Summertime and the living is .... well maybe not so easy - especially when the weather is as schizoid as it has been this month.
Just as the kids get set up at the kitchen table for a craft session, the sun is out and they’re off...
Or the sun is out but you can’t pry them away from the T.V. because they don’t believe that the sun will last. And darn them! They’re right!
That’s why, besides stocking up on the usual suspects for indoors and out, parents that visit our toy store are thrilled to find some toys can actually be considered ‘all-weather’ toys.
Top of the list this month is OGOBUILD, a new product that took off as soon as it arrived. OGOBUILD is a simple sort of building set consisting of poles and connectors. There are a few of these types of toys on the market but what makes this one different is what it is made of. The firm plastic poles are strong but flexible and lightweight. And the connectors are sturdy and reliable.
Kids can build a grand geodesic dome or transform it in a huge light weight ball to throw or kick around. Toss a sheet over it and it’s a tent or a spaceship. Play with it indoors. Then grab it and run outside with it when the some comes out. When play is finished it goes neatly away in the handy storage tube that it came in. $39.99.
Another ‘play anywhere’ toy - a small one that kids just can’t put down – is the ORBO. It’s a small white ball that fits in a child’s hand. A series of small coloured balls, evenly arranged around the exterior, are attached to each other by interior elastics. Like a Rubik’s Cube, but a bit easier, the goal is to push and pop the balls around inside to end up with each of them in their colour-corresponding hole. The trick? You can only move one ball at a time. Addictive! $9.99
Judi Meade is the owner of Art-enfant, a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS), and co-owner of LearningToys.ca. Her stores are a destination for families looking for unique and fun playthings that sneak a little learning in on unsuspecting kids. She blogs about toys, children’s play and all things related at Toying Around.
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