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Keeping Kids Entertained Inside and Out and Safe this Summer Download the Podcast HERE |
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The portable Tetherball System from Lifetime Products brings schoolyard and summer camp fun right into your own backyard and is a great way to get kids moving outdoors! It doesn’t require a cement slab for stability—you just fill the base with sand or water—so it’s quick and easy to set up. You can even roll to different areas of the yard or driveway as needed! It’s weather-resistant and rust-resistant, so it can withstand weather conditions all year around, and the system’s soft-touch ball is great for both children and adults.
Ages: 6 & up
Price: $129.99
Availability: At Costco or online at www.Lifetime.com
In keeping with the outdoor theme, the Step2 Company has a variety of great new outdoor toys to promote creative play and fun in the sun. They specialize in children’s toys that are built to last and 90 percent of their toys are made in the U.S. Here’s one of their latest toys – the Nature Station Playhouse. It encourages children’s interest in nature by featuring different play items like bugs, flowers, a butterfly net and many more! It has windows and storage bins, that also work as planters to grow flowers, herbs or small veggies, which encourages kids to have a green thumb at an early age!
Ages: 2&up
Price: $249.99
www.step2.com
This game is a lot of fun and can be played inside on rainy days or outside if the weather is nice. It’s called Curious George Hide & Seek Zoo Game from I Can Do That! Games. Kids love Curious George and now they can help George take care of the zoo. The Man with the Yellow Hat uses the radio to send players on different missions to take care of the zoo animals. But every now and then you hear—“the animals have escaped!” When kids hear that message, they have to put on the animal masks and hide all over the house or yard. The person with the walkie talkie has to find as many animals as they can before the time runs out! The game encourages social interaction, role play, and creative play. It’s under $20, so it’s an affordable way for kids and families to spend quality time together.
Ages: 4 & up
Price: $19.95
www.icandothatgames.com
Summer is a time for fun and sun, but parents and educators alike know that summer is also a time to prepare preschoolers for the fall or keep school readiness skills up. These toys will keep kids learning and playing, and it’s especially great when the weather is rainy or too hot -- bring the kids inside to play and read. The Super WHY! Zap & Learn Why Writer and Wave & Learn Magic Spelling Wand from Learning Curve are great educational toys. They are motion-activated role play toys that lets kids take on the personalities of their favorite reading-ready superheroes from the PBS Series Super WHY! They help kids with their reading-readiness skills like spelling, letter sounds, word recognition and more. A great feature, is the “grow with me” curriculum with multiple modes of play, so as your child’s skills grow and develop, the learning becomes more challenging. These toys will stay in the toy box longer delivering lasting play and educational value!
Ages: 3&up
Price: $19.99
Traveling on an airplane with a child can be a real challenge especially when parents have to drag along a car seat. Now there’s an easier solution. The new FAA certified child aviation restraint weighs only 1 pound. CARES fits in a 6 inch stuff sack, installs on almost any size airplane set in just one minute, takes the place of a car seat when you fly and keep your child just as safe. The belt is for kids that are 22-44 pounds sitting in their own airplane seats and is certified for all phases of flight – taxiing, take off, turbulence and landing. In addition to the U.S., CARES has been certified for use in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. It ends the hassle of lugging car seats when you fly.
Ages: 1-4 years old (22-44 lbs)
Price: $74.95
www.kidsflysafe.com