Holiday Toys and Games On Review

 

1- Build and Learn Geometry Kit

Company: Lakeshore

Players: 1 or more

Ages: 7 and older

Approximate Duration: Less than 1 hour.

Players’ comments: Math concepts can be pretty dry stuff for young students and keeping their interest is always a challenge. The Kit seemed a fun way for students to start to learn geometry, and maybe even start to like it. 

2- Cluck ‘N’ Chuck

Company: PATCH

Players: 2 to 4

Ages: 4 and older

Approximate duration: About 20 minutes

Players’ comments: Instructions were initially confusing, yet game was easy to understand once it got underway. The instructions directed players to “chuck” the chickens onto the coop, but the chickens easily fell off the coop. Still, it was fun to play. 

3- American Trivia Family Edition

Company: Outset Media Corp.

Players: 2 or more

Ages: 9 and older

Approximate duration: 1-1/2 hours

Players’ comments: Very educational for both children and adults. Up to date on current events about the United States. Instructions were easy to understand.

4- Professor Noggins Presidents of the United States

Company: Outset Media Corp.

Players: 2 to 8

Ages: 7 and older

Approximate duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on number of players.

Players’ comments: Great learning game for both kids and adults. There were lots of interesting facts about presidents throughout history. 

 5- Professor Noggins Wildlife of North America

Company: Outset Media Corp.

Players: 2 to 8

Ages: 7 and older

Approximate duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on number of players.

Players’ comments: Great way for both kids and adults to learn about wildlife and the environment. And, like the Presidents of the United States card game, it was fun to play.

 6- Word on the Street

Company: Out of the Box

Players: 2 to 10

Ages: 10 and older

Approximate duration: About 30 minutes.

Players’ comments: Awesome word game. Liked the timer because it prompted you to think fast. Word on the Street is a real brainteaser, and a great word game for those who are tired of Srabble and Words With Friends. 

7- Don’t Rock the Boat

Company: PATCH

Players: 2 to 4

Ages: 5 and older

Approximate Duration: Game can be over in less than a minute, depending on players’ ability to balance things.

Players’ comments: The game was fun and suspenseful in that you never knew when the boat was going to tip. It was a neat variation on games like Jenga. 

8- Hello Kitty Earbuds

Company: Sanrio

Players: 1

Ages: 13 and older

Comments: Sound quality is just as good as any other earphones on the market. They are compatible with all iPod/iPhone/iPad/MP3/MP4 players, as well as portable audio/video devices and game systems.

9- Tall-Stacker Mighty Monkey Playset

Company: Lauri

Players: 1 or more

Ages: 3 and older

Approximate Duration: 30 minutes

Players’ comments: Great game for imaginative play, and to help children improve both logical thinking and fine motor skills.

10- American Doll House Ice Cream Shoppe

Company: It’z Purple

Players: 1 or more

Ages: 3 and older

Approximate duration: As long as you want to play

Players’ comments: Great doll house for girls to use to store their 18-inch dolls and is available in three sizes – one room, two rooms, three rooms and four rooms. Easy to assemble.

Our Top 5 toys and games for 2012

By Rex Robinson

    What are children going to be most excited about finding under the tree this year? Will it be a remote controlled truck or boat? Maybe it’s the hottest new Nintendo system on the market? Children are not all the same when it comes to favorite toys and games. Thus picking the “Top 5” for 2012 is not an exact science by any means (Note: We will more than likely revisit this topic again next month with more top toys and games for this holiday season so stay tuned). Anyway, here’s our November top five gifts we think many children will have on their lists for Santa this year.  

     

  

   1- RC Hot Wheels Terrain Twister. Kids are sure to love the Remote Controlled Hot Wheels Terrain Twister. It’s like a remote controlled boat, truck and tank rolled into one. Mattel claims it to be “one of the most flexible, versatile and most popular RC vehicles of all time.” It features an auger-like drive system that allows it to “float over virtually any surface in its path.” Batteries are included. The suggested price is about $100.

  

     2- Nintendo Wii U GamePad. Set for release November 18, the new Wii U Gamepad is a controller with a touch screen that, according to Nintendo, “redefines how people interact with their games, their entertainment and one another.” The suggested retail price for the basic set is about $300, while the deluxe set is about $350. These devices are likely to be flying off the shelves.

    

     3- Lego Friends - Olivia’s House. Lego is not just for the boys anymore. The company this year launched the “Friends” collection for girls. Olivia is one of cadre of new girl characters created by toy maker. It’s about time… Boys aren’t the only ones who like to build things. The suggested retail price on Olivia’s House is about $70. This one is sure to be a hit with the young ladies of the house.

    

     4- Fijit Friends Yippits. Girls who loved Fijit Friends will love the innovative nurturing play of Fijit Friends Yippits. Go to any Google and type in top games for 2012 and you’re sure to find this one on nearly every website. These dancing pets perform tricks and feature three different modes of play – Dancing, Training and Game. They come with multiple songs and movable feet. Yippits utilizes Sonic Chirp technology, a special embedded audio coding that when detected triggers various programmed reactions.  The suggested retail price is about $38.

     

    

     5- WWE Brawlin’ Buddies. Go to any of these World Wrestling Entertainment events and you’re sure to find lots of fathers and young sons. Translation: This WWE stuff is huge with boys (and maybe some girls too?). Anyway, for 2012 Mattel has introduced the WWE Brawlin’ Buddies. According to the toymaker, “these 16-inch figures are soft enough to squeeze but bold enough to throw down.” Each figure features signature superstar phrases recorded by the WWE superstars themselves. The figures are designed for children 3 and the suggested retail price is about $30.

Marriage and Family Matters

Setting the stage for good holidays

By Lisa Pisha    
     Every year, immediately following Halloween, my office begins to bustle and  phones begin ringing with people who are looking to figure out how to get through the holiday season. This is the time of year that is the most exciting and stressful for so many people, and often upon talking through it, the stress and negative emotion associated with this time of year has been around for a very long time, even starting in childhood.
     The holidays are a sure thing - we’re sure they’ll come every year, and so the anticipation builds waiting for them to come around again, and again. It’s the same kind of stress, every year, over and over, until something changes.
     A recent article in Psychology Today about life lessons detailed the real truths about interacting in healthy relationships versus unhealthy ones. The article wasn’t about the holidays, but it solidified the importance on our health, of having positive relationships (which I think rings true at all times of the year), stating “the higher the quantity and quality of your relationships, the longer you live.”
     Well no pressure there. But, our relationships are one of the reasons I see stress being so profound around this time of year: they’re not satisfying in ways that give back to us, and most people have a hard time continuing to water seeds that just won’t grow.
     It’s not too early to begin envisioning the kind of holiday you want to have, the way you might want to handle certain relatives you don’t have to see too often or situations that are less than comfortable. This also includes learning to foster the relationship you have with others as a limited one, taking and giving what you can, when you can and learning to be satisfied with the relationship being “good enough.”
     This might mean having tough conversations with your spouse or other family members or looking inward to see what you might be able to do differently this season. No doubt there are so many things to think about when it comes to this time of year, and many more ways of thinking about them. Yet again, we come back to the relationships that have an impact on us and the choices we have in handling them.
     The holidays can feel the same as last year and the years before, or you can start looking into what you want to keep, and what you’re willing to let go of this year. Again, the holidays are a sure thing, and while that can put the pressure on, it can also have the advantage of taking the pressure off. If you try something and it doesn’t work out, they’ll be here the same time next year to do something differently.
     Start the season off by having an honest conversation with yourself about what it is that you’d hoped would’ve been different this year. Is it the driving all over the place? The gift-giving? Is it seeing Uncle Joe make an idiot of himself again in front of the kids? Can you withstand it without feeling the negative impact of stress and having that trickle down to the rest of your family members? Or is it just too much for you to bear this year? How about the pressure? Are the 10 family traditions that involve all of the long days away from home feeling like too much? The expectations you perceive that others place on you may have a part to play here, as do your own expectations. What do you feel people expect of you versus what are you willing to give/do/offer? Again, that honest conversation should break it down for you in terms of identifying where the problems lie, which will hopefully give you a path to travel down in terms of thinking about a new approach.
     Lastly, don’t forget the legitimate reason of “it’s just not comfortable for me.” There’s a reason it’s not comfortable, a reason you don’t want to relive it, and if you’re looking for a justifiable reason to change things, look no further. Harness the feeling you have and try to see it in all of it’s different dimensions to gain an understanding of it. By looking into yourself and your personality traits, you may just find that the change you’re looking for this season doesn’t have to be justified by anyone else but you. Before the holiday season begins to buzz too loudly, take some time now to imagine what yours will look like as you envision a happier, healthier way to spend these special times.

Lisa Pisha is a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with individuals, couples and families in Naperville.