Tag: preschoolers

Etsy find: Natural Cars from Happy Squash Toys

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With toy recalls and reports of unsafe toy manufacturing and imports creating a cause for concern, in an effort to observe more sustainable choices, naturally, some families opt for greener toys made from renewable resources. And of course, a smart and economical alternative to mass produced toys are unique, handmade goodies. Beyond whittling your own collection of handmade toys yourself, thank goodness for the treasure trove that is Etsy! I always say this, but you can’t buy the kind of craftsmanship that you find in Etsy in a mainstream store —no matter what the product might be!

Jack playing with Natural Cars

Today’s Etsy find is from a toy shop that I’ve featured before—I love these toys that much. Happy Squash Toys sent us a trio of Natural Cars for review, and based on the kid’s inability to put them down for one second, it’s official: they’re a hit.


Like most boys his age, our almost 2-year old is fascinated by anything with wheels or rolls. Cars, trains, animals with wheels, bikes, tractor trailers—you name it, he loves it. The Natural Cars from Happy Squash Toys are no exception. He loves wheeling them around the floor, furniture and whatever surface that will let him mobilize these cars. The trick is always finding a way to make all 3 roll at once since his little hands aren’t quite big enough to push them all at once yet. I love the way our little guy makes his own little car sounds when playing with the Natural Cars. I’ll take those sweet imaginative noises over the loud battery-operated honks, beeps and flashing lights any day.

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Thank goodness Max said yes!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Woodstock, the music festival that was said to define a generation, celebrated its 40th anniversary over the weekend.  The music festival that took place at a farm in Upstate New York made music history when it brought together rock legends for three days of peace, love and music.  Forty years after Woodstock many of the original attendees still reminisce, but now, they share their stories with their kids…and for some, their kids’ kids.

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But beyond experiencing Woodstock in person 40 years ago, what better way to share the monumental event with other generations that with an illustrated children’s book!  Max Said Yes! The Woodstock Story by Abigail Yasgur  and Joseph Lipner and Barbara Mendes (Illustrator) is a book that tells the story of how Woodstock came to be.  Before Jimi, Janis and other rock legends hit the stage, the venue—the most important element—was in question.  So, thank goodness Max said Yes!

“One farmer did not think the same
And Max Yasgur was his name.
He raised cows, sold milk and cheese.
He liked kids with big ideas like these.”

And thanks to Max, August 15, 16 and 17, 1969 will forever be remembered as not only the music festival that defined a generation, but as a time where peace, love and music ruled all.  It’s this happier kind of history that all kids should know about!

Bugging Out at the Bronx Zoo

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With illness always lingering, especially in a time where the H1N1 virus often makes headlines than not, Kleenex and The Motherhood partnered together to spread the word about the Battle of the Bug campaign. Last Friday, together with a group of NYC/NJ-area bloggers, I was invited to participate and learn more about the Battle of the Bug campaign.

It’s Wellness Wednesday over here on NKT, what perfect timing to share more about Kleenex’s Battle the Bug campaign.

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The Battle the Bug tour has been making its rounds and spreading the word on how to combat and avoid sickness. The tour made its way to the Bronx Zoo where we whacked bugs, got “sneezed on” and even had photo opps with the big blue bug and reinforced that ongoing battle of keeping our kids healthy.

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As families begin to fulfill their school shopping lists, it’s no doubt that boxes of tissues and hand sanitizer will find their way into many shopping carts. But in addition to the usual supplies, Kleenex tapped Jean Grabeel, to arm families with helpful tips and tactics on staying healthy all year.

Did you know

Grabeel, the Executive Committee member of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), has been the Coordinator for Health Services for the Springfield Missouri Public Schools. Grabeel, who has been a healthcare professional for close to 30 years, highlighted a few techniques on how to Battle the Bug:

  1. Help kids understand the importance of washing hands

    • -washing in between fingers is just as important too!
  2. Teach kids the importance of covering their nose and mouths when sneezing

    • -use tissues (Kleenex’s anti-viral tissues are said to kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses
    • -use the interior of their arm to cover nose/mouth and not their hands
  3. If kids have signs or symptoms of illness, STAY HOME

    • -signs include temperature over 100 degrees
    • -vomiting
    • -diarrhea
    • -kids should stay home until sickness and the symptoms subside.

When you sneeze, over 100,000 droplets go into the air at once at 200 mph and can reach up to 3 ft.
Knowing those details, why wouldn’t you cover your nose and mouth? Yuck!

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Grabeel noted that if kids don’t cover their noses and mouth when sneezing, it obviously increases the the possibility of spreading those nasty bugs, especially because of kids’ lack of social distancing. In your face, all the time.

The moms in attendance all asked a variety of questions, but Kimberly’s question regarding the safety of hand sanitizers caught my attention, particularly because I try to avoid alcohol-based sanitizers. Grabeel suggested that the these hand sanitizers are safe, and that even the CDC recommends using them. Though I”ll continue to use our natural sanitizers, I’ll keep in mind that the other stuff should be just fine too.

And finally, perhaps one most helpful suggestions that Grabeel offered was for parents to help keep their kids healthy is to be in communication with school health professionals. Grabeel said that school nurses and other health professionals are the best advocate for keeping our kids healthy.

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There won’t be a pop quiz later, but keeping the kidlets healthy is enough motivation to enforce the importance of battling the bug. Don’t forget: wash your hands, cover your mouths and if you’re sick, stay home!


Kleenex truck

Full disclosure: Though not affiliated with Kleenex, I was compensated for this event.

Imagination Movers to hit the road

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Brainstorm time:  what popular band encourages kids to reach high, think big, work hard, have fun, AND just announced their first ever concert tour? moverssmall

Why, it’s the Imagination Movers of course!

That’s right, the Disney Channel superstars announced their “Live From The Idea Warehouse Tour” which kicks of October 10 in Shreveport, La., and winds up December 13 in Spokane, Wash.

We had a blast at the Movers’ mini-concert at Sirius Studios earlier this summer, so I’d love to check out the high energy with even more families at one of these shows!  This concert series will no doubt be a huge hit, so if your kids love the Imagination Movers, it’ll be worth seeing them live!  Tickets go on sale on August 15, so be sure to check and see if there will be a show near you!

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Connect the dots, la la la

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

We recently booked our flights to attend my cousin’s destination wedding in Hawaii next month.  We’re extremely excited, but right now, the thought of flying 10+ hours with a very active toddler gives me the shakes.  Someone hold me.  Though used to road trips where you can pull over if needed, uh, there’s no pulling over on a direct flight that long.  I’m already plotting the activities, books and games that we’ll use to entertain him.  So, while perusing the latest iPhone Apps with our trip in mind, I came across Join the Dots Lite.

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Join the Dots Lite is an app that allows the user to connect the dots and then color the image, just like the olden days.  (Except instead of crayons and coloring books, it’s fingertips and iPods!)  It features 3 different lines to connect, as well as 8 kinds of colors to paint. Best of all, it’s a free!  Who doesn’t love to connect the dots?  The app is suggested for kids 4 and up, but I’m excited to download it so I can connect the dots and have the kid color it!  Teamwork!

Peace, Love and (Build-A-Bear) Hugs

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

This past weekend, the kid and I found ourselves on Fifth Avenue getting cozy with a bunch of bears. That’s right, bears!

The kid and I attended the “Let’s Talk About Love” Meet and Greet with Jamia Nash at the biggest Build-a-Bear Workshop in the world, which is right on Fifth Avenue in NYC. Like I knew it would, the mere sight of the Build-A-Bear storefront elicited so much excitement from my almost-2 year old. Before we even entered the store, he was signing, more, more, more!

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At the event, we briefly met with other NYC/NJ mom bloggers, and said hello to the guest of honor, Jamia Nash. If you’re a huge Young and the Restless fan like me, you might know Jamia as Ana, Tyra’s daughter. If your family is a Jack’s Big Music Show fan, you might know Jamia as the spunky songstress who sang the “Bongo Bird song” when she was about eight years old. It was a pleasure to meet the super sweet Jamia, who was so nice to the kid, even though he really doesn’t “get it” yet. Extremely articulate and well-spoken, Jamia told me a little bit about her experience in singing the Bongo Bird song. If you’d like to hear Jamia’s “Let’s Talk About Love” song, it’s available to download on the site.

Jack with Jamia Nash

Jamia a seasoned performer at only 12 years old, fittingly, was tapped to be a part of Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Love. Hugs. Peace Movement, which encourages kids to give back and be kind. At times like this, we can use all the love, hugs and peace we can get!

In line with the Love. Hugs. Peace, Build-A-Bear Workshop has introduced the Peace & Hugs Bear, which is intended to represent all three elements of the Movement. Like other Build-A-Bear animals, the fuzzy blue bear with peace signs can be stuffed and personalized. There’s even Love. Hugs. Peace bear-sized tees and rhinestone tanks available, which Build-A-Bear Workshop is donating $.25 to Save the Children from the sales.

Peace & Hugs Bear

Build-A-Bear kindly gave us some giftcards to create our own bear. The kid absolutely went nuts in the lower level of this gigantic Build-A-Bear Workshop. The lower level, which has several areas for exclusive parties, in addition to a few bear-stuffing stations, was like heaven for my adventurous toddler. And because the kid is obsessed with stuffed animals and baseball (specifically the NY Mets), naturally, we created a classic bear with a Mets uniform! Coincidentally, Saturday was Build-A-Bear Day at Citifield, the Mets’ new stadium, where Jamia also performed the Star Spangled Banner to kick the game off.

Jack with Buddy

In the end, though frazzled by chasing a very curious toddler around, I enjoyed the bear-making process just as much! From choosing the bear, chasing the kid, to picking his outfit, chasing the kid again, to having him stuffed, to watching the kid pick his heart and finally creating his birth certificate, our experience at the NYC Build-A-Bear Workshop though hectic, was so much fun. I can certainly see why tourists flock to the Fifth Avenue location.

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Our bear, lovingly named Buddy, is the kid’s brand new BFF, many thanks to our awesome friends at Build-A-Bear Workshop. And this is just how awesome they are: just in time for theirAugust promotion, Build-A-Bear Workshop generously gave us a $25 giftcard for one lucky NKT reader!

Win it Describe Build-A-Bear’s newest bear and please comment below.

For extra entries, share this post and/or tell me one (or all) of the songs (mentioned above) that Jamia is singing, or has sung.

So the winner can take advantage of Build-A-Bear’s $29.99 August promotion, this giveaway will end August 13!  Good luck!

There’s a party in my kid’s meal!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

la55425 Like many of you, we just can’t get enough of Lance and the gang.  So much so, I should rename this blog the Next YGG Thing!

Starting today, Jack in the Box will be offering a super fun Jack’s Kid’s Meal featuring one of five Yo Gabba Gabba finger puppets.  Kids 3 and older can collect all of their favorite YGG characters including, Brobee, the little green one; Foofa, the pink flower bubble; Muno, the red Cyclops; Toodee, the blue cat-dragon; and Plex, the yellow robot. In addition to the Kid’s Meal toys, kids can visit www.jackskidstoys.com to receive free Yo Gabba Gabba downloads and discounts on YGG merchandise at Ty’s Toy Box.   AWESOME, no?
<sigh> if only we had a Jack in the Box here in NJ/NYC!

My Alligator…

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Many thanks to the “Teach my Alligator Manners” segment on the Disney Channel, the kid has become obsessed with alligators. The fondness of manners? That’s coming. But I’m definitely loving the frequent usage of “pweeease” these days.
But back to alligators…since he can’t get enough of the segment, he’s also learning to recognize the parallels between the shows he loves and his toybox. And thus, we have a newly found appreciation for the Dancing Alligator from PlanToys.

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The wooden, clacking pull-along toy was one of the gifts we bought for him for his 1st birthday, but he’s just now finally “getting” it. No batteries involved, just kid power, this toy brings back the old school essence of pull-along toys that I remember from my own childhood. But be forewarned, the “dancing” part of this alligator also translates into “clacking.” So, if loud toys aren’t your thing, definitely check out other PlanToys. (I personally love watching our guy run around with his alligator trailing/dancing behind!) Our alligator has made many leaps and falls these past few weeks, proving that it’s both timeless and sustainable, as far as toddler toys go. The Dancing Alligator will be one of those toys that we’ll likely keep for our kid(s)’ kids!
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Spotted at BlogHer

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While at BlogHer, I had the chance to peruse the Expo floor a few times. The Expo floor was basically a trade show for women bloggers that featured products to be used in the kitchen to spiffy vacuums to gold kiwis (based on Tweets, seemed like the belle of the ball!) and of course, the latest and greatest kids’ products.
Lucky me, I got to check out a few products that I’ve blogged about here on NKT.

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I took a look at the Complete Air Car Seat that features Safety 1st’s new Air Protect technology. As I envisioned, it’s a sleek-looking car seat that has the hard-to-miss side head cushions. The pictures of this car seat certainly don’t do it any justice, especially the cool brown and orange colored Complete Air car seat which first caught my attention. I liked that it’s not a huge seat, like the one we currently own. This car seat has definitely piqued my interest!

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I also spotted the Disney Netpal, the kid-friendly laptop that I blogged about last month. Again, it was much cooler in person.  It’s as petite as I imagined, but not overly kiddie-centric at all. The rep. at the booth walked me through a lot of its functions and reiterated its kid-friendliness.  After speaking to her, I was sold; I actually want one for myself, now :)  At $350, I thought it was a decent deal for what you get.  At this day and age, electronics, especially ones that are educational and functional for school-aged kids, are a great, if not imperative, investment.