Cool New Toys

Holy cow!  You should see the Exhibit Hall at the NAEYC annual conference.  Out.Of.Control.  Every single one of my favorite vendors and catalogs in one place-- Scholastic, Lakeshore, Trend, Lego, Environments, Discount School Supply, Constructive Playthings.  My credit card was trembling in fear the entire time because it knows I have a penchant for school supplies and toys.  Entering this place was euphoric.

In addition to my old favorites, I discovered a bunch of new great products that my students are going to love.

Boinks
You can tell that something is a hit when you have 30 middle-aged women crowded around a booth shouting, "Throw me one!" and "Over here!"  These fun little tubes spring into the air when you compress them.  But the real fun is the fact that they were invented by Joyce Murphy's children when they were tweens.  They were such a hit with her kids' friends 20 years ago that they have created an entire Boinks business.  I bought a tub of them with a free resource book that outlines curriculum ties for every area from science to art to literature.  Bring on Indoor Recess.  We're ready!

I Love You Rituals
Yesterday I blogged about my favorite session, which encouraged spending less time facing a screen and more time face-to-face with our kids.  One of the strategies for fostering eye contact, physical touch, and positive interactions in my classroom was to utilize these little "I Love You Rituals."  For example, we can sing a new version of "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" (because do we really want to teach our children that Peter couldn't keep his wife, so he put her in a pumpkin shell?!).  This new version has the kids high-fiving and hugging each other.  I have 50 new, great songs in my repertoire.

Dexter
Hand puppets, galore!  They were cheap (10 for $10), machine washable and easy to store.  We study community helpers in February, and I can't wait to give my students the opportunity to be creative with these at our puppet theater center.

Kodo Kids
This one was hands-down my favorite exhibitor.  They sell all these super-cool wooden toys (all made in the USA) aimed at encouraging young children to explore the world around them.  The inventor/CEO was there on site and was an enthusiastic champion for these toys.  Some day when I win the lottery, I will get the fabulous magnetic wall, the incredible outdoor water pump and ramps, and the kid-friendly grinder that we can use to make our own grains.

In the meantime, I am adding this balance to my shopping list.

What are your kids asking for this holiday season?  Do you have any ideas for great preschool toys that encourage kids to move, think and play?  Please share!