|
Outdoor
Fun Water
Play Travel
Toys
Summer
Books & Journals
Keep
Cool - Frozen Treats Travel
Gifts
 Pirate
Bomb Blast™:
"This is fun!" commented our boy testers, aged 5-7.
They loved the fact that this "looked" like a pirate bomb and that it
had a fuse and blasts. It's a great way to play a game of "hot
potato". Our testers had fun playing the game as well as using it
as a "pirate accessory!" Want to know how to play? Well,
it's pretty simple: press the button and the fuse starts to burn,
pass it around, it vibrates and the hissing increates until it explodes.
Good for two or more kids - or just one with an imagination! Age:
4+, $9.99 / Available: At online and specialty stores such as
shopwildplanet.com
Pixel Pets (Mattel)
(Ages 6-10 $34.99) On the heels of the very
popular Pixel Chix houses come their pets. This toy proved to be
popular with our girl and boy testers. I think they loved the fact
it was a Hamster. You can even plug in your mp3 player and watch
your hamster dance. It's a fun travel toy that will keep your
grandchildren entertained. If they are already a fan of Pixel Chix
-- they'll love this!
 Pop
Up Pirate Island (Mattel)
(Ages 3-8 $39.95) So here's something fun, that's easy to
pack up and take to grandma's house! This play set folds flat,
pops open to reveal a fully contained set that has a ship, roads, two
characters, a crocodile, canon and treasure chest. There are four
areas, the ship, crocodile cove, forbidden island and a treasure lagoon.
The set comes with one car. There's NO assembly required and it's
easy instant play! Our testers, aged 5 and 6 both thought it was good
fun!
 Little People®
Lil’ Pirate Ship (Fisher
Price) Ages 2-5, $20.99 Once
again, Fisher Price has come out with a winner. This little pirate
ship is great fun, especially if you are already familiar with Little
People products. Our mom tester reported, "all the pieces are just the right size for little
hands, and the ship is durable. I know because I caught my two year
old trying to stand on it! His favorite part is putting the little
ball in the cannon and pressing the lever to make it shoot out again and
again. The little ball bounces right back to him and he
giggles and claps with delight each time. Another good thing
for grown ups is that it doesn't have a lot of pieces and can easily be picked
up and taken in the car to play with at grandma's house."
 Dual-Screen
Mobile DVD System (Disney)
Okay moms, dads, grandparents - if any of
you have spent any time in the car lately with your kids you know that
without a DVD player your going to go nuts. I remember the endless
hours of car games and fighting as a kid, but why put yourself through
that when you can play car games for a while and then enjoy some of the
journey in peace! Thanks to Disney,
they've come up with a Dual-Screen Mobile DVD System. The new
system comes with several faceplate inserts including Pirates
of the Caribbean and Tinker Bell so kids can customize their
own; both screens feature a 7-inch LCD display that easily straps on the
back of each headrest in a car so kids can watch the same video image on
two screens. It comes with built-in speakers, two headphones, a car
power adapter, two mounting straps and a full function remote control.
The displays snap together with a handle for easy portability. It
supports DVD videos and audio CDs, plus picture CDs, DVD+R and DVD+RW.
A TV guardian option is available by subscription, which automatically
filters offensive language from the programs you watch. Available at
retailers nationwide. Included in the package is a Disney DVD disc
sampler featuring a compilation of Disney Channel’s hottest
entertainment from Hannah Montana and The Cheetah Girls,
to High School Musical, Jump In and Cory In The House.
We tested this on several long car rides, first the resolution is great,
they are extremely portable and are perfect for siblings, once you get
them to agree who picks the first movie. The only thing we wish is
that the main unit had a battery back up so that we could take it
into our hotel room or restaurant during long waits for a table!
Other than that, this is a perfect gift for peaceful travel! ($179.99)
 Scene
It? To Go! Jr. DVD Game (Mattel)
Ages 8+, $15.99 Here's a
fun game that kids can play in the car or airplane that will keep them
entertained! This game is like the larger version, but travel
size. Kids can answer trivia questions while watching real music,
TV, sports and music clips. Our 8-year-old tester had a blast
playing this on the way to her grandparents house!
 Deal or No Deal (Jaaks Pacific) If you have a portable DVD player in your car,
chances are it has the ability to accept Plug and Play games and
what could be more fun than a game of Deal or No Deal from TV Games™.
This game is based on the hit NBC game show
starring Howie Mandel, Deal or No Deal! Our testers, aged 8 and up
had a blast playing this game on the last road trip. Does your
case hold the million? We don't know, but apparently the kids
kept trying and it made the drive fly! If you have a Spiderman
fan, then be sure to check out the
Spider-Man 3: The Movie Edition TV Games unit.
This plug and play features four games in one controller, the
amazing Spider-Man must master the use of the black Symbiote suit
and face off against three of his most powerful arch-enemies in
Goblin Hunt, Sandman Smash, Symbiote Struggle and Construction Site
Fight. Again, another tester favorite!$19.99
 Read Along Stories (ToyBox
Innovations) Here's a great way to pass the time in the car.
Instead of watching DVD's you can get your kids reading along with ToyBox
Innovations Read-Along book series. Each of these sets come with three
beautifully illustrated 24-page books and a companion CD Read-Along of
Disney’s hottest stories. Our testers enjoyed them in the car and
also listened to them as bedtime stories long after their exhausted
parents were done reading. It's a great way for older siblings to
enjoy books with younger siblings since no one has to read aloud! Featured
stories include Chicken Little, Brother Bear and now Cars! $14.99
 Pixel
Chix - Road Trippin Vehicle (Mattel)
(Ages 6-10 $16.99) On the heels of the very
popular Pixel Chix houses comes their car. Our tester, aged
nine, who just loves her house had fun with the car, which she could
attach to the house. The car has a radio, horn and is
portable with the cool clip that allows you to attach her to your
backpack.
 NAMiTS
(NAMiTS) (Ages 5 and
up. $9.95)
Invented by a mom these extremely durable,
waterproof cards are portability and fun. I clipped them to my car so
that we could play while going on long drives. You ask a question
form a NAMiTS question using the first card in one of the color-coded
sections of the card deck, then get your child thinking. For
example: "Name things that are...sticky." The game is
small enough to fit in a pocket or purse—it can be clipped to a
backpack or simply left on a table as an "invitation to play."
 Disney
Personal DVD Player
(Disney) This 3.5" personal DVD is a lifesaver. We took
this on our trip to Puerto Rico and boy was it amazing. The kids
were able to watch their own movie during the flight and they actually
stayed in their seats. We've taken it on car rides, to grandma's
house and even used it when the kids couldn't get to sleep. The
resolution is amazing, and the picture size is fine for kids or adults.
It has built-in speakers but we liked using the headphones for private listening! The built-in rechargeable battery makes it easy to watch
all your favorite movies or listen to CDs. Note: Headphones not
included but any pair around the house should work.
 Matchbox Delux Pop-up Construction Playset (Mattel)
Ages 4+, $14.99 This is a truly portable gift that's perfect for
a flight, train ride or road trip. There are two levels of play
which includes quite a bit for such a small area. There's a wrecking ball, hook, two building roofs to snap on, a car launching cement mixer, and
it comes with one car. When you're all done playing pack it up
by fold in the ramps, put the car in place and it snaps shut.
It's durable despite the fact it's a "pop up" and it fits
easily into a backpack or under a car set. It's perfect for traveling
fun! There are a couple of other sets available so if your
grandchild likes them get the rest of the sets - Matchbox Pop Up Adventure Set Snake Jungle
and Dragon Castle
 Times Electronic Crossword Game
(Franklin
$59.95) Looking for a great travel toy for older kids and adults that
doesn't take up a lot of space and works your brain? Well the
Times Electronic Crossword Game does just that. It features
crosswords from the London Times (as featured in the New York Post and
International Herald Tribune). There are over 22,000 clues and you
don't need to carry a pencil (or pen.) My family played for hours
with this on the beach in Puerto Rico - it was great fun. Runs on
2 AAA batteries which are included.
 Camp
Journal (Mudpuppy Press, $10.00) Do you have a camper in your family? If so, you just have to check out this great journal from Mudpuppy
Press. It includes a Daily Camp Log, a place to glue your keepsakes and even animal tracks. It's sure to be a hit for those overnight campers. If your
grandchild isn't traveling, but is taking to the road - be sure to check out their Road
Trip Activity Journal ($10.00). Your grandchild can track the different cars they see on the road, present "Roadie Awards", play bingo and even chart
their course on the map. To keep them writing - don't forget to send mudpuppy's Seal
and Send stationery. 
Kids
Travel Have you ever taken a long ride with
your grandchildren? If so, you may have discovered that the
standby games of eye spy and the license plate game get boring after a
while? Well the Kids Travel book is a fabulous boredom
buster. We tested this book on a 6-hour ride and it did the
trick! The zippered pouch which has all the crafts you need to
do the activities in the book and it includes a a 100-page game
pad. Cat's Cradle provided at least an hours entertainment by
itself! Our tester just loved this book and so did her parents!
 Nifty
Plates from the Fifty States
Taking the grandkids on a road
trip this summer? Don't leave home without this fun book! This
deck features facts, flags, and stats on all 50 states. A must have
for those long summer car rides! Price: $12.99
Would you like to send me your summer safety tips? If so, click
here.
|
