Younger Kids  ::  Older Kids

Younger Kids

Playskool Weebles Tree House (Hasbro) Ages 18 months - 4 years, $29.99 
We tested the Weebles in a classroom of children 18 months to 24 months. What a success! According to the teacher, they are sturdy and wonderful activities to promote hand/eye coordination. The music and motion are excellent attractions as well. Another tester, a 20-month-old in a family environment, loved it as well. Our 20-month-old tester especially liked putting the figures in the “water” wheel and turning the crank to get them spinning. His mother reported, "This activates fun sounds and music which kept him entertained for long stretches of time – a nice break for his parents who usually spend most of their time chasing after him as he runs around the house!" The Treehouse includes 3 Weeble figures that children can, among other things, send down a slide, place in a swing and rocking chair, and slide down a chute through a door. 

Fairytale Play Sets-Cinderella and the Glass Slipper (Little Tikes) Ages 3+, $29.99  This is great little play set. As my reviewers (3, 5, and 6 years old) unfolded the tight little box they were surprised to see all that was inside. In front of their eyes was a whole princess compound. In the center is a majestic castle staircase and balcony with Cinderella's house next to it and the horse stable is behind the castle. A bridge and pond is also included in the landscape. Cinderella, the Prince, the Fairy Godmother and the Stepmother are the four figurines included in the set. Each figurine has a set of clothes that snap on. Cinderella and the Prince each have 4 additional outfits. The reviewers found it hard to keep track of the different outfits and tended to use what ever one was on the figurine. Other accessories in the set are constantly used especially the horse and carriage. This toy has provided many hours of make-believe for my reviewers and even their friends who come to play. The parents will like this one too, as it folds up so neatly with all the pieces inside. 

Dora The Explorer (Fisher Price) Age 3 and up, $79.99 
This was given to a grandmother to review with her grandchildren.  Apparently after building it her grandkids spent the next four hours serving them every food imaginable. "The kids were completely absorbed with this toy," she commented.  She loved the fact that it is bilingual, that it's a character, Dora, that she, as a former teacher really likes.  The Talking kitchen has Dora's 7 recipe adventure maps and 44 talking phrases, 28 play pieces as well as music.  "It's brightly colored, well made and very entertaining."  Since she just received it to review, she promises a follow up soon, but as a grandma she highly recommends it!  

60th Anniversary – Thomas and Gordon Set (Learning Curve) Ages 3 and up, $99.99  
Thomas the Tank Engine is always a holiday favorite and this year you can celebrate 60 years of Thomas & Friends in print with this special set.  This set features a Thomas engine with an " exclusive sneezing facial expression."  It also includes Gordon, destinations, a stop and go station, a piece of "golden track", and a Thomas and Gordon story card. Our tester (and his parents) were thrilled to receive to review this as his "first train" set!  Both he and his parents love it.

 Soccer Guys & Girls (KaskeyKids) Ages 3 and up, $16.99  Boys and girls agree that these sets are fun.  According to the tester of the Soccer Guys, "the sets have been great fun for our five-year-old daughter and  eight-year -old son an" states their mom. "The figures are made of sturdy well-molded plastic and their bases are designed to stand up easily. They both enjoyed taking all the figures out of the convenient molded plastic carrying case and out of their individual plastic wrappings. Setting the game up with the players from the opposing teams provided good entertainment."  Mom really liked that the figures are a fun, non-violent alternative to plastic soldiers."  A Montessori school that we gave some sets too really liked them as well.  They said the kids really enjoyed them during free play.

Littlest Pet Shop Whirl Around Playground (Hasbro) Ages 4 +, $29.99  Our 5 and 6-year-old reviewers were drawn to the Pet Shop playground immediately. They thought the two animal figurines included were adorable. The set also incorporated lots of activities that the reviewers played with. They were busy with the swings, merry-go-round, slide and other stations in and around the tree house motif.  Some other pieces included; bed, sled, and food dish fit well with the scheme and were used inside the tree house assembly. As for putting it together, our mom-tester reported "it took no time at all and the directions were very clear. I know this toy will be around my house for a while because my 5 year old said 'I can't wait to get some more animals to play with in the playground.'" 

Playskool Cool Crew Team Talkin' Tool Bench (Hasbro)  3 years and up, $39.99   "Playskool has made a great Tool Bench for young children," state our reviewers, teachers at a Montessori School.  They commented that "it promotes interactive play and is appealing without the typical benches with many small parts. All parts to this bench are large and easy to fit into their appropriate spaces."  It was tested by children ages 2 1/2 to 3. It was quite a hit!

Rescue Heroes Micro Adventures: Underwater Nightmare & Deluxe Avalanche Playsets  (Fisher Price) Ages 3-9,  $9.99-$14.99  

Do you have a grandson that loves Rescue Heroes?  Well these new play sets are just the perfect size to bring to grandma & grandpa's house.  Our testers, three boys ages 4 and 5-years-old just love these sets.  Some of our testers packed them in a backpacks with all the figures and vehicles and brought them everywhere.  In fact, according to one tester her son even brings them to bed.  Some of the sets even come with DVD's that tell the stories of the sets.  

My Take-Along Doll House (Playmobil)  Ages 4 -8, $29.99  Here's a great doll house that is as good in grandma's house as it is at home.  You can take this everywhere.  Everything fits in it, it's almost completely ready to play with once you open it.  It comes with a family of 4 with four rooms to live in!  The set includes beds, a cradle, stroller, kitchen table and chairs, pets and more! Our 4-year-old tester has really loved it and her parents loved the no-mess, simple set up!  The parents commented, "it's a great gift for a girl or a boy!"

Polly Pocket Quik-Clik™ Boutique (Mattel) Ages 4+, $14.99
Our 4-year-old testers had a blast playing with this set.  It took a few minutes for them to figure out how to get the clothes on in the "changing" room, but once they did it made for hours of fun.  Some older kids even got in on the action by hanging clothes on the hangers, changing the hairstyles and more.  It folds compactly into a little house and it's easy to take with you to grandma's or a friends.  We stored all the little bits in Ziploc bags though, as they tended to fall out of the boutique.  

Raise The Roof Barnyard (Parents Magazine) Ages 3+, $49.99 
Our testers from aged 3 and up had a great time playing with this beautiful set made of wood.  It has tons of animals that the kids enjoyed playing with.  They had fun with the working shoot, the animals that they could feed, and the working windows and doors.  The teachers liked the fact that you could open the roof to allow more than just one or two children to be involved.  They also loved the fact that there were no batteries required which meant the kids were responsible for all sounds and actions!  Available at Target stores.

K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R  Obnoxiously Large Armored Super Ship (Tech 2 Go LLC) Ages 5 and up $29.99
Our testers ages 5 and 6 had a blast playing with this ship.  It's pre-assembled which is a parents delight.  The only assembly are the installation of the included batteries for sound effects like a fog horn.  The ship comes with characters from the kids cartoon "Codename: Kids Next Door,"  it comes with six figures, two shuttles, two jet skis, one truck and more.  It's a great sharing toy that's sturdy, fun and according to the testers - a hit!  In case you're wondering K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R stands for "Kwite Obnoxiously Large Oversized Sooper Ship Allows Landing In Nefarious Enemies Region"

Polly Pocket! Snow Cool Hotel Playset (Mattel) Ages 4 and up, $29.99
Our testers just loved this Polly Pocket set.  They loved the doll that comes with the set that has pink streaks in her blond hair.  They had fun with the "hot tub" and all the clothes.  According to the mother of our testers the girls had plenty of pretend play with this.  Although it does tend to fall apart a bit they liked the colors, design and accessories.  

Older Kids

Fantastic 4 Movie Electronic Thing Hands (Toy Biz) Ages 6 years and up  $18.99
If your grandson is a fan of superheroes then he'll probably love these big, soft foam hands.  They are great for pretend play, won't damage anything or hurt anyone and come with batteries so they are ready for play.  When your grandson plays there are motion-activated phrases and sound effects.  Our 6-year-old tester had a blast with them!

Star Wars Build Your Own Lightsaber   (Hasbro)  6 - 11 years, $34.99  Our tester absolutely loved this Star Wars Lightsaber.  In fact our tester built his own lightsaber and his friends had so much fun with it, that his friends had to get their own.  The hours of pretend play that seem to come with this simple toy are amazing.  The lightsaber lights up, comes with one hilt, two blades, two emitters, two caps, and three crystals.  You can make a bunch of different styles depending upon your mood or character.  Our tester agreed that this is a winner.

Knights Rock Castle (Playmobil) Ages 5-8, $79.99  This set was enjoyed by a group of testers ranging in age from 4 to 8.  Although the 4 year old couldn't help with the set up much, the 8-year-old was a great help.  Parents are definitely required in the set up of Playmobil toys, but this set reported has much larger pieces and goes together much faster and much sturdier utilizing Playmobil's System X. The Playmobil® Rock Castle is everything kids love, there's a dungeon, a camp for prisoners, stairs, rats, windows that open, and a lots of accessories that include 4 figures, weapons, shields, treasure chest, a horse, a dog, and more!  It's a great set that provided hours of imaginative play.

Spy Vision Goggles (Wild Planet) Ages 8 - 12 $12.99  Our 9-year-old tester just loved these Spy Vision Goggles.  He could hear someone whispering, could see in the dark and liked the ultra cool look.  The Blue LED's flip out and are REALLY bright.  The glasses require 4 AAA batteries, not included.

Bratz Rock Angelz Concert Stage (MGAE) Ages 5 and up, $59.99  Does your granddaughter love Bratz?  If so, according to our 8-year-old reviewer,  "she'll love this!"  "This awesome set comes with tons of accessories, an exclusive ROXXI doll, real strobe lights and speakers.  I just love Bratz!"  It also includes the necessary items like Guitar, Microphone, and exclusive CD.  If you want to have even more fun just plug in your stereo and play your own music!