I really don’t know what it is about little boys and superheroes. At 4 years old, Benjamin was obsessed with them. Now at 5, he’s still into Batman. Pretty much every boy finds superheroes compelling, wants to know their origin stories, plays with their action figures, watches them on tv, and makes them the focus of pretend play (big activity on the playground at nursery school).

The Superhero Starter Kit from Klutz makes an awesome birthday gift for the young fanatic. I gave this to the boys in Benjamin’s class when they turned 4. It includes a durable shiny red cape, various masks, emblems, and wristbands plus stickers to decorate them. There’s a book with instructions, tips and advice to help them set free their inner hero.

My favorite things about this gift is that it isn’t “affiliated” with any specific superhero – it gives boys the tools to create their own characters and stories and let their imaginations run wild. Benjamin created The Rothmans and even wrote a story about our super family…saving NYC from a villian named Bubbles the Imperial Bad Guy who was breaking apart Lexington Avenue! Needless to say, we saved the day and NYC is again a safe place to live.

All kids love bubbles. From the earliest age, they marvel as the bubbles emerge from a wand and giggle as they learn to pop them. It’s a rite of summer. We all have so many of those leaky bottles of soapy water with missing wands around our homes.

How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievable BIG BUBBLES from Klutz takes bubble blowing to a whole new level. This is an award winning kit that includes what Klutz calls the “Bubble Thing.” The Bubble Thing is a gizmo that makes bubbles that are seriously as big as a car! The book has directions for creating all sorts of bubble shapes and sizes, explains the science of bubbles and has amazing colorful photos.

This is a great gift for a summer birthday. It is also fabulous to bring as a housewarming gift when visiting family or friends. I keep one at my house for when we have kids over and they tell me they are “bored.” It’s guaranteed to keep kids busy and running around outside for hours. It’s recommended for boys and girls ages 8 and up but will also appeal to the child in everyone.

My mom just bought this awesome Slice & Bake Cookie Set by Melissa & Doug for a 3 year old girl. It is one of my personal favorites! I love it because it comes complete with everything to “bake cookies” – “cookies” in a slice and bake tin and the stuff to decorate them, a baking pan, cutting tool, spatula and mitt. Lots of food play sets come with only food or only accessories, making them not an ideal gift because you may not know whether or not the child in question has the rest of the stuff they need. That’s why the Slice & Bake Cookie Set makes an ideal gift.

I also love that the cookies and tools are made from wood, not plastic. It gives it a real old fashioned feel. My 5 year old daughter Maya played with this at a friend’s house last year. The two girls were busy for over an hour “making cookies” and serving them to their array of guests (dolls).

If you are looking for other gifts that go well with this set, check out Birthday Party and Tea Set.

As a parent, I love “go-to” toys. You know, those toys your child goes back to again and again. Benjamin has many of these and one of our favorites is the Gears! Beginner’s Building Set from Learning Resources.

The Gears! Beginner’s Building Set is also one of those toys that grows with a child. Benjamin received this as a birthday gift when he turned 3. He is now 5 1/2 and it is still fun for him. At 3, he used the brightly colored sturdy gears, pillars, connectors and cranks to build simple flat moving creations and marveled as the interconnected gears made one another move. As he got older, he learned to create 3-dimensional, moving masterpieces that spun and twirled. Gears! is a great way for children to experiment with simple mechanics plus, there are many ways to build so they can make something different every time. At GIFT HERO we recommend Gears! as a wonderful gift for boys and girls ages 3 and up.

Benjamin is finished with school and played with his Gears! for awhile this morning. It kept him quiet, engaged and occupied which is a win-win for everyone. I wonder what he will “go-to” tomorrow?

A few minutes after we left this movie today, my 5 year old daughter said ” Love should be one of the senses.” She continued, “The heart – it feels.”

I was floored because it felt true. Leave it to kids to come up with the things that we adults can never conjure up in our own minds. To embellish a bit on Maya’s 5 year old attempt at a philosophical pronouncement, I think that after seeing UP, and seeing how much the old man loved his wife, Maya concluded that the human heart (LOVE) acts like one of the 5 senses in giving us information that we then use to shape our actions.

So now we have decided that in our our family, LOVE will be one of the senses. Thanks, Maya, for teaching me and opening my eyes to hidden truths. UP with LOVE!

We just returned from our trip to London with 5yo Benjamin. It was amazing – it is such a kick to see a city you love through the eyes of a child. Benjamin was a terrific tourist. We walked for miles. He was captivated by everything we saw. He has become a “student” of the monarchy (Henry VIII is his favorite king) and is so interested in the history and all of the major sites. London is still a pretty expensive city but the exchange rate has moved in our favor. Museums are most free and many of the other sites charge significantly reduced fees for young children.

• Here are some of his (and our) favorite sites and activities:
• Tower of London is a must (we went twice). There is so much to see including the truly spectacular crown jewels.
• St. Paul’s Cathedral. Climb up as high as you can go (it was open up to the middle when we went – 267 steps). The views of the city are incredible.
• The London Eye. Built by British Airways for the millenium. A 30-minute ride on a “ferris wheel.” (That’s Benjamin and me on the Eye).
• The Science Museum. I think this is the best museum for children…anywhere. There is an exhibit on space with all sorts of relics from NASA. The Launchpad exhibit explains the science of how things work in simple and interactive ways.
• The Natural History Museum. Dinsoaurs, rocks, pretty typical stuff but presented in a user-friendly way and the building is gorgeous.
• The Tower Bridge. Walk across the Thames on this historic bridge and climb up the stairs to walk across the top level and learn about bridges.
• The British Museum. Benjamin is fascinated by ancient Egypt and this museum has one of the best exhibits of mummys anywhere!
• Hamleys. I don’t usually recommend toy stores but this is a don’t miss. It is almost 250 years old and while they sell lots of stuff you can get at home (some from GIFT HERO) they also have their own line of science toys and great souveniers of London.
• The chocolate bars. The Brits do candy better than we do. Two of Benjamin’s favorites are Wispa and Twirl.
• Take the tube or the bus (all are double decker and the view from upstairs is great). Do take at least one ride in a real London Taxi. Young kids ride free on the tube and bus.

Next year, Benjamin has already decided, we are going to Paris!

At GIFT HERO, we care about the environment and try to do our part to reduce waste. That is why we offer reusable gift bags made from 100% recycled milk jugs. We also use minimal amounts of recycled paper inside of our shipping boxes and offer free shipping over $75 – in part to encourage people to order larger shipments to reduce the number of deliveries and therefore, gas used by delivery trucks.

We also offer products manufactured by Green Toys – a company dedicated to making and selling environmentally friendly products like this Sand Play Set. Like all Green Toys products, this product is made from advanced environmentally friendly materials, helping to reduce fossil fuel use and co2 emissions.

We also sell these other products made by Green Toys: Gardening Set, Recycling Truck and the Tea Set. In addition, we sell the Magic School Bus Science Kit Going Green, which teaches children about recycling through fun experiments, and the new book 10Things I Can Do To Help by World, published by Candlewick Press. AT GIFT HERO, there is bound to be a “green toy” for any child on your birthday list.

Last night, Josh went to his first ever MLB game – Yankees vs. Rays. He went with a large group of his second grade classmates, as well as his Grandma and Poppy. According to Josh, the most exciting play of the game was Swisher’s two run homer in the fourth.

Josh loves sports and would like to be the next Bob Costas when he grows up. Somehow, I think he fits the part!

Check out the new Yankee Stadium online - it looks amazing! If you can’t get tickets to a game, try a tour of the stadium. The Classic Tour lasts 45 minutes to one hour and includes visits to the New York Yankees Museum, Monument Park and the dugout. Guests will pass through the batting cages and Yankees clubhouse area before ending the tour in the Great Hall near the team store. This is next to do on Josh’s list!

GIFT HERO officially grew up today by adding our 8-10 year old category to our site. My son Josh turns 8 later this year, and it was time we offered gifts just right for his friends (and yours)!

Since it is summer (almost), we have added lots of great outdoor toys that are perfect for this age group, including Boochie, pictured here. One of my personal favorites is Surfergirl Beach Beads. When I was a child, I loved collecting shells and making jewelry – this kit lets kids do that in a much more sophisticated way -using real shells! Another fave is the Make Monstrous Bubbles kit by Klutz. This kit really does make incredibly huge bubbles and kids think it is so cool to read about all of the different ways they can make huge bubbles.

We also offer plenty of indoor toys too – classic games like Rush Hour and Scrambled States of America, science kits, puzzles and art kits.

If you are one of those NYC parents who are stressed about getting their kids into ongoing private schools, then read this post!

A dear friend of mine, Jennifer Brozost, and her business partner Vimmi Shroff, have launched PEAS, private education advisory service. Vimmi and Jennifer are former private school admissions professionals with over 15 years of experience in New York City’s top private schools.

What I think people will find very appealing about Jennifer and Vimmi is that they both just completed the admissions process last year for their own children. They have seen the process from both sides, they are uniquely positioned to advise and counsel families.

For more information about PEAS, visit their website at www.nypeas.com.