Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Keep the Kids Busy with These Exciting Travel Games!

With summer vacations coming up shortly, show the kids that there's life beyond video games by introducing them to some great travel games such as:

Chips Game 
Roll the dice, then take out the matching chip point total. But don't get stuck with too many points left over, because the player with the lowest point total wins!! It's fast and fun!

The suggested age to play the game is 8 and up but my 7 yr. old had no problem keeping up with the game and even beating her brother at it! My kids challenge each other to winning this game all of the time. One great thing about this game is that it doesn't have a lot of bulky pieces with it. It comes altogether in a little pouch. My son even packs it in his backpack to play at school with his friends during their "free" time instead of texting
the whole time!

Suggested ages: 8 and up
1-4 players
Suggested Retail Price: $5.95


Squiggle 20 Questions 
SQUIGGLE® 20 Questions is a guessing good time! It’s entertaining and thought-provoking for kids and adults.

To Play: One player spins the wheel and turns the squiggly line into something in that category without the other players seeing. When ready, the other players get to ask up to 20 questions before they give their best guess of what was drawn. The player who guesses correctly gets to draw next.

My family and I have had a riot playing this game. No two people will see the squiggly line on the paper as the same thing. You will laugh and be
surprised at the things that people will come up with! It's a bit challenging
for my younger daughter but that was to be expected since the recommend
ages are 10 and up. This game will bring out the hidden artist in you. Hahaha!

Suggested ages: 10 and up

Suggested Retail Price: $4.99


Mind Jewel 
The object is to transform all the gems into a beautiful jewel. Deceptively difficult, all the gems are connected by a string that twists and snaps to create a sphere. It’s a beauty!

This game is more challenging than you think. Once you stretch out the string of gems, putting it back together takes some thinking and swift moves. It's a great challenge game for kids to see who, if anyone, can
put it back together!

Suggested Retail Price: $9.99

Monday, May 9, 2011

Charlie & Lola: Slightly Invisible + A Complete Set of Seasons 1 & 2 and a Charlie & Lola Play Set

We have found new friends in Charlie and Lola.

Lola is 4 going on 5. She has an imaginary friend named Soren Lorensen and also a real friend named Lotta. Charlie is 7 and has a real best friend named Marv. The story shows the relationship between a brother and sister and how they handle different situations that arise.

In their latest book, Slightly Invisible, Charlie and his friend Marv have invented an invisibility potion to help them find strange and tricky creatures. They would prefer to go on their hunt without Lola pestering them. But that doesn't sit well with Lola so she asks for help from her imaginary friend, Soren Lorensen. Together they set off to hunt for strange and tricky creatures, too. Looks like the creatures met their match when dealing with Charlie's little sister!

Ages: 3-6
Suggested Retail: US 16.99, CAN $19.00
On Sale: 05/2011

Charlie & Lola: The Absolutely Completely Complete Seasons One and Two 

Now together in one super amazingly terrific box set, the absolutely completely completest collection of Charlie and Lola ever - the complete seasons one and two, fifty-two episodes plus the double-length Christmas special, on eight discs!

Lola is four and she will not ever NEVER eat a tomato! Sometimes she is not sleepy and she will not go to bed, and how will she cope when she is really ever so ill and may never smile again? It falls to big brother Charlie to win her around, and he uses every trick in the book - logic, humor, but mostly, the power of the imagination.

Using 2D cel animation, paper cutout, fabric design, photomontage and archive footage, all the distinctive style and exuberance of Lauren Child's award-winning picture books come to life in this enchanting children's series. Glorious music and sound effects help to conjure up fantastical worlds that only children could invent, while realistic dialogue, voiced by children, ensures these magical adventures really resonate with kids.

Talking Poseable Charlie & Lola Set

These dolls are adorable and have become my daughter's favorites to play with. She has also adopted Lola's favorite response of "I'm not small, I am BIG!" (in her best Lola voice) when her older brother won't allow her to hang out with him.  

The Talking Poseable Charlie & Lola Play Set is packaged in a reusable play scene and includes Charlie, standing 12 inches tall, and Lola, measuring 9.5 inches. Kids can bend the arms and legs into any pose for hours of fun. Each character speaks their signature opening line from the book, video and TV episode: "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny," says Charlie. Responds Lola, "I'm not small. I am BIG!".

Suggested Retail: 25.00