Alphabet Avalanche by Lauri Toys

I like the Alphabet Avalanche for a variety of reasons. The letters are bright a colorful, in the primary colors of red, yellow and blue. There is a fantastic selection of letters, both capital and lower case, so you are able to spell almost anything. The letters have an interesting tactile feel, with a smooth back and a bumpy, crepe front. And, finally, and I think most importantly, there are at least 500 letters in this "avalanche."

Having this many letters allows for a wide open amount of play and usability. If I want to spell things in mulitple colors or the same color, mulitple times, I can. If I am playing with my kids, if they are playing together, or if we are learning spelling or sounds - we never run out of letters.

One word of warning; the letters are small and are definitely not for little ones. As the package says, they are not for children under 3.

Head over to Town Square Toys and check them out. There is a lot more information about the avalanche and other Lauri and Smethport toys for you to read up on.

Shape and Color Sorter Toy by Lauri Toys

My 4 year old daughter loves to draw. However, occasionally she tears herself away from the coloring books and crayons to do something else. We got her the Lauri Toys Shape and Color sorter and she has had alot of fun with it. When she was a little younger, she used to make piles of the different colors: red, yellow, green and blue. She would them switch it up and make piles of the different shapes: heart, stars, squares and triangles. This toy has small pegs that the child can stack their sorted piles onto. The sorter builds color recognition, sorting skills, shape identification and develops hand eye coordination. She loved to mix and match the shapes to make multi colored stacks and create her own combinations. If you are a fan of toys made in the USA, Lauri manufacturers about 99% of their items in Smethport, PA.

Steph