Outdoor Play – The Next Kid Thing

Messy Play with Booger Balls

April 23, 2016April 23, 2016 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Just in time for International Nose Picking Day, Funrise Toys sent us a Booger Balls care package. Yes, you read that right. There is, indeed, an International Nose Picking Day. And yes, there is a toy called Booger Balls!

If you have kids who appreciate messy outdoor play, then Booger Balls is totally up your alley. We love messy play, and as a play enthusiast who has a kiddo with special needs, I appreciate that this sort of play hones gross motor skills despite the slimy mess.

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Booger Balls come as a powder mix, and then once mixed with warm water, it becomes a gelatinous substance that resembles—you guessed it—boogers. We had a few unsuccessful attempts getting it to mix correctly, but once it did, the guys loved flinging the Booger Balls at their target.

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My littler guy loved mixing and stirring and then capturing the mixture. The older guy loved the sensation of the mix and practicing his aim. Booger Balls are certainly a messy outdoor toy, so expect lots of sticky mess. I recommend playing in an area that you can just hose off when you’re done. If you have a water table that you can wash off, consider doing it there.

We had a fun time with Booger Balls and have added it to our outdoor play arsenal! Check out the guys in our fun video below!

P.S. I edited this late last night, so disregard the poor angles and whiny preschooler. Just keeping it real!

NYC Vlogging Challenge: My favorite Spot around Town

March 1, 2016 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As I previously mentioned, I’ve been participating in the NYC Vlogging Challenge. Together with Lisa from Atypical Familia and Divina from Dancing Hot Dogs, we’ve been hosting prompts to get our friends and community excited about vlogging and just sharing what we love about where we live, what we like to do and such.

This week, Lisa is the host and I was cracking up about what she shared about her travel must! Divina shared what she loves about her town. And, I decided to do the same! Instead of sharing about my actual hometown, Va Beach, I shared about one of my favorite spots in my current town.

Straight from the gym, I filmed this video before the kids came home from school. The thing about vlogging is that it forces me to share the nitty gritty, usually in the moment, with little or no time to edit. So, yes, this is me in all of my makeup-less glory. I love the way I keep looking around to see if anyone is checking me out filming by myself in the park like a weirdo! Nonetheless, it’s all in good fun.

Be sure to check out our videos and to see what I love about my town!

Great Spring Toys and Gear

April 29, 2014April 29, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Spring is finally in full swing. Even though it’s still chilly, we’re resisting the cold. It’s pretty safe to say that we officially have spring fever.

And with spring fever, there’s plenty of fun new toys and play things to get excited about this Spring.

With that in mind, I thought I’d round up some cool new toys and products to get you excited for spring and the prospect of the kids playing outdoors until the street lights come on.

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Crayola Grab & Go Games

Chalk Grab N Go Games Foot Hockey

Crayola’s new Grab & Go Games is one of my favorites this seasons. The kit includes chalk and accessories needed to play an outdoor game such as bean bag toss, foot hockey, chip shot golf and an obstacle course. These are games we’ve been playing for years, but Crayola, as always, has the foresight to conveniently package these games for easy outdoor play. Grab & Go

Games retails for about $4.99

Tricksters Helmets

Tricksters Helmets are a line of plush helmets from the makers of Pillow Pets. TrickstersHelmets

The helmets, themselves, are the hard, protective kind that can be used for bike riding, scootering and beyond, but what makes Tricksters different is the plush exterior.

They can be found at www.trickstershelmets.com or at select specialty retailers.The Trickster Helmets come in five different styles: Rainbow Bear, Flower Power Cat, Lulu Leopard, Comfy Pandy and Snuggly Puppy. PTRU1 17074604enh z6

YBike GLX Pro

This 3-wheeled scooter features an adjustable handle and super-efficient foot brake. The sleek design and compact frame set this scooter apart from other well known brands. What I like most about this scooter is that my 2 year old can use the scooter in the handlebar’s lowest position and my oldest can glide across the street in one of the middle settings. The YBike GLX pro is a scooter that will go and grow with the kids! A more thorough review to come! California New Dessus copy

California Maverix

This remote controlled board takes street skating to a whole new level. Geared to older kids and more experienced skate enthusiasts, the California model was designed to be light weight and has a variety of speed variations. Equipped with a wireless remote control the 3 positions (Beginner / Medium / Expert) and brake are all powered by a simple movement of the trigger! It has a power motor 150W and max weight 100lbs

Brer Rabbit Golf Set

Golf Set copy Brer Rabbit Toy’s Golf Bag is a fun beginner set for wanna-be golfers. It comes with three toy golf clubs, two tees, two holes, two numbered flags and five toy golf balls. It’s ideal for preschoolers who are interested in putting, but not quite ready for the driving range. It’s just hitting shelves now and retails for about $16.99 633812 toddler dome climber xalt1

Little Tikes Tunnel N Dome Climber

Little Tikes new dome-shaped climber channels play structures of yesterday. It features various sized holes to accommodate those who need easy or challenging climbing play. The hiding spots, too, would make for great preschool play. I love that this outdoor toy provides endless play patterns for younger kids and beyond. The Tunnel N Dome Climber retails for $149.99

Nerf N-Sports Bash Ball

Resembling a Nerf-textured O-ball, the Bash Ball has a cool hollowed Nerf foam core with grip-able holes. The holes gives kids a better grip to pass, fling, whip or whatever! This ball is one of our absolute favorite toys right now. It’s been fun for both my bigger boy and my littler guy; and an absolutely ideal toy for OT and PT. This is such a cool innovation, I’m excited to check out even more NERF N-Sports gear!

NERF Rebelle Star Shot Target Set and Crossbow

D603819650569047F564AD06CF256798 The super popular Nerf Rebelle line is unveiling several more products to their lineup. The Star Shot Target Set and Crossbow is among the new products, and will help make target practice even easier with the red laser light that helps to pinpoint the target. The Star Shot target set includes a crossbow, large size target and comes with 6 suction cup darts.NERF Rebelle Star Shot Target Set and Crossbow P36353 0M 1

Gazillion Bubbles Typhon 2.0

When old fashioned bubbles just aren’t enough: you can create a gazillion bubbles instantly with the Gazillion Bubbles Typhoon 2.0. There’s no pump and or wait time, just massive amounts of bubbles with this fun contraption.. In fact, this bubble fountain blows more than 5,000 bubbles per minute.

The Olympics and Swimming with SwimWays

August 13, 2012August 13, 2012 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With the Olympics wrapping up last night, I’d be remiss without giving an update on Biggie’s swimming progress and how it coincided with the games, and actually, our community’s latest festivity.

As I previously mentioned, this summer will forever go down in history as the summer that Biggie officially learned to swim, and we’re so thankful for Swimways for helping to make that happen. Of all the fun products we’ve been enjoying all summer, it’s the Sea Squirts Swim Assist vest that has helped Biggie build his confidence and skill in the water.

Together with swim lessons from certified instructors and daily trips to the lake, the Sea Squirts has given him the boost to learn his ability on his own.He can jump into the deeper swim lanes to swim laps, as well as play around in the shallower water without hesitation. He’ll take off his vest to swim freely and confidently, but he still knows his limits, and when it’s time to put the vest back on. I like that it’s lightweight and buoyant, so the vest doesn’t do all the work, or make him stay floating up top. And, not only has it been a fun teaching tool, the clever blue shark fin has garnered so many cool compliments from other parents, the lifeguards and friends.

We loved watching the Olympics this summer, now that Biggie is a swimmer. We enjoyed watching all the different swim styles and watching history be made right before our eyes! Biggie had the chance to meet Olympic Gold Medalist Aaron Piersol at an event for Auro-dri last summer, but to see this latest batch of athletes excel in their craft, was something truly special.

Of all the swimmers, like many other kids, Biggie was mesmerized by Michael Phelps. As we watched him collect even more medals to become the most decorated Olympian in history, Biggie had some words to say to him.

Dear Mr. Phelps,

Thank you for helping kids to like swimming. I like swimming and watching you is cool. I like how you practice hard and win your races. Keep helping kids so they can be happy and exercise too. I like all of your medals! Good job!

Biggie is a boy of many words, as you can see! But, as a family, who has spent most of their summer in the water, we’ve enjoyed watching the Olympics, and especially witnessing Phelps’ trials and triumphs. I admire his work with kids and the influence he has on the importance of water safety. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

On a related note, our lake community has a roster of fun activities for families throughout the year. This past weekend was Royal Weekend, which is a long tradition that has been passed down generations, and one that Biggie was so excited to be a participant. The Olympic-themed event was held all weekend, honoring a duo of high school students and their achievements, before they go off to college and start their lives away from the lake. It’s a quirky tradition, but still so fun to see and take part in. The “royals” are both lifeguards and fixtures at the lake, so, to see the little kids look up to them is so fun.

What a fun, fun summer this has been!

Full disclosure: I received product samples as part of the SwimWays Swim Team program, but as always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Water Balloon Fun with KAOS Nemesis

July 1, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Long summer weekends usually means grilling, relaxing and fun in the sun. And since the kids are already in the pool, why not break out the water balloons?

Of all the fun summer toys we’ve been checking out this season, a family favorite has been the water balloon launcher, KAOS Nemesis Wrist Launcher. After filling up the cool textured balloons via the handy garden hose nozzle, big kids can launch their water balloons with the KAOS Nemesis Wrist Launcher. Likened to a lacrosse stick (albeit for water balloons,) the launcher can launch water balloons up to 100 ft.

Even though I have pix of the kid playing, it was my husband and the neighbor kids who had the most fun seeing who could launch their balloons the furthest. The smaller kids had fun trying to locate where the balloons landed and picked up the broken pieces. And of course, it was the grown men who had the most fun with the Kaos Nemesis.

From personal experience, I don’t recommend actually launching the balloons AT people. The launchers make for a fun poolside or BBQ game, and one that gets everyone involved, from the filling of balloons, to launching, to measuring/cleaning balloons. The best aspect from the official balloon filler? The nozzle that helps you streamline the process!

Intended for kids 8 and up, the KAOS Nemesis from Imperial Toys retails around $14 and can be found at retailers like Target, Toys R Us and Kohl’s.

Full disclosure: Samples were provided to facilitate this review, but as always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Goodies and Gear: Opening Day

March 31, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s that time of year again; it’s Opening Day, a day that celebrates the Boys’ of Summer’s reemergence from the offseason and time to play ball again. If your family is anything like ours, reality and kiddie shows are happily swapped for 6 months of America’s Pastime streaming on the tv—that is, when we’re not outside enjoying the outdoors ourselves.

With snow in our forecast, it may not be the most ideal weather for this time of year, but that’s not to say we can’t celebrate Spring and Opening Day with some of the latest and greatest in baseball fun for the kids.

This morning, while I was reading the news online, I was pretty disappointed to read about the decline in kids playing baseball over on WSJ. To be quite honest, despite what the studies show, you’d never know there was a decline from the plethora of great toys and gear that are aimed to share the love of the game.

Here are just a few of my baseball picks in honor of Opening Day:

Melissa and Doug All Star Sports Fill and Spill

Baby can’t throw or catch quite yet, but Melissa and Doug’s All Star Sports Fill and Spill helps to familiarize tiny fingers with ball shapes. Each of the four balls rattle, jingle or crinkle and are suitable for 6 months and up.

Grand Slam Baseball from Step 2

Spotted at Toy Fair last month, Step 2’s Grand Slam Baseball is an electronic auto-pitch machine that encourages hand-eye coordination, not to mention, promotes outdoor play. Geared to the smaller baseball fans, Grand Slam Baseball gets kids fielding balls and a chance to work on their swing.

EA Sweet Spot Baseball Bat

For the bigger kids, EA’s Sweet Spot Bat incorporates a little crowd cheer every time the batter hits or holds the ball in that sweet spot. Ideal for beginners, it features a soft bat, and helps the rookies to refine their accuracy and hand-eye coordination.

SKLZ Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat

Beyond the tee-ball phase, SKLZ makes the top-rated Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat. The training bat features an all-wood barrel and handle, as well as a fiberglass rod, and provides instant feedback and “stings” if hit too far off.
Looking for training tools for entry-level players? SKLZ Hit-A-Way Jr. is something that I’m going to check out for batting practice and hand-eye coordination for our not-quite Tee Ball-aged little guy.

Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access

And to better understand and appreciate America’s Pastime, Sports Illustrated Kids has a new book that delves into the inner sanctum of baseball. Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access grants readers a behind-the-scenes look into cool findings, including favorite stadiums, the story behind the Green Monster and something that I want to know more about: Lousisville Slugger’s journey from big trees to the big leagues.

Go Mets!

And Speaking of behind the scenes look at baseball, did you miss our family’s adventure at Citi Field last season? If you’ve been reading NKT for awhile now, you must already know that we’re Mets fans–in good times and in bad.

It’s always been my husband’s dream to sit in our beloved Mets’ Clubhouse, and thanks to a fun media invite, we had the chance to learn more about the Mets’ new stadium. Be sure to see where our exclusive behind the scenes tour took us at our beloved (and sometimes beleaguered) Mets’ CitiField.

Hooray for a new season! And yes, even for us Mets fans, it’s a brand new ball game!

The Ultimate Block Party Set for Oct. 3 in NYC

September 30, 2010September 30, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

“How you play is who you become,” is the convincing tagline for this weekend’s Ultimate Block Party in NYC. With playful learning in mind, Play for Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization dedicated to shedding light on the crucial role of play in children’s development and education, is hosting the Ultimate Block Party in Central Park this Sunday, October 3.

Described to be the first “play date” in a national education movement, the Ultimate Block Party is poised to transform the Bandshell area of Central Park on Sunday, October 3, into the world’s most innovative playground by demonstrating the power of fun and games for learning and helping to reinforce that how we play as children helps form who we become as adults.

As a champion of playtime and getting outdoors here at NKT, I was so thrilled to learn about this fun event from some of my colleagues. In fact, if our schedule permits, I’m hoping to bring our family out to the Ultimate Block Party on Sunday to take in some playtime of our own.

Play for Tomorrow, together with their partners, are inviting families with kids 12 and under to head to Central Park on Sunday to join in the fun. The rain or shine event, which goes from 11am to 5 pm by the Naumburg Bandshell (Enter at 72nd Street and Fifth Ave), will have a myriad of playful activities and mini-master classes with leading architects, scientists, engineers, musicians, artists, inventors and business leaders from around the City. Best of all, it’s free.

Free fun for the kids in NYC: it doesn’t get any better than that!

The sponsors and activities* that will be at this fantastic event include many NKT faves such as KaBoom!, Crayola, CMOM, Imagination Playground, Chicago Children’s Museum, Legos, Electric and many, many more. If you’re in NYC, come join us! If you’re not in the area, don’t worry, word is, there are already plans to launch the Ultimate Block Party in other U.S. cities and internationally.

Giveaway

One of the sponsors of the event and NKT fave, Lego, will have a LEGO imagination construction zone at the Ultimate Block Party. And for those of you not in the area, LEGO isn’t forgetting you. To encourage personal LEGO imagination construction zones at home, they are kindly offering one NKT reader a LEGO DUPLO Play with Numbers set.

Want to win the Duplo set? Just tell me what sort of things do you and your kids like to build with Legos. Please comment below.

*Want to see small a sampling of the activities planned for The Ultimate Block Party? Click after the jump. I’m getting even more excited just reading about all the fun! If you’re planning on going, let me know!

NKT Tapped for KaBoom! Summer Challenge

July 1, 2010July 1, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With the kids out of school, I’m sure many parents and caregivers are often in search of what to do next. You can only take so many trips to the mall, pool, beach before it gets too cumbersome. For us, even though my kid is not in school yet, outdoor play is a huge part of our day.

As city dwellers, we relied heavily on our playgrounds for not only playtime, but for our social time and escape from our small space. Most days, we’d travel to the park down the block to play with friends. Other days, when we were looking for a change of scenery, we’d head to the park on the Hudson that overlooked Manhattan. If we were hot and were needing to splash in the water, we’d go to the park that had the fun water features. Whatever we were in the mood for, there was a park that would fit the bill. We were quite fortunate to have so many wonderful play spaces in our little town.

Since we’re in the middle of a move from our beloved urban town out to the NJ suburbs, I knew there would be a lot of changes involved, including how we’d entertain ourselves. Not too long ago, I saw that KaBoom, a national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America’s children, was having a call for Challengers for their Park-A-Day Summer Challenge. Realizing I didn’t know much about our new surroundings combined with our passion for outdoor play, the kid and I were up for the challenge.

Together with eight other parents, I was tapped to be one of the Park-A-Day Summer Challengers. As part of the challenge that begins today, we will be taking our kids to a new park every day this summer, starting July 1. We will be uploading photos and videos over on KaBoom and talking about where the challenge is taking us. Because we’re still in Va. temporarily, I will be starting our challenge down here in my hometown, and will eventually head back up NJ.

As the new kids on the block, I couldn’t think of a better way to transition from the city to the ‘burbs, while getting to know our local play spaces in the process. I will be updating over on KaBoom regularly, and may post a blurb or two here on NKT or on the fanpage.

I know many of you are big on playing outdoors, too, so it’d be great if you could share your thoughts, experiences and adventures over on KaBoom too! There are a variety of other groups to check out, so be sure to check it out.

And just a note, this challenge is purely a volunteer campaign…not that I need any compensation to play with my kid, but I wanted to clarify. Get out and play!

Junk Ball Features MLB Players

June 30, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The Boys of Summer are in mid-season right now, gearing up for the All Star Game, which is just a few weeks away. Just in time for the All Star Game, Little Kids sent us a sample of their Junk Ball Bat and Ball set.

This year, Junk Ball was granted the MLBPA license for their bat and ball sets which feature some of the hottest MLB players including, Tim Lincecum, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana and our family’s favorite player, David Wright.

The Junk Ball Bat and Ball set comes with a classic Junk Ball Baseball, Junk Ball Bat and a sheet of stickers that features 6 players, so that kids can customize their own bat. The Bat and Ball set retails for $9.99, (an MLB ball featuring one of the aforementioned players can be purchased separately) making it an extremely affordable outdoor toy that little ones, all the way up to big kids, can enjoy their very own game of ball.

“Junk Ball,” in baseball terminology often refers to a pitch that is difficult to hit due to movement rather than velocity or power, such as a breaking ball or a knuckleball.

And what makes this Junk Ball pretty cool is how it makes throwing “junk balls” so easy. In addition to the diagrams on how to throw a few pitches, Junk Ball balls feature a “Dial a Pitch” that allows anyone to throw curves, sliders, even knuckleballs—-again suitable for the little guys and big guys, including daddies, too!

For our family, there’s nothing more synonymous with summer, outdoors and family time than baseball, whether it’s watching a game at Citi Field, catching a Sunday game on tv or playing our own game of Junk Ball. The kid, dad and I had a great time fielding and hitting the ball around. I personally love the sound of a bat “cracking” and the whizzing of a ball, even if it is a plastic set meant for kids. It’s the love of the game!

If you’re on the market for an alternative to those other plastic baseball sets, be sure to check out Junk Ball’s bat and ball set and get your game on.

A product sample was provided to facilitate this review, but the opinions expressed herein are my own.

Crayola Touts Creative Outdoor Play with New Sets

May 18, 2010May 26, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Crayola, always a favorite here on NKT, was one of the many fabulous exhibitors at the recent Time to Play Spring and Summer Showcase.

Crafts and the outdoors should go hand in hand, what with the fairly easy clean up and the expansive canvas. And as always, Crayola is at the forefront of the outdoor artistry when it comes to kids.

At the showcase, Crayola’s table had a variety of colorful goodies, including the latest additions to their product line: the Sidewalk Chalk Maker, Spira-Chalk Blaster and the 3D Disney Fairies and 3D Disney Toy Story Activity Sets.