toys - Parenting Healthy

BendyFigs make great gifts for collectors and toy fans

Whether you like to collect Halloween decor or need gift ideas for those whole enjoy toys, horror or love to collect these BendyFigs from The Noble Collection are ready to display. Your favorite hero and villain come to life with these figures that have great detail.

The BendyFigs Universal Monster collection features 8 collectible figures – Bride of Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Wolfman, Phantom of the Opera and Invisible Man. Some BendyFigs come with additional features such as the detachable face mask for the Phantom. All BendyFigs are 7-inches and comes with a uniquely branded removable display stand. If you are my son who is a pop culture and film toy collector at age 13, you scold me for attempting to open these boxes! They are ready to display out of the box if you wish.

The BendyFigs Monsters and Horror are great additions for your Halloween display. The detail is incredible. If you know someone who would love these as Holiday gifts for collectors or toy fans, you can find other collections such as – DC, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Space Jam and Star Trek.

You can find even more child favorites with BendyFigs minis. See all available figures the Noble Collection website and on Amazon.

Speedy Scribbles is a game of fast thinking and drawing for memory

June 15, 2021June 22, 2021 Erin Sluka

We have had a blast with this new game of pressure and scribbles by Goliath Games. Speedy Scribbles is a memory game where you have to rely on quick scribbles to remember the 20 words read aloud in a round. My son is 13 and this game will be going in the RV for camping game nights this summer. It is addictive and you will easily get several rounds in on game night.

Set up is easy. Speedy Scribbles is a 4-8 player game. There is a colored score game board and colored pegs. It also comes with the scoring sheets, game cards, bell and scoring sheets. You do not need anything else to play this game. It is ready to go right from the box.

Each player chooses a peg to play. Notice that where you start on the board is a red rectangle? This means round 1 will be played from the red side of the game cards. The long card holder is numbered 1-20. These are the 20 words played on that round from the red side of 4 cards drawn by that round’s Reader.

The steps are easy. Dealer draws 4 cards from the deck. Depending on the color being played that round, the 4 cards will be placed in the card holder 1-20 (overlapping so the correct words by color are in the corresponding number slots as shown above). The Reader is the only one who draws, sets and sees these cards. The Reader will read each word 1 second at a time. The other players use the scoring pads to quickly sketch whatever will help them remember that word and move through the 20 boxes as the 20 words are read in 20 seconds. Notice above, here is an example of how a round will look like after words are read and because it was Round 1, red cards were used due to everyone starting on the red START on the score board.

Scoring now begins. The Reader will choose a player and ask them to name a word in any box (“Joe, what was word 13?”) If Joe gets it right, he gets a point (Reader will say “Correct” or “Incorrect” to Joe without giving away the right answer). If Joe gets it wrong, any other player can be first to press the bell for their chance to get it right and earn that point. Only 1 extra guess per word and the Reader will move on to ask a new player for a new word. A round ends when every player was given a first chance by the reader 3 times each (If there are 4 players: 1 is a Reader, 3 are players. So, the Reader will ask all 3 players 3 times each for a first guess – any 9 words of the 20 total). The players will move their pegs the number of points they earned that round and the player with the most points dictates the next game color according to where their peg lands). It is fast-paced and so addictive.

Buy Speedy Scribbles on Amazon!

Infant Toddler Products

Strider Makes the Best First Bike for Kids

April 22, 2021July 10, 2023 Erin Sluka

Your toddler can learn to handle a balance bike as early as 18 months old. Strider Bikes makes the best first bike for kids.

It is always so much fun when the kids get their first bike. We buy a color or design we know they will like, put the training wheels on and pick out a cool helmet so we can give them the best first bike. Now you don’t have to wait as long for them to be ready for training wheels. Your toddler can learn to handle a balance bike as early as 18 months old. Strider Bikes makes the best first bike for kids.

This is the Strider 12″ Sport model balance bike for ages 18 months to about 5 years old. The 12″ also comes in a Classic and Pro model. With any of the models there are colors to choose from. It is so easy to assemble – one of the easiest items I have had to assemble in a long time!

The extra seat extender is included so as your child grows, the seat will raise to appropriate height. My nephew just turned 18 months old so I have the short rod in for now. The handle bars and seat have the quick release clips so adjusting is very easy and quick. The saddle and footrest are performance style and the amazing quality in every piece is clearly obvious.

Strider Bikes can start your infant as young as 6 months old on their Rocking Bike, then move to the 12″ Balance Bike models and eventually to the 14″ models for ages 3-7. Teaching balance before pedaling is the best way to raise confidence in your child as they progress to the ‘big bike’. Visit Strider Bikes today and get those bike skills started by summer!

STEM Learning, Toy Reviews

Create a Nerf Gun Battle Ground with Make-A-Fort Kits

February 2, 2021July 9, 2023 Erin Sluka

Even on the rainiest of days I can get my tween to gather up neighbor boys and get outside away from video games, especially when I give them a nerf gun adventure. With Make-A-Fort kits your child, tween (or adult) can make forts, tunnels, mazes, a Nerf gun battle ground and more. They can be creative or follow their project guides.

Our son is 12 and there are many neighbor boys his age and they always bring out laser guns or nerf guns when they meet outside. They are cool 7th graders, but there is still some ‘boy’ left in these growing tweens and it showed the day I brought out the Make-A-Fort kit. The rain didn’t stop them either. Before the kids arrived, Anthony started building. He decided to use only 1 kit for this day because rain was off and on and he wasn’t sure how long they’d stay in the cold rain. He created ‘walls’ or bunkers and used them as hiding blocks.

Make-A-Fort kits are made from an upgraded cardboard that is much stronger and much more durable than normal shipping box cardboard. When the rain didn’t stop, we brought out blankets so it wasn’t sitting in direct puddles gathering. Then I grabbed my old paining cloths for him to drape over so they didn’t get too wet and we would have to dry the panels.

Using the painting cloths actually made it look like real bunker walls and kept the rain off. The boys said it felt like they were in paint ball courses. Even as the rain came down they lasted well over an hour out there and the kit was in great shape afterwards. We brought it right inside and in a moment was torn down and back in its carry box it arrived in. It packs up neatly and is narrow to store in a closet or on a shelf.

The 2 walls he built was 1 full kit. You can have a load of fun with 2 or 3 kits. There is a Mansion pattern for 2 kits he wants to build one day with our second kit, but he still is thinking about gifting the second kit to his cousins. He kept saying how much fun my nephews would have with a kit then when they get together he can bring his and then with both they can build bigger things. They really do make great gifts!

What is included (per kit)?

18 x Panels (each 23” x 23”)
10 x Braces (each about 8″ x 8″)
80 x Connectors (each less than 3″ in diameter)
1 x Carrying Case (24” x 24” x 4.25”)
1 x Getting Started Guide
1 x Children’s Product Certificate

Interested in finding a fun activity that your kids can entertain themselves or the whole family can play together? Visit Make-A-Fort and order as many kits as your kids need for that building fun!