Friday Favorites!

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 312012
 

Here’s our favorite things from this week!

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The Puppet Playhouse Theater, Ages 3+ $69.99

Puppet theater and play tent in one!  Fits 2 kids!  Open-ended, imaginative play – our favorite!

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Preschool Gems by Leslie McCollom, $13.00

Local educator Leslie McCollom collected these funny, bizarre, and sometimes jaw-dropping “gems” during her days of teaching at New Day School, right here in town.  The back of the book says it best “these treasures prove that kids are really just miniature people who are weirder and a lot less inhibited than their adult counterparts.”  And, you can follow Leslie on twitter @PreschoolGems for even more gems!

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The Klutz Book of Animation, Ages 8+ $19.95

Make your own stop motion movies!  The book comes with instructions, plus download codes for free software, example videos and sound effects!  Plus, it comes with plasticine and googly eyes to make your own guy!

Want to get out of town this weekend?  May we suggest…

Portland Pirate Festival  Did you know St. Helens, OR was the original Columbia River port before Portland?  It was supposed to grow to be the biggest city in the Northwest.  But, the docks kept burning, leading many to believe it was haunted!  So, it’s the perfect setting for the annual Pirate Festival!  Don’t miss a real life Pirate town, face painting, fortune telling gypsies, a costume parade and more!  Check out their website for all the info.  Saturday & Sunday, 10am-11pm.  Adults $12, Kids $6.  St. Helens, OR.

And, check out PDX Kids Calendar for more fun happenings in and out of town!

Have a spectacular weekend!

-Child’s Play

Back to School: Supplies

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 302012
 

Of course you need pencils, notebooks, erasers, and glue sticks – but, here’s a few helpful (and fun!) items you might not have thought of!

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Darth Vader Alarm Clock by Lego, $36.99

Alarm Clocks are a must to wake up your sleepyheads.  A fun alarm clock might (just maybe..) make waking up early just a little more pleasant.  If Legos and Star Wars aren’t your thing, we also have Nature Calls Alarm Clocks with real animal sound alarms!

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Storytelling Paper, $2.99

This is the perfect paper for your future author and/or artist!  Each sheet has two sections – one for writing and one for drawing.  Plus, the writing areas are 3-lined to help little hands print with beautiful penmanship!

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Mark My Time Bookmarks, $8.95 original or $14.95 with Booklight

Making sure everyone is getting in their reading time is so much easier with these handy Mark My Time Bookmarks!  The countdown timer sounds the alarm when daily reading time has been met, while the cumulative timer stores up to 100 hours.  Plus, there’s a 60-second fluency timer!  Also, available with a built-in booklight!

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Smencils, $1.99

Why write with a pencil when you can write with a scented pencil?!  Available in scents such as Tropical Blast, Bubble Gum and Red Licorice, these pencils will perk up any study session!

Have a quite studious day!

-Child’s Play

Back to School: Lunch!

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 292012
 

As an adult having a special treat to look forward to at lunchtime can make the work day just a little bit better.  And, the same goes for kids.  So, how about a new lunchbox or lunchtime accessory?  (Yeah, we totally just used the phrase “lunchtime accessory”, kind of an awesome phrase if you ask us!)

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Ladybug Lunchbox (Get the matching pieces, see below!) $17.99

Adorable!  And, high quality.  Crocodile Creek makes the best lunchtime gear!  You can get a whole ladybug set!  See…

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Ladybug Water Bottle, $11.99

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Ladybug Snack Keepers, $7.99 for two

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Ladybug Ice Packs, $5.99 for two

Or what about a Puppy Dog Lunch Sack?!

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Lunch Pals, $17.99

And, if you need some tasty recipes to fill those boxes, check out our “Yum” board on Pinterest!  It’s got things like this:

Have a deliciously wonderful day!

-Child’s Play

Tuesday Tomes: Back to School

 Books  No Responses »
Aug 282012
 

With back to school right around the corner (and having already happened for some) we thought we’d share a few of the great workbooks we have in the store!

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BrainQuest Workbook: Kindergarten, Ages 5-6 $12.95

BrainQuest is one of the top selling educational brands in the country!  Split into color coded sections with lots of fill-in-the-blank questions, mazes, logic puzzles and coded coloring pages this is education disguised as play!  Right now we have Pre-K, K, Grade 3 and Grade 4 in stock.

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Kumon Workbooks, Ages 3+ $5.95 – $9.95

For the younger set pick up a Kumon workbook.  Created by the same people behind the Kumon Learning Centers and “Kumon Method” these books work step by step to introduce concepts, letting the child learn without frustration.  Workbooks cover everything from numbers and letters to cutting and folding.  Stop in to check out our current selection!

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The Big Book of Brain Games, Ages 8+ $22.95

With 1,000 puzzles of art, mathematics and science this book is totally fun, but highly educational.  Each chapter focuses on a different subject; geometry, perception, science, patterns…just to name a few.  There’s also a difficulty index in the back, so you can decide how tricky you want to get!  So many hours of fun!

And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Stop in and we’ll help you find just the right workbook or flashcard set to help your child get jump-started for the new school year!

Hope you learn all kinds of new and wonderful things today!

-Child’s Play

 

Summer Sale!

 Sale, Toys  No Responses »
Aug 272012
 

The days are growing shorter.  School starts on Monday.  And, summer vacation’s last hurrah starts on Friday.  It’s that time of year…

Time for a Summer Sale!  All water, sand and beach toys are 40% off!*  Stock up now on:

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Water Balloon Slingshot, now $3.59

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Surge Streamer Water Gun, now $4.79

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Buckets by Castle Toy, now $4.79

and more!

*Bubbles and Gardening toys not included.  Supplies limited.

Have a bright, summery, sunshiny day!

-Child’s Play

Friday Finds!

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 242012
 

A few of our favorite finds from the week!

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Slumber Scented Puppy, Ages 3+ $14.99

Tuck your little one into bed with this vanilla scented pup that’s super soft.  Cloud B, who also make the Twilight Turtle (the one that shines the constellations on the ceiling), claims this pup can calm even the fussiest of little ones.

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WoolPets Needle Felting Kits, Ages 10+ $19.99

Need something to do this weekend?  How about picking up a kit to make the adorable fawn pictured above!  WoolPets needle felting kits come with everything you need – wool, needles, a pipe cleaner and instructions!  Haven’t heard of needle felting?  Using a barbed needle you felt and sculpt the wool into a three-dimensional critter.  Easy, fun and highly addictive!

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Festa Italiana, Thursday thru Sunday 11am-11pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Pioneer Square is becoming ‘Piazza Italia’ this weekend!  Festa Italiana, a celebration of Italian-American culture is happening Thursday thru Sunday from 11am-11pm daily.  Enjoy three days of nonstop Italian entertainment, food, dancing, wine/beer garden, vendors and kids activities. Kids especially love the Carter Family Marionettes, Pizza Toss and Grape Stomp!

Have a hip-happening weekend!

-Child’s Play

Rough and Tumble

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 232012
 

Know some rough and tumble kids?  We just got a new line of cars, trucks and rockets designed for just such a kid!  WOW is a British line of super tough, kid powered (a.k.a. no batteries required) toys.  WOW says they’re “pretty much obsessed with creating super cute, super tough toys for your little ones to love.”  That sounds like a group of people we want to get to know!

Here’s the WOW toys we just got in!

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Mix ‘n’ Fix Mike, Ages 1-1/2+ $49.99

Oh man, this truck is friction powered, has a rotating mixer and makes engine and mixer sounds!  Plus, it comes with a driver and a construction barrier!

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Robbie Racer, Ages 1-1/2+ $19.99

This friction powered race car really zips!  And, it makes realistic engine sounds! And, it has a driver named Jensen!  It’s kind of like Top Gear for kids!

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Ronnie Rocket, Ages 1-1/2+ $39.99

3..2..1..Blast off!  Take your spaceman for a ride in this rocket, built tough enough to withstand a few crash landings.  Check out the cockpit before take off.  Buckle in your spaceman.  Then pull the ripcord to start the vibrating blast off rumble!

Have a rollicking day!

-Child’s Play

Stacking Cup Champion!

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 222012
 

Nellie is quite the talented otter!  She lives in Tacoma at the Point Defiance Zoo and will be showing off her problem solving skills, along with other tricks at the zoo’s upcoming Sea Otter Awareness Day on September 23rd.

Have an otter you want to teach cup stacking to?  We’ve got you covered.

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Stacking Cups by Dantoy, Ages 1+ $15.99

Great for land, sand or bath time!  Nine washable cups in bright, primary colors with a different shape on the bottom of each cup!  Plus, some cups have holes to sprinkle water or sand through!  And, made in Denmark.  Great for kids or otters!

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Nest & Stack Buckets, Ages 1+ $21.99

The little girl above looks so happy because she totally built a 2 foot tall tower out of her buckets!  And, after she knocks it over Godzilla style, she can put the lid on and make her bucket a shape sorter.  Awesome!  Great for the beach too!

Have a day full of cute and adorable things!

-Child’s Play

Tuesday Tomes with NW Children’s Theater

 Books  No Responses »
Aug 212012
 

Northwest Children’s Theater is celebrating it’s 20th season!  Hooray!

To celebrate they’ve got a great line-up of plays adapted from some of our favorite children’s literature.  See Roald Dahl’s The BFG, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Dr. Seuss and Cinderella come to life!  Get your tickets here!  Right now you can purchase a NWCT subscription and save on a whole year worth of plays!

And, don’t forget to read the books before you go!  Here’s Chrissy’s review of The BFG.

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The BFG by Roald Dahl

Sophie’s an orphan who is kidnapped from her bed one night by a giant after witnessing him blowing dreams into children’s minds with a long thin trumpet through their bedroom windows. It turns out Sophie need not fear because said giant goes by the moniker “BFG” short for “Big Friendly Giant.” As big as he is, he is small by comparison to the other giants, and is constantly being bullied by them for not ever eating “human beans” as the other giants do. He is not without defense however and fights back against them using nightmares!

Roald Dahl wrote books that kid’s love; funny, fantastic and strange. He didn’t talk down to children, he understood them. In Dahl’s world, his protagonists are often neglected & misunderstood children. Dahl sees their value and turns them into heroes. His stories often have the weak, pitted against the strong but the clever, virtuous & kind always win at the end.

His books make great read alouds & early chapter books for middle readers. Recommended for ages 7 through adult! FYI: 10% of Dahl’s author royalties go to The Roald Dahl Foundation, a charity which benefits sick children!

Besides NW Children Theater’s stage production, there is also a movie version currently being filmed!

Read the book before you watch the play or the movie!

Have a scrumdiddlyumptious day!

-Child’s Play

Let’s go Camping!

 Toys  No Responses »
Aug 202012
 

Have a few end of summer camping trips planned?  Need some supplies just for kids?

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Thomas the Tank Engine Lantern, Ages 3+ $12.99

Every kids needs a lantern!  And, why not have one with Thomas the Tank Engine on it!  Easy on/off switch, long-lasting LED lights and a shatter resistant globe – great for clumsy fingers young and old!

Canteen with Built-in Compass, Ages 3+ $7.99

Canteen with Compass, Ages 3+  $7.99

Next on the supplies list:  Canteen.  And, this isn’t just any ol’ canteen – it has a built in compass!  Fill with 12 oz. of your favorite drink, clip to your belt or backpack and hit the open trail!

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Butterfly Net, Ages 3+ $6.99

Don’t forget to take some bug catching supplies!  Butterfly nets can come in particularly handy when catching all variety of bugs and creepy crawlers!

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Chat Pack $9.99

When you sit down at the campfire at the end of the day it’s nice to just have some good conversation.  Need some questions to get you going?  Pick up a Chat Pack!  Loaded with lots of creative questions to get your imagination going!  Available in regular, for kids and EXTREME varieties!

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Raccoon Hat, Ages 3+ $14.99

For the true outdoorsman.  Davy Crockett, anyone?

Have a fantastic day!

-Child’s Play

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