Ideas for Father's Day

Father's Day is fast approaching, and if you are like me you are trying to come up with an idea that does not involve golf balls, blue shirts, or pictures of the kids on mugs. Shopping for the men on my list is NOT easy. Not because they would not love and appreciate more golf balls, more shirts and more pictures of the children, but because I am bored of the same old thing! The team at Kobold Toys happily offers some new suggestions for the Dads, Pops and PaPas on your list.

For the "Crafty Dad" we recommend the Made by Me Kit. This kit comes with four natural wood vehicles (train, tugboat, truck and tractor) that a child would love to put together and decorate with his/her favorite father or grandfather.

For the Game and Puzzle Lover...anything from Ravensburger! The Earthball is a unique three-dimensional puzzle that inspires a world of wonder among both kids and adults. It's specially crafted from sturdy, curved plastic pieces that fit securely in place to form a round, smooth ball. Cool! Once completed, proudly display it anywhere using the included sturdy metal V-shaped stand.

Maybe your spouse or parent wants to unleash their inner Paul Cézanne. Start them off with the Faber-Castell water color brush and paint set. Don't forget the water color pad and the art lessons at the local school or museum!

Have a Dad with a need for speed? Give him the 4M Propeller Racer. Dad and child can construct a propeller racer car with this 4M fun mechanics kit and watch as it blazes a path over smooth surfaces.

My husband is very adept at catching flies. It is inevitable that with two small children going in and out to the backyard that a fly makes his way into our home. My daughter and I do not like flies. at. all. Lucky for all of us I am married to a man who rivals Mr. Miyagi (think Karate Kid). If you married a man who is bug phobic, Kobold suggests the Grab-a-Bug. He can catch the bug, pretend to study it, and then happily release it into the wild without touching it.

The good thing about Dads (or at least my husband, my dad and my father-in-law) is that they just love the "love" on Father's Day and any day for that matter! Gifts or no gifts, don't forget to give the Dads in your life a big hug and a big thank you on June 21st!

Have a great week!

Note to family members who read this blog: The adorable PlanToys grandfather pictured here is in no way representative of Pop or Papa C!

Celebrate Earth Day!

Providing eco-friendly toys to you is what Kobold Toys does to “give a little bit back”. Throughout the month of April, we will donate 1% of our sales revenues to our favorite green foundation: The Nature Conservancy.

In honor of Earth day, we thought we would share some ideas and resources to help you communicate the importance of eco-friendliness to your children.

In addition to Frog Awareness Month, April is also National Garden Month! As I have mentioned in a previous blog, my daughter loves the family garden she started with my father. One resource we use is KidsGardening.org. This month's "Family Room" provides parents with a garden primer- whether you want to tackle the windowsill box or a veggie garden- this non-threatening guide will help. We are even considering creating a worm bin this spring!

Our second child is showing a sensitivity to the changing seasons. For those of you with allergies or an aversion to dirt, Mudpuppy's "In the Garden Constructible Building Set" lets you create a beautiful indoor garden complete with butterflies.

Our friend Woodsy the Owl said it best: "Give a Hoot - Don't Pollute!" For more indoor learning, our science lover Kobold suggests an experiment that will help show your kids the danger that oil spills in the ocean pose to water plants, fish and birds. (Grades 1-4)

You’ll Need:
* Four sealable plastic bags
* Water
* Marker
* Motor Oil
* 4 hard boiled eggs
* Timer

Label the bags A B C and D. Fill each with ½ cup water and ½ cup motor oil. You can use vegetable oil with a few drops of food coloring as a substitute. Place one egg in each bag. Remove the egg from bag A after 15 minutes, from bag B after 30 minutes, from bag C after one hour and from bag D after two hours. Carefully remove the shell from each hard boiled egg. Those that stay in the oil polluted water the longest will show the most damage.

Source: No-Sweat Science: Nature Experiments by Anthony D. Fredericks (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. , 2005.

Kobold Toys believes strongly in promoting environmentalism and conservation. We hope that some of our ideas and resources will help you and your child have fun learning.