Toys by category from age 3 TOY REPORT 2013 YEARS● ANS Active Play JUNGLE CROQUET It’s a jungle out there! This croquet game comes with six colourful wickets shaped like cute little jungle animals, as well as four mallets, ALEX four balls, and six stakes. The game can be played indoors or out, and it 88J comes with easy-to-follow instructions for anyone who hasn’t played croquet before. While testers have a lot of fun with this active engaging 3 + toy, parents note that the bases are susceptible to breaking. It's also difficult to place the wickets in the bases. OGODISK - MEZO Who needs racquets? Now you can use hand-held foam sports disks with elastic nylon centres (like mini-trampolines). This playset includes a OGOSPORT (PLASMART) bouncy ball and two disks. Players can use the disks to bounce the ball SK001 back and forth or over a net. Disks can also be tossed like Frisbees. The disks are 39 centimetres (15 inches) in diameter and float on water, 3 + so they're great to take camping or to the beach. Testers have come up with many ways to play with the disks, with and without a variety of balls. Even adults get in on the fun. Parents say that this activity is great for developing coordination and promotes active outdoor play. It can be played alone or with someone else. OUTDOOR COLOURED Go bubble crazy with this exciting outdoor toy! The bubble machine BUBBLES MACHINE comes with three coloured bubble bottles (but will also work with regular CRAYOLA CANADA bubble mix). The machine has nine rotating wands that send a continuous stream of colourful bubbles floating into the air. Great for 55-3458 summer camps, birthday parties and backyard parties, this machine can entertain lots of kids at once. Testers are able to turn the machine on 3 + and off by themselves, but adults should probably help pour in the bubble liquid. Requires four "C" batteries. SLAP SHOTZ This toy includes two well-designed, hand-held blades of recycled plastic and a foam ball designed for indoor hockey. Young testers find STORTZ & ASSOCIATES the blades easier to use than traditional hockey sticks. Even children (STORTZ & ASSOICATES INC.) with little or no hockey experience easily pick up the required skill. WSBLUE, WSRED Parents appreciate the fact that the foam ball is safe for indoor use and the game encourages active play and improves hand–eye coordination. 3 + Most testers play goalie on goalie, taking shots on each other. Practising with handheld blades may even improve the wrist flick in budding hockey players. SPOONER BOARDS: This "board trainer" simulates board sports, such as skateboarding, FREESTYLE (24") snowboarding and surfing. They toy is designed to develop skills like SPOONER INC. (STORTZ & balance, core strength and coordination. The curved board is strong and ASSOCIATES INC.) solid and has raised edges and a gripping surface for feet. It can be used indoors or outside. The Spooner Board website has lots of ideas FR24 for tricks using the board, but most 3-year-old testers prefer to simply sit and spin and not use the toy very much. The 61 centimetre (24”) board 3 + is designed for kids less than 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall, but it has no weight restrictions. SQUEEZE ROCKET PARTY Squeeze the ball and your little foam rocket darts go flying! This party PACK pack comes with 2 squeeze balls and 10 colourful darts. Easy to use, PLASMART, INC. this toy appeals to a wide range of ages. Testers have lots of fun playing with it and showing it to their friends. The lightweight rockets can fly for quite a distance but are soft enough to not hurt or break anything, so this game can be played inside or out. 3 + December 06, 2012 © Canadian Toy Testing Council 2012 Page 1 of 14 Active Play STOMP ROCKET JR. GLOW Stomp on an air press to send a foam rocket shooting into the air! This lightweight rocket launcher can be aimed in any direction and creates D & L COMPANY (PLASMART an active, social game with immediate kid appeal. Because of the large INC.) distance rockets can travel, outdoor play is best – and it's a great way for kids to burn off energy. Our testers love jumping on the launch pad to send the rocket soaring. The launcher is easy to assemble and 3 + comes with four glow-in-the dark rockets. Great for birthday parties. Arts & Crafts ARTIST ON THE GO KIT For the budding artist, this environmentally friendly kit comes with a cotton carrying case, 12 soy-based crayons, 4 stencils, 2 pencils, a ruler BEGIN AGAIN (STORTZ & and a drawing pad. Easy to carry, with everything included, this kit can ASSOCIATES INC.) also be used in the car, in restaurants or at the cottage. Parents love BAA1101 how the materials spark creativity without much need for adult assistance, though some children may need help sharpening the 3 + pencils. Some may prefer to substitute their own crayons for the soy ones. CARS: LIGHTENING Punch out 12 laminated cardboard cars from the spiral-bound activity MCQUEEN BUILD & RACE book. Decorate the cars with the reusable stickers, snap on some KLUTZ INC. (SCHOLASTIC interchangeable wheels, and start the race! The book includes a CANADA) description of the various cars (Mater, Sally, Lightning McQueen, etc.); a fold-out, double-sided racing map; and a pop-up garage to store the cars. Testers have fun putting the cars together and racing them, although they prefer doing it on the floor because the map does not 3 + come out of the book or lie flat. They really like how well the plastic wheels roll around. Everything stores nicely in the book, so this toy is great for trips. CLOTHESPIN FARM Grow your own fun with this farm craft. Young crafters can use clothespins to create a farmer and his wife, a cow, a sheep, and a ALEX chicken. The kit comes with 10 clothespins, 52 stickers, 35 colourful 1511 cardboard shapes, a glue stick, and illustrated instructions. Pieces for each person and animal are individually packaged, so they're easy to 3 + find. Testers find it easy to assemble the characters. They love how quick and engaging the craft is, and they're happy with the end results. Several create imaginative farm scenarios after completing the craft. MY FIRST CREATIVE Create and display your own dinosaur art! With this collage craft, you COLLAGE: DINOS peel off different parts of the picture to reveal a sticky surface, and then ORB FACTORY you apply decorations – mini pompom balls, sparkles and foam bits – to create a colourful little dinosaur. Match colours and textures; no glue 65621 required. The frame folds down afterward for a polished finish. Easy to set up, this kit comes with all the supplies needed for three dinosaur 3 + pictures, plus plenty of extras. Pictures take about 30 minutes to complete and can be wall-mounted for display.The dinosaur theme appeals to both boy and girl testers. Parents note that this craft is an age-appropriate way to practise fine motor skills. With all the little bits, some parents prefer to do the craft outdoors. MY FIRST CREATIVE Create and display your own princess art! With this collage craft, you COLLAGE: PRINCESS peel off different parts of the picture to reveal a sticky surface, and then ORB FACTORY you apply decorations – mini pompom balls, sparkles and foam bits – to create colourful princesses. No glue is needed. The frame folds down 64853 afterward for a polished finish. Easy to set up, this kit comes with all the supplies needed for three princess pictures, including four foil sheets, 3 - 5 yrs plus plenty of extras. The princess theme really appeals to girl testers. They love this craft and like to decide whether to match the colour suggestions or make their own decisions about where to place the decorations. Younger testers (ages 3 to 4) may need help to complete the craft. With all the glitter, some parents prefer to do the craft outdoors. December 06, 2012 © Canadian Toy Testing Council 2012 Page 2 of 14 Arts & Crafts PIKO: CUPCAKE STAND Fun and yummy! This popular, cute toy includes a pretty wooden WOODEN BLOCKS cupcake stand (simple assembly) and 16 painted wooden cupcakes and BO-JEUX TOYS INC. other treats in a variety of shapes. Children can arrange cupcakes on the stand either by matching the shape or by matching the numbers 0245 painted on the bottom of each treat with the corresponding number on the stand. The cupcakes show great detail. Testers use these treats not 3 + only for sorting and arranging, but also for many doll tea parties and other imaginative play. The stand comes apart easily for storage. Canadian-made toy. PLAY DRAW CREATE: This attractive, eco-friendly princess art activity booklet contains PRINCESSES magnetic dry-erase pages, four dry-erase markers and two sheets of INNOVATIVE KIDS (THOMAS magnets, all self-stored and ready for creative fun. The booklet has a ALLEN & SON) great, innovative design and offers lots of variety. The activity appeals to little girl testers who like princesses. Cute magnets stimulate creative, IK-1036 imaginative play. Families find it works best as a tabletop activity so that testers can set the magnets aside and draw on the dry-erase board. 3 + Since it is so nice and compact, testers take it to places like restaurants and the doctor's office. PLAY DRAW CREATE: TRUCKS Create your own trucks and adventures! This activity booklet has magnetic dry-erase pages and comes with four dry-erase markers and INNOVATIVE KIDS (THOMAS two sheets of magnetic pieces – all self-stored and ready for creative ALLEN & SON) fun.