Over at Rocksinmydryer Shannon has a weekly poll called Works for Me Wednesday. This Wed. she has asked us to suggest some of the favorite toys that we have bought and would recommend for their attention capturing and holding capabilities. Here are a couple of favorites around here.
Hyper Dash - This is a great portable fast paced active game that is adaptable to all ages. My kids love it and it gets them up and moving which is always a plus! It was recommended by meckmom (http://www.meckmom.com/2008/07/20/two-fun-family-games/) and I take that as a really great sign! My only regret was not buying the Hyper Dash Double Dash because it would be fun to have two going at the same time and the flexibility of using it with larger groups. You can find it on sale here: http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Planet-46001-Hyper-Dash/dp/B000TTPEXU
GeoTrax - If you have boys (mine are 8 & 6), you know about the fundamental need for speed and building things! This combines both.We have tried HotWheels race tracks as well as many other brands. Paul always wanted really cool racetracks as a kid and my theory is he is buying them now as a "big boy". Needless to say we have owned and gathered dust on many a racetrack! I like GeoTrax because it is interactive and can be rebuilt many different ways. The best part of a racetrack is laying it out, planning, building, and testing to see if it works. If mom or dad has to put it together and the child just watches the cars go round and round what's the fun in that? Another great thing is that GeoTrax are a gift that can continue to the next birthday, holiday, reward, etc. because you can keep adding sets.
Now for the down side... The sets are bulky and require storage space. We have also found that the remote will turn off and on our DVD player (how freaky is that?) They must be on the same wave length. So.. my advice is, if you have boys, throw out the toys (ie. racetracks) they don't play with, get you a big tote and make room for GeoTracks. And if by chance the remote messes with the other electronics in your house, don't tell the kids. Ours liked to stand around the corner with the remote while we were watching a movie. Their obnoxious creativity runneth over!
Now my question... Christian wants a webkinz or a Tamagotchi? How uncool am I that I don't know anything about these other than they don't come cheap? Anyway, if you have experience with these I would love your opinion! Are they worth the $ and more importantly, will they drive me to tighten my straightjacket?
Now check out what everyone else said over at Shannon's site! (http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/11/works-for-me-to.html)
5 comments:
Praise God, I don't know about those toys yet either...my son is probably a few years away from knowing about them (but watch it, one of his friends will get one, and then he'll want one!)
Thanks for stopping by The Happy Ones!
We got my son a Webkinz last spring. They actually are not too unreasonable. I think that on sale I have seen them for as low as $6. My husband got one for himself as well. When you go into Webkinz world, you can play games, earn kinz bucks, buy food, toys and clothes for your webkinz, etc. In addition, you can play games and visit friends rooms - hence the reason my husband got one. There are "chat" features, but it is very controlled with only limited expressions to select, so it is a safe environment.
Don't know about the Tamagotchi
Webkinz are OK. For the $15, you do get a year subscription to the online games. Some of the games are borderline educational, so whether it is worth it or not comes down to whether you want your kids on the computer. We find the site to be a safe environment for the kids, so it was a compromise for us to let our 8 year old "online" with his friends without opening it up too wide. He can play games with them and send messages from a list, but we have it locked down so he can't type in text. Works for me!
Webkinz won't break your bank, and my daughter loves them just as a regular stuffed animal (which they are), but the online component we are NOT doing!! It seems harmless, but only serves to "groom" them for online chat, online shopping, and online gambling (the last one may be a stretch). I see no reason to encourage my 8 yr old to spend her time that way at this age!
Great post! Enjoying checking out your blog, linked from WFMW!
My boys love their Tomagotchi's. I bought them last year at Wal-greens for $15. They have fun connecting to friends with them too. I think it is a good replacement for a pet since if they forget to feed them or take them to the bathroom for too long they die. The nice thing about these pets is that you can reset and start over if they die.
Great post, by the way. We love the GeoTrax set. We are adding to ours too.
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