Contractor
Set
Habermaas Corp.
Many of our testers have told us over the years that playing dress-up is
not just the domain of little girls throwing tea parties. Play-acting is an
important toddler activity and this set is a perfect addition for your child's
imagination play. Parents will love this new backpack set of construction
worker gear that outfits your little one with a hard-hat, trowel, level, and
leather-feel gloves for the rough and tumble work place. Pack up a lunch box
and send them out with kiss, they'll be back at quittin' time.
Recommended Ages: 3 and Up Retail Price: $25.00
Yogateers
Yogayears, LLC
This wonderful product promotes a calm focused activity for your child
to learn and experience. The program, which includes a practice mat and
activities on brightly colored cards, enhances body awareness in a fun and
delightful manner. The concept of incorporating a game into the yoga experience
is ideal and serves to mix exercises up, keeping things moving. Parents told us
that their children were attentive and involved throughout.
Recommended Ages: 4 to 8 Retail Price: $39.95
Cool
Room Frames
LEGO Systems, Inc.
A click here, a dash of color there and before you know it you have a
funky frame to house all of your favorite photos. This creative kit was a hit
with the girls and dismissed by boys, nevertheless, the girls thought this was a
project that was fun, cool and a blast to use. The design options are limitless
and can be just as easily unclicked and remade, so no matter what the mood and
style of the day, you've got frames to match.
Recommended Ages: 6 and Up Retail Price: $9.99
Trendy
Tote Tangerine
LEGO Systems, Inc.
Featuring a cool and current design, this trendy tote design kit was a
hit with your girls in our testing centers. With easy-to-follow directions that
are strong on visual prompts, girls were busy making uniquely styled bags for
their stuff. The Clickit accessories are easy to use and allow for an endless
assortment of designs. Parents thought the style was very cosmopolitan, but the
kids just like the bold colors.
Recommended Ages: 6 and Up Retail Price: $14.99
Mirror-aculous
Art Activities Kit
OOZ
& OZ, Inc.
Certainly one of the most unique art kits we've ever seen, Mirror-aculous was a
sensation in our testing centers. Testers gravitated to the shiny mirrored cup
with the oddly abstract coloring pages. What happens here is certainly not your
run-of-the-mill coloring experience. The pages provided which have a cut out
for the cup to sit on, are warped and the images indistinguishable until you
view them through the mirror. Like a carnival mirror in reverse, the images
become undistorted and look very normal, our testers loved this. Given the fact
that without the mirror the images look rather odd, you probably won't be
decorating your refrigerator with them. But there is no denying the fun and
appeal this kit held.
Recommended Ages: 7 and Up Retail Price: $19.99
Probuilder
FDNY Firetruck
Mega Bloks, Inc.
When you invest $40 and a considerable amount of construction time in a
project kit that has over 1000 pieces, its not unreasonable to expect the end
result to be impressive. Probuilder FDNY Firetruck is "all that" and more. The
kit, which is a significant project to say the least, will require patience and,
is you are lucky enough to have a building partner, teamwork. The firetruck you
have when the last interlocking piece is snapped in is quite impressive.
Complete with extending ladder, flashing lights and siren sounds, this truck
will be the source of many imaginative and heroic adventures.
Recommended Ages: 7 and Up Retail Price: $39.99
For more information about The Seal of Approval or The National
Parenting Center
call: 1-800-753-6667
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Last Update: August 10, 2003