Keeping your kids entertained can be a challenge whether it's a beautiful day at the beach, a rainy day that forces you all indoors, or on the way to a family reunion. Here are some activities and new products to try this summer!   You can watch the segment from  NBC's TODAY SHOW   by clicking here.     Click here to read the article. 

Most movie-related toys are more merchandise than toys with lasting play value--but since so many of our testers were really excited about the movie and the prospect of related toys, we decided to take a comprehensive look at the wide range of toys.   Some were really quite good, others are well-designed novelty--and well some are just what you'd expect.  Read my blog and take a look at our video demos before you spend your movie toy dollars!

What are the new toys that will get your kids moving?

Stephanie appeared on NBC's TODAY Show on Monday, May 10th; watch the video here. She discussed some of the best new toys and equipment for encouraging active play.  

  Click here to read about the products featured. 
 

We love last year's Mr. Robot (my personal mascot for my blog during the holidays)...so I was really happy to see that California Creations has a new line of wind-ups called Sliders and this super cool frog...take a look. We look forward to trying them out with kids when we receive them... It is sooo hot here that I was just looking for toys that make you smile no matter what..

Looking for a jungle gym for the backyard? It can be confusing and the price tag (even for a moderately priced set) can be pretty steep. One of our testing families recently left the city and headed for the suburbs...and quickly found themselves in the market for a playset for their three young children.  They agreed to put the Highlander from Backyard Discovery to the test. Read my blog to see how it rated. 

Now we're usually not too involved with what will be the HOT toys--we pick our list with the aid of our great network of family testers and sometimes that means there's something in the news but our focus is more on toys that are fun, engaging and have lasting play value.  We always have some novelty on the list as well--but it's not the mainstay of our list.  The truth is most hot toys are usually toys that play well on television and have received a lot of hype. With Furby, the whole craze started with a feature in WIRED magazine about the technology--before a single child in this country had one!  Hot toys often become more about adult collectors and running up the prices on eBAY.  So it's usually not our thing. In fact, when Joanne introduced Bryant Gumbel to Tickle Me Elmo on the TODAY Show-- she then spent most of that holiday season talking about what to do if you couldn't find Elmo.  With all of that said, we do have to say we are enamored with the Sing-a-ma-jigs from Fisher-Price.  When we first saw them at Toy Fair in February, I noted that if the actual product was as good as the prototypes--this was going to be a must have kind of toy for the holidays that would appeal to both kids and adults.  The good news...the first batch of these harmonizing dolls with claymation-inspired mouths has just arrived...and they are as terrific as we hoped!  (We have not received safety verfication forms for them yet--but we wanted to share them with you right away).

Now that school is coming to an end- it's even more important to keep reading to your kids.  As soon as your library allows--go get those library cards!  Many libraries also offer storytime and related activites.  Of the dozens of books that have recently arrived at our office this month, here are some gems that are truly memorable. Books that you won' t mind reading and re-reading again and again!  Click here to read our reviews.

Joanne and Stephanie discuss the merits of both the new GoGo Baby Doll from Little Sib and the new boy version of Baby Stella from Manhattan Toy.

If you're in the sandbox zone with your kids, take a look at these two new collections of toy trucks.  We love both the new lightweight Monster Dirt Diggers from Little Tikes - it has a cool sideways dumping action and a working excavator...great fun at the beach or in the backyard. We also love the realistic look of Fisher-Price Steel Force Trucks (they come in two sizes).  Take a look at our video.