|
2009
Gift Guide
 Kids’
Stuff
After
years of toy hunting for the beloved wee ones in our lives—and,
admittedly, sometimes for ourselves—my husband and I are expecting
our first baby next month. The impending addition to our little
family has us wandering the seemingly endless aisles of kiddie
accoutrements with fresh eyes. We find the store-proffered
lists of “neccessities” absolutely staggering, and often soothe
our overwhelm about space constraints and limited finances
with a minimalist mantra: “Kids like mirrors and make believe
and dry beans in a Tupperware.” Needless to say, anything
that’s going to rank in our book as a worthwhile kid purchase
has to be pretty darn cool. And we’re not talking bells-and-whistles
cool, we’re talking lasting, learning, loads of fun.
Originally developed as a therapeutic tool for creative problem
solving, Rory’s Story Cubes ($21) have quickly become
popular for their sheer fun factor as a storytelling game.
The set of nine six-sided dice has an image icon on each face.
Players roll the dice and create a story incorporating all
nine face-up images. It’s a brilliantly simple concept, which
earned the cubes a spot in the finals of Invest NI’s Big Idea
Award for 2008. They’re portable, flexible and bound to stretch
the imaginations of kids of all ages. A variety of suggestions
are included for both group and solo play, and it’s always
a new adventure; each roll results in one of over 10 million
possible combinations of images—and infinite story possibilities.
Rory’s Story Cubes are currently only available direct from
Rory himself at thecreativityhub.com.
For the sci-fi buff, or aspiring astronaut-astronomer-adventurer,
Slooh Space Camera has been accumulating awards and accolades
for providing an innovative and unparalleled opportunity:
real-time space exploration from your home computer. Slooh
gives customers remote command of their high-powered telescopes
in the Canary Islands, Chile and Australia. Slooh’s instant-imaging
technology and user-friendly interface offer members unlimited
virtual accesses to the telescopes’ regular missions and an
array of online activities. And to truly up the awesome ante,
Slooh Mission Cards allow cardholders to sign up for
5-minute command time slots and control the viewing coordinates
from home. You can even snap real-time photos of your celestial
adventures to print or share online. And the out-of-this-world
opportunity is surprisingly affordable. A 150-minute mission
card and the accompanying activity book will run you $16.99.
You can get 350 command minutes for $29.95, or a full year
of unlimited minutes for $49.95. Visit slooh.com for more
info.
Every year seems to have its must-have toy craze that sets
off a wild parental feeding frenzy. Otherwise-sane adults
are driven to fisticuffs in toy aisles over a Giggles McWonderbot.
This year’s spectacular megafad is the ZhuZhu Pet animatronic
hamster and all its accompanying accessories. Disclaimer:
I don’t get it. I do get that tiny pseudo-sentient beings
are curiously endearing. But, before you shell out $70 bucks
to some dude on Craigslist for a robohamster, check out the
Hexbug Nano ($9.99, $39.99 for a set of 5). The latest
creation from Innovation First robotics, these award-winning
critters behave like real bugs, swarming, hopping and racing,
they can even right themselves if they flip over. Their charming,
jittery movements are rooted in the same technology as a cell
phone vibrator, and the little buggers are programmed with
different “personalities,” and they actually appear social
and cooperative. A video of blue scooting over to help flip
red aright is oddly heartwarming. And while a few accessories
are available, they’re not required for play. Reviewers had
a blast building Lego mazes for Nano races. You can even register
your bots online at hexbug.com for access to games and robotics
science.
If you want to share your appreciation for art and design
with your favorite tyke (or if you’re just growing weary of
the cutesy cartoon graphics that dominate the toy market),
more and more toy companies are incorporating the work of
fine artists and graphic design into the mix, lending a refreshing
aesthetic maturity to good old-fashioned fun. A few recent
favorites: The Charley Harper Memory Game and Charley
Harper Flash Cards and Floor Puzzles ($14.95 each from
Ammo Books) present the traditional games with Harper’s vivid,
midcentury modern wildlife illustrations, while Andrew Zuckerman’s
Creature Floor Puzzles ($24.95 from Chronicle Books)
recreates the photographer’s spectacular animal portraits
in four durable, 16-piece floor puzzles, all in a handy briefcase-style
package.
Of
course, when it comes to toys, the newfangled delight is often
fleeting. After all, kids really do like mirrors and make
believe and dry beans in a Tupperware. Never underestimate
the play value of a dress-up box brimming with vintage clothes,
or a fresh box of 64 Crayolas and a roll of butcher paper.
Visit local artisan shops or craft fairs for handmade, heirloom
favorites like teddies, blocks and trains. Or forgo the tangible
altogether and gift an annual membership to a local museum,
or sign on for season tickets to a children’s theater. It
may not be the most glittering present under the tree, but
the adventures and time together in the months to come will
be a treasure guaranteed not to get lost at the bottom of
the toy box.
—Kathryn
Geurin
<<
Back to Gift Guide
|
Site
Search 
