toy - Parenting Healthy

The amount of plastic that reaches our oceans each year is hazardous. Shore Buddies does a few things to help the plastic footprint left behind. They donate $1 from every purchase to non-profits that share our vision to save marine life and keep plastics out of the oceans.

They also make adorable plush with animal sounds from recycled plastic bottles. It takes 6 plastic bottles to make 1 complete Shore Buddies plush. The plastic is sorted, melted and turned into plastic flakes for the stuffing and yarn for the outside.

Meet Finn! He is my Shore Buddy. Finn is a dolphin who’s arch enemy are plastic straws. He worries about how they don’t biodegrade and many of them ending up in Our Oceans. I also have this Straw Buddy Stainless Steel Straw set. These are reusable straws that are ocean and eco-friendly.

There are 4 other Shore Buddies to choose from – Stephen Seagull, Shelly the Sea Turtle, Sammy the Seal and Emma the Whale. Order your Shore Buddies today for the Holidays. They make excellent gifts for kids who love learning about animals and the ocean. Also available is Shore Buddies And the Plastic Ocean – the new children’s book.

Order your Shore Buddies Plush today!

Win a Shore Buddies Plush!

1 lucky U.S. reader will win a Shore Buddies Plush! Enter below the keep scrolling down and click to link to other Bloggers with great fall giveaways! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the MEOWLOWEEN Giveaway Hop! The Mommy Island and The Kids Did It want you to enjoy entering all of the fun giveaways on each blog.

Hop along to each blog for your chance to win awesome prizes!
Don’t forget to come back daily for bonus entries.

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (PST) 10/20/20. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to erinnsluka at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Rafflecopter program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Erin Sluka at erinnsluka (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Kids, Reviews, Toy Reviews

Oops Scoops, is a sweet new ice cream stacking game from YULU!

July 1, 2019June 30, 2019 Erin Sluka

The first game a child plays are stacking games. From blocks to play cups they love to stack until it all comes crashing down. They are testing limits, learning to strategize and with it and then comes shapes and space. When they have grown out of blocks, what a better stacking toy than scoops of ice cream!

Oops Scoops is a fun stacking game that challenges players take turns stacking the ice cream scoops on ‘Oops’ the ice cream cone. Players compete to build the tallest ice cream tower, but beware, ‘Oops’ the shaking cone, can shiver to make the stacking even more challenging and causing the tower of scoops to topple.

The scoop has a lever that spins and tells you how many scoops you have each turn. It is rated for ages 4+ and requires 2 AAA batteries (not included). In no time they will be attempting to stack as the cone shifts and vibrates. If that is too challenging for them, turn off the vibration mode or play ‘Pass the Cone’. Game options are in the included instruction booklet.

For more information on YULU check out YULUtoys.com. Oops scoops can be found at Target stores in the US. Coming soon to Canada.

2018 Holiday Gifts, Toy Reviews

Family Game Night with Brady Bunch and Home Alone Board Games

October 18, 2018October 17, 2018 Erin Sluka

I was sent games for the feature

The Brady Bunch Game

Available at Target stores Ages 9+ Published by Big G Creative $24.99 MSRP

A blast from the past and my favorite blast ever!! I am a huge Brady Bunch fan and I could watch a Brady Bunch marathon for days. Just as in the show, Alice is on top of it all and she is trying to find the Troublemaker in this game! Are you the Troublemaker?

This is played with a minimum of 3 players and best at closer to 8 players. 1 person play Alice and the rest choose a character (one of the Brady kids). This is a game of bluffing and deduction. Just think of the game ‘Clue’, it is along those lines. You can work to help Alice out or work to cover up for your ‘siblings’.

Contents:

48 Mischief Cards
14 Snoop Cards
8 Character Tiles
8 Tile Bases
6 Reference Cards
4 Cookies
3 Help Tokens
1 Round Marker (1 full game is 4 rounds)
1 Game Board
Instruction Booklet

Home Alone Game

Available at Target stores – Ages 8+ Created by Big G Creative $19.99 MSRP

“You Filthy Animal”! A classic for the holidays and now a board game for the family. This new game will be a hit on your next family game night. It is fun enough that those under 8 will enjoy watching over a shoulder and getting in on the fun. You play with 2-4 players.

Kevin needs to defend the house! As in the movie, the Wet Bandits want to steal loot. What will be your game position? Will you be a bandit and try to steal or be Kevin and defend with a variety of arsenal and contraptions? You bring the actual movie to life as you work through this game in a 5 step process: Draw, Loot, Kevin attempts, Bandits attempt and Clean-Up!

If I had to choose a game to relate this too, as different as it is I would say Battleship. Only because it is sort of a jab, jab- hit or miss type of game!

Contents:

2 Player Boards (Kevin and Bandits)
74 Cards
3 Location Tiles
1 Die
Instruction Booklet

Back to School 2018, Education, Kids, Reviews, Toy Reviews

Bring Music Class Home with the VTech Kidi Star Karaoke Machine

August 14, 2018August 12, 2018 Erin Sluka

I have partnered with VTech for this feature

When you hear the word ‘music’ you probably think about tunes or your favorite radio station. But, did you know that the word music has such a beneficial meaning when you introduce it to children? Not only does music introduce a new skill that involves the brain and body working together, it ignites all the senses. VTech has the Kidi Star Karaoke Machine that helps bring music class home.

Music helps children learn sounds and word meanings. Dancing helps children improve their motor skills as well as allow for self-expression. Then you also add the benefit of recall and memory skills.

One of the best features of this karaoke machine is the stand opinion. This makes it so easy to share the fun with a friend or sibling. The disco ball is a lot of fun too. Turn off the lights and like me, you will be amazed how well it illuminates around the room on the walls and even the ceiling too.

It is such an easy interface that it is usable for as young as 4 years old. The added computer-like screen adds an element of STEM play when you have to configure and toggle through options to bring our musical creation to life. With options like games to play and to connect to any device to bring the music library you already have created to the speaker is so much fun.

You can add audience sounds like applause, cheering and laughter so it really feels like you’re onstage at a concert! Record yourself for up to five minutes and add fun voice-changing effects, then listen to and enjoy your performance. Visit VTech for more fun and also find the VTech Kidi Star Karaoke Machine at Amazon.

Tag: toy

October GIVEAWAY HOP: Shore Buddies Plush