If your family is tired of looking out the window and seeing the sparse drab of winter, consider trying Klutz Window Art to brighten your outlook. The kit includes a book of illustrations, 3 plastic sleeves, and 6 bottles of paint. Just slip a sleeve over a page, trace the illustrations with paint, let the paint dry for 24 hours, then peel and stick your kiddo’s colorful creations right on a window. I bought two more 18-bottle fanatic packs of paint from Klutz since Laurel was so focused on the project that she used all the kit paints in one (impressively long!) sitting. The project also apparently appeals to grownups (including - to date - mom, aunt, and grandma...).

Today, Kate shares a puzzle pick: “Our 2-year-old daughter is beginning to understand and enjoy puzzles, but I've had a hard time finding ones that are appropriate to her age and interests. Many have pieces that are too small and chokeable, others are too sophisticated for tiny fingers, and still others have strange and flashy features or sounds. For these reasons, we appreciate the Crocodile Creek Natural World ABC floor puzzle; this puzzle is made with large pieces that are easy for small hands to manipulate (even though the puzzle is labeled for ages 3-6), the illustrations are colorful and charming, and the images - of animals, fruit, and the earth - are child-friendly and easily recognizable. A hit with both adults and kids, this puzzle is lovely for anyone who enjoys puzzles and wants to share them with a little one.”

These have been tough toy times, and whether Laurel is aware of this on some psychic level, or whether she’s simply narrowly obsessed with art and puzzles these days, her response to The Discovery Channel’s Ready Set Learn! Paz's Lift-Off Rocket unfortunately was lukewarm, despite my thinking it’s actually a pretty cool toy. I’m reviewing this product today in conjunction with The Parent Bloggers Network.

I almost thought the toy recalls couldn’t get worse; now there’s the Aqua Dots recall. Aqua Dots allow kids to create multicolor, multidimensional designs with small beads that fuse together when sprayed with water. The CPSC reports: “The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested. Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression, or have seizures.” The CPSC has received two reports of children who fell into a coma following ingestion. Aqua Dots are known as Bindeez in Australia, where it’s been reported that the chemical in the beads metabolizes into gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB; also known as Liquid Ecstasy) when swallowed. PLEASE share this information with all the parents you know!

One of the joys of kids growing more dexterous is that it enables them to engage in countless hours of imaginative play via toy sets such as Playmobil, beloved by Tracy’s family: “The recent spate of toy recalls has left me sort of amazed that we have not had to return a single toy. This is partially due to our families and friends understanding our desire for toys made of wood or other natural materials. Another reason though, is that we have encouraged Gabriel’s interest in Playmobil.

Pursuant to my recent post on the Goobi magnetic construction toy, I’ve had some inquiries re: recalls such as that of Magnetix (shown; Magnetix pieces with loose parts, also see CPSC notice and NYT article). After hunting around online, I didn’t find recall information related to Goobi products and also was happy to see a report that, following the problems at Magnetix, Goobi underwent testing sessions to try to dislodge their magnet rods from the plastic casings to no avail. I also checked the plastic casings on our set and the inner magnets are firmly set.

Like many kids, Laurel gravitated towards fridge magnets as a toddler, and now - with agile hands and imagination - she is crazy about construction magnets. We first learned about magnet stick and ball sets from our neighbor (a former preschool teacher), and were thrilled to receive the Goobi 61 Piece Beginner Magnet Construction Set (in rainbow, of course) for Laurel’s birthday. A terrific open ended creative play toy, it’s impossible for kids and adults alike to resist clicking together cool structures; we need to add one of the bigger sets (104 or 202 pieces) to our collection soon.

We love products that give parents great bang for their buck, and our latest favorite is the versatile Fortamajig, a new piece of play gear that can inspire countless hours of creative play in a variety of settings. The Fortamajig basically is an 8’ x 8’ water resistant, machine washable ripstop nylon tarp, but with seams, openings, and Velcro loop attachments smartly crafted to make fort building a breeze (just attach the loops to chairs, doorknobs, trees, etc.). It’s available in a cheery selection of colors, either as a lightweight single color layer, or as a two color reversible model, and folds up compactly to fit inside a matching travel tote.