My kids were lucky to get their hands on a not yet released TocaBoca app called Builders. I have never seen both my 7 and 3 year old more enthralled by a game. Ella kept shouting: “This is so much fun!”
And now that they’re sleeping, it’s my turn! Make sure to watch the above video to see what the fun is all about. The app is scheduled to be released on Thursday!
TocaBoca keeps impressing!
OTO is a seriously adorable cardboard food truck for kids with a campaign going on over on indiegogo. My kids would get a total kick out of playing with OTO! I just backed the campaign, join me?
Here’s a fun tutorial teaching you how to make a paper bow like the one above.
Swoop (LEGO) bags now come in “mini“. Perfect for New York City sized apartments.
Hopscotch is a brand new iPad app that teaches kids coding. It allows them to create an interactive program on the iPad by dragging blocks of code and dropping them into a scripting area. No typing required. Beautifully designed! This makes me so happy! Can’t wait to try this with my daughter tonight!
IKEA came out with this incredibly adorable cardboard kids market stand. It’s a mere $15. Imagine the fun to be had.
I am all for multifunctional furniture like this kids ping pong table gone coffee table gone chalk board surface by Huzi.
If there was an award for cutest kids building blocks, Wee Society would take it home! The Wee You-Things Blocks are a thing of beauty. I can’t wait to show them to my kids tonight and then, when they are in bed, prominently display them on our coffee table! These are too pretty to hide in one of my kids’ room!
Each set of blocks is created with replenishable basswood, printed with non-toxic inks and made by really nice folks in Michigan who have been making heirloom wood toys for generations.
Yay for well designed, and well crafted kids toys.
The 0.99$ I spent on MaddieCam on Sunday have already paid off a hundred times over. Haven’t had this much fun with an app in a while. Maddie is the famous internet coonhound that stands on things and now, you can put her on anything you’d like, thanks to MaddieCam.
There’s also a fantastic book out about her: Maddie on Things. Oh, and she once stood on my desk.
Yes, I am a fan.
Tilo’s recent obsession with everything ABC makes me want to splurge and buy this Wooden Letter Puzzle.
I cant’ understand a thing on this site but I am excited about the idea of wooden LEGO blocks.
(via the awesomer)
While visiting NYC last week, Christoph Niemann stopped by Studiomates and I got to see his brand new kids iPhone/iPad app called Petting Zoo. At the time he had just submitted it to the App Store, but it is live now! YES!
Interacting with Petting Zoo made me laugh, squeal and giggle. Yes, it’s *that* much fun to play with. Trust me, download it, and laugh away with your little ones (or alone). I can’t wait to show this to Tilo tonight!
One of the best things about attending a gift fair is to meet the founders behind products I like. Take Eco Kids for example. I already liked their products but meeting the founders, Kip and Cammie sealed the deal. My loyalty to a product or service grows exponentially when I share the same passion and outlook on life with the founders. Their products are all made in the US, eco-friendly and non-toxic.
Check out their online store. I personally love their eco-glue (pictured above) and the eco-dough.
Kerntype is a online game showing you the importance of proper letter spacing. Your mission is simple: achieve pleasant and readable text by distributing the space between letters. Typographers call this activity kerning. Your solution will be compared to a typographer’s solution, and you will be given a score depending on how close you nailed it.
(via Chris)
Magneticbook opens to reveal a blank face which can be customized with magnetic features. My kids would *love* this.
My Sugru obsession just reached a new high after seeing this video. Sugru + LEGO = world domination!
If there is one kids’ game I find myself playing a lot, it’s the Toca Boca Hair Salon. I admit I giggled in anticipation when I learned that they just came out with a new version today with more hairstyling fun. My favorite new feature? The curling iron!
If you want to buy iPhone and iPad apps for kids, have a close look at the Toca Boca universe. These guys are doing it right!
This weekend, I will be making Balloon Rockets with my kids. You can find more projects like this over on Toys from Trash by Arvin Gupta.
Hey handy parents, this is a post for you. How seriously adorable is this modern looking ride on toy that I spotted over on Made My Joel!? Totally going to ask G to build one for little Tilo.
Please meet Romo, a charming smartphone robot by Romotive.
If you’re into robots, and always dreamed of having one, Romo is for you. Romo uses your smartphone for his brain, is affordable, extensible, and a super fast learner.
You can let Romo wander about your home and dance to music or you can stream Romo’s video to a controller and control him across Wifi.
Romo communicates with your phone via the universal audio jack, allowing Romo to be compatible with any smartphone.
I can not wait to introduce one of these little fellows to my kids. Totally wishlisted!
(Thank you Steve)
My kids adore our Casa Cabana House, which has magically survived 5 years of play. The Kidsonroof Rocket would definitely get my son’s immagination going. Here’s your ticket to being superaunt or superuncle!
Dirk Ploos van Amstel has created a seesaw for children that converts to a bench. YES!
DIY.org is a new project by Zach Klein that is trying to create a safe place on the web to foster kids’ creativity. As a mother of two, and creativity being a huge part of my work life, I couldn’t be more excited.
Here’s how it works: Let your kid sign up and create an account where they can safely publish what they make. They can upload videos and pictures of their projects using the DIY website or iphone/iPod Touch app. Kids’ projects are online for everone to see, and parents can add stickers to show support. Parents also have their own control panel to follow their activity and also to make sure they’re not sharing anything that should be private.
Consider it a tool that lets kids collect everything they make as they grow up. I love this idea!
