Holidays with four boys are an amazing adventure at our house. Everything has that slightly overcharged energy. Easter is no exception with the copious quantities of chocolate that the boys receive from their grandparents and other relatives. Last year, after considering the amount of treats that the boys were certain to consume, we contacted the ‘Easter Bunny’ and requested a change to the Easter routine. That beloved long-eared creature really came through. I was amazed at his inventiveness!
We woke up Easter morning to a small treat in each Easter pail (he even left little treats for mom and dad) along with a few puzzle pieces for each boy. The boys figured out that they had to combine their puzzle pieces to make a picture of the Easter Bunny. Then, when they flipped over the puzzle there were instructions for the Easter hunt. Inside each hidden egg (we reuse the plastic eggs each year) they would find a puzzle piece that would lead them to the treasure. The hunt was on! The puzzle, once assembled, led them to a secret location where they found a group gift.
This year we have again sent a note to the Easter Bunny which I thought I would share with you. I hope you, your Easter Bunny, and the whole family enjoy the suggestions we shared with our Easter Bunny!
Dear Easter Bunny,
Thank you for the wonderful adventure last year. The boys enjoyed their treasure hunt and it was nice to see them working together to solve the puzzle. I have a few ideas for this year that I thought I would share since I know you are very busy. Maybe you can use them for other families too.
Polished Semi Precious Stones ($2 each) Instead of the chocolate eggs, how about some polished
stones for the boys rock collection. They are beautiful to look at and they last forever. They would fit nicely into an egg for a hunt and no messy foil wrappers all over the house.
Frog Ecosystem ($36.99) It is such a hopping season, so how about a frog ecosystem. No work for Mom and Dad, but an incredible learning system where we can learn how to help our other hopping friends through ecosystem conservation. It would be an incredible gift for the whole family to enjoy.
Worry People ($2) Worry people are from Guatemala and come in a small, bright, hand woven bag. There are six little hand-made dolls in each bag that help out with childhood worries (adult ones too). The Guatemalan legend is that at bedtime you tell one worry to each doll and then put them under your pillow. While you sleep the dolls take your worries away.
Sand Pails from Gowi ($6-$7) These pails are incredibly tough and are made in Austria. They make perfect Easter buckets and are made to last. It is great to see the boys using them year round instead of collecting dust in the closet. They come in 6 ½” and 7” sizes depending on what you want to put in them. One of ours got left at the beach last summer so we could use a replacement.
O Balls ($9) O Balls are perfect for babies, toddlers and those of us who have a hard time catching a
ball. The unique design allows infants to hold onto them and toddlers to practice catching. They are also perfect for hiding a little stuffed bunny or a finger puppet inside. They also take up a lot of room in an Easter bucket which is sometimes hard to do.
Curious Chef—Real Kitchen Tools for Kids ($5-$10) My little helpers are wonderful in the kitchen but they could use kitchen tools designed for their hands. The Curious Chef line has great handles that were approved by kindergarten students. They have spoons, lifters, whisks, knives, apple corers, measuring spoons, pizza cutters and everything that my boys would need to make helping out even easier.
PlasmaCar ($70) The ultimate family gift. These self-propelled cars are great for all ages of kids and adults. They are a great way to work off those Easter chocolate calories and to have a great time. My boys find it very hilarious watching mom ride one. They seem to like taking advantage of me with tickles when I am riding the PlasmaCar. Four against one seems so unfair!
Jewelry by Pink Poppy ($5-$9) Even though I don’t have girls I thought you 
might like ideas for those families that are fortunate to have them. Pink Poppy is a company from Australia that creates amazing jewelry for kids. One of my favorites is the happy flower bracelet and necklace. The fimo flower design is appropriate for little ones up to tweens. What little girl wouldn’t enjoy opening up an egg to find a little bling?
I hope my suggestions help you in the busy season ahead. Thanks again for all the fun last year. We are looking forward to another amazing Easter.
Yours Truly,
Angela Field, Jaiden, Quin, Edan & Liam too!
P.S. Hope you liked the carrots we left you last year!
Angela Field is the owner of Tradewind Imports (Toys & Gifts) in Lindsay ON, a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS) and an active and slightly crazy mother of four little boys. She has been in retail for over 15 years and has increased her toy lines with the arrival of her boys and the knowledge they have imparted. The boys, along with relatives and other kids in the community, are an active part in her toy testing. Angela’s motto is “I won’t sell it if I don’t believe in it.”
Get hopping with even more ways to help you with your Easter entertaining, get crafty with your kids, and celebrate chocolate.
A mother's nightmare! A child’s delight!
Toys with a gazillion little pieces are often not top of the list for parents! Who has time to keep it all 
organized? Or to be constantly on guard to keep those pieces out of the mouths of the littlest members of the family? And boy is it annoying when you step on one buried in the carpet!
But kids are so often drawn to them. So before you slam the door shut on all toys with more than two parts, ask yourself what is it is that kids love about these toys?
You might also ask yourself why preschools routinely provide kids with an amazing array of exactly these kinds of toys. Buckets of blocks, building sets, small cars, animals and people, recycled materials for arts and crafts—buttons and more messy stuff than any parent in their right mind wants to cope with.
What schools know, that we parents often forget, is that when kids play with toys that have lots of ‘loose parts’ something quite wonderful happens—creative thinking!
Toys with lots of parts provide more possibilities for open-ended play than single purpose toys. Left to their own devices, kids will move, carry, combine, design and redesign, take apart and put back together - using every ounce of creativity they have. They will plan, invent, make decisions, and figure out how to do things. In short: all the basics of creative thinking.
To encourage our kids in this direction at home, we might have to raise our tolerance level for mess and clutter just a bit. Cleaning up can definitely be more challenging. But take heart. Most kids are great at putting things away at school and with a bit of thought and effort you can teach them to do the same at home.
The next time you drop your child off at preschool, take a quick look at the way things are organized. You 
will probably see plenty of buckets and bins, all within easy reach of the kids, each holding a different category of pieces. The secret, I think, is having an easily identified place for everything. A few rules – like put one bin back before you take another out – won’t hurt either. You might even try a clean up song. It works like a charm in school!
Want to loosen up your kids creative spirit? Get started with 'loose parts' toys from like Mighty Mind, Plan Toys Creative Blocks and Straws & Connectors.
What is your favourite toy for inspiring creative play?
Judi Meade is the owner of Art-enfant, a member of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS), and LearningToys.ca. Her stores are a destination for families looking for unique and fun playthings that sneak a little learning in on unsuspecting kids.
If you are not traveling during March Break, perhaps this is the ideal week to make time to go doll shopping!
A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some of our favourite dolls for children less than two years of age, and I promised to be back with popular choices for children beyond the early years. Here are some of the dolls we most often recommend for age groups ranging from two years to tweens.
2 to 4 Years Plus
This is the age where we get a lot of requests for potty training dolls. Watching your child playing with 
these dolls can give you important clues as to how your child is feeling about the potty training experience. The Emma and Paul dolls by Corolle are anatomically correct, all vinyl and love to drink and wet and take a bath. Another option is the baby Annie doll by Melissa & Doug.
Who will like it?
Kids who are fascinated with normal bodily functions and parents who want help potty training.
Why we like it!
Playing with these dolls can help with potty training and give you clues as to how to approach your child on this helping you to understand how they’re feeling about the potty training experience.
5 Years Plus
More sophisticated clothes and hairstyles are best suited for this age. There is something for everyone 
here but our favourites are the Adora dolls by Charisma. There is so much quality and attention to detail that these dolls look almost real. In fact there is so much variety we have been able to find a doll that looks like every one of our staff team as babies! These are also the dolls which we have chosen for our adoption program in our stores. Whether the doll is a newborn or toddler or from a foreign country, our goal is to make children feel the way I did when I was growing up with my dolls.
Who will like it?
Kids who love beautiful dolls that look like real people.
Why we like it!
These dolls are stunning and the weight feels just right when you hold them. I have one that reminds me of my daughter when she was little.
Tweens
I have two girls. At 12, one was going on 16 and would hide and even dismiss the fact that she played
with dolls, while the other one at 14 still displays her favourites. The dolls most tweens seem to gravitate to are the Karito Kids by KidsGive. These dolls from other countries are not only beautiful, but when kids take their special code and log on to KaritoKids.com, they can allocate a percentage of the retail price to one of four causes which help needy children around the world. It is a fun and easy way to teach kids about the importance of giving back and to expose them to other cultures from around the world.
Who will like it?
Kids who like the American Girl style dolls, but also like the idea of helping needy children around the world. Parents who are interested in teaching their children about other cultures.
Why we like it!
The entrepreneurial women who invented these dolls have their heart in the right place and really understand the importance of teaching kids about helping and giving back.
Those are our choices. We'd love to hear from you about your favourite dolls for various ages. Oops, I meant your kids favourite dolls!
Misti and Gary Mussatto are members of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS) and the owners and buyers for three community toy stores in the lower BC mainland: the Toy Jungle in Park Royal, the Toybox in Kitsilano, and the Toy Jungle in Coquitlam Centre. The Mussattos are parents who buy from the standpoint of parents. Misti is always looking at the features and benefits of toys while Gary is constantly playing and asking “Is it fun?”.
Spring into March Break with even more articles, tips, and tricks to help you survive the week!
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