200 Quality Plastic Play Balls

If you have a ball pit, you can replenish your supply of fun with these colorful balls.  If you don’t have a ball pit, all you need is an inflatable or plastic kiddie pool & you’re all set for hours of fun!  You can even keep it inside for those long, rainy days.  Keep the balls clean by putting them back in their plastic container & bring them out when your kids need something different to do.  Make a game of clean-up too, challenge the kids to get all the yellow ones or  see who can get the most in their arms – you’ll think of a million ways to get the job done.  A surprisingly simple way  for kids to have some healthy good times.

Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure

Finally, a DS game that they’ll love to play and they’ll learn along the way!  Math Blaster has been around on the PC for awhile, but the DS version is a new way to help your child master the sometimes elusive math facts.  A fast-moving game with 20 levels and 3 difficulty modes, the game keeps their attention and helps them learn math functions with improving accuracy each time they play.  Great for studying multiplication facts.

EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles

Kids will love the Eyeclops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles – they make a nighttime game of “hide & seek” even more fun!  They can pretend they’re performing a covert spy operation in the backyard with the goggle’s infra-red driven technology.  The Stealth Goggles allow you to see up to 50′ in complete darkness – dad may want to borrow them for the next camping trip! They won’t be afraid of the dark any more with these fun night vision goggles.

Crayola 3-D Chalk

Crayola 3D Chalk really is fun for the whole family!  The  chalk is like regular sidewalk chalk, but double-sided with contrasting colors so that even the youngest can scribble a cool 3D design.  The set comes with one pair of glasses (they’re clear, not the usual red/blue kind) and instructions on how to make the chalk work best.  Kids of all ages love to see their creations “pop” out of the pavement when they wear the glasses. I had 4 children from preschool age to teens try  it out and they enjoyed it  - taking turns with the glasses and offering assistance on technique. Lots of creative fun!

If you’re looking for a gift for tween boys, Mall Cop is a must-buy.  It tells the story of a devoted mall cop who takes his job extremely seriously, so seriously that he puts his life on the line when a gang of thieves lock down the mall.  Kevin James rules the movie as the dedicated single father who lives with his mom, taking on the bad guys with only his Segway and his wits.  A movie they’ll enjoy more than once.

ASUS Eee PC 900HA 8.9-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home) Black

Netbooks are becoming more and more popular, not only because they cost less than the average laptop but because they are easier to carry around and are almost fully loaded.  The ASUS Eee  900HA comes loaded with Windows XP and has a 160 GB hard drive.   It has a webcam, an SD slot and WiFi and weighs less than 3 lbs.  Students like them because they can carry them from the dorm to the library easily, parents like the smaller price.   Business users have also started grabbing up netbooks because they are portable and contain just about everything you need to get work done, or research online.  A pretty good value for the price, the netbook is a good starting laptop, especially for kids.

LeapFrog Scribble and Write

Give your preschooler a head start with the Scribble and Write by Leapfrog.  Four interactive modes of play guide kids through upper and lowercase letters, shape identification and more.   Children  will enhance their fine motor skills through drawing shapes, pictures and letters on the retraceable surface.  The Scribble and Write also helps children learn the proper way to hold a pencil – a skill that any kindergarten teacher will tell you is tough for kids to master.  It’s a fun and portable way to introduce preschoolers to reading and writing their ABC’s, perfect for taking along in the car.

Nintendo DSi Matte Black

The latest handheld gaming system from Nintendo combines familiar DS capabilities with fun new applications.  The Nintendo DSi is a sleeker, slimmer model than the previous DS system with 2 cameras, an SD card slot and microphone, allowing you more creativity while you play.  Use the microphone to record 10 second sound bytes, distort the voice to sound like a chipmunk or evil dark lord….Take pictures of yourself or friends and you can move their eyes around, color rainbows on top of their heads – whatever makes you smile.  Record your music on the SD card & you can use your DSi as an mp3 player as well.  The only thing that this new portable system can’t do is play your old Game Boy Advance games.  There is no Game Boy Advance slot, due to the new slimmer shape.  But most of  your old DS games will work, and you can download new games from the DSi shop using your WiFi connection.  A multi-functioning gaming system that has been at the top of the “most wanted” list since its debut in early April, the DSi is an investment that will keep your gamer happy.