Lego Play Day 2 - The Sequel

Today is the repeat of our first Lego Play Day.  Read about it here:  http://townsquaretoys.blogspot.com/2011/06/lego-play-date.html

It is going to be so much fun!  I hope you can come by.

Let the chores begin!!!

I hate to clean house. I don't like to use the word hate often but when it comes to cleaning house, I can honestly say I hate it. However, my children have not developed such a hate. I think the difference is I require some daily chores and my mom never did. Had I been taught to do a little everyday, maybe it wouldn't be such a drag now. If you have ever seen a 3 year old try to use an adult sized broom, then you know - having the right tools makes all the difference. There are many good child sized cleaning items on the market, but I think Schylling makes some of the best. They are good quality and have great prices. For under $20, your child could be sweeping, mopping and dusting. For an additional $23, they can also iron on a child's sized ironing board with a metal iron. (Don't worry, the iron doesn't really heat up.) The price is great and they really can work with these tools. Why not start them early and instill a love for cleanliness while they are young and eager to learn?

-Steph

Crayons of the Future...Now!

So Steph brought home some of the Melissa and Doug crayons that we sell over at Town Square Toys. At first I was a bit skeptical. I, myself, was raised on Crayola crayons and have always been a big fan of the wonderful smell, texture and sight of the classic crayon of years gone by. I think anyone in my age bracket will recall the wonder and majesty of that old box of 96 crayons with the built in sharpener. You think I am joking? Here is a fellow crayon lover: http://dailyapple.blogspot.com/2008/02/apple-300-crayons.html

But I digress. The Melissa and Doug crayon set that we had on our hands was the 24 piece crayon set. We also have a 12 piece set and a big ol' 10 piece set to boot. But back to the 24 piece set. The first thing I noticed was the cool case to keep them in. Gone is the cardboard box of yore. There is instead a snappy, red plastic case with a clear front so you can easily see the crayons you have. The next thing I noticed, once I popped the top as it were, was that the crayons were triangular. Nice trick on the part of Melissa and Doug - no more crayons rolling off the table. I have three kids; I have spent months of my life picking up crayons off the floor or crawling under a table or chair to get one. Plus, Steph says it is better and easier for the kids to grip them. The third thing I noticed was the lack of paper. At first I thought this might have been a bad idea, but Steph brought up the fact, and it is certainly true in our family, that the kids love to peel the labels of the old Crayola crayons, first chance they get; now that problem is solved as well.
Overall, I think Melissa and Doug did a fab job on coming up with these groovy new crayons. The color variety in the 24 pack is great; a lot of interesting choices in there. I did have to give the old smell test a whilst they are not exactly the same as the classic I grew up with, they definitely could be the classic for my kids and yours. Try them out today!