The Rubber Duck

This one is the classic and is a must have for the bath, even the Queen has one you know. The first time the rubber duck was actually seen was way back in the 1800s but they were not popular until Jim Henson came along and introduced us to Ernie’s rubber duck, remember Sesame Street anyone. The rubber duck is certainly going to be a boring toy for the older children but it is a great first bath toy for the younger ones and you can get ones that squirt water now.

Foam Letters

These are something that are a bit of fun and also great for teaching children their first few words while they are at it. These work as they are able to stick to the tiles in the bathroom, do not worry the only thing that sticks them is water. There are all kinds of crazy things that I did not have when I was a child that are now out to do with this product, roads have been introduced that stick on the tiles, great stuff really.

Crazy Bath Soap

This was also used when I was a child and it is basically shaving foam but more foamy and less irritating. One of the best things about this product is that the kids will be messing around with it when in fact they are cleaning themselves because the product is of course made from soap, a great idea for those kids that do not like a wash!

So there you have it, make sure you first have a decent bathroom design to put all of these coolbathroom accessories in. You can even gettoilet seats for kids so they don’t fall in!

One of the main points to focus in on is the fact that I do not think I have ever come across a computer engineer that looks and talks like Barbie. Lets be honest here, Barbie is a very stereotypical blonde type, is she really going to be able to know Java and things like that. This is not to say that a blonde woman could not do the job, not at all. It is also very insulting to the women that already work in the business.

Surely every girl that gets this doll is going to think that the women that actually do work in the industry are going to look and talk like this. A parents comment is as followed “This is insulting, Barbie already creates unrealistic expectations of what a girl should be”. The last time I checked geeks were not into the superficiality of Barbie so how is it that this geeky doll received so many votes? In my own personal opinion I do think that this is a good idea at all, when was the last time you saw a woman in the IT business wearing very poor pink designer glasses.

On the other hand I can see why having a Barbie like this will make children think that being a “Geek” is actually not a bad thing at all. Could there perhaps be a bit less bullying becuase of this.

All in all I think that this doll has just outraged the women working in the industry more than anything, who wants to see Barbie in another pair of cheap glasses anyway? Barbie should stick to her Prada glasses and stop getting in on the industries that do not want her. Go ride your horse and drive in your lovely pink sports car, stay out of the IT industry!

Monopoly

This is actually the most played board game in the world! Believe it or not over 485 million people have actually played monopoly which is pretty amazing, this has to be because of the general appeal it has. You can get a Monopoly board based on anything from Lord Of The Rings, and Football to Spongebob Squarepants.

Some of the newest versions of this classic board game have actually taken out all of the cash and put cards into it to make it easier, I have to say it certainly speeds things up.

Would You Rather

Although you would you rather game it often classed as a spoken game rather than anything else it is also true to say that the board game is very good also. The board just adds a whole new level of fun to the game. It is a great game for teenagers although I am not sure it will ever replace the teen favourite, spin the bottle.

Bonus

Twilight Board Game

This board game is a must for any true Twilight fan simply because of all of the questions there are based around the franchise. The movies are a must see but you will need to have read all of the books too so be warned. Twilight is rubbish anyway but I had to put it in because there are so many fans!

So check out those gadget reviews and travel reviews today!

It is always best to read a review on the subject before you go out and buy it.

Building of Outdoor Play Apparatus

As parents we are constantly reminded that it is our responsibility to get our offspring to be active, to get exercise and not to lie around eating fast food while playing computer games. Many parents will probably agree that persuading their children to ignore their televisions and computer games can be impossible.

Last year I invested a significant amount of hard earned cash in a few pieces of outdoor play equipment, chosen by my two youngsters. They always enjoy a visit to our local park where they can race around, swing on the swings, slide on the slides and climb the climbing frames. Unfortunately our nearest park is about 3 miles away so these visits are not as frequent as they or I would like. So I bit the bullet and shelled out quite a bit of money on a wooden swing slide playset and climbing frame which I put together whilst my wife was conveniently at the health spa.

Now I would like to report that my generosity has paid off and my children are now fit and active and can’t get enough of their new equipment.But nothing could be further from the truth. Since I installed the equipment myself (which presented many headaches, took a lot of hammering and quite a bit of bad language) they have only played on it three times. Admittedly I didn’t get the equipment until the Autumn of 2009 and since then the weather has been appalling.

At least that is the reason they give when I try to convince them that they’d enjoy a little outdoor play. It’s too cold, they often say. Or, ‘the swings are too wet to sit on’ is another excuse that I hear. Ill be needing one of those spa treatments at this rate!

I’m hoping that, as we move into spring and the weather improves, they will naturally want to get out into the garden and get some much needed exercise on their new outdoor toys. I’m dreading another miserable, wet summer as this will result in my fat children just getting fatter instead of working off those excess pounds with a little outdoor adventure. Nobody ever said that being a parent was easy. Although the odd massage does go down well when it all gets a bit stressful

A lot of it is to do with brand recognition there seems to be no other reason why these companies would make them so simple. Why is this always a bad hing, after all these products are not bad for kids, they help them to learn about all kinds of things.

LEGO

Lego is one of the biggest brands that is known to kids all over the world, then think of all of the fully grown adults that still use it. The thing is, the logo is such a simple one, a red background with a white text on it. Lego is something that is almost recognised by everyone in the world,., is this what has made them so popular.

Play-Doh

Play-Doh was not always for kids it actually used to be used as wallpaper remover until someone spotted children creating pretty good Christmas decorations with it, this changes how the company saw their product and changed it to what we now see. Now they sell over 95 million cans of the stuff a year and the logo, well have a guess; yes its white text over a red background. Are you seeing anything in common here?

Fisher-Price

Another company with another custom logo design and once again you will see the logo with white text and a red background.

Is the reason behind this perhaps that kids can see these colours more than anything else?

As people get older the colours seem to change and you will not see anything like this when it comes to sports logos or other business ones.

Price

Although many helicopters are in fact very pricey indeed there are still a number that you can get for a great price. If price isn’t an worry for you then I would certainly recommend getting one of the higher end ones simply because they will be a lot more high tech and will fly just like the real thing. Which brings be on very nicely to my next point.

Realism

The cheap helicopters that you may perhaps go out and buy for one of your kids do not fly the real things at all. They will often be able to fly in one direction only and take a long time when turning. The more expensive ones are made especially to be just like the real thing. The are on the other hand harder to fly but they do peform in a very similar way to the real life ones.

Building

Many of the RC helicopters have to be built and can take from 5-20 hours to build. Many people seem to think that doing this is a bad thing when if you enjoy it I see nothing wrong with it at all. It can be a great hobby to start up and that first flight makes you feel pretty good because you know you have built it all yourself.

Competition

Although many people will in fact just build these for their own use there are many competitions for these types of things and the advanced form of RC flying is called 3D. This is where the copters will perform stunts to try and win a prize in one of the many competitions held.

Crashing

Finally, there is no need to worry about crashing and losing a part as you can purchase RC helicopter spares for quite a reasonable price and the alternative to the copter is of course RC aircraft.

These kits will always come with the right instructions and simple steps to build them, people just cannot be bothered to take the time into doing it. Most of the models are actually glued together using a plastic solvent based adhesive. People that do this kind of thing quite a lot tend to prefer using epoxy or white glue as they tend to work better.

One of the brilliant reasons that people will sit down on a horrible winters evening and build one of these is because they are worth doing. It takes a lot of skill to put together some of the larger, more complex models. Another plus point is that you get to spend some really important bonding time with your children as they may be interested in giving you a hand with one of these models. There are now newer versions of many of the models that are easier to build, these are really only meant for kids.

RC

So many kids nowadays are not interested in spending hours on building Airfix Aircraft and want to get playing with the toy straight away. This is why things such as RC Tanks have been introduced as the kids can simply rip open the packaging, put in the batteries and drive it around the living room to their hearts content.

Lasting Appeal

I do think that when it comes to time spent on the project you are better off getting one of those plastic model kits and the simple reason for this is that you achieve something once you have built and painted it making it such a rewarding activity. Often RC vehicles can just be left to gather dust after a few hours play time.

On top of all of this is can be great exercise and is something that surprisingly doesn’t get too boring if you are tying to do 30 minutes or more a day.

The kids

Of course it is also something that the kids can get involved with and it can be a really cool way to get involved with the kids and have a bit of fun with them when the sun is out and the birds are singing. Spending time with the kids is something that not too many people make much time for and if you are getting your exercise whilst playing around with the kids it could save you some extra time and leave you time to spend doing your own thing too!

The great thing about a trampoline is that the whole family can relax by having a good mess around on it.

Any Negatives?

One of the main negatives is the fence, you will need to have this installed if you want your family to have all of their limbs still attached. Make sure this is your top priority when you are setting up the thing.

You will need a trampoline that can support many people on them and although you can get these they are often not that easy to find.

Of course if trampolines aren’t your thing go after something like swing sets or the traditional climbing frames.

Building a LEGO House (feat. James May)

Will our children reflect on the toys and computer games that they have today with the same enthusiasm that James May exhibits for Plasticene, Meccano and Scalextric?

In the TV series ‘James May’s Toy Stories’ we see Mr May revisiting many of the classic toys that he enjoyed as a child. They’ve concocted a series in which Mr May builds a full-size plastic Spitfire plane, a full size house from Lego bricks, a full size bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool canal built entirely from Meccano and a 3 mile replica of the Brooklands banked racing circuit built entirely from Scalextric.

Mr May clearly likes toys that involve building something. They come from a time when toys inspired an interest in construction, engineering and making things rather than escapism into a fantasy world of monsters and violence.

His TV series comes at a time when many of us are thinking about gifts for our children. The latest computer games and games consoles have been at the top of their gift lists for many years. Last year they demanded a Wii Fit and Guitar Hero. This year they are hoping that Santa will bring them DJ Hero.

I’ve found myself thinking about which form of toy is actually the most beneficial for a childs education and development? Computer games and games consoles or construction toys like Meccano, Lego and Scalextric.

I belong to the same generation as Mr May. I grew up with Action Man, Meccano and Scalextric. I’ve never really understood why computer games have grown to become as popular as they are today. Personally, I would get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction from building a model railway circuit than I would from pretending to be a disk jockey or pretending to play guitar. But I suppose that, in a way, I would be pretending to be a railway construction engineer and train driver. Choo choo!

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Sharp edges. Many toys that you might not consider to be a risk can have sharp edges that are potentially harmful. Children can often be rough with toys and run around with them, and all it takes is a fall or a snatching motion to cause a cut or skin-pierce.

Small parts. This is probably the most well known hazard of childrens toys. As children invariably love to put things in their mouth, they can very easily swallow small parts and choke on them. Also, toys that might not have small parts, but are fragile and can break up are just as dangerous to small children.

Chemicals. Whether it is dangerous chemicals in plastics, harmful fluids in toys, or simply toxins in the paint that they are decorated with, kids can be seriously harmed by inconsiderate materials. Thankfully most toys are tested thouroughly for dangerous chemicals, but some will always slip though the net.

Mechanical Hazards. Many toys appear perfectly safe, but are made potentially dangerous by their ill-though out functioning parts. Toys that work using elastic or springs can sometimes harm kids eyes if they are poor quality and break for example. Another example is toys that have hinges where kids can trap their fingers or toes.

All toys and Christmas gifts should comply with the health and safety regulations of their respective countries, so next time youre buying gifts for her or him look out for the endorsement logos on the toys label first.