Ericka Polanco Webb, mom coach and writer for Chicago Parent
http://www.SinkingHeelsOfMotherhood.com
Chicago Parent has scoured Chicago area independent toy stores in search of the best gifts of the season. They shopped at:
Building Blocks Toys in Lakeview in Wicker Park and Lincoln Park
*play in Logan Square and Lincoln Park
More Toys & Gadgets in Wheaton
Becky & Me Toys in Evanston
Toys:
Tobbles Neo
Maker: FatBrain Toys
Best for: Baby
What it is: Stacking cup toy that wobbles, yet still stacks and nests.
What it does: When the cups are by themselves, the cups wobble on the ground and are great for bath time. When they stack, they stack as a tower and can lean as a tower. Great for spatial recognition and fun as a multiuse toy.
Where to find it: Moore Toys, Play
Cost: $30
Light Up Cubes
Maker: Glo Pals
Best for: Special Needs & Babies
What it is: Cube that lights up only when in liquid.
What it does: Created by the mom of a special needs child to convince her child to take a bath, these are great for any kid – and parent – who needs or wants a little help being coerced into a bath. They come in five colors and can work in any liquid, so also fun for kids who are trying to learn to drink milk or from a straw.
Where to find it: Moore Toys, Play
Cost: $12
Heads Talk Tails Walk
Maker: Think Fun
Best for: Preschool
What it is: Interactive card game
What it does: The inventor of the game is from Logan Square and the gist is that kids are given two cards, like a cat head and a chicken body, and they have to walk like a chicken while meowing and the other players have to “guess” what the two animals are that the child is demonstrating. It’s a great interactive play game when you’re stuck inside in the winter.
Where to find it: Play, Moore Toys, Building Blocks
Cost: $14.99
4D Chef
Maker: Professor Maxwell
Best for: Early Elementary and older
What it is: Augmented Reality kit.
What it does: The glasses connect with any smart phone and the free app teaches kids about science, in this case cooking. Kids learn about why yeast works, where gluten comes from and gives recipes and tools to help them cook. Also comes in 4D Chemistry and 4D Science.
Where to find it: Building Blocks
Cost: $39.99
Ultimate Putty Challenge
Maker: Crazy Aaron’s
Best for: Late Elementary and older
What it is: Board game from the makers of Crazy Aaron’s Putty
What it does: Great for families that already have a few sets of Putty around, but it also comes with putty and includes instructions for 25 games to play using the Putty.
Where to find it: Becky & Me, Building Blocks, Play
Cost: $24.99
Eraser Animals
Maker: Klutz
Best for: Late Elementary
What it is: Molding art clay
What it does: Make your own animals or shapes using the clay, then bake it and the shapes can be used as erasers for pencil or other art.
Where to find it: Play, Building Blocks, Becky & Me
Cost: $12.99
Pigasus
Maker: Brain Games
Best for: Late Elementary and older
What it is: Card game
What it does: Players have to find “matches” of animals that don’t look at all alike, like a giraffe and a crocodile (one card has a long neck with a croc head, the other has a giraffe face on a croc body). Winner finds the most “matches.”
Where to find it: Building Blocks
Cost: $14.99
Just One
Maker: Repos
Best for: Late Elementary and the young at heart
What it is: Cooperative game like pictionary
What it does: A team is given a word, like chocolate, and has to help the member who doesn’t know the word figure it out using only one-word clues: like Milk or German, but any duplicate clues are thrown out.
Where to find it: Moore Toys
Cost: $28
Gumball Machine Maker
Maker: Thames & Kosmos
Best for: Late Elementary
What it is: Engineering set
What it does: Don’t let the name fool you, kids are making the machine, not the gumball. Using parts like a spinning wheel or a trampoline they create an obstacle course for a gumball to fall through.
Where to find it: Becky & Me, Moore Toys, Building Blocks, Play
Cost: $39.99
Escape Puzzle
Maker: Ravensburger
Best for: Tweens/Teens and young at heart
What it is: 759-piece puzzle
What it does: In addition to putting together a puzzle, you have to figure out clues like you would in an escape room to put parts of the puzzle together. Fun not only for tweens and teens who love escape rooms, but for adults who have grown beyond the typical 1,000-piece puzzle.
Where to find it: Becky & Me, Building Blocks, Moore Toys, Play
Cost: $19.99
Hacker
Maker: Think Fun
Best for: Tweens/Teens
What it is: Board game
What it does: This logic board game is great for kids who are STEM minded as it requires on-board coding and fixing of lines of code.
Where to find it: Building Blocks, Moore Toys, Play
Cost: $24.99
