I love you Pee, I love you too Poo

"It's OK Johnny, don't be afraid."
"But Daddy, I'm scared of the potty."
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Pee and Poo are your friends, and they like to go swimming. Won't you take them to the pool?"
"I like to go swimming too Daddy"
"Not in that pool, that is a special pool just for Pee and Poo"
"Oh... then why does Fido drink out of it?"


Yup, that's right, these are Pee and Poo plush dolls. They are a great way to help your kid get over any anxiety they may have about going to the bathroom, and (thank God) let you stop changing those diapers every few hours. Give these as a gift and they will be remembered long after everyone else's gifts are forgotten.

link (search for "poo" when you get there. How often to do you get to do that?)

Power House

In the Power House science kit your kids will learn about powering a model house using wind, light, plant, and electrochemical energies. In addition to the house, they will also build an electric train, a solar cooker, and even make their own chewing gum. There are 20 building projects and 70 experiments, plus an instructional manual. Sounds like several fun weekend projects for a future scientist or inventor.

link

Kettler Sprint Balance Bike

Cole is still learning to ride his bike, he struggles with keeping his balance and pedaling at the same time, add in the occaisional turn and it is obvious that it is going to take a lot of practice. The great thing about "training" or "balance" or "push" bikes is that you can remove one of these variables (pedaling) while your kid masters the others. Movement is achieved by pushing with their feet on the ground and coasting. When balance and turning is under their belt, move them to a regular bike and they will take off like a shot. Another great thing about the Kettler balance bike (pictured) is that it has a limited turn radius, so little Johnny won't overturn by over-turning.

Kettler Sprint Balance Bike

Map Tangle - Put Your Right Food on Liberia

You know how this works. The game is like Twister, but played on a large map. Considering the general state of Geography knowledge with kids, this is a fun way to learn some world Geography while being active and socializing with other kids. Cards are drawn instructing the active player where to place a hand or foot, the object is to figure out a way to stretch and contort yourself to accomplish the instructions.

link

Fraction Learning Pie Game

Learn fractions while playing this game. Get your piece of the pie by spinning a wheel, complete your pie first and win the game. Along the way, learn how to combine 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/12 to become the pie-master. The game comes with 29 pieces, pie tins, tablecloth, chipboard, and spinner. I must be hungry, I keep posting food related games and toys. It looks like the next post will need to be some kind of activity related toy to work off all of these sandwiches and pies.

Fraction Learning Pie Game

Wooden Sandwich Toy Kit

This wooden sandwich kit is a lot of fun, especially for kids that are still too small to help out in the kitchen. The pieces of the sandwich stick to each other via a small piece of velcro. The kit also comes with a wooden knife so the veggies and cheese can be "sliced" by cutting through the velcro, which makes a satisfying ripping noise. Everything comes in a wooden storage box so everything (in theory) stays together.


Wooden Sandwich Making Play Food For Kids

The Great Big Vegetable Challenge

Getting your kid to eat vegetables, heck, even try vegetables sometimes can be difficult. Cole will eat green beans and broccoli like a starving man, but other things like artichokes, or even squash he looks at like they just crawled onto his plate and died. Here is the Great Big Vegetable Challenge and a seven year old boy named Freddie, his mother is working to get him to try two vegetables from every letter in the alphabet.

"The GBVC Rules of Engagement: To eat our way through as many vegetables as we can find in the A to Z, trying out at least two recipes per veggie, inspired by ideas from around the world. Cook, taste, try and Freddie rates them."

link

(via Metafilter)

Live Butterfly Garden

A friend recommended this to me, it is a "butterfly garden" or more like a caterpiller habitat where they are allowed to turn into butterflies. You get a foldable net covered cage along with a feeder and a voucher to get the butterfly larvae and food, the only other things you need are sugar and water. Using it is pretty easy, you set up the habitat, add the larvae and food, and wait (and watch). It takes about a week or so for the larvae to begin building their cocoons, and when they do it happens fast. After about another week the painted lady butterflies emerge, which you can set free after a couple of days. It is a great way to expose your kids to the natural world.

Live Butterfly Garden at Amazon.com