App for kids on IPAD and IPHONE
February 16, 2012 Posted by : ChaosMandy

Are Fairy Tales Too Scary?

Category : Babies, Books, Elementary, Featured, Kids' Room, Toddlers, TV, Movies, and Music

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Scary Snow White and Her Dwarves (Image: Mandy Horetski)

I’ve been a big fan of books since I was a child partly because my parents would read to me before bedtime. I started this ritual with my daughter when she was very small. She loves her books and is already wanting to learn how to read on her own even though she is only three. She has books that were mine as a child, as well as newer ones. I don’t really consider any of her books very scary at all. But there is a new study that shows that I might be in a parenting minority.

There was a study done that shows that one in five parents have decided to not read their children classic fairy tales because of the scary factor. Since my daughter is prone to nightmares, I do try and monitor what she watches. This is why I haven’t let her watch movies like Star Wars yet because I think they would be, in her words, “too scary scary”.

But fairy tales aren’t really something I ever saw as really scary. She has seen the Disney versions of many of the classic fairy tales as well as having heard them read to her as a bedtime story. None of these stories have kept my nightmare-prone toddler up at night.

At the end of the article, there is a list of top ten fairy tales that parents no longer read to their kids. I have read one story to my daughter that was on the list, Hansel and Gretel, with no issues. One of her favorite books is a variation of the Gingerbread Boy fairy tale, which is also on the list. So I don’t really think fairy tales are too scary for my three-year-old.

You can read more about this story at The Telegraph’s website. Do you think that fairy tales are too scary for your kids?

"Chaos" Mandy Horetski is an avid Browncoat, blogger, and stay-at-home mom who lives in the mountains of NC with her geeky husband and 3 year old princess. You can find her on Twitter as @ChaosMandy as well as on Google +.

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February 11, 2012 Posted by : Amy Kraft

Plant a Kiss and Other Picture Book Valentines

Category : Babies, Books, Elementary

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HarperCollins

“It goes like this. Little Miss planted a kiss. Planted a kiss? Planted a kiss.”

So begins the new picture book, Plant a Kiss, by one of my favorite writers and all-around artistic thinkers, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Planting a kiss is basically what it sounds like. A little girl digs a hole, kisses it, fills it in, and waters it. Kiss planted. Then after some watering… and waiting… and doubting – sprouting! What grows from the planted kiss is a wave of sparkles that grows bigger on each page, plenty for the little girl to share. So much can grow from one planted kiss!

Amy Krouse Rosenthal, known for books like Duck! Rabbit! and Little Pea, has more fun with words than just about anyone else, it seems. Add to that the adorable illustrations by Peter Reynolds, and you’ve got a perfect, sparkly Valentine to share.

Here are some other Valentine delights for your young ones:

Accord Publishing

Where Does Love Come From? atttempts to answer just that with rich illustrations by Milena Kirkova. Does love bloom in a garden? Or swim in the sea? Die cut hearts on each page give the lush illustrations amazing texture and depth as you explore the possibilities of where love comes from. (You’ll never guess where!)

 

 

Harcourt Children's Books

My daughter’s name is Olive AND we love J. Otto Seibold in our house, so it stands to reason that Olive, My Love is a household favorite. One day Olive, the dog you may remember from Olive, the Other Reindeer, was baking dog biscuits when THUMP a giant heart appeared on her doorstep. It belonged to Dexter, the dog with wings that sings, and Olive goes on a journey to return the lost heart, making new friends along the way.

 

 

HarperCollins

Splat the Cat suffers Valentine anxiety in Love, Splat. You see, Splat likes Kitten more than fish sticks and ice cream, and he has to get up the nerve to give her a Valentine. But whenever Kitten sees Splat, she pulls his ears and pokes his belly, ties his tail and calls him smelly. What’s he supposed to make of that? Plus, he has to compete with another cat, Spike, for Kitten’s attention. Rob Scotton’s story and fluffy illustrations puts this book into cute overload territory.

 

Chronicle Books

My son and I have fun with Nina Laden’s book, Who Loves You, Baby? There’s a oval cutout on the sheep’s face on the cover, so I’ll pop my face in and ask ”Who love you baby?” then scream “MOMMY DOES!” He’ll stick his face in, too, which is too cute to bear. Each page inside features a different animal and animal nickname like, “You are my funny bunny”. The oval cut-out for each animal now reveals the mirror in the back of the book, where the final text is “You are my wonderful child.” I don’t think anyone really talks like that, but it’s still adorable.

What are your favorite books to read with your little Valentines?

Note: I received review copies of Plant a Kiss and Where Does Love Come From? The rest have been on our shelves so long I don’t remember where they came from. 

Amy Kraft is a kids' media producer, writer, and game designer living in NYC with her family. She also writes the blog Media Macaroni.

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February 07, 2012 Posted by : ChaosMandy

Facebook’s Continued Removal of Breastfeeding Pictures

Category : Babies, Education, Support, Technology, Toddlers

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When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I decided that I was going to try to breastfeed. Our decision was purely economic as we knew that formula was very expensive and breastfeeding was free. When my daughter was born, she latched on in the recovery room and I was able to breastfeed without any issues.

Those first months of her life, she would nurse a lot while I surfed the internet. I kept reading more and more things about how nursing moms were harassed in public for nursing, even though it is perfectly legal. With the advent of social media, nursing moms would use Facebook to help organize nurse-ins, which are protests where a group of moms gather and nurse their babies in public.

But then Facebook started taking down pictures of nursing babies. My daughter was very small when this started happening because I remember reading about the outrage of fellow nursing moms. There was even a movement that asked breastfeeding moms to change their profile picture to one of their baby nursing. I did this, but my picture was never taken down and has sat in its own folder, Nursing, on Facebook for all these years.

Since my daughter weaned a little less than a year ago, I haven’t been following the breastfeeding news as much. But recently a c|net article talked about how Facebook is still removing pictures of nursing babies. Facebook has said that the reason they are taking down nursing pictures is because of the amount of teenage Facebook users. I personally think this is pretty weak excuse since most nursing pictures show less boob than a low-cut shirt or dress.

You can read the article at c|net’s website. What do you all think about Facebook removing nursing baby pictures?

"Chaos" Mandy Horetski is an avid Browncoat, blogger, and stay-at-home mom who lives in the mountains of NC with her geeky husband and 3 year old princess. You can find her on Twitter as @ChaosMandy as well as on Google +.

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January 13, 2012 Posted by : Sarah Pinault

This Amazon Mom Quits

Category : Babies, Mom Time, Support, Technology, Toddlers

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Back in October I lamented the loss of my Prime membership under the Amazon Mom program. Never mind, I’ve been surviving without Prime, and the discounts offered by Amazon Mom are still fantastic. My diapers come every two months with a heavy discount that beats even the best in-store sale, and I love not having to add them to my grocery list. So I remained a vocal fan of the program.

Until I sat down at my computer last night to check my email.

Beginning on January 24th, Amazon are making two changes to the program that I find appalling.

Firstly, whereas previously you could earn up to a year’s worth of free prime membership by making qualifying purchases, now no matter what you buy from Amazon you lose it after three months unless you pay the annual fee. The kicker for me though, a mom who let the Prime lapse after a year, is that Amazon is pulling it’s discount on diapers and wipes if you don’t pay for Prime at the end of the free trial period.

What began as an amazing service for moms, allowing us to get discounts without clipping coupons or driving from store to store, has become another way for Amazon to make money at the expense of goodwill. Moms who enjoyed the service for the small amount of freedom it granted them, who enjoyed not having to cost check diapers in every store, moms on a budget who don’t want to pay a yearly fee for a previously free program.

To me this has the scent of Amazon’s idea last year to offer a discount to readers who, using their phone, scanned in a book at a local bookstore but bought it from Amazon instead. I have always been a big fan of Amazon, I even encouraged my employer to set up a corporate account and spend tens of thousands of dollars with them, but now it seems that step by step they are becoming a company I could easily loathe.

This Amazon mom will be going local for even more products in the future.

Sarah Pinault is married to her husband but not her job, has a baby that insists on being a toddler, and keeps one foot in the British time zone despite having lived in Maine for 8 years now. She blogs about the meaning of life over at mainemummy.blogspot.com and has been a self-professed geek for well over 20 years.

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January 11, 2012 Posted by : Natania Barron

One Last Chance to Win One of Two Puff the Magic Dragon, the Pop-Ups!

Category : Babies, Books, Elementary, Family Room, Kids' Room, Library, Toddlers, Toys, TV, Movies, and Music

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That’s right! We’ve got two more books to give away. Puff, the Magic Dragon Pop-Up, which we shared with you earlier last month, is the delightful new edition of the much beloved book, Puff, the Magic Dragon, inspired by the song written by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton (and of course, made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary!).

Congratulations to last week’s winner, Carla!

And if you can’t wait, don’t forget that you can also download the app for both Apple devices and Android!

The contest runs through Monday, January 16th! Follow the instructions below to learn how you can enter the contest!

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January 11, 2012 Posted by : Sophie Brown

BBC’s U-Turn Following Parents’ Social Media Outcry

Category : Babies, Elementary, Technology, The Web, Toddlers, TV, Movies, and Music

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Waybuloo © BBC

Waybuloo © BBC

On Monday night, the BBC made a mistake. They didn’t realise it at the time, but within hours a backlash had begun that has successfully changed the schedule of one of the most popular BBC channels within 24 hours.

Let’s go back to beginning to see how it all unfolded.

The Bedtime Hour is the final hour of programming for BBC children’s channel CBeebies. It has always consisted of a selection of calming shows followed by a bedtime story read by a celebrity, and changes to the schedule are always risky as many parents use it as part of their children’s bedtime routine. Back in 2011 Cbeebies changed the Bedtime Hour line up with little warning to parents and there were numerous complaints, so this time around they gave out plenty of warning. For the last few weeks parents, myself included, have been constantly reminded about the changes planned for the Bedtime Hour. Adverts ran constantly throughout the day reminding us and the channel’s blog and Twitter feed ran articles and published multiple Tweets about it.

The change was as follows; the previous line up of a 20 minute episode of “Waybuloo” followed by “In The Night Garden” and the bedtime story would be replaced by 10 minutes of “Driver Dan’s Story Train”, a new shortened 10 minute edition of “Waybuloo”, then “In the Night Garden” and the bedtime story as before. The new shortened version of “Waybuloo” would also include a narrator, something never used on the show before. I heard a few lone voices online asking how this would work and I was also a little confused by the idea, but no one seemed particularly bothered about the inclusion of a narrator, after all it was a new series.

The Piplings from Waybuloo © BBC

The Piplings from Waybuloo © BBC

On Monday night, I like many other parents across the country, switched on the TV after my two year old had eaten dinner to allow him 10 minutes of TV before taking him up to bed. “Waybuloo” began and I sat listening in complete disbelief. “Waybuloo” was always a very relaxing show, with easy to follow stories about friendship and making others happy; there was calm chill-out music and the main characters, CG creatures known as Piplings, would do an activity called “Yogo” – a form of toddler yoga. This new version was not a new series. Instead, an old episode had been chopped up to remove most of the plot line and the narrator didn’t so much narrate as talk in an obnoxious  manner throughout, as if mocking the characters. The best I could describe it as was watching the TV with a drunk male friend who felt the need to comment sarcastically about everything until you want to chuck them out of the room. My husband walked in halfway through and shared my confusion and dismay, neither of us could begin to understand why these changes had been made and both of us tweeted to that end.

This morning (Tuesday) I decided to search Twitter for “Waybuloo” and I quickly discovered we were far from alone in our thoughts. Countless tweets had been sent by parents complaining bitterly about the changes. The email address of Cbeebies executive producer was being rapidly retweeted and parents were sending messages directly to the channel’s Twitter account telling them to switch back. I was busy throughout the day but after dinner I once again switched on Cbeebies for my son and immediately noticed that the old format “Waybuloo” was back; the obnoxious narrator was gone. I checked the digital schedules for the rest of the week and every day was the same, the old Bedtime Hour schedule was back with a full length episode.

After bedtime was over I began looking up what had happened and immediately came across these tweets from the Cbeebies account:

Thanks for all your Waybuloo comments! After listening to your feedback we’ve decided to revert to the original format from bedtime tonight.

So, to confirm: the bedtime hour will be back to it’s original line-up from tonight: Waybuloo, In the Night Garden and then bedtime story :)

A quick look at the channel’s blog revealed that the post detailing the new format had over 200 comments, a shocking number on a blog that rarely even strays in doubt digit territory, and every one I read was a complaint. The post on the Facebook page was also at over 100 comments, again every one I read a complaint. Overnight, parents had mobilised on social networks, banded together and used their online voices to bring about a change. The new format lasted one night. I cannot help but wonder how many hours of work went into making these changes that seem (to me and it seems many other parents) so utterly pointless, only to have it all go to nothing.

After all that I only have one real thought, other than how grateful I am to not have to listen to that terrible narration again. It is that if anyone is still doubting the ability of social networks to bring people together and create real world changes, they need to see what happened here and take heed. The schedules of a kids TV channel are hardly of world-consuming importance, but the people for whom it was important had the platforms to stand up and make their voices heard available to them. I also learnt one very important lesson this week; do not meddle in the affairs of internet savvy parents…

Sophie's AvatarSophie Brown is a busy stay at home mother living in England with her husband, one year old son and two middle aged cats.  She is currently studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Sciences and also writes the blog The Geek Arts. Sophie can frequently be found wasting time on Twitter.

 

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December 27, 2011 Posted by : Sarah Pinault

IPads in the Classroom: A Case Study in Auburn Maine – Part Two

Category : Babies, Education, Electronics, Elementary, Support, Technology, Toddlers

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All Images: Sarah Pinault

In my last post, I discussed the iPad program that was introduced this year at an elementary school in Maine. After talking with Peter Robinson, Director of Information Technology for Auburn schools, I am convinced of the benefits such a device can offer the kindergarten classes. Yet while the benefits to the children have become clearer to me, such a program also needs to work for the adults involved. I’ve been taught by many people in my lifetime, some effective and some less so. It’s all very well providing the tools, but if you don’t train people and give them a chance to learn and adapt to the new equipment then the idea will fall flat.

So with the program set to go, what to do with a body of kindergarten teachers who had never laid hands on an iPad before? Well you train the trainer. When school let out for the summer, a whole day of professional development was devoted to the iPad, for those teachers who would be using them come the fall semester. The idea was hands-on learning. To get them the technology and say, “Here’s how you use it, now take it, play with it, make it your own.” Every child who would receive an iPad would also receive a teacher that had been using one for quite some time. This initial day was followed up in August with two more, this time with more detailed instruction on educational applications. Teachers were also given the chance to debrief each other on their own experiences, which enabled district staff and the elementary technology support committee to come up with a more cohesive idea of what was needed on the iPad for the program to be most effective. There is an iPad-specific session virtually every time the districts holds an early release day for professional development.

At this point, the program has almost complete support from a staff that was divided fifty-fifty over the benefits of such a program. Robinson says that the elementary technology support committee is now bombarded with requests for other grades to enter the program. As it was rolled out, half of the kindergarteners at Washburn elementary were given iPads in September while the other half received them in November. The program has been designed to compare and contrast the data produced by the two groups. At that point, Robinson will apply for federal funding to extend the program across the entire kindergarten population. Next year, every kindergartener will start the year with an iPad that they will take with them through third grade.

There are many apps in use by the Auburn program, and as with much else the decision to use certain apps has been organic and not mandated. Everyone involved has had a hand in designing the parameters of the program, coming up with a rubric by which the merits of an app for the classroom would be judged. To begin with, the school department bought 10-15 apps for each device. Then through their summer tinkering and the professional development days, the staff has had a large say in the apps that were put to use. Apple also offered suggestions of companies they knew of who were developing educational specific applications. Robinson has high praise for Jim Moulton, the Apple Educational Consultant who has worked with them steadily for the past year in getting the program up and running. He is a regular face at their design sessions and Professional Development classes. Beyond the initial upload there is still room for expansion. Once suggestions are on the table, it is up to the staff to take an app and see how it can be useful for their classroom.  Each teacher has the option to purchase them individually; if their choice meets the rubric then the committee also takes a look at it. If it’s good for one teacher, will it be good for all? They introduce it and try it out before getting it to the other users. Robinson says that the idea is “If it’s a free app, give it a try and report back.”

The program’s beginnings in a literacy classroom begs the question of how this program is being used by the district’s Special Education staff. Well, on professional development days there are breakout sessions tailored towards reading specialists, speech therapists etc. There is also occasionally the option to branch out for independent study, with the district’s instructions to do what you need to in order to improve the program in your area, for your children. Robinson boasts, on behalf of many, that the feedback from this tailor-made structure has been outstanding.

So on all fronts there is a lot of flexibility in this program. It is being based on the needs of both the student and teacher, instead of a district or state mandate. Robinson says that this is indicative of a paradigm shift from the more traditional teacher-centered approach to customized learning. While teachers X, Y and Z use an app in one way, A, B and C might use it differently. The district recognizes the wisdom of its teachers and trusts them to judge what will work best in that particular classroom and with those particular students, thereby creating individual teachable moments on a daily basis. Part of the learning curve is how to better tailor the program to each individual child. Some teachers plug the iPad into a projector and provide instructions on how to use an app. Some walk the kids through the programs in a more hands-on way. Boundaries are being stretched in more ways than one.

Any new program such as this will inevitably lead to a financial discussion in the local community and parenting circles at large. Why not employ an extra educational technician or teacher’s aide in each classroom instead of “splurging“ on new technology? Well from my perspective, even if you ignore the extra benefits that these devices can provide to the children and go directly to cold hard cash, the math doesn’t actually make sense for this alternative. Once you pay that employee a working salary and benefits for four years you have far exceeded the initial expenditure of the program. It costs $500 for a Kindergartener who will carry this machine with them through third grade. That’s $500 for four years of educational support. In a classroom of, let’s be realistic here, 30 kids, that’s $15,000 for four years of classroom support in one classroom.

In Auburn the money for the initial pilot program was money left over at the end of the year. This money could not have preserved a job or added a new one; it had to be expended on something short term. The iPads presented a short-term purchase with long-term benefits. As Robinson points out, studies have shown a direct correlation between the high school drop-out rate and the standards of reading reached by third grade. What is learned in those early years is crucial to long-term education. The cost of a drop-out student, both financially and socially, is substantial. If, by introducing advanced technology at an earlier age, kids who just operate in a different way can be reached, then perhaps the special education spending over the course of that child’s school career is reduced. In other words, if reading skills honed by iPad use in second grade can prevent a high school drop out or two then it has had the intended impact — and for only $500 a child.

While such a program might not be suited to every district, it seems to be working for the kindergarteners and staff in Auburn, Maine. The relationships that are being built among educators as they seek to find the potential in the iPad are leading to more productive classroom methods that can only benefit the students. I won’t be handing my two year old an iPad just yet, but after speaking with Peter Robinson, I shall be excited for Toby’s education should they hand him one in three years time.

 

Sarah Pinault is married to her husband but not her job, has a baby that insists on being a toddler, and keeps one foot in the British time zone despite having lived in Maine for 8 years now. She blogs about the meaning of life over at mainemummy.blogspot.com and has been a self-professed geek for well over 20 years.

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December 15, 2011 Posted by : Natania Barron

Puff the Magic Dragon, the Pop-Up Winners!

Category : Babies, Books, Elementary, Family Room, Games, Kids' Room, Library, Toddlers, Toys, TV, Movies, and Music

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Congratulations to Kristina, the winner of our Puff the Magic Dragon, the Pop-up giveaway! And thank you all for entering. What wonderful memories! And also congrats to Facebook user Shannon, who also won a copy.

If you aren’t one of our lucky winners, don’t fret. Keep an eye out here, on Twitter, and Facebook, in the next couple of weeks. Or if you can’t wait, get yourself a copy in time for the holidays!

And as a bonus, right now the app it just $1.99! 

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December 05, 2011 Posted by : Jenny Williams

GeekMom 2011 Holiday Gift Guide #4: Toys and Activities for Young Kids

Category : Babies, Elementary, Holiday, Kids' Room, Toddlers

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Fourth in our series of 2011 Holiday Gift Guides covers toys for the younger kids on your holiday gift list. Babies, toddlers, and possibly early elementary kids will enjoy the items below. What are you giving to the young kids on your list this year? Share your ideas in the comments.

Photo: Gigamic Games

Batik Kid
$18.13
Age: 5+ (Younger geeklings do well while supervised.)
This is a great game to give as a child’s first board game. There are 18 colorful wooden sea creatures that all need to stay inside the tank, its your job to figure out how to not be the first to run out of room. This game encourages visual and motor planning skills in young children as they have to determine which piece will best fit the remaining space. Its quick, colorful and fun enough to keep a young geekling interested.

Photo: ThinkFun

Zingo-to-Go
$15
Age: 4+
This portable game is a must-have for those long road trips. No need to worry about losing a small piece in-between the seats, Zingo-to-Go has everything self-contained and attached. Just shake the car, and see if the items are on your game board. The first one to get a complete line wins. Simple, and fun for everyone.

Image: Amazon.com

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough See Yourself Camera (in Black and Purple)
$69.99
Finally, a camera designed to let the youngest child take photos! The lens swivels front to back, making self-portraits easy. This camera has big buttons for little fingers and the controls are so child friendly that no reading is required. It takes stills as well as videos with sound, features 4X digital zoom, stores up to 1,000 pictures, and performs well in low light. Additionally, you can download stampers and special effects. Includes 4 “AA” batteries.

Image: Amazon.com

My Pillow Pets
$15.98 to $19.50
My Pillow Pets are 18 inch, huggable stuffed animals made of soft chenille that open to become a full-sized pillow. Pillow pets come in dozens of “species,” including: penguin, dragon, puppy, monkey, turtle, and dolphin. They’re perfect for sleepovers, travel, and quiet time. My Pillow Pets are a hit with teens as well as toddlers.

Image: Amazon.com

The Sing-A-Ma-Jigs
$5.99 to $24.99
These huggable creatures are a surprise hit. There are dozens of different Sing-A-Ma-Jigs. Every Sing-A-Ma-Jig has three modes of play. They chatter. They also sing their own songs, letting you control the pace of the song as you push their bellies. And they harmonize with other Sing-A-Ma-Jigs. When they sing together, each Sing-A-Ma-Jig joins in with perfect pitch. The more Sing-A-Ma-Jigs you have, the larger the chorus and the better they sound.

Image: Amazon.com

KidKraft Fun Explorers Pirate Ship Play Set
$83.50
This sturdy set comes with all sorts of accessories, making for imaginative play. Perfect for kids who love Peter Pan stories or Jake and the Never Land Pirates. This large wooden ship has lidded storage, a retractable gangplank, cloth sails, four molded pirates (including a captain with a hook), two cannons, two sharks, a gunpowder keg, and more!

Image: Amazon.com

Maxim Deluxe TreeHouse with Accessories
$79.95
This natural wood playset will spark a child’s imagination. The 19-inch-tall treehouse includes ladders, play figures, a bucket, barrel, bendable leaves, doors that open and close, a table and chair set, a boom and winch, a pulley system, and more, for years of creative play.

Image: Amazon.com

Haba Building Block Sets
$26.99 to $40.49
Haba block are keepers. Made of natural untreated beech, they come in a variety of standard as well as architectural sets. Due to small pieces, they’re not advised for children under three. You’ll want to take a look at Haba sets such as Baroque, Russian House, Medieval Castle, and Antiquity. You may want to leave a set out on a coffee table so guests of all ages can have a turn. And don’t be surprised if the sets you buy are saved for generations.

Photo: Ellen Henderson

STIKITS
$22.99 for 1000-piece set
STIKITS are small cylinders of cornstarch that look like Styrofoam packing peanuts, except they come in various colors. When dampened, they stick together solidly and can be squished and molded into various shapes and configurations. They’re easy to work with — kids can easily make letters and all kinds of shapes, and they rarely fall apart or come unstuck the way dough sculptures can. They can dissolve if you put too much water on — the key is dampening, not deluging — but that’s actually one of the benefits: They’re totally natural and biodegradable.

Photo: Disney

Disney Cars 2 AppMATes
Lightning McQueen Single Pack – $12.99
Ages: 4+
Turn your iPad into an interactive play mat for your kids with these car shaped accessories and a free iPad app from the iTunes store. My geekling was exploring Radiator Springs and driving around the surrounding Cars universe in a matter of minutes. You can help Lightning McQueen and his friends jump, race and complete tasks. This augmented-reality game is perfect for the Disney Cars lover in your life, and is a perfect geekling accessory to the iPad.

Photo: B Chase Photography

Sonic Screwdriver Flashlight (11th Doctor)
$14.95
Age: 3+
When you have a Whovian family, even the youngest Doctor needs his sonic screwdriver! There aren’t many Doctor Who items that hold up to the rugged adventures of a three year old, but this one does just that. It is only a light, so its not a problem when the little Doctor won’t go to bed unless he has his sonic. This is a must-have for a Whovian of any age, but especially for the little ones.

Image: Putumayo

Putumayo Kids Africa Coloring Book
$9.95
This giant-sized coloring book is full of scenes and animals that come from Africa. Kids can have fun coloring in the pictures as well as learning more about life in Africa. There are even some blank pages near the back so that kids can draw their own African scene.

Image: Putumayo

Putumayo Kids Europe Sticker Collection
$11.95
This sticker collection gives your child a chance to learn about Europe while playing with stickers. The set includes several sheets of reusable stickers depicting landmarks and musical instruments found in Europe, as well as a map of Europe and a blank background of a countryside where the stickers can be placed for safekeeping.

Image: © Mattel

Octonauts Octopod Playset
£41.99
The Octonauts have yet to land on US shores, but when they do I have no doubt that the mixture of kawaii cute characters and science/environmentalism-based plots will make a huge splash with US audiences. With their motto of “Explore! Rescue! Protect!” the Octonauts are a sort of underwater Enterprise crew, making contact with new species and helping where they can. This playset is the centerpiece of Mattel’s Octonauts offerings, and includes the good ship Gup-A along with Captain Barnacles and Kwazii figures.

Image: © Early Learning Centre

HappyLand Space Exploration Range
£16 – £40
The Early Learning Centre has been making great toys for decades, and the space exploration range from HappyLand is the company at its best. The toys are cute, creative and robust. My son received the space rocket, moon base and Martian house for Christmas 2010 and after eleven months of (very) rough toddler play, nothing is broken or scratched. All the doors are designed to pop off so hinges cannot be broken–although you might get driven a little crazy having to reattach them every two minutes!

Image: Squishables

Squishables
$39.00
There’s just something about the spherical shape and giant size that makes these Squishables so… squishable. Kids will literally and figuratively flip over all of the different choices, including owls, dragons, and octopi. Fabulous geeky options include the Narwhal and the Cthulhu. Skip the minis and go right for the 15-inchers!

Image: LeapFrog

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer
$99.99
Does your geeklet want a tablet but you’re not ready to hand over the iPad? The Leap Frog LeapPad Explorer learning tablet is a great alternative for little kids (ages 4-9, though the sweet spot is really 4-6). This device goes beyond the Leapster Explorer with a larger screen, camera, video recorder, and accelerometer, while still being backwards-compatible with Explorer cartridges. You can also download games right to the tablet.

Photo: Fred & Friends

Fred XYZ Blocks
$29.99
If your toddler needs blocks that are sturdy, durable, and hilarious, these are the blocks you’re looking for. These large cubes are easily stacked with a nice surface texture, but the alphabet choices are the best part. Q is for Quicksand, R is for Raygun, and J is for Joystick, to name but a few.

Photo: Tegu

Tegu Blocks Pocket Pouch
$32.00
These simple magnetic blocks made from sustainably-harvested tropical hardwoods feel wonderful in your hands, and the magnets give them endless building possibilities, even in this 8-block travel set. The pocket pouch is a great gift for your preschool builder as well as your office mate.

Photo: Fat Brain Toys

Tobbles
$24.99
When looking for a stacking toy for your toddler, it’s nice to have one as versatile as Tobles. The colorful weighted pieces fit nicely in one another, but there’s all sorts of other sensory fun to be had. The pieces can spin, wobble, and balance in a variety of different ways.

Check out our previous GeekMom Gift Guides for other great gift ideas: #1: Holiday-Themed Gifts, #2: Games, and #3: Books.

Jenny AvatarJenny Williams homeschools her two kids when she's not writing for blogs, and is a lifelong, multi-faceted geek.

 

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December 01, 2011 Posted by : Natania Barron

Puff, the Magic Dragon Pop-Up Giveaway!

Category : Babies, Elementary, Family Room, Kids' Room, Toddlers, TV, Movies, and Music

Tags: , , , ,

‘Tis the season for giveaways. And today we’re giving away a copy of Puff, the Magic Dragon Pop-Up which we shared with you earlier this week. The book is an expanded edition of the much beloved book, Puff, the Magic Dragon, inspired by the song written by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton (and of course, made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary!).

We’ll pick one random winner from our commenters. To enter, just tell us your favorite lyric or share your favorite memory from the classic song (which is featured on an accompanying CD to the beautiful pop-up!) in the comments below.

And if you can’t wait, don’t forget that you can also download the app for both Apple devices and Android!

The contest runs through Thursday, Dec. 8th!

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