Tag: Learning Resources

Thomas and Friends Birthday Fun

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

My little guy recently celebrated his sixth birthday and we had a fun time celebrating. He’s been obsessed with Thomas and Friends for quite some time, but this year, he was especially excited about having a Thomas birthday.

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Since we were also celebrating my brother’s wedding on the same weekend, we did our best to make Little’s birthday extra special.  In addition to fun Thomas books and special Thomas trains, he was gifted with quite a few fun Thomas playsets.

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The highlight of his birthday, however, were his birthday cakes! Yup, plural cakes! He had a Thomas cake in the evening of the rehearsal dinner, as well as a special cake at his party,  which was a custom made by a company in Va called Diana’s Sweets.

 

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We got him several brand new tracks that are compatible with Thomas and Friends sets, as well some track accessories from Learning Resources. Thomas and Friends Minis has been a longtime favorite for my train aficionado, especially for its collectibility factor. My cousin gave him the Boost N’ Blast Mini set, which was an immediate hit with all the kids. It was so fun watching the kids blast the Minis into the tubes.

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One of the best things I love about the Thomas has is how it encourages STEM learning and discovery. As much as I love my guy growing and flourishing, I want to savor these sweet, innocent days forever—including all the trains and tracks ALL over my house! 

Gift ideas for 3 Year Old Girl

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Friend and NKT reader, Sarah, posted a really great question on the NKT FB page last week.  With her daughter turning three soon, she asked if I had any gift ideas.  On the heels of last month’s Toy Fair, I have stacks of ideas, actually.  As a mama to a three year old boy, I was excited to research some answers to Sarah’s question.

Three year olds are known for continuing to express their individuality and independence. They are honing their gross motor skills, and for most, attention spans are still quite limited. Role playing and group play is a growing trend at this stage, too.  And as much as I’d like to ignore the whole gender toy issue, like many of you, I’ve seen firsthand just how different play patterns are of boys and girls at this age.

Sarah said her three year old is into girly toys, pets, bubbles and jumping.  And since I haven’t had a chance to talk about many of the fun toys I saw at Toy Fair, this is a great topic to discuss since I saw so many great products that embrace these exact themes.

Princess

Princesses, long-loved favorites to toddlers, preschoolers and beyond, still have a strong presence on the toy front, especially with the success of last year’s Rapunzel.  Even though Disney has hinted at no more new princesses in the near future, toy makers still have a strong grip on this multi-million dollar license.

Squinkies, the tiny bubblegum machine-inspired trinkets that the kids love (and moms not so much), are now available in Disney Princess themes.

Word of caution: these toys are rated 4+ for safety purposes.

With the upcoming release of Tangled on DVD and Blu-Ray, there are quite a few cute dolls that focus on Rapunzel’s hair.

My favorite Tangled-inspired toy is the Toddler Tangled Rapunzel Doll from the Disney Store.  Only caveat with this adorable doll? She’s sold out on Disney Store’s site, but is probably available at select stores.  She’s cute and her hair looks manageable for the littler girls.

Tangled Sing and Glow Rapunzel doll, with her light up hair and singing voice is another cute doll that might be of interest to little girls.

Dolls and Doll Accessories

Doll and doll accessories are, no doubt, a big hit with toddlers and preschoolers because of the imaginative and creative play involved.  Quite a few toy makers have cool new doll accessories coming out, but Hasbro’s Baby Alive and Step 2’s Deluxe Nursery Station are two products that stood out for me at this year’s Toy Fair.

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