Last year I let you know that the stick had been inducted into the Toy Hall Of Fame, this year his friend the ball is joining him. I can’t think of two more deserving toys than stick and ball. Put them together and you’ve got a dynamic duo that’s hard to beat!

The other Toy Hall Of Fame inductees this year included the Big Wheel, and the Game Boy, both are also very deserving toys, but nothing can top the ball.
The ball is one of the most versatile toys ever invented, there are tons of games you can play with that …read more

You might have noticed that Play Library looks a little different these days. b5media’s Lifestyles channel has now become a part of Blisstree.  It’s an exciting change from this end, and I think it will be a fabulous change for you too.
I’ll still be here bringing you toys, games,  fun activities to do with your kids. I’m also a couple other places at Blisstree. I’ll still be blogging at She Knows Parties, bringing you ideas for birthday parties, holiday entertaining and more.
I’m also one of the new Food and Nutrition bloggers at Blisstree, where I’ll be sharing more of the …read more

My name is Susan Gunelius, and I’m very happy to be the new author of Play Library.  I have some big shoes to fill, but with 3-year old triplets and 10 neices and nephews ranging in age from 3 to 18, I’ve been around toys, games, children’s books, children’s movies, and more for a long, long time.  Suffice it to say, I’ve tried my fair share of toys and kids’ products, and with 3-year old triplets, I get to try them all again times 3!
I hope I can bring a unique perspective to Play Library, and of course, I’m thrilled to hear from …read more

“That is not your toy. This is Mommy’s kitchen tool.” I don’t know how many times I say that in a day! There are so many things around the house that the kids would love to able to get their hands on that wouldn’t be safe for them to play with. Shannon Christman of SavingAdvice has compiled a list of 17 things from around the house that can be reused as toddler toys. Head on over here to check it out.
Here’s the list I compiled about a year ago. What other items would …read more

Connect Four was one of my favorite games ever when I was younger. It was always the most popular game for indoor recess on rainy or snowy days. I think I liked it best because the kid I happened to have a crush on also liked the game. I remember getting in trouble one day because we were both singing, “Help Me Rhonda” at the top of our lungs while we played. Not very conducive to quiet indoor time. Ah well. It was worth it for the memory.

I love Clue. Growing up, I do think that this was my favorite board game, probably because we didn’t have it. I imagine for other people, who actually owned it, the great suspense and intrigue of the it probably wore off after the first dozen games or so. For me, though, every round of “whodunnit” was exciting, challenging, and fulfilling.
After we got married, Bald Man and I started building up our own collection of family games, and Clue was one of the first on my list. For some reason, though, we decided to get crazy …read more

Here in the Midwest, we’re preparing to say good-bye to the last rays of summer. We hit back into the 90s this week, but that may be the last of that for a while. Still, we took advantage of it and got out the sprinkler and the blow-up pool, donned the swimsuits and sunblock, and danced the end of summer away.
I wish I’d heard of this game, though, before the days of squirt guns and swim trunks were over. Have you ever heard of Alka-Seltzer tag? Sounds like fun to me! You can read about …read more

With the recent recalls of many of our favorite toys still causing a stir, I’m beginning to wonder how effective these recalls will actually prove to be. Obviously, I’m not the only one. An article by E. Marla Felcher points to a major issue, I believe:

The reason so many toys were recalled this summer is not that there weren’t enough regulations. It’s that toy makers were ignoring the regulations that are already on the books.
Here’s the article in its entirety from Slate.com pointing to some of the issues still at hand.

Another couple of posts and articles to keep you up on a few more recalls and some tips on keeping safe with the toys in your home.
From Thrifty Mommy:
Karen shares More Recalled Toys Part I and Part II.
Then check out some safety tips and reminders from seattlepi.com. This one includes a link to a recall site, handy for keeping up on recalls for hand-me-down toys and such.

I came across this site for SEE Toys (I can’t even remember how that happened, now), and I thought it was an interesting thought toward more earth-friendly toy production. Here’s a quote from their website:
The See Toys are green, environmentally friendly, electronic toys that never need batteries! They feature a power crank that makes fun, authentic sounds that encourage kids to keep powering up the fun!
For some reason, I can’t see to capture an image here for you to see, so you’ll just have to go check out the toys for yourself. But what I want to …read more