ASTRA's Best Toys for Kids List 2009

The Best Toys for Kids list released by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) gets back to the basics—toys for good, old-fashioned, make-it-up-yourself, belly-laughing play that’s great for kids. It’s a great reason to pass by the hordes of anxious, exhausted shoppers at the usual big box stores and try a new way of more relaxed, productive shopping for toys that are actually healthy for your kids.

Kazoodles carries everything on the list! A few things may be en route to us; we've noticed a lot of these toys are already our best sellers and it is hard to keep 'em on the shelves. with out further ado, here is the list by category. Click the links see each toy on our website!

Infant Play (0 – 12 months)

* Sophie Giraffe by Calisson Inc.
* Natural Skwish by Manhattan

Toddler Play (1 – 3 years)

* Twilight Ladybug by Cloud B
* Wee Wedgits by ImagAbility

Pretend Play - Role Play

* Tea Set from Recycled Milk jugs by Green Toys
* Shopping Cart by Melissa & Doug

Pretend Play - Fantasy Play

* Reversible Knight/Dragon Cape and Reversible Knight/Dragon Hood by Creative Education of Canada
* Egyptian Pyramid by Playmobil

Constructive Play

* Automoblox Vehicles by Manhattan Toy
* Magformers Multicolored 30pc Magnetic Building Set

Creative Arts Play

* Create Your Own Pop-up Books by Faber-Castell Creativity for Kids
* Sticky Mosaic Twinkle Tiaras by The Orb Factory

Scientific Play

* Snap Circuits Green by Elenco
* Power House Green by Thames & Kosmos

Active Play

* Ezy Roller by Ezy Roller
* Original Djubi by PAV/Moonracer

Game Play (3 - 7 years)

* Chickyboom by Blue Orange

Game Play (8+ years)

* Bananagrams by Bananagrams

Just For Fun

* Mini Collectible Erasers by BC Office

This collection of cute erasers probably won't be offered on our website, but we have a constantly changing selection at our store! Come and see! (I will update if they become available online.)



Classic Play (Older)

* Doinkit Darts by Marky Sparky

Classic Play (Younger)

* Magnatiles by Valtech

Don't forget we have all of these and many many other toys, books and games with tremendous play value available at your favorite neighborhood toy store. Come visit us soon!

Dude, where's my blog?

I don't like to be one of those bloggers who is always apologizing for not posting more, but seriously... it's been way too long! Here's what I've been doing instead:


Well, sorta...
At Kazoodles, we've been receiving one shipment after another for the last couple of weeks. As you are strapping on backpacks and new shoes and playing with your protractors we've caught a whiff of things to come. THE HOLIDAYS!! You may think it is too soon to consider such things, but we are contracted elves. Our merriment begins now! More shipments = more toys. This should come as great news to our fans because it means our toy selection is at its pinnacle.


We have glitter balls to the gills! Piles of puppets! A gaggle of games!

Many of you are familiar with the holiday catalog we mail out each year. A lot of product comes into the store in preparation of the catalog and this time we're putting it out a bit early. If you were on our list in June you should expect a shiny catalog in your mailbox mid October. If you weren't on the mailing list by June, just stop by and pick up one of our spare copies. There are coupons. Man, are there ever coupons.

And just because I'm soooooo cool and my title is manager schmanager, I will tease you with a few of our newest additions. Oooh, also keep an eye out for our newsletter in early October, Mary will be highlighting more of our new offerings.

Rock Tumblers!


Metal Detectors!


Quadrilla's super cool new composer sets with xylophone bells, OH MY!


What are you waiting for? Come over to our place and play!!

Helping kids of all abilities transition to school

At the ASTRA toy show in Minneapolis in June I found a new line of wonderful toys and products for kids with special needs.  What really grabbed my eye were the weighted costumes — fairy princesses, firemen and policemen outfits with pockets for adding weights to calm and provide sensory input for children.  Fun and Function is the name of the company, and it's oh so appropriate!  F&F also has a line of scooters and some great squeezable toys for gross motor and sensory skill-building fun.  

While I didn't order at the show, I've kept the company's catalog at the front counter to show parents and teachers of special needs kids.  If there's enough interest I would certainly be glad to place an order for these well-thought-out toys.  Take a look while you're in and let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, Fun and Function has posted a blog about helping kids transition to the start of school.  While the blog targets families of special needs kids, I think there are some great ideas for all families who are getting their kids ready to return to the classroom.  Click here to read more!

Invasion of the frogmen!

Are you headed to a birthday party this summer? Can’t think of the perfect gift? Our answer for you: Frogs! Kazoodles now sells African Dwarf frogs by Wild Creations in cute decorative EcoAquariums.

Each unique self-contained EcoAquarium comes with two male frog friends. In the bottom of the tank is “living gravel.” These specially conditioned stones have microorganisms that manage the Ph and ammonia levels in the water. There is no filtering necessary. A small bamboo shoot and snail help keep the aquarium clean and oxygenated. $29.98 gets all of this plus one year’s supply of food.

The frogs only need to be fed twice a week and the water changed twice a year. These pets are so durable and low-maintenance you won’t have to worry about being an irresponsible frog steward. You don’t even have to wait to receive the frogs in the mail; they’re already here!

Frogs make a great gift for both boys and girls in a wide range of ages. When we got our shipment, we sold one EcoAquarium right out of the box. The mom said she knew her gift would be the hit of the party. Even adults love to watch them calmly swim around their amphibious apartment. What a great natural stress reliever.

Our first batch of frogs is already hopping out the door.
If frogs leave you feeling green, we also have easy and educational butterfly and ant habitats for all your critter keeping needs.

Best Summer Ever.

HALT!

It is officially against Kazoodles law to be bored this summer. Not only are we well stocked on bubbles, bug sprinklers, hula hoops, gardening toys, and other sunny day staples, we also have lots of activities planned. We've been waiting patiently all winter for you to come over and play with us, so make sure to stop by.

Free events every week:

Open Arts & Crafts Experience

Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m. June 23rd through August 25th.
Presented by Elizabeth Armstrong, student at Pacific Northwest College of Art. Drop in on Tuesday afternoons and experiment with different materials and ideas in a relaxed and supportive creative environment.

Preschool Story Time

Stories and Songs every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. with Miss Mary or a qualified substitute.

Thursday special events:
Please call 360-699-9200 to sign up.

Puppets and Story Telling
June 25th, 1 p.m. Free! Ages 4+
Do you have a flair for drama? Do you sometimes talk to yourself and like what you hear? Always want to know what happens next? Come tell stories and play with puppets at your cool neighborhood toy store.

Recycled Arts Play Day
July 2nd, 1 p.m. Free! Ages 4+
Make the world a cleaner, more beautiful place by turning trash into treasure. Feel free to bring any kind of recyclables or found objects to add to your masterpiece.

Pop Bottle Science
July 9th, 2 p.m. $2 Ages 4+
What did the Mentos say to the liter of Diet Coke? You better come to Kazoodles and find out in person. There are many fun ways to use and reuse a pop bottle; we'll show you how to do it.

Robot Party
July 16th, 2 p.m. $2 Ages 4+
Come explore and share your love of robots with other humans. Be prepared to dance and expect a few surprises!

Build a Fairy House
July 23rd, 1 p.m. Free!
This is a Kazoodles family favorite. Use natural found objects to arrange a special dwelling for our fairy friends. Feel free to bring additional natural materials such as pine cones, leaves and shells if you wish.

Bubble Day
July 30th, 2 p.m. $2
We'll break out the kiddie pool and get stoked on soap! Use all kinds of different objects to make bubbles in every size.

Fancy Nancy Party
August 6th, 2 p.m. $2
Don your posh frocks and jazzy jewels and celebrate everything elegant! We'll read about Fancy Nancy and enjoy an afternoon filled with her favorite fancy things.

Science Day
August 13th, 2 p.m. $2 ages 4+
The next scientific break through is just around the corner. Maybe you'll be the one to discover a special slime that cures the common cold. Or maybe we'll just get to see something explode! It's educational!

Sock Puppet Play Day
August 20th, 1 p.m. Free!
Meet your new best friend Randy. He lives at the end of your arm. What's that? You can't see Randy? Well you better make him a face, quick! Hours of riveting conversation will be yours to share with your new sock puppet friend.


Solar Print Making
August 27th, 1 p.m. $2
Use the awesome energy of the sun to create cool pieces of art to share with your friends and family, like magic!

Please call 360-699-9200 to sign up. As always, parents must accompany children. We are not licensed or insured as a day care provider.

Happy Summer!

Tween Time!

Lately we've been working on building up a section geared toward those terrific tween girls and we were really excited to get on board with this new Snap Caps craze.

Snap Caps are decorative bottle caps with a strong magnet back so you can stick them on the fridge, or lockers if you still have them. We also have the choker so you can sport your caps all over town. You can switch them out and trade them with your bff! We have several super cute designs to choose from, and we're hoping to get more.

Best of all, Snap Caps were invented by a brilliant 6th grade girl named Maddie Bradshaw. Here is a video all about Snap Caps and Maddie.



Feeling extra creative?! The Capsters activity book from Klutz has all the stuff you need to make your own cap designs. You can even put pictures of your own friends or pets in your bottle caps! Klutz always does a great job with their instructions for kids, and it is so cool to have all the supplies you need in one place.

Visit Turtle Place!

Esther Short is not the only park near Kazoodles. Turtle Place made its debut May 1, a fantastic addition to downtown. Remember where the bus mall used to be, on 7th St. between Main and Washington? Chunks of the old transit center literally make up pieces of Turtle Place. Artists Greg Conyne and Wendy Armstrong built a water sculpture with recycled castoffs from C-Tran and the PUD. The square reuses and recycles everything from concrete to rainwater.

This was a project of Vancouver's Downtown Association, and it's a great symbol of how hard (and smart) that group is working to revitalize downtown, the center and heart of our city. Volunteer Carl Dobbs coordinated the project, but a whole lot of people made it happen. The grand opening was an exciting event, with Hough third-graders led to Turtle Place by the Columbia River High School marching band. The mayor primed the water sculpture, spraying it with a fire hose. Real turtles small and giant were on hand for kids to see. Kazoodles was there, too, with a Flying Turtle for kids to ride.

Next time you're at Kazoodles, take a trek through Esther Short Park, between the towers of VancouverCenter, and across Washington to Turtle Place. You'll be following centuries-old traditions of the original Americans who first called the area by that name.

Earth Day and Uberstix

April's on vacation so I'm taking my first crack at blogging.  So far so good -- I found the page, anyway!  

Did you know Earth Day was started by a Camas native?  Denis Hayes was the coordinator of the first Earth Day, way back in 1970 when I was in high school.  It's now part of our national culture, a day to stop and think about the impact each of us has on the planet we share.

Kazoodles offers an Earth Day activity, compliments of Plan Toys.  Drop in between 2 and 5 p.m. April 22  to make a cardboard Eco-House.  You can see a sample in our window.

And check out one of the coolest building toys that just arrived -- Uberstix!  (There are supposed to be two dots above the U, but I don't know how to put them there).  Uberstix work with Legos, K'nex, Zoobs and other major construction toys.  You can also use Uberstix with all kinds of recycled materials.  The pirate ship in the Scavenger series, for example, lets you scavenge for paper clips, a plastic water bottle, popsicle sticks, a plastic grocery bag, paper cups, and a rubber band.  Use them to build a boat that floats and you've got one side of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle triangle.  

Now if I could just figure out how to upload a video.  There's a great one at the address below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPV0OjckhZw

Spring Break 2009!!

Staying in town this Spring break? Well that's no excuse to be bored all week. We've got lots to see and do at Kazoodles. We'll be hosting fun activities every day next week at 2 p.m.

Monday, March 30th
Paint a Planter.
Get spring started by painting a design on a planter and growing some flowers.
Cost is $10 to cover materials and preregistration is required. 360-699-9200.

Tuesday, March 31st
Fairy House Building.

A Kazoodles favorite! Join us on our back patio as we use natural objects to create forts and dwellings for the fairies. If the weather is bad, we'll have a fun alternate activity.
Free!

Wednesday, April 1st
Storytelling and Puppet Play Day
Try out some of our puppets or practice telling funny stories.
Free!

Thursday, April 2nd
Green Science Play Day.
Our guest Jill Alm, an environmental educator,
will share some fun hands-on activities for future earth scientists.
Free, but pre-registration is requested. 360-699-9200.

Friday, April 3rd
Hama Bead Creations by You!
We'll do the ironing, you do the art. Take home your masterpiece to give as a gift or use for decoration.
Free!

Bus, Do your Stuff!

Hey everyone!

First off I want to thank everyone who came down to celebrate our 3rd birthday with us. We had a great time fishing for prizes and painting faces and making crafts. My favorite part was seeing all our little kid friends who were babies when we first opened and are growing up right before our eyes. It is special to share that with you, and we value the choice you have made to shop with us. Thanks for keeping us in the neighborhood; we have so much more fun in store!

*Big Hugs*

I also want to let you know about some great new science kits we just got in today! I am so super excited about them! One of my favorite childhood heroes was Miss Frizzle from the Magic School bus. If you haven't been introduced, here is an official site. Basically Miss Frizzle is the best (fictional) science teacher around! Using her magic school bus, she's able to drive the class to some pretty tricky spots to learn first hand about the scientific world.

I vividly remember when Miss Frizzle took the class to see bread baking...inside the loaf! I had never before considered what was physically happening to the dough while it was turning into bread and the chemical reactions that are behind it. On top of that, this lady has some awesome style. She usually is wearing a dress that reflects the wonders she'll be illuminating that day, and occasionally earrings to match. I think this is why I own a pair of awesome Monkey-in-a-Barrel earrings; they also tend to reflect the experiences I will have that day.


Young Scientist's Club has come out with these great science kits based on the Magic School bus series. We have The World of Germs, The Secrets of Space, The Mysteries of Rainbows, and Journey into the Human Body. All the experiments in these kits have been tested at a science camp by genuine kids to ensure they are both fun and educational.

Granted you won't actually fly into a friends digestive system, we just don't have the technology yet. But these kits capture the great hands-on exploratory spirit of Miss Frizzle and her sweet bus. Man I wish I had that bus!