ASTRA 2012 Best Toys for Kids

As a member of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) Grandrabbit’s is dedicated to providing toys and games that are educational, unique, fun and engaging. This year we are proud to carry thirteen of the 2012 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids. The 2012 Best Toys for Kids list features toys that support early childhood development, pretend play, constructive play, game play, creativity, science discovery, active play and lateral thinking! 

Here’s the best part! Our staff is knowledgeable about developmental milestones, how children play and the playability of all the products in our store. Come into a Grandrabbit’s store today and allow our outstanding staff show you the 2012 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids and guide you in finding the perfect gift! 

ASTRA Best Toys for Kids available in our stores:


Roll & Play- ThinkFun

This game designed for toddlers age 18 months and up and has been winning awards left and right. The colors on the cube correspond to colored cards each with a simple activity. It's designed to support your toddler's development and introduce play patterns and rules.



Puppet on a Stick- Educational Insights

For kids 4+ Puppet on a stick is an exciting addition to any play box. They are perfect for puppet shows, circle time, or story time, but the possibilities are endless. Inspire dramatic play and see where your imagination takes you.

E-Rangers Headquarters- Playmobil

Futuristic, Fantasy, Fun! The Playmobil E-Rangers' Headquarters is packed with pretend play potential and tons of special effect features including a real working solar cell, changing computer display and LED spotlight.



 The Zoob Challenge- Infinitoy

Zoob is an excellent building set with dynamic results. Unlike many other building sets, ZOOB peices move after you put them together! ZOOB Challenge comes with 175 pieces, string, wheels, a ball, rubber bands, a foam play pad and 25 challenges that are based on essential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) skills. (Ages 8+)



 Look Look- MindWare
Look Look is a fast-paced matching race comprised of eight interchangeable frames packed with visual cues. Players compete to find identical creatures or solve a math challenge. Game cards reveal the challenge and the winner keeps the card. Be the first to collect enough cards to spell "Look Look" and you take the game! (Ages 6+)


TENZI- Carma Games

(Description from ilovetenzi.com)  

OBJECT:

Be the first player to get all ten of your dice to show the same number.

HOW TO PLAY:
(2-4 players.) Each player chooses a set of dice. Players hold all ten dice in their hands. Someone says “Go” and everyone rolls at the same time. Quickly look at your roll and decide which number you are going to go for. (For example, if you have more 3’s than any other number, that’s what you want to go for.) Put all your dice with that number aside, collect the remaining dice and quickly roll again. (You do not have to wait for others to roll again. Everyone rolls together only on the first roll.) Keep rolling until all ten of your dice show the same number.

WINNING:
The first player to get all ten of their dice to match (ten 3’s, for example) shouts out “TENZI” and wins the game!
 
Additionally, there's lots of other ways to play. To get a preview download the free Tenzi app for iPhone and iPad.

My First Super Science Kit- Be Amazing! Toys

Perfect for the little scientist eager to learn about their world. This Super Science kit comes with all the materials needed to conduct 75 experiments including a magnifying glass and Energy Stick to teach them about electricity and conductivity. (Ages 4-8)





Snap Circuits LIGHT- Elenco

This Snap Circuits kit makes it easy and fun to learn about electronics. There are over 175 projects you can create! Connect your ipod or any MP3 player to watch the lights change to the beat.   (Ages 8+)



Kickin' Putt- Begin Again

Begin Again toys is a local Colorado imaginative toy company. They focus on thoughtful toy design that inspires children and incorporate materials that can be or have been reduced or recycled. Kickin' Putt combines the fun of soccer, kickball, flying discs and golf! Players throw the flying disc to set the hole and then compete to kick their ball into the goal first. Sets can be combined to create a tournament setting and you can create your own version of the game! (Kids of all ages)
 
Ogo Sport RAQ- Ogo Sport

 A hand trampoline for balls: throw, catch, bounce! There's so many ways to play!

(Ages 3+)



Rush Hour- ThinkFun

The single-player traffic jam logic game! Help your little red car get out of the gridlock by shifting the rest of the traffic on the game board. The game comes with 40 challenge cards sorted by four levels of difficulty allowing players to progress at their own pace. (Ages 8+)




Rubik's The Void Puzzle- Winning Moves

A "hole" new take on the classic Rubik's cube with the added challenge of missing center "cubes". Grandrabbit's customers have reported that it moves super smoothly too! Are you ready to take on the challenge of the void?






Perplexus Twist- PlaSmart

This new 4D challenge game from PlaSmart puts a new twist on the classic Perplexus. The player must twist and realign the tracks to avoid traps, decoys and cliffhangers. A great toy for cognitive development that encourages creative problem solving, hand-eye coordination, motor skills and patience! (Ages 6+)

  

Musical Touch by Neurosmith

You have got to see this! Grandrabbit’s just got in a toy from Neurosmith called the Musical Touch. The toy is an interactive 2-4 player game that allows players to create music and sounds by holding onto one of the contacts and tapping the skin of their partner. Your skin becomes the conductor making your whole body a musical instrument. You have 8 classical melodies, 7 percussion sounds, and 7 animal sounds at your fingertips to play and create with. The tempo and the rhythm are up to you and your co-players so you can remix a classic or compose your own animal sound symphony!

Like their entire line of toys, this Neurosmith toy inspires and encourages exploration, creativity and cooperation. Children ages 3+ can practice taking turns while experimenting with music and sound.  You can trust the combination of current developmental research and technology to support your child’s critical thinking skills and creative potential. The Musical Touch is available at any of our Grandrabbit’s Toy Shoppe locations.

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Best Educational Toys of 2012

The OppenheimToy Portfolio recently released their list of the best educationaltoys of 2012. Seventeen kid tested and Oppenheim approved toys that will give your kids an educational boost while they play. Six of these toys are currently available at Grandrabbit's and more are soon to arrive! 

The Sci or Fi Files Game: The science version of two-truths and a lie for Ages 10 and up. Players take turns reading the science statements printed on their cards and everyone guesses which are true and which are false. Answers and explanations are on the flip side of the cards.  The game comes with 200 playing cards that are divided in to 4 categories (Physical Science, Earth and Space, Life Science, and Unclassified). When a player gets the answer right they get a score chip. In order to win a player must collect a chip from each category.

K’nex Ferris Wheel: Unlike previous K’nex models that had upward of 2,000 pieces this Ferris wheel checks in at just 475 pieces. The smaller number of pieces make it easier and faster to build but still satisfying to complete. Building this motorized masterpiece would be great for a parent/child activity and it’s recommended for children 7+.

Pathwords Jr.: Tagged as Kid’s Ultimate Word Search! A book of words fits under the playing board grid and a single player, age 6+, searches for words on a “find” list. As words are found they are covered up with transparent colored tiles. There are 40 puzzles in the book that require the player to find words spelled both backwards and forwards as well as overcome spatial challenges.

DoArt Watercolor Pencil Art: This is a great introductory kit with a beginners guide to painting with watercolor pencils. Recommended for children age 9+ the kit comes with 10 colored pencils, a zip-lock storage pouch, an illustrated instruction book, water color paper, a water color brush and a pencil sharpener. Grandrabbit’s also carries the DoArt Color Pencil Art kit. 

 

eeBoo 12 Jumbo Double-Sided Color Pencils:  Aesthetically pleasing, easy to grasp, colorful pencils that make writing and drawing more fun! The set comes with a pencil sharpener to fit the larger pencils. Each pencil has two different colors and they are suitable for ages 5+.

eeBoo Sketchbook with Glow in the Dark Covers:  These 8.5 x 11.5 60 page spiral sketchpads have impressive and enchanting glow in the dark covers that will appeal to both boys and girls. Take the basic sketch pad up a notch and grab a gift that the child in your life can use in school even when the holiday season is long gone.

LEGO Friends (Heartlake Vet): There was a lot of negative hype surrounding LEGO's most recent gender specific product but the young toy testers are loving it! With a wide variety of sets that have interchangeable pieces and moving parts, there are still nearly limitless possibilities when it comes to creating with these LEGO sets. Small details are even included such as a stethoscope, thermometer, charts and clipboards.


***Grandrabbit's just got a shipment of a variety of these sets and we recommend getting them now while they are still in stock- this will be a popular holiday product***

COMING SOON!

Ravensburger Augmented Reality Puzzles: We just ordered these new techy puzzles that combine the nostalgia of a jigsaw puzzle with apple technology. Putting the puzzle together is a great cooperative activity for families or groups of children. Once it’s complete, download the free app and use an iPhone or iPad to bring the images on the puzzle to life!

To see the toys in action check out Stephanie Oppenheim's appearance on the Today Show last week: 

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49256354#49256354

The Good Toy Checklist

Play is learning and toys are learning tools. If we stop to contemplate how important and essential play is to our children’s’ development, we would realize the importance of careful and well informed selection of their playthings.  Here is our list of characteristics found in good toys.

For continued updates on our stores, products and resources be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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Source: grtoys.com via Grandrabbits on Pinterest

Eyes on the Sky

Grandrabbit’s has products to get any little astronaut off the ground, including space suits, books, solar system models and more! Come into the store for our full selection.

Since the beginning of August our attention has been turned to the sky. On August 5 (Neil Armstrong’s birthday by the way) NASA’s Curiosity Rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars. The nights of August 12^th and 13^th were lit up by the Perseid Meteor Shower, and on the 25^th Neil Armstrong, the first man to ever set foot on the moon, passed away.

With all this space talk, you may find your kids wanting to know more about our solar system, NASA and space travel.  Here are some tidbits we picked up to help get your conversations started.

Did you know?!?-- Neil Armstrong was flying planes before he could drive, he served as a Navy fighter pilot in the Korean War and was a student of aeronautical engineering at Purdue University. He never dreamed that he would someday fly to the moon. In fact, during Armstrong’s first year of college Charles E Yeager broke the sound barrier in an experimental aircraft called the Bell X-1 and Armstrong felt that he “had missed all the great times and adventures in flight.” Good thing he was mistaken! Once he got a job at NASA Neil Armstrong piloted many of the most innovative aircrafts of all time, including the successor to the Bell X-1, and eventually moved on to flying spacecrafts. Armstrong took the first human steps on the moon on July 20, 1969 accompanied by his colleague and friend Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 Mission. In a statement regarding Armstrong’s death, his family stated that “He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits.” What an inspiration. In remembrance of Neil Armstrong, rekindle your own sense of childhood wonder and see where it takes you. You never know, you could end up on the moon!

Speaking of childhood wonder, who else is still waiting for some aliens to show up on the camera of the new Mars Rover Curiosity?!? Okay, so the Rover is actually looking for microbial life forms, but we can dream right?

Here’s some real info!--Unlike previous mars rovers the Curiosity has greater mobility and the ability to explore more of the red planet than we’ve ever seen before.  Previous Rovers such as the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration relied on solar energy, limiting them to areas of Mars that received enough sunlight to keep them powered. The power for the Curiosity Rover however, comes from a “radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of plutionium’s radioactive decay.” Wow! Thanks to this new power source, over the next martian year (687 earth days) the Curiosity will send us never before seen images of mars, and assess whether or not the red planet has, or ever had, an environment that could support life. We can’t wait to see what’s out there!

Just for fun, if one martian year= 1.88 earth years. How old would you be if you were a martian? (Hint: Divide your age in years by 1.88)

Want to know more?

NASA has heaps of great information and cool interactive material such as Be A Martian so be sure to explore their website if you’re interested in keeping up to date with Curiosity’s location, photos, technology, etc.

Going Green at Grandrabbits!

The demand for Eco-friendly, "green" and all natural toys is slowly on the rise as people become more aware of the effects of synthetic materials on the environment and the human body.

At Grandrabbit's Toys Shoppe we provide parents with Eco-friendly alternatives including, toys that are made of organic, recycled, and wooden materials.

Vendors at Grandrabbit's That Provide Eco-friendly Toys:
Sprig, Plan Toys, Haba, Hape, Educo Toys, Maple Landmark, Mama K's, Blue Orange, Citi Blocs, Green Toys, Kapla, Thames and Kosmos, Clementine Arts, Sara Silks, and Bead Bazaar.

Some of Our Favorite "Green" Toys at Grandrabbits Include:

1. Sophie the Giraffe - a popular teething toy for infants, made of an all natural rubber and painted with a safe, non-toxic food dye

2. Skwish (Manhattan Toy)- a great wooden toy also for infants. Comes in a colorful version or a  plain, natural version with a water-based, non-toxic finish.

3. Recycled Paper Beads Art Kit (4M) - this is a fun art kit that recycles leftover paper by turning it into fashionable jewelry. A great way to get rid of leftover wrapping paper!

4. Green Toys - products from this company are made directly in the USA. Green Toys provides a wide variety of toys made from recycled milk jugs, including trucks, tea sets, building blocks, and pretend play food.

5. Sprig Toys - a fun, Eco-friendly company that provides phalate-free vehicles made of recycled plastic and wood.

6. Earth-opoly - this is the Eco-friendly themed Monopoly made from recycled paper and uses soy ink. As you play you pick up great tips about the Earth and ways to "Go Green".

GOING GREEN FACTS
• Americans purchase 5 billion batteries a year
• Those 5 billion batteries leaves behind 146,000 tons of battery waste
• 25% of the pesticides produced each year are used on conventional
(sources: Children's Health Environmental Coalition, Eco Choices)