Category Archives: toys

LEGO Star Wars R2D2

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starwars_legoAs a mother of 2 and wife of a Star Wars fan, our house is inundated with Star Wars themed LEGO kits. Even my sweet and “illiterate” 2yo boy recognizes the franchise’s logo from a mile away.


I’ve been thinking a lot about what to give my husband for this Valentine’s Day. I want a gift that enables him to play and have fun with our kids.

Serendipitously, I came across a LEGO kit for R2D2. It is possibly the most beloved character ever created within the series. I’ve read so many positive reviews. Now an order has been made and I simply can’t wait to see my family gather around the living room and the joy on their faces when all 2,127 pieces are all put together!

 

Construction toys for aspiring architects

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Our home has countless containers of construction toys, ranging from wooden blocks to marble runs. These are 3 of our favorite construction toys.  The first two involve motors and the last one requires imagination only.

Quercetti Marble Run

We received it at our older son’s 4th birthday. It was a bit challenging but with Daddy’s help, our son spent hours connecting and re-arranging tubes and testing marble drops down ramps. Between Quercetti and Techno Gears, I would start out with one around 4 or 5 and then move on to Techno Gears.

 

Techno Gears Marble Mania Extreme

We picked this kit up at Costco a couple of years ago. The age range is 8 to 12 but even my husband found it a bit challenging. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most sophisticated and elaborate motorized marble runs we have in the house. Kids love it. You absolutely have to keep track of marbles that come in these kits as they are choking hazards for younger kids in the home.

Citiblocs Building Blocks
We were inspired of the possibilities of wooden blocks when we visited Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. There was one room with 20,000 blocks for anyone to build.  Definitely inspiring!

 

 

 

I’d love to hear about constructions toys in your home!  Always looking for new toy recommendations for my boys.

Toy grandma wins hearts and minds

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Every child seems to have a toy grandma and a clothing grandma.  That’s always been the case in our children’s life.  My mom always keeps my kids looking sharp and my mother-in-law makes sure they are entertained with new toys and books. The tide turned this year.  My mom bought beautiful sweaters for our children this Christmas. But when she showed up with two big boxes of PlayMobil, kids shouted with joy.  Of course she got big appreciation hugs in return!

plane

Last night, my kindergartner didn’t sleep until 11pm because he stayed up late to construct his plane with his father.

All morning, I spent sorting through 400+ parts of another kit – Playmobil Forest Lodge.  It must have taken me an hour to organize all the parts and follow 6 pages of instructions.  The result (just the first step) – a beautiful cabin with an adjacent barn.  It was my first time playing with a PlayMobil kit.  With my son looking for pieces, it was an incredibly fun activity over Christmas break.

cabin

Overall, I am very impressed with German engineering applied to toys.  All the pieces snapped together like a precision instrument.  Even my 2yo enjoyed using the small handy toolto snap nuts and bolts in place.

I would recommend both kits to children over 5.  They can follow instructions and would enjoy collaborating with you.