Thomas Great Race is a fun game for small kids, especially those who love Thomas. The directions are very easy and involve moving Thomas characters up a hill based on correct answers to very simple questions.

Because the questions have to be read, this is a game that requires close involvement with an adult or with an older child.

Happily for bored parents, games are mercifully short because of the construction of the game. You push the trains up based on the numbers written on the cards drawn by players. Since just two or three correct answers send the trains down the hill, the game ends quickly

As with a lot of games like this, adults have to quickly make peace with the fact this is not a game developed for them. Our kids, too, were only willing to play the game a few times “by the rules,” and then went on to moving the pieces around under the direction of my four year old boy. The game would be stronger if there were ideas for multiple things that could be played with the game and different rules for new games.

MSRP: $22.95

Pros

1. Good introduction to how to play a game with specific rules.

2. Popular Thomas characters excite little kids.

Cons

1. No other variations on the game so may have limited lifespan.

2. Game is artificially short due to construction.

LEGO City Advent Calendar 2008 - If you wait very much longer this cool advent calendar will be sold out for Christmas. This calendar has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday, but kids love to open up the little parts every day at breakfast, counting down the days ’till they have more stuff to open. Make sure to get a little plastic box as well to hold all the little tiny parts. Once the tiny pieces are assembled, they come apart and end up all over the house.

Lego CASTLE Advent Calendar 2008

LEGO City Advent Calendar (2007)

We see a lot of baby gadgets, and mostly my wife points to the door and says, “out with them.” Though there are tons of things that dad might think are cool, moms seems to have a very practical sense when it comes to the big category known as gadgets. That is not to say they can’t be wildly impractical when it comes to over-priced linens and diaper bags, but that is another story.

In our house, however, the Combi Chop Stick Trainer was a hit, perhaps because my wife is Korean-American, but also because it does not attempt to do something for a child, but is actually a teaching aid to teach the child to eventually use the chopsticks in the correct way. And, dads incompetent at the local Chinese restaurant, might benefit from a little practice with them as well.

I love the added note Combi adds to their products: “Time spent with your baby is irreplaceable and we want to make it precious.” Well said.

Self propelled car - rides like magic.

Our computer DVD has been having problems and little by little we lost the ability to run any kids games that need a DVD to run. Now that it’s fixed, the kids are re-discovering their old friends,
I Spy Mystery and I Spy Fantasy from Scholastic. Both of these games keep them spellbound literally for hours. And, like a good crossword puzzle, they can jump back into them at any point without losing interest. And like a crossword, they can ask for help (and they do!) all the time, and it’s easy, and fun, for adults to peak in and join them in their quest for objects and words hidden in fantasy landscapes and setttings.

If you enjoy the I Spy books, you’ll also enjoy these fantasy games. The illustrations, mini-toys, and riddles, while simple enough for a small child, can even keep an adult interested and involved. My kids, at just four and just eight, enjoy these games and play together finding things. My young son needs some help reading the clues, but even this is made easy by the software that re-reads the direction with a simple scroll-over. These games are good at teaching basic computer skills, but also problem–solving, cause and effect, reading, following directions, and logic. I’d recommend these as a great gift for young kids, or as a diversion for kids during long trips. Since the illustrations are chock-full of tiny images, the software alters the game each time making each playing a new discovery.

$19.99 and less (some even at $6 at Amazon) and most run on both Mac and Windows.

Nerf Vortex Mega Howler from (Hasbro) We like this new invention from the Nerf people. It reminds us of the lawn darts of our youth, without the fear of spearing the cat. The principle is somewhat similar: a light football that is attached to the rear-end of an arrow, making for an aerodynamic missle. The spin is that it’s a football, so the arrow tip is blunted and the Nerf, or course, is soft; not soft enough to save mom’s crystal vase, but safe enough not to snag a passing cat.

What’s also cool here though is that the ball is small enough for a five year old to get his fingers around it. His throws, aided by the rear fins, give him or her confidence in his natural throwing ability. Dads will enjoy the ability to really throw this ball a long distance even if you were a wimpy passer in high school. It’s not quite as easy to catch this little ball, but it sure is simple to toss.

We demo’d the Vortex Ultra Light so I can’t vouch for how the whistle works on the Howler version, and if it makes too much noise to use in the house. In general, this is not an indoor item, however, so plan for beach or yard use.

Like most people, I have a dirty little secret: I collect tacky souvenirs from monuments and buildings when I travel.

Like collections of snow globes, one monument alone is a tasteless souvenir. But put together a FULL CITY of monuments and you make a statement. My wife could never understand this mania, or “neurosis,” as she puts it, until a few years ago when the San Francisco International Airport featured a full concourse exhibit of souvenir monuments from around the world. There, in plenty of glory, were miniature reproductions of every major edifice in the world. Suddenly, my puny collection gained stature and value, rather then just being the goofy past-time of a middle-aged traveler. Some day, I could bequeath my collection to the Museum of Modern Art or even the Met!

As a former New Yorker, when I saw these, I knew I had to have them. The cars are cute too, but I’d skip them for a PanAm building, miniature Whitney, or a Columbus Circle. In fact, I’m getting two sets. I’m getting one set for my little boy to place between tracks of his train set (yes, the scale is a bit off), and one to go up on the shelf until I get a call from the mus

eum asking to take my collection on tour. They will make a perfect addition to my collection of stone, plaster, bronze and wood miniatures from cities I’ve visited around the world.

To read more about the history of this crazy hobby, check out this book: Souvenir Buildings Miniature Monuments: From the Collection of Ace Architects, which is a good book for dads and kids. My four-year-old son loves looking at the monuments. The book is divided mostly into major city-scapes, composed of mostly bronze and iron replicas of local landmarks and buildings. This is a fun book for both dads, kids, and budding architects.

What I don’t know about labyrinths could fit into many many websites. However, when I was younger I used to love to play the BRIO Labyrinth, which could eat up hours in pre-video game fun. I’d still recommend it on a coffee table to divert desultory visitors who need distractions during cocktails (or to occupy a teenage visitor who has to sit with adults).

Now here are labyrinths of another type. Please chime in on what you know about this subject, but labyrinths date from Greek and Egyptian times and have been used in mythology, and later in the Christian church. They saw a full flowering in the 12 and 13th centuries, most notably in grand pavement labyrinths at gothic cathedrals like Chartres, Reims, and Amiens.

Wikipedia provides more information on the meanings of labyrinths.

Prehistoric labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (birth).

Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.

Many newly-made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, free of internal dialog. This is a form of meditation. Many people believe that meditation has health benefits as well as spiritual benefits.

There is a labyrinth locator available from the Labyrinth Society. This is a fun activity for the whole family. Less of a maze than programmed walked within borders, it can nonetheless provide focus for young brains and an alternate activity to other organized mayhem.

At first, I thought this was going to be a complicated “make your own Monopoly” set-up where you’d have to upload a bunch of photos and choose how they would be laid out on a board, before it created a custom-printed board for you. Actually, this is much different, and potentially more fun.

This Photo-opoly just provides you with the guts of a Monopoly board (playing pieces, deeds, specially titled “chance” cards). You supply the photos out of the shoebox, cut them to fit the boxes, and glue them on. It sounds like a big project, but promises to “unleash your creative genius” (if you have one lurking inside).

The Photo-opoly can be renamed around any theme you desire, but has to retain the “opoly” ending, likely for licensing reasons.

$30 from Photojojo.com .

I have to say that when my three and a half year old son opened this present on Christmas, I thought it was really a gift for a little baby. But it’s turned into one of his favorite toys.

When he first opened it, putting the puzzle together was a big endeavor that he always asked me to help him with. I don’t know how many times I’ve put this thing together, but I always sit with him a minute and try to think of another angle on the activity. At first, it was putting the numbers face up (they are only printed on one side), then we learned the order. Then I helped him count by repeating the sequence of the numbers, so he could fill in what comes next. We then advanced to number recognition, Greek prefixes (”octo means eight”), and today he surprised me by counting backwards. While he has learned how to count to ten (a not small achievement), I’ve relearned an important lesson on the value of sitting down with your kids and engaging with them even on something as seemingly infantile as this silly puzzle. The Imagiplay Number Snail is $20.

Postscript: my son walked into the room just now, saw this image on my screen, and exclaimed, “That’s my puzzle!”