It came as no surprise to most parents when the New York Times reported yesterday that  that the “Baby Einstein” videos do not make children any smarter, and that the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for purchased videos. Indeed, in the last few years, the number of so-called educational toys that involve children interacting with a screen of some sort has grown enormously. You can now buy computer games for babies, and they even sell keyboards especially for toddlers.

I have to admit, we here at GIFT HERO are a little old-fashioned. Right now, we do not sell anything that involves a “screen” or keyboard. We believe that the best birthday gifts are actually games, puzzles, books, building sets, art kits, pretend play sets and toys that promote movement.  Our philosophy is that children will be delighted by great gifts that spark their creativity and challenge their brains.  We happen to believe that this is best accomplished by actual things that children can feel, hold and interact with.

However (of course I have to qualify this) we are not against “screen toys”. We allow our own children play computer and video games, of course. And of course my son Josh was delighted to receive a video game as a gift.

At this point we haven’t found anything for the “screen” that we would want to sell on GIFT HERO.  We are always trying to keep an open mind and look out for the best new stuff, so let us know if there is something we should check out.

Stay tuned…

It is no surprise to me that my former colleague Alicia Rockmore co-founded a company that helps women get organized. Many, many years ago, when I was literally fresh out of college, I had the privilege to work with Alicia, who was a little older, but a lot better organized! I remember marveling at the neatness of her office, and how she always seemed to know where everything was – she actually had a “system”. By contrast, my office had files and papers stacked one on top of the other, with no apparent rhyme or reason. I would often have a “general idea” of where a document or file would be. I hate to admit it, but I am still organizationally challenged.

A few months ago, I reconnected with Alicia and signed up to receive Buttoned Up’s weekly newsletter. In just a short time, it has proven to be invaluable. For example, when Buttoned Up did a piece on organizing and throwing out old makeup, it suddenly occurred to me that the breakouts on my face were probably due to the fact that I had been using the same blush and powder for far too long. I threw them out, and presto – problem solved.

So do yourself a favor and sign up for the Buttoned Up free weekly newsletter. It’s well worth it – I promise! They also have a Facebook page and post a Tip of the Day – so you can get your daily organizing fix!

The Magic School Bus is an incredible introduction to science for children.  The book series covers a wide range of subjects — with amazing detail and depth — in a way that is accessible and fun for young children.  The television program is wonderful as well.  It currently plays every morning at 8:00 and 8:30AM EST on Discovery Kids.  My DVR is full of episodes – and it is Benjamin’s current go-to show (which makes me feel way less guilty for allowing him to watch tv on a school day).  Ms. Frizzle, Arnold, Ralphie, Phoebe and the gang are almost part of our family.

When Lisa and I originally started GIFT HERO, we knew science kits were a terrific kids’ gift for boys and girls ages 5 and up.  The Magic School Bus Kits were among the first products we knew we had to carry.  They have been very popular and we have added to our selection since our launch.  My personal favorite is Magic School Bus: Journey Into the Human Body.  In this kit, Ms. Frizzle and her students take young scientists on a wild ride into the human body.  Kids bend bones, make joints, map taste buds, expand lungs, build a stethoscope, measure lung capacities and heart rates, perform the iodine starch test, spin glitter, simulate synovial fluid, create a human body poster, and much, much more. Includes a life-size poster and 8 sheets of body part stickers.

Other Magic School Bus kits we carry are Soaring Into Flight and Going Green.

How cute are these new kids’ birthday party invitations designed by Alphamom and available on Pingg?  I have stopped using paper invitations, mostly because it is better for the environment. Alphamom and Pingg have partnered together to offer these hip and edgy new designs. I think I will have to use the Princess one pictured here for Maya’s party.

What’s more, you can use these designs for free. Here’s the link to check them out for yourself

Benjamin has never been very interested in arts and crafts.  It takes a lot to get him to sit still and do a project at home.  I think many boys are like this.  I see it when he has friends over for playdates.  The girls want to “color.”  The boys want to run around, play superheroes or Star Wars, build huge structures, or race cars around the house.

That’s why Monster Trucks Custom Shop from Creativity for Kids is an awesome kids’ gift for boys 5 and up.  It’s a craft project – boys design their own monster trucks with paint and cool metallic stickers.  Then, they can play with their creations to their hearts’ delight — the trucks are designed to race, roll and flip across almost any smooth surface.  No batteries are necessary, just pull back and go! 

The kit comes with 4 monster trucks, brightly colored acrylic paint, a paintbrush and lots of stickers.  The trucks are very durable and will provide years of fun.  Benjamin recieved the kit as a Hanukkah gift a few years ago and the trucks are still racing strong!

I am a big fan of the New Victory Theater.  My family has attended numerous shows over the years.  In fact, we are seeing The Man Who Planted Trees tomorrow afternoon.  This theater has incredible programming for children and their families.  The thought and care that goes into selecting and planning each show and associated educational programs is astounding.  (Ok…full disclosure, I do some volunteer work to support the theater).

The New Victory Theater is celebrating its 14th season in 2009-2010.  In conjunction with this “anniversary,” they are running a very simple fundraising campaign called 14 Season 14 Reasons.  Basically, they are asking every theatergoer to donate $14 to help them reach their goal of $42,000 in new and increased donations by June 30, 2010.  I’m certainly donating to help this wonderful and necessary organization…click here to join me and make your own, small but very meaningful, contribution.

We recently sold our apartment and moved into a small temporary, furnished rental  while we look for something new to buy.  Benjamin calls it the “hotel” because it kind of looks like a suite in a Marriott.  We really had to pare down the amount of “stuff” we brought with us.  Most of what we own went into storage.

A big discussion for Benjamin was how many of his toys he could bring with him.  He actually doesn’t have that many toys (especially for a kid whose mom co-owns a business selling childrens’ birthday gifts) but we spent quite a bit of time homing in on a fun subset.  One of my criteria for this was easy to stack on the limited shelf space in his room.  Puzzles and games won out here as they don’t take up much space. 

The Dragonology 100-piece puzzle from Mudpuppy was high on both of our lists.  It’s based on Ernest Drake’s Dragonology Handbook (also available at GIFT HERO…and we sell a set with the book and the puzzle).  It’s perfect for a 6 year-old boy both because of the size of the pieces and puzzle (finished puzzle is 18″x12″) as well as for its subject matter.  The puzzle’s pieces are stored in a small hinged storage tin so it is self-contained and totally stackable.

Some of his other choices (that are also sold at GIFT HERO) are Zoob 125 building set, the incredibly fun Kids on Stage game, and Clics Primary 175. 

Hopefully, we won’t be here for too long (our lease is 3mos and then month-to-month).  The good thing is he will be excited to get all the rest of his toys back when we move into a permanent place and, for awhile, they will seem new again!

There’s nothing like Central Park in October. I can’t wait to get out there this weekend and play in the leaves with the kids. I hope it is chilly enough for our fall jackets and some hot cider too.

This photo here is from a series of amazing note cards with gorgeous, original fall images.  They are available on etsy.com at the brand new BrownEyeBlue store. They are sold individually or in packs of three. Perfect for birthday cards or thank you notes, or whatever!

I can’t believe I am planning Maya’s 6th Birthday. My little girl is really  growing up!

This year, Maya decided that she would like to have a tea party birthday at our house and invite a handful of friends. My mother is loaning us her “real” tea china for this party, which has Maya very excited!

But we still need paper goods  - so just today Maya and I ordered these personalized cupcake napkins from Plum Party. They are going to say “Maya’s Sweet 6″.  They had lots of cool designs for both adults and children to choose from on the site and Maya selected this one.

I’ll be blogging a lot more about Maya’s birthday so stay tuned!

We’re not surprised that the Green Toys Recycling Truck won the Toy of the Year from Family Fun magazine.  Not only is it an awesome truck that is great for both indoor and outdoor play, but it also helps kids learn recycling basics with it’s three separate compartments for plastic, metal and paper. Plus, like all Green Toys products, the recycling truck is made from advanced environmentally friendly materials. No wonder Green Toys was named Green Toy Company of the Year by Dr. Toy.

The Recycling Truck makes a perfect birthday gift for a 3 or 4 year old boy.