If you're making the leap to video games this season, the XBOX 360 Arcade offers you a full family entertainment center.  You can watch movies on it and even cooler you can download movies in high def and download games on their XBox LIVE site or stream Netflix videos on demand. 

Our advice on all gaming consoles--set the ground rules before you bring the console home.  Establish what kind of games you're comfortable with and how long kids can play and when.  We'd also recommend putting the console in the family room so that kids don't get lost for hours in their rooms playing games. You'll probably notice that other types of play fall off (construction, board games, pretend play, active play)  once the machine comes into your house.  What we absolutely recommend is bringing home games that you can enjoy playing with your kids. For many families--being together is not the old fashion game of Monopoly but interactive video games--and that's fine. It's being together and making that connection that counts.

Age: Later School Years, Tweens, Teens, Adult. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

You'll all want to try MindFlex once you see it work.  It seems like there must be some trick to it.  How can attaching two sensors to your ear lobes give you the ability to make a ball go up in the air?  This is beyond the Jetsons--more like some Matrix inspired toy come to life. Our tween, teen, and adult testers all LOVED trying this one out. Once you get the concept that by concentrating you can move the ball along the course, you're good to go to use the fan on the circular track to aid you in getting the ball through the changeable obstacles.  I can't begin to really espress how cool this toy is to play with!  One parent commented that this toy really helped his son to concentrate!!

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.
 

Age: Later School Years, Tweens, Teens, Adult. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

The newest of this company's decorative jewelry chests that comes with three drawers and a colorful supply of wooden beads for making necklaces and bracelets. The kit includes a good supply of painted wooden beads and charms along with stringing material. This kind of activity is not just entertaining, it develops fine motor skills as well as creativity. Older kids especially like art kits with end products they can display or wear or give as gifts. The chest will be a welcome decoration for a girl’s room. There are other color schemes, same idea. A two fold gift that will have a life long after the beads are used up. 8 & up.  

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab

Age: Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

The year is 1914 and Rebecca Rubin, lives on the Lower East Side in New York City with her Russian-Jewish family. Newest in the American Girl Historical Collection, she comes dressed in period clothes and with five additional books about her experiences in the crowded tenement world she and her cousins shared. Like all the other dolls in this collection her back-story has been well researched and gives kids a window into the lives of the tens of thousands who came to America looking for a new life while holding on to the traditions of their religion and past. With her dark long wavy hair, her dark brown eyes, wearing her high button shoes and red dress, she may well resemble the great grandmothers of many of today's school girls. Although preschool children are sometimes gifted with these beautiful dolls as play dolls (which they are) the well-written books and the authentic details of their clothes and accessories are too often lost on pre-readers. Rebecca, like so many of the historical dolls and their stories, is more than a pretty face and is best appreciated by girls of 8 & up.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

For history buffs, here is an amazing build! Enter the world of mystery and danger! A world of mummies and ancient curses! A 20" X 20" pyramid with removable side panels, a hidden chute with buried treasures, secret chambers with a trapdoor, collapsible stairs, and a deadly scorpian trap to ward off grave robbers. The kit includes four figures, golden trinkets, scorpions, snakes, and other accessories.  Pyramid measures 20.6"Lx20.6"Wx13.7"H. Marked for 4 " up - we'd say this is a good set as a follow-up to a museum visit or for kids who are studying Ancient Egypt in school. This is not an easy build and may require parental help, even for school aged kids. Like most big Playmobil settings, this is a good parent & child together project. Also great are the smaller builds: a Sphinx($34.95), Chariot ($17.99), Royal Ship($45), Tomb and Treasures ($39.95).

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A working crane that fits into the Lego City scene. This is not an easy build. It has working treads, a massive rotating boom, and stands 17.7 inches tall. The crane rotates 360 degrees and comes with a stout lifting mechanism along with 2 mini-figures, a house section, and safety barrier. They say 5-12. Inexperienced builders will need adult help. This is not an instant out of the box build. It takes time and attention to details.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Just as the name suggests, this mid sized set comes with several buildings: a two story pizza parlor, a bike and skate board repair shop, a bus stop, and a charming yellow bus with large see-through European-style windows, red seats, a driver and folks in the shops who can get on board to go home. There are street lights, bikes, skateboards, fire hydrant and other such details of a city corner. This is part of Lego’s modular City theme. Set includes 483 pieces and is suggested for kids 5-12. Kids may need help in getting started. They need to work on one main piece at a time instead of emptying all the pieces and ending up with a mish-mosh! A lot of learning comes from the process, not just focusing on the end product. Be there to assist, but don't take over. A kit this size will take more than a day to build. Learning about taking time and problem solving is part of the learning process. So is stick-to-itivness. Parents can act as consultants, not buildes. If it is too hard for your child, put the set away for a while. Start with simpler building projects and reintroduce this one a few months from now. Only the most experienced 5 year old builder will be able to do this set. Note, the box says 5-12.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

 

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Our testers loved this set complete with shark, treasure and a whole cast of pirates! With 592 pieces, your younger builder will need assistance – but produces a really satisfying build. The ship is 22 inches long and comes with five sails. There is a projectile for which we are making an exception to the rule. 6-12.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

 

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

You really can see objects that are up to 50 feet away in the dark with these infrared Stealth binoculars. Designed with a form-fitting visor, you hold these to your forehead and zoom in with the focal adjustor. Of course these are not going to do what you would expect the high end ones to do.   One tester complained that this is not exactly a binocular...but more like a monocular. That said, he really, really  liked it.  As with last year's version, our testers loved the ability to see things in the dark.  Interestingly,  it really highlights color-treated hair--so if you don't want folks to know you color your hair, stay out of the line of vision! 8 & up.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

 

Age: Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Build these 91 piece racers with pull back motors and they will scoot across the floor and even jump over the ramp! This is the kind of building toy that challenges without taking days to finish. You can't go wrong with either the Monster Jumper or Extreme Wheelie. Or buy both and race them against each other. Ideal for 7-12 years olds. 

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.
 

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.