More Small Toys

Magic Scarf.

When we were checking out at the grocery store the clerk, a retired preschool teacher, couldn't resist doing a little magic for my kids. My kids loved it and it gave me an idea for a gift...the color-changing hanky. It is mechanically interesting, appropriate for small children (I think), and relatively inexpensive. What is funny about this scarf is all the ways my child has discovered for playing with it. Of course, figuring it out was first on the list. Then it turned into a snake (because snakes are big around here these days). Lastly, and I don't know why this surprised me, my kid discovered how centripetal force can be exploited. He could change the colors by twirling it around like nunchucks.



The rest of these are on our wish lists but I don't actually have experience with them. They are just ideas I'm saving for later...

Bug Lite.

In search of gifts ('tis the season), I was perusing all sorts of things in our local small toy shop (Into the Wind). I could imagine spending all of our money in that store because it is jam-packed with interesting and fun toys. But that is beside the point. The point is that I found this little "Bug Lite" there. It is a great take on a flashlight as a small gift because it has bendy arms and legs. Those bendy arms and legs make it wildly versatile because it can be mounted just about anywhere. Plus, it looks like a bug, which is a plus around our house.

Picture provided for scale.

Glow in the Dark Stars.

OK. Sometimes it is just hard to remember all those magical things from childhood that were just cool. When I saw Glow in the Dark Stars, I remembered. What a fun project for preschoolers to help decorate their space with glow in the dark stickers. And since we're approaching the solstice and we have an abundance of darkness during our waking hours, glow in the dark stars could be just the cure we need for a cold winter day.

Toysmith Crank Music Box

I saw the Toysmith brand music box at Into the Wind but I didn't see any available on Amazon. The Toysmith brand boxes at Into the Wind played Christmas songs. But the Kikkerland brand one available thru the link (above) are only available in other classics (including Stairway to Heaven). Toysmith ones were available thru sites that I'm not familiar with like "Toydoo.com" and "Finneganstoys.com." It appears as though they are also available on eBay. The one I handled in the store was cool. It seemed sturdy enough and the sound was nice enough for a $6 hand-crank music box. It was smallish in my hand but the right size for a preschooler, I think. Kind of fun and definitely up the alley for a mechanically-minded person. I did find a different branded one on Amazon so I put the link, below.

3D Doodle Kit.

Believe it or not this kit is recommended for 3 years and up! I think the pencils have a special device to hold them together, which is necessary for creating an image that will appear 3D through the glasses.  What a fun way to explore vision and various aspects of STEAM!

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