Stocking Stuffers

Ha ha. Perspective is funny.

When I think of stocking stuffers I think of small, fairly inexpensive (usually) but interesting things. I'm keeping this page as a running list of toys, food, craft supplies, and other things that might be good as a small gift for a preschool engineer.


Twisty Crayons. When Mikey's preschool teacher visited our home to do a one-on-one meet-and-greet, she was not surprised that Mikey spent some time investigating the nature of the twisty crayons she had brought instead of drawing with them. "The boys always play with the crayons. The girls get right to drawing with them," she said to me. "Ah ha!" I thought, "two aspects preschool engineering. Mechanical (de)construction and design." The crayons are basically like lipstick...the wax goes up and down when someone twists the bottom. Simple, interesting, and small.






Post-it Flags. OK, this might seem weird but my kids love post-it flags. They have received WAY MORE attention from my preschool engineer than any sticker he ever has seen. I think it has to do with the interesting dispensing mechanism. I mean, who hasn't been stunned by the simple but clever design of a post-it flag? Add the favorite color-factor and you've got yourself a silly little treasure.







Color Packs of Crayons. Did you know that you could get a mega-pack of your kid's favorite color crayon? It makes sense but I was surprised and delighted to find that tid bit out. You can either buy a pack of twelve identical crayons like these Crayola 12-packs (available in ROYGBIV, black and pink) or pick one color in many hues like the Playful Purple or Hello Sunshine collections (also by Crayola and also available in other colors). I don't know about you but my kid would be ecstatic to have twelve identical pink crayons. LOL. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled at the local toy stores. I've seen these sets for ~$2 but they list for ~$8 on Amazon!

Safety Scissors. For a preschool engineer scissors are a lot like robot claws. They open and close like tongs or grabbers and they have an added bonus of cutting things. And my oh my how things have changed since I was a child! Scissor safety is still a concern but check out Crayola's "Safety Scissors." There is no blade! The super-sharp edges are enough to cut paper...and that is all they cut! Seems like a win-win for parent and child!

Chocolate Gears

Interesting Food. The holidays are a time of fun food! Just for kicks, I'll invite you to see food through the eyes of a preschool engineer. My kid calls peanut butter cups "gear chocolate" and "Annie's All Stars" also look like gears. He also picks out the Bionaturae "Fusilli" pasta at the store and calls them auger noodles. So when you're looking to splurge on new food for your children just imagine how cool chocolate gears might be received.

Silly Utensils. Whenever we travel with these "Constructive Eating" utensils we get compliments. Since acquiring these utensils I've also discovered that they have a garden set (shovel, rake, and hoe) along with plates with ramps for pushing food around and scooping and lifting at the table.





Tongs, Claws and Grabbers. Anything that makes the tongs different from the next set and valuable to a chef will appeal to your child, too. Look for toast tongs, escargot tongs, as well as specialty toy grabbers...all listed on my Listmania List.









IKEA's Hand-powered Flashlight. When we discovered this hand-powered flashlight, I don't know who was more tickled me or my preschool engineer. It is so simple and small. It is easy for a preschooler to hold and crank. Plus there is immediate gratification because the more the child cranks the more the LEDs light up.







Wind Up Toys. Don't forget simple delights like wind up toys. Here is a link to my list of some of our favs.

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