Toy Tips

On Saturday, my family went to the matinee First Stage performance  of Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business. Whether you are familiar with the children's book series or not, this is a performane for anyone with a child who loves to laugh.  The actors were outstanding and Junie B. herself was entertaining without even trying. The storyline revolves around kindergartner, Junie B. and her antics with her school mates and the expectations of becoming a big sister to a new baby brother.  We liked the simple yet detailed set design, music and singing and the dancing was fun to watch.There is a little "toilet' humor, literallly. Not inappropriate but funny. Actually, really funny.  If you are seated stage left or center, you'll even get a glimpse.  Overall, we gave it 8 thumbs up (there are 4 of us).

My daughter has been involved in First Stage acting classes and I can tell you firsthand, the program emphasizes confidence building and the appreciation for drama, dancing and the spoken word.

For more information  on Junie B. Jones, classes or other performances, visit firststage.org or call 414-267-2961.

Toy Tips will have a bi-monthly toy review in Pregnancy Magazine. See our pick in the upcoming May Issue or visit pregnancy360.com. Tell us about your best baby toy, it may just be the next one we choose. Of course, all toys are tested through the Toy Tips review process and final toy report cards are published!

If you read my blog on Scouting for Food, you know I love being a Tiger Cub leader. This week, my son and I visited the Boy Scout Museum. Did you know we even had one in Milwaukee? I didn't and it's fabulous. Once of the biggest Scout museums in the country, the exhibits include collections of old Cub and Boy Scout uniforms (for boys and leaders), scout handbooks over the years, patches, badges and a general history of scouting. This is a great place to go with dad, granddad and any scout or non-scout to learn about the history of boy scouting. The scout store is in the same building and it was worth the hour visit. If you have a little cub scout or plan to sign your son up for scouting, I recommend a visit! Here's the link... http://www.milwaukeeboyscouts.org/site/c.huLSJ6MUKxH/b.1171367/k.BEDE/Home.htm

I'm a tiger cub leader and enjoying every moment! The 7 little guys in my den are so full of energy and eagerness to search, discover and explore and watching them do this is so gratifying. These past two weekends were extra special for all Cub Scouts in Milwaukee as they participated in the Annual Scouting for Food Drive. Whether it was attaching that plastic bag on your mailbox one week or picking up a filled bag a week later, the scouts were able to see and feel how to help others in need. All donations are given to Second Harvest and this is their biggest food drive of the year. They rely on the community's generous donations and the Scouts help for a successful drive. If you would like to make a donation, Pick 'N Save stores are accepting donations through April 4 in the Boy Scout barrels in the front of the store. Let's all practice loving character skills and help someone else in need.

I am getting a little addicted to twitter. Maybe because it's all the rage (though I never fall for that) or maybe because I find interesting posts on new things to learn or maybe because I post my Daily Toy Tip with a new toy report card each morning very faithfully.

My question to myself is .."How do I possibly have time for this?" I am a busy person already and with 2 kids, school drop off, school pick up, driving here, there and everywhere for this lesson and that, a fresh hot dinner on the table each night at 6 and a business to run, I must be crazy to add more to my day.

Can anyone tell me if I am alone here or is twitter just a ton of fun? Twitter me... twitter.com/toytips,

I'm always excited when I find a good deal. I was searching google for a dressy winter coat (for next year) for my daughter and I stumbled upon the Florence Eisman Factory Sale. Yes, the same fancy Florence Eisman my mom dressed me in. They are based right here in downtown Milwaukee and sell mostly at Neiman Marcus. But, those fancy prices are now at a great price for all of us local Milwaukee moms! I got a sneak peek at the merchandise and all I can say is cute, cute, CUTE. The sale starts Friday (10am-6) with 50% retail and continues through Sun (10am-3) at 70% off. They are even selling fabrics for all you crafty moms who sew! 342 Water St. 5th floor.. (414) 272-3222 ext 236 florenceeisman.com

Did you see the wonderful performance of Smuckers Stars on Ice? If you didn't get a chance to see the show this year, book your tickets for next year. It's THAT worth it.

Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen, John Zimmerman, Yuka Sato, Michael Weiss and newlyweds Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon were some of the Stars figure-skating.

The music, skating and choreography made me think of all the little ice skaters in the making today that will entertain us in the future. If your child is interested in ice skating, proper lessons are the best way to introduce the sport.

Skating readiness is based on individual skill and is usually best between ages 3 and 7. It's important that skates are the right size. Make sure to lace boots tightly. Wobbly feet do not allow for stability on the ice.

Now that the spring thaw is on the horizon, don't take children on somewhat frozen lakes or ponds. It's dangerous. Skating or sports that enhance balance, motor skills and thinking all encourage skill and developing positive self esteem. Whatever spring sport your child chooses, practice with them and enjoy every moment and memory you make! --Marianne

The 2009 International Toy Fair just ended and I know the first thing everyone wants to know is.... What's hot? Well, the answer is simple.

What's "hot" for one child is not "hot" for another. Age, skills and interests are the most important thing to consider before making a smart toy purchase.

This is the year to focus on toy safety, value, cost and product durability. New toy safety laws will be put into place, retailers demanded lower prices so manufacturers are creating less expensive toys for the consumer and the trend toward green and organic toys is rising.

In a bad economy, basic toys always seem to do well. LEGO has some new sets this year including licensed brands such as Star Wars and Toy Story and even a cell phone (a real one)! There is a new Disney Princess, Tiana, Dora the Explorer has become a middle school-er and and there are more child-themed movies so expect to see tons of licensed toys...in every toy category.

I have seen an increase of toys made with natural and organic materials, more collectibles than ever before (My Little Pony, Batman, Star Wars, Bakugan, Transformers).

There are lots of birthdays and anniversaries (Barbie turns 50, Candy Land is 60, Fisher Price Little People are 50 and PJ Sparkles is back for her 20th Anniversary).

Follow me on twitter.com/toytips. Marianne

One of my most favorite times of the year, this week marks the 2009 International Toy Fair in New York City. I will be searching through all the newest wares to find selections to test at the independent Toy Tips Research Institute. From what I can see so far, it seems that most toys will be less expensive, safety regulations have been tightened up and toys seem to be much more creative and imaginative which I love! Stay tuned.. I'll be reporting daily on what I find!

This week is one of my most favorite times of the year. It's the 2009 International Toy Fair in New York City. I will be searching through all the newest wares to find selections to test at the independent Toy Tips Research Institute. From what I can see so far, it seems that most toys will be less expensive, safety regulations have been tightened up and toys seem to be much more creative and imaginative which I love! Stay tuned.. I'll be reporting daily on what I find!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE kinda healthy Coffee MUG CAKE for Mom

Ingredients: Your favorite large microwave-proof coffee mug

2 tablespoons good 70% cocoa

4 tablespoons organic sugar

4 tablespoons white flour

1 cage-free egg

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or applesauce

3 tablespoons organic, soy or almond milk

3 tablespoons chocolate chips ( I add a few more)

A littlle splash of pure vanilla extract

Directions: Mix dry ingredients in the mug. Add the egg and mix again. Pour in the milk and oil (applesauce) and add the chocolate chips and pure vanilla extract. Mix once more.

Place your cute mug in the microwave and cook for about 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

Let the cake rise out of the mug to know it is down. Let it cool and add a dollop of marshmallow cream for the indulgence.

Serve with a good book in complete silence while the kids are sleeping. Happy Valentine's Day! --Marianne

Broken Crayons, Please: Tips for Developing Fine Motor Skills for the Preschool-Aged Child

As children ages 3-5 enter preschool, their interest in drawing and coloring begins. In order to promote the effective and efficient development of fine motor skills, parents should encourage their children to participate in upright tasks with their arms and hands positioned to work against gravity. Gravity will increase the stability and strength of the torso, shoulder, arm and wrist, which ultimately promotes the precision and refinement of hand and finger movements.

Vertical surface suggestions:
*Wall-mounted chalkboard or dry erase board
*Standing or table-top easel
*Adjustable, commercial slant board
*Slanted desk
*4-inch, three-ring binder
*Paper taped to window/wall
*Playing in the sand on all four limbs
*Paper towel with window cleaner to make designs on mirror or window

Manipulative activities foster the development and strength of the fine motor muscles of the hand that are needed for precision in handwriting and cutting skills. Use of manipulative toys also incorporates the use of both hands for the development of hand-eye and bilateral coordination.

Manipulative Activities include:
*Stickers
*Putty, clay, Play Doh
*Felt boards
*Spray bottles, squirt toys
*Stamping activities
*Lacing cards
*Stringing beads
*Squeezing bubble wrap
*Measuring/pouring ingredients
*Tearing lettuce

Grasping patterns are important for proper manipulation of writing tools. These items force children to utilize only their index and middle fingers to correctly grasp, support and manipulate the writing tool:
*Broken (thick and short) crayons
*Thick paint brushes
*Broken pieces of sidewalk chalk
*Short and thick markers

When a child expresses an interest in writing letters, first encourage them to draw vertical and horizontal lines, circles, shapes, and people. This will help them learn to orient the things they draw from top to bottom and left to right. As they begin to understand the concepts of directionality, they will be on their way to learning how to correctly form letters.

Have your child use their index finger to practice writing in/on:
*The air (large movements)
*Sand or dirt
*Finger paint
*Play doh
*Shaving cream in the tub/shower
*Chalk boards

Reprinted with permission from Toy Tips and Parenting Hints Magazine.

Mobiles are a lovely nursery decoration and can be a great second toy (baby's first toy is YOU). Even though baby may not do more than gaze adoringly at the design, research has suggested that infants are attracted to stark contrasting designs in their first months. Once they recognize the hanging objects and notice their hands you'll see a lot of hand bats to those bunnies and bears.

Toy Tips has tested many black and white versions but also those with popping pinks and red, blue and green. Companies make colorful patterns mostly for the aesthetic design for the adult eye. The busy pattern is what attracts baby's eye and the pleasing colors are for mom and dad who visit the nursery throughout the day.

Whatever mobile you choose, be sure it is designed for use on the model of your baby crib. It should attach securely and out of baby's reach.

Also, when installing a mobile, keep in mind that mom or dad will be entering the room for midnight feedings so you don't want anything poking you in the eye when you lean over to get baby. Some have set-ups that push the mobile to the side when not in use.

There are designs with flashing lights and soft music but each baby is different and you need to see what your baby responds to. You may find out that baby finds that just a little too busy. Instead of a calm drift to sleep, you may get a fussy baby instead.

When baby is able to bat, in-crib entertainment systems work better. Baby can lay or sit in the crib and self-entertain with colors, music and movement. However, again these are not for sleeping hours. Active babies should play with them under a keen eye from an adult supervising play.

You never want to keep a mobile over baby while sleeping. Safety always comes first. Mobiles are best for babies 6 weeks- 4 months. Once baby starts to reach, take it out of the crib. It becomes a safety hazard.

I've been busy crafting with my kids making all sorts of home-made projects to double as New Year decorations. All was going fine with woodburning, popsicle stick houses, a glued house of cards, drawings, ribbons, glitter and recycled paper towel rolls until one craft really stood out.

Meatball Popsicles for Dogs?

It's an idea that came from one of our readers at Toy Tips and it's super easy to make for Angus, the dog.

As you are making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, save a meatball and add to the end of a rawhide chew, then freeze.

Just in case you don't have a good meatball recipe, here's mine, a 3rd generation Sicilian meatball that goes perfect with the right family secret spaghetti sauce!

Marianne's favorite meatball
1 lb ground chuck (more flavorful than ground round)
1 egg
1 large bunch of parsley, chopped
a shake of oregano
a shake of basil
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh shredded Romano cheese
sea salt
cracked black pepper

Cook for humans but for dogs, omit the egg and cheese and serve it raw! Enjoy!

Marianne

Play fosters intellectual, social and physical development. Adults are encouraged to view toys as learning tools with different types of toys as builders of various life skills including creativity, self-esteem and cooperation. Another bonus: a toy that is fun as well as educational will engage children for more than one holiday season. The following are general guidelines to keep in mind when choosing toys for the child, or children, on your holiday list: 1. Allow children to identify their own strengths with self-discovery toys. Toys kids play with by themselves, such as dolls, science activity kits and magic sets, help teach them important lessons about responsibility, values and respect for others. 2. Increase confidence and build pride while children are young with self-esteem toys like art projects, model-building and construction toys. 3. Support open-ended play that allows free expression and lets kids use their imaginations. Bring out the creativity in kids with theater/puppet shows, cooking sets and pretend play projects such as tea parties. 4. Help children learn how to think independently with toys that promote concentration, competition and deductive reasoning. Thinking and logic toys include detective puzzles, ant farms, construction sets and memory games. 5. Build social skills and family togetherness with family interaction toys. Recommended games include dress up, board games, sports activities and battery-controlled car and boat races. 6. Encourage cooperation with friends and peers with relationship toys. Team communication skills are improved with sports, contests of skills, and toys such as medical and chemistry kits. 7. Let kids run, crawl, climb, throw and kick with toys like climbing structures and ride-on toys that use large muscle groups. Gross motor activities help kids develop balance and exercise gross motor skills. 8. Improve hand-eye coordination with fine motor activities that require hand movements such as grasping and pinching. Smart choices include stacking games, puzzles, writing and coloring books/activities. 9. Strengthen language skills and stimulate listening, speaking and imitation sounds with speech and hearing toys. Musical toys, play telephones, phonics-based sets and voice-command games are suggested. 10. Teach kids, especially infants and toddlers, about their environment through textures, tastes, smells and sight with sensory activities. Clay, activity quilts, blocks and shape games are all good choices.

Science toys are individual toys or elaborate kits that allow a child to encourage exploring, discovery, geography, environments, experiments, how and why things work, magnetic fields, the study of space, insects, gravity, chemistry, the laws of physics, the study of weather, human anatomy, the science of the five senses, electricity, planets and weight. Tips for buying science toys: * For parents: Prepare to offer adult supervision if necessary * For teachers: Buy science toys for use in the classroom with a particular lesson * Buy toys or kits that include all pieces. If they don’t , make sure to buy all the additional tools necessary for the child to get started right away or help the child shop for them. What do science toys teach a child? * Allow children to use thinking skills, deductive reasoning, logic and imagination. * To use fine motor skills for experiments and discovery * Social interaction with other children when experiments are conducted as a group. At what age is it appropriate to introduce science toys to a child? * When the child shows an interest. Be sure the child understands how to use the toy. * To enhance learning or expand on science lessons taught in school When shopping, what are the best types of science toys to look for: * Science kits with multiple experiments allow children to explore imagination and independent learning with more than one experience in a specific study. * Individual toys that teach one specific technique of science so a child may concentrate on learning and studying one specific science-related idea. --Marianne Szymanski

Guess what? I'm looking for some super unique family Holiday Traditions for an upcoming segment on Fox Channel 6. So, if you have information to share and a tradition that another family would love to start, please send me an email. It can be as simple as a favorite egg nog recipe, your secret place to find the best kids Holiday pajamas or as elaborate as your family traditions are. I'll post when the show airs. Let's share all that holiday spirit and cheer to bring joy to kids all over Milwaukee! Marianne

If a visit to NYC is in your travel plans, add Mary Poppins on Broadway to your to do list. I just saw this with my children and it's jaw-dropping entertainment. It's a little mixture of magic, cirque du soleil, ballet, tap and fabulous songs you will recognize. Theater productions combine creativity, imagination, concentration, storytelling, artistic design and entertainment. But, kids can also create their own versions at home. Put together a box of props. add old Halloween costumes, dress up clothes and see what your kids come up with. Have them make a PlayBill with construction paper and use old sheets for a stage curtain. Any room in the house will do as a stage and whether they write their own script or perform their favorite story, charge the batteries to the camcorder and enjoy every moment. Nothing is better than to see smiles on your children's little creative faces. And if you are having a bad day, these little performers sure makes the medicine go down.

Watch Good Morning America (ABC) on Black Friday in the 8:00 hour to catch the Holiday Toy Tips toy segment! I will be showcasing top picks for toys under $30 for school age kids and tweens. It's just the start and I will be posting reviews and vlogs throughout the Holiday Season on the best toys for kids of all ages. The toys on the show will be posted after it airs. Email me if you have questions on what to buy and what to skip. --Marianne

When you are out and about, pick up a copy of the Dec/Jan Issue of Pregnancy Magazine. The cover story is all about the best toys for infants (newborn-12 months).

For all children, toys are props and the process of play is valuable in the development of physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills. The toys an infant plays with today may shape the child she becomes tomorrow.

In the infant years, the first toy a child needs is YOU. It is important to monitor a child's progress milestone by milestone and introduce new sensory textures once you recognize a child has learned a new skill. Once baby crawls, climbs and stands, small climbing structures and ride-on toys foster use of large muscle groups. Gross motor activities helps develop balance and exercise with the whole body.

Look for toys that will encourage a baby to build on naturally occurring developmental skills. Buying more advanced toys to speed the process is not advisable. A toy that is too complicated or too difficult to use will often frustrate your little one.

The concept of sticking to a task and learning a difficult new skill is one that is many years off. Babies are much more grounded in the present. As a child learns something new, enhance that skill and choose toys that will allow her to practice the skill. This raises self-esteem and creativity and provides your child with a sense of accomplishment.

Keep in mind toys for an older sibling are not recommended for the hands or within reach of a younger child. Small pieces, sharp edges on a toy, magnet toys and a storybook with non-rounded edges are inappropriate. Any toy that is fun most likely will engage repeat continued interest.

For a list of the best infant toys, visit toytips,com.

Remember, toys are toys but playing with your infant creates a bonding, parent-child interaction that is priceless.