you. Spend up to twenty questions trying to guess what is on your back.