With so many toys to choose from, it often gets overwhelming for parents to choose which one is right for their child. I don’t know about you but when I invest my money into a toy I want to make sure that it is something that my child will not only play with and hopefully learn a thing or two from. Local Toy stores are a great place to find hidden treasures that you may not find in bigger stores. Some of my kids all time favorite toys have come from the local mom and pop stores that carry unique items.
With Christmas just right around the corner it always helps to get advice on which toys to get. ASTRA just recently released their list for the Best Toys of 2013! If your not familiar with ASTRA they are the non-profit American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. With this list you will find the best toys for specific age groups. I was sent a few toys from this list to try out with my kids.
Snap Circuits SOUND
Snap Circuits SOUND offers more than 185 exciting projects and over 40 parts along with a colorful illustrated instruction manual. Make exciting projects including: Sound Energy demonstration, Voice Changer: record voice or music and play it back at different speeds, Echo Effects, Keyboard with Optical Theremin: Sound-activated color changing light. Connect to your smart phone and analyze sound with apps and much more! Enjoy hours of educational FUN!
My son absolutely LOVES this toy! He just got a chance to play with it this week and seriously played with this toy for almost 3 hours straight. He loved making the circuit make noises and he even did a few things himself without using the instructions. He has already asked me to look for other Snap Circuits Toys to go along with this for Christmas. I am happy to see him so excited about something other than TV and video games.
Original Spirograph® Deluxe Kit
The classic way for aspiring artists to create millions of amazing designs is back and better than ever! The Original Spirograph® Deluxe Set features all the iconic wheels and rings of the original, re-engineered and updated for today. The kit features a high quality, durable carrying case with snap-in storage and a built-in drawing surface. The precision engineered Spirograph® gears work with the 3 retractable ballpoint pens included in the set as well as with most standard pens, markers and pencils. The new Spiro-Putty holds the Spirograph® pieces securely on the paper so that you can create intricately beautiful designs with no holes in the paper! The set also comes with 20 sheets of design paper and a full color design guide, which explains the fundamentals of drawing with Spirograph® as well as step-by-step instructions for creating your own designs! Product Features: • 19 Spirograph® Precision Wheels • 2 Spirograph® Precision Rings • 1 Spirograph® Precision Rack • .053oz (1.5g) of Reusable Spiro-Putty • 3 Retractable Ball Point Pens • 14 Page Guide Book • 20 Sheets of Design Paper • 1 Carry-Along Storage Case with Built-in Work Surface.
I had a Spirograph when I was a kid and it was one of my favorite toys. Even at 32 years old I am amazed at the shapes that the spirograph can create. This toy is easy to use and both of my kids love it.
Now through November 8th, 2013 The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is kicking off the “I Heart My Neighborhood Toy Store” campaign and giving you the chance to win some exciting prizes. You even have a chance to walk away with the grand prize of a family vacation of a lifetime at select all inclusive Hard Rock Hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. To enter just head over the ASTRA website for more information!
For more information on ASTRA you can visit them on Facebook and Twitter also.