I love all the popular toys around, they’re usually popular for a reason, but I also like to visit toys that you may not have heard of here at Play Library (especially if they’re educational), so look for some of those coming up in the next few weeks, and in our gift guide.
Skoodlez(tm) are a unique combination of online, and offline play. The interactive toy is designed to encourage your child’s creative writing skills, and imagination.
Skoodlez are adorable plush toys with weighted hands and feet, to allow your child to pose them. Each plush toy has a …read more

Since my family and I are traveling to Colorado for Christmas this year (we live in Georgia…you do the math, ugh!), I am on the look out for travel toys to keep my three kids nice and busy. We are looking at two 17 to 20 hour days in the car. Yes, we are nuts, but this is a trip worth driving for.
So, I’ll be doing a series on travel toys to help those of us who are traveling. I’ll do some pricey ones and some not-so-pricey toys. Here’s the first toy that I am looking into getting for my …read more

Looking for computer software to entertain your toddler aka lapware? My son’s first was BabyType, which made my computer baby-proof until he learned to use the mouse (didn’t take long) and was able to click his way out of the program.
Julie Moran Alterio of the The Journal News has reviewed other types of lapware including:

Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby
JumpStart Baby
AlphaBaby

Check out my previous post for computer games suitable for preschoolers.
Technorati Tags: lapware, computers, software, computer programs, childrens software, children, kids, parenting

One of my son’s favorite PC CD-ROM games is BBC’s toybox Games Collection. There’s a Paintbox area where kids can “create pictures, invitations, door hangers and more, with stamps, borders & backgrounds from your favorite [Cbeebies] programs.” Very cute but you have to pay for it.
Via Kiddley yesterday, I found a great freeware program called Tux Paint. S has been playing with it a whole ton and laughing his butt off. Music to a mother’s ears.
Tux Paint is a free drawing program designed for young children (kids ages 3 and up). It has …read more

Does everything we get for our kids have to be educational? I can’t think of a thing that isn’t marketed to parents without its educational value plastered prominently on the packaging.
The trouble is, there’s no hard evidence showing that any of the “educational” DVD’s, CD’s, computer games, or other media really affect young children in a significant way.
Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Foundation, said in The New York Times:
The market is expanding rapidly, with all kinds of brand-new product lines for little kids. But the research hasn’t advanced much. There really isn’t any outcomes-based research on …read more

As a psychologist interested in language and communications, I’ve been looking for the best educational software to aid the language and communication intervention programmes that I conduct. So far, I haven’t found anything fantastic.
But, one of the software I’ve reviewed is the Reader Rabbit series published/produced by The Learning Company. They offer different software packages for various age levels. And, I like the series in some ways, such as: the colourful characters, the creative games used for teaching reading, and the pedagogy behind the materials.
However, there are also some shortcomings. Some games can get pretty boring. …read more