Archive for January, 2010
More and more people want children’s toys made here in the USA. Did you know that kids building blocks by Smart Monkey Toys are produced in Wisconsin?
Cardboard toy blocks by Smart Monkey Toys are made in the USA using recycled corrugated cardboard. The toy blocks are made of at least 50% recycled cardboard. The actual amount varies with each run, but is never less than 50%.
The trees used for the remainder are all farmed. The wonderful thing about corrugated cardboard is that it is strong, yet very lightweight, making it a wonderful choice for preschool play. The cardboard is printed with water-based, non-toxic colorful inks and an additional clear ink coating is added to each block to make it water-resistant. The coating is not slippery because we want our blocks to stack.
The blocks are also recyclable. Every component of the block sets are made right here in America. They are produced in Wisconsin, where there is a large paper industry. The warehouse is near the plant where the blocks are produced. By keeping everything close, Smart Monkey Toy cuts down on the fuel needed to transport materials and providing much needed jobs to American workers.
The paper industry in our country has been struggling with many companies buying their cardboard from China. China has to import their raw materials from the U.S. or Canada to make their cardboard. The lumber is transported from North American to China, made into cardboard and then transported back to North America. The cost of this inefficient process is lost jobs, and much greater use of valuable fuel.
They are great swimmers and divers. Their wings work as paddle for swimming. The torpedo shape of their body helps them swim at high speeds. They can also waddle on land.
You would be correct if you guessed the Penguin. Kids became fascinated with the popularity of the movie ‘Happy Feet’ and I did to. At Christmas a group of my friends and I sat and watched it twice in a row. Here are a few more penguin facts that your kids will love to know – Penguins usually move within groups and eat snow as a source of fresh water.
Penguins use sign language to communicate with each other and make use of their flippers and head to talk to other penguins. Find more facts and cute penguin craft ideas by searching online.
There is also a cute penguin 3d wooden puzzle manufactured by ImagiPLAY that we have pictured with the blog post that your kids would love to get their hands on. There are 10 interlocking penguin pieces each with a different number, 1-10. Kids will love playing with this wood puzzle and its individual penguins while learning to count 1-10. Puzzles are a wonderful kids learning toy.
Once a child has conquered putting together their 3d wooden puzzles, their confidence will skyrocket. The fun doesn’t stop there – with ImagiPLAY’s 3d wood puzzles your child continues to benefit from repeated assembly of jigsaw puzzles, honing their speed with the critical thinking skills they’ve acquired.
I received a black lamb with button eyes when I was 6 months old and I still have this stuffed toy. It is sitting on top of a dresser here in my office.
Plush stuffed animals such as teddy bears and stuffed rabbits remain a favorite toy for both boys and girls. With Easter coming up it might be a good time to surprise your boy or girl with new stuffed animals such as stuffed bunny rabbits.
Safety should be your first concern when shopping for your child’s new plush animals so make sure you are purchasing from a company who makes safe children’s toys; especially when you make your purchase online.
Researching safe plush toys online, one manufacturer you can trust is Purr-Fection. These toys are well made and posable. One image is shown with this post.
As a child I was not fortunate to own a beautiful construction kit to play with. But nowadays many children are being introduced to the exciting world of Quadro™ playsets.
Quadro™ is the most unique and versatile large scale play construction system you will own. You will find the modular tubes, connectors and panels are lightweight yet strong and long-lasting. As your kids grow these adventure playsets can grow with them.
As a child his first structure might be a simple climbing gym. As he grows more pieces can be added onto the structures to make bigger structures such as space ships, sleds, and even a theatre. Quadro grows with children and even goes to college with them as desks, beds, and even bookcases are set up in their rooms.
Parents and educators love giving their toddlers and young children giant cardboard building blocks. ImagiBRICKS, now from Smart Monkey Toys, are toy blocks that are made from recycled cardboard.
The wonderful thing about corrugated cardboard is that it is strong, yet very lightweight, making it a wonderful choice for preschool play. The cardboard is printed with water-based, non-toxic colorful inks and an additional clear ink coating is added to each block to make it water-resistant. The blocks are also recyclable.
Giving these giant kids building blocks to young children is recommended by doctors, parents and educators. Kids will carry them around and their muscle strength and coordination will begin to increase.
As they get a little older they will begin making simple towers. Knocking them down will be just as much fun as carring the toy blocks from place to place and their creative little minds will soon begin making simple towers and structures.
Groups of children will gather around the cardboard building blocks and begin to work independently (if there are enough blocks to go around). If you have a limited supply of blocks and there are several children around you will want to help them “work” together to build a small structure.
If you own a preschool or children’s play zone it is recommended to own a bulk quantity of at least one hundred cardboard toy blocks.
Creative play is important in a child’s education. Providing educational children’s toys such as playsets allow creative play for a child playing alone or in a group.
Playsets are also a great teaching tool for lessons. With the chunky pieces of individual sea animals in the Sealife playset pictured here you can make up games to teach children about the wonderment of under water life.
Here is another game you could use. Find pictures of sea life creatures, or have the children find them. Laminate and cut them in half. Have your children match up the fronts with the backs of the creatures. If you can’t find any pictures you could trace the individual figures from the puzzle playset onto brightly colored construction paper.
Another variation of this game is for the teacher to mismatch the animals’ halves and see if the children can spot the correct halves.
Home schools and preschools will get years of use out of wood puzzles, puzzle playsets and indoor wooden play sets when purchasing quality educational children’s toys. Shop for toys that are made from splinter-proof wood and painted with non-toxic paints. And remember to wipe down and sanitize all your toys each day.
This little verse really ministered to me and encouraged me. I felt better immediately after reading it several times. I hope you also find it an inspiration to help you through your weeks ahead.
O Lord
Here I am again
Just plain old me
Coming to you
As I often come a thousand times –
And this is what always happens:
Your response is immediate
You open yours arms unhesitatingly
To draw me to yourself
You clasp me to your Father-heart.
Then you reaffirm my position:
I’m a child of the King
And all that is Yours is mine.
When I begin my stammering account
Of gross unworthiness
Your gentle smile hushes me.
With endless patience
You remind me once more
That my value never determines Your love.
Rather, your love determines my value.
Being brought up in Chicago raising baby chickens was not an option. But I do remember going to the Museum of Science and Industry and getting to see baby chickens hatch. It was fascinating to see the little beaks break through the shell.
Having a baby chick of you own may be something you would like to do and here are some tips to get you on your way.
To start out with, chicks need several essential things to survive: food, water, warmth, and a safe place to stay.
A safe place to live is essential for your baby chick. Your chicks need a place to stay that’s away from predators, drafts, moisture and drafts. Do you have other pets such as cats and dogs? Remember to think about how they will get along.
Give your chick a warm area to live. Your chicks will need an area that is warm enough for a warming lamp to work properly. You will need to be able to adjust the warming lamp to the right height for them. This height will change as the chicks grow.
Before you bring home your first baby chick have your starter food. Purchase a bag of chick starter. You can get medicated and non-medicated feed.
Not all kids can have a real live chicken to play with so a Three Chicks 3d puzzle, although not as warm and fuzzy, can be an interesting educational children’s toy to provide for your children.
Many states are receiving many inches of snow. Kids are getting “snow days”, and maybe even parents are unable to get to work.
This is an ideal time to get out anything that will slide down a hill or that can be pulled over a field of beautiful white snow. You can use toboggans, inflatable sleds and inflatable sleds shaped like inner tubes. Maybe you have a round disc that looks like an oversized Frisbee.
Not all kids have had a chance to experience the thrill of a ride down a frozen hill or to play in the snow and build a snowman or ice fort. When a child experiences first snow day it is a time he will always remember.
Every ride will be accompanied by the sound of yells, screams and laughter — with plenty of rides going on at the same time. Parents will hear a constant symphony of joyful kid sounds and enjoy the day just a much as the children.
Children who have a Quadro adventure playset can help their dad build the sled from their modular tubes and go outside and join the fun. When the snow melts, your indoor fun will resume as you build a car, cart, spaceship, airplane or maybe even a house to play in.
Quadro’s Basic Construction Kit is an adventure playset that can be safely used outdoors as well as indoors and grows with your child.
I remember that it was my birthday and I had just received my birthday present from my grandparents. I was so excited that I had to open that one first. I opened the box as fast as I could and saw just flat red and white cardboard.
I told my mom that I didn’t like my present. She got down on her knees and said to me that all it needed was to be put together. At my age, I wasn’t very happy if I couldn’t play with a toy right then. My mom and sister sat down and put all of the toy blocks together for me.
It took what seemed like forever, but when all the cardboard building blocks were put together, I ended up having a blast with them. I got to make my own chair out of them. The chair was more like a stool, but at that age I didn’t care. I could even sit in it with out breaking the blocks or even bending them.
I thought that was so cool at the age of six. I could play with the blocks for hours. I think my grandparent got me the 36 piece set of these blocks, but you can also get them in a 16 piece or a 24 piece set.
Yes, parents and educators and preschool’s can still purchase these amazing kids learning toys. Manufactured in Wisconsin by Smart Monkey Toys there are sets of 16, 24 and 40 and bulk quantity cardboard blocks are also available. Also available are City Blocks sets and Castle Blocks sets, Timber Blocks as well as Construction Blocks.