By Ofelia Almedina, Founder, Living in Two Languages
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

As a kid I was always excited about back to school. It was a thrill returning to the classroom with teachers and classmates. My birthday in September always felt extra-special, with textbook distribution happening around the same time. In middle school we spent more time in the hallways, racing from room to room. I noticed everyone else seemed taller, perhaps because of the October 31 cutoff date for registration. In high school I did well on the standardized college tests, and one of New Jersey’s most prestigious schools even offered me a scholarship. My parents and teachers encouraged me to accept. Instead, I went to vocational school and got a job.

A few years after joining the workforce, I had my daughter. Not long after, she went to a babysitter and then daycare. When she was in daycare our city announced plans for an early learning program. There was one catch: it would be a half-day program. I moved to a new city with a full-day schedule and after-school program inside the school building. While this got my daughter into a daily routine, it did nothing to stop all the changes: homework, group projects, holidays off, summer vacation, internet research, planning for high school and college. It didn’t seem so complicated when I was in school.

This past year, my teen applied to the culinary program at a technical high school. Weeks passed, and she got a one-page letter instead of an admission packet. Unlike the stereotype, she cheered for joy. “Yay! I’m so happy, at least they sent something back.” She is currently debating whether to apply next year to this same school, or perhaps apply to culinary school after high school.

My daughter’s persistent enthusiasm for school reawakened mine. Truthfully, shopping for school supplies has always been my favorite. My assortment of pens and tote bags is nearly infamous in my social circle, rivaled only by my zest for research. As a result, it surprised almost none of my friends and relatives when at the end of July I applied for college. The weeks have flown by as I took my placement exam, met with an advisor to set up my schedule, finalize registration, get a student ID, attend orientation, meet the student body president, secure financial aid, visit the bookstore, organize books by day and class.

My first day is before Labor Day, and my teen’s first day is just after Labor Day. Our war chest includes red notebooks and folders for her, blue for me, in a neutral corner with report covers, presentation binders, highlighters and mechanical pencils. Her bag is packed with a Zip-It pencil pouch, LockerMate locker shelf and Mead student planner. These were nonnegotiable items, like the graphing calculator requested by her school.

While establishing our new school routine, my teen and I have begun to plan our first-day outfits. We still have to set up our study/homework space, which makes me think of a favorite quote from “You’ve Got Mail” as Tom Hanks’ character enjoys the change of seasons.

Joe Fox: Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils …

xxxxx

DISCLOSURE: I got the Zip-It, LockerMate and Mead items as review items from Staples.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Tara Bucci, Founder, Baby-Momma Blog
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

It’s that time of year again and families all over are heading to the beach. We head to the shore every weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Yes, I confess, I’m a confirmed beach bum but have realized that heading to the beach with your baby is a lot more work than heading there with just your husband or significant other. Before heading to the sand with your little ones in tow, plan an agenda. Having all the essentials is a great way to make the day on the beach a happy and healthy one. First things first, make sure to lather your children with sunscreen about a half hour to an hour before you head out into the sun. This allows the sunscreen to penetrate the skin and begin to work. Applying every two hours after the first application is recommended by the professionals. Below is a list of my top five beach baby must haves to make your day at the beach a more enjoyable, relaxing and memorable one.

Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen

Huggies Little Swimmers Diapers

UV Protected Sun Umbrella

UV Skinz Bathing Suits

Lil’ Nursery Tent

After reading my top five I’m sure there are a ton more myself and other moms reading this could add but these are my top 5 I try not to forget. I’m hoping this post helps those who are pregnant or heading to the beach or pool with their little ones for the first time. If you come visit me over at Babymommablog you see a ton of product reviews, video’s of products and our adventures and my experience as a mom. Thanks for reading!

Tara “AKA” Baby-Momma

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Kimberly Coleman, Founder, Mom in the City
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

There is nothing quite like city playgrounds. They are an entirely different animal than the suburban playgrounds that I grew up on. There is a lot of craziness and chaos, but along with that comes a lot of fun for the kids. Since most city kids don’t have backyards, city parks and playgrounds fill that role. This is where you will see the kids running and playing in order to release their pent-up energy from being cooped up inside the close quarters of home, school and such. It is also the place to see the hottest toys on display. Over the last week or so, I have been observing the warm-weather toys that the city kids are enjoying in addition to the slides, swings and jungle gyms. Below, are the top five:

1. Bubbles: It turns out that simple bubbles are synonymous with outdoor fun regardless of physical location.

2. Balls: Like bubbles, balls are a playground staple. There are kids playing with all types of balls including basketballs and handballs. Lately, I have been taking a Maui Toys’ Sky Ball to the neighborhood playground and many of the kids have a blast seeing who can bounce it the highest.

3. Water toys: There is usually a sprinkler at each playground. Water balloons and water buckets (to douse the slides…and one another) are the two most popular water accessories at the playgrounds that I have visited.

4. Sidewalk chalk: I don’t know if the kids are supposed to use it on public sidewalks or not, but sidewalk chalk is a staple.

5. Ride-on toys: You will see the occasional pair of skates or rollerblades depending on the playground. However, bikes and scooters – of all colors and styles – are a mainstay. As such, I’m especially excited for my oldest son to try out the Street Surfing’s Whiplash Scooter this summer. I know that he will love it.

If you are a city parent, is there a popular toy in your area that I missed?

*Disclosure: I have received the Sky Ball and Whiplash Scooter to review in the past.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Tina Traver, Founder, Ride on Toys For Sale
You can also follow her on Twitter

When the summertime comes, what better toy is there for your child to play with than a fantastic ride-on toy? These toys allow your child to go out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather while having fun on their new toy. There are many different types of ride-on toys of course, and choosing the right one can be a task in itself. Here are our top four picks for this summer:

A Pushbike – This isn’t a new toy at all, in fact it has been around for hundreds of years, but they’re still as popular as ever. It doesn’t matter what age your child is or whether they’re male or female, there are pushbikes available for everyone and you can be sure that your child will have a great amount of fun with one. Depending on your child’s age, you may choose to opt for one with stabilizers to keep your child more balanced while they’re riding it. Of course, there are many different styles of pushbikes available and many different colors, meaning that you can certainly find one to suit your child.

Rocking Horse – These are great toys for children, especially if your child is of a younger age group. These toys can be enjoyed both inside the house and outside, meaning that you can enjoy that fantastic summer weather when it finally comes. These toys are also extremely safe as they are static and stay in one place, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t fun!

Motorbike – If you have a boy, then one of the best toys you could buy them is probably a motorbike. With some of the ride-on motorbike toys, your child will really feel like they are riding a motorcycle. Some of these toys are modeled on real motorbikes so they can be extremely realistic.

Fire Truck – A lot of children love fire engines, so what better toy could there be than a ride-on fire truck? Your child will have hours of fun with one of these toys pretending to be a fireman or fire lady.

So there we have it, some of the best ride-on toys for your child this summer. We are sure that whichever one you choose, your child will have copious amounts of fun.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Sherry Artemenko, MA, CCC, Founder, Play On Words
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

Great toys encourage creative play, building skills in many areas—but let’s talk language. Certain features in a toy promote language learning and pretend play. What toys stimulate a story in a child’s mind, start him weaving a tale, engaging in dialogue and solving problems?

One of my favorite play sets to illustrate the features that set apart an exceptional toy for language learning is Playmobil’s new Wildlife Care Station.

When choosing toys to generate language, look for:

1. Plenty of people, animals or characters to animate and start the conversation going. Between two and three years of age, children will take on the voice of a character, engaging in conversation with the safari leader or even a rhino. With an assortment of animals, including a family of cheetahs, and rangers, children have a gang to communicate with and build their conversational skills.
2. Moving parts—doors that open and close, revealing compartments for hiding, capturing or keeping safe. The Care Station has windows, a door, crate, fence, Murphy bed and even a laptop computer that open and close, providing movement to vary a child’s play and story. Pull the bed down and the ranger’s office becomes a bedroom, or push it up to the wall, and he’s back in business in his office stocked with the computer, desk, and moveable shelves to hold supplies.
3. Flexible props for changing the storyline with each play date. Fences connect to build a large pen for injured animals or become a small holding station for the babies. A lantern can be hung on the station to light up the night or carried in the ranger’s hand for evening watch. Rub the bruised zebra’s leg and the redness disappears or apply a cast or re-usable Band-Aid for a speedy recovery. Now he is ready to be released to the wild.
4. Props in different categories to encourage expanding the story. A flashlight, binoculars, camera, maps and walkie-talkies support ranger duties, while casts, bandages, scissors, bottles and medicine assist the medical theme. Containers for food, water and bathing advance the commentary about animal care.

Step up the language learning as you become more discerning in choosing toys to encourage your little storytellers.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Lisa Kothari, Founder, Peppers and Pollywogs
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

It’s summer, and that means it’s time for some fun in the sun. Summer is such an easy season for a kid’s party for several reasons: good weather means you can take the fun outdoors and summer vacations with school being out mean there is less pressure to invite absolutely everyone.  Keep the following important tips in mind when planning your summer parties:

Feel free to limit your guest list.

It’s a great season to not invite everyone because everyone won’t be around. Invite the number of guests that works best for your time and budget. Then send the invitations to those who are in town.

Expect an extra guest or two.

As people may be returning from vacation and receiving your invitation late (even after the RSVP date), expect that some guests you haven’t heard from may just show up.

Parties may fall on weekdays during this time of year.

Given that people often have more flexible schedules during the summer, you may find that parties fall on weekdays or even weeknights. If your child and your schedule can accommodate this, that’s great, but don’t feel pressure if you can’t.

Make a plan B in case of rain.

Often summer parties take place outdoors. If you are throwing your party outdoors, make an alternative plan in case of rain. Make sure that at least some of the activities you have planned can be done indoors or you have a general idea of other activities that will fill the time.

Make sure to plan time for free play.

Given the nice weather and the chance to simply be together with friends, do not fill the entire party with activities. Make some time for fun free play in the yard, or park if you are there. The kids will want to play together, and scheduling free play into the party is a perfect way to handle this.

If it’s a particularly sunny day, make sure the kids are wearing sunscreen.

When the guests arrive at your party, have a bottle of sunscreen available for them to slather on before they head out into the sun. It’s a great precaution to take if the kids will be outside for the entire party.

Happy summer party season! Enjoy.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Tara Rison, Founder, Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms and The Itty-Bitty Bookworm
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

It is widely agreed upon that one of the most important factors that contributes to a child’s success in reading are his or her early experiences with literacy. Since a child’s first teachers are parents, it is important for parents to offer their children many positive experiences with books and reading.

The following are some tried and true ways to help you succeed in raising your child to become a bookworm:

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Zippy Sandler, Founder, Champagne Living
You can also follow her on Twitter and The Review Broads

On April 27 in New York City I had the opportunity to meet up with some old friends and make a lot of new ones at the Time to Play Spring Showcase. Thanks to Time to Play Magazine, I won an all-expense-paid trip to the Big Apple to see what’s new in toys this spring and summer season.

I was so happy to run into old friends like Playmobil, Mega Brands and Hasbro, as well as Lego and Mattel who have continued to make the classics year after year. Of course it being 2010, there are a few new twists. For example: remember that sidewalk chalk that we grew up playing with? Well, don your 3D glasses and watch as your children’s artwork POPS off of the driveway right before your very eyes.

It wouldn’t be summer fun without bubble soap, squirt guns and swing sets. Little Kids, Inc. has made it safe AND fun for your little ones to play with bubble soap, with their no-spill containers and fun bubble makers, while Hasbro’s iconic Super Soakers now BLAST water with one pump. Backyard Discovery playsets will have your kids inviting the neighborhood friends over to swing and slide all summer long.

Of course there are always new friends to make and it was a PLEASURE to meet them. Everyone will enjoy growing insects from caterpillars into butterflies and I know that our WHOLE family can’t wait to play with Spin Master’s Air Hog as it hovers and responds to your movements.

It’s not just the little ones who want to be outside playing on a beautiful day. Your older children will love Street Surfing on the new Whiplash Scooter. For the younger ones there are still backyard pools and funnoodles from Jakks Pacific, as well as balls that will bounce up to 75 feet from Maui Toys, and the classic T-Ball game takes on technology from EA Sports and Toy Island.

With the upcoming summer movies, you can bet that there will be plenty of licensed toys that are both collectible as well as interactive from movies such as The A-Team, Toy Story 3 and Iron Man.

This is going to be an EXCITING summer for toys and fun. I can’t wait to get out there and PLAY… I mean, I can’t wait to get out there and play with the kids.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

By Elizabeth Edwards, Founder, Table for Five
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

Here in Michigan, it’s finally warm and sunny enough to spend afternoons outside, which means it’s time for me to drag the outdoor toys out of the garage onto the patio. Over the last thirteen years of being a mom, I’ve learned that when it comes to outdoor toys, the rules are simple – keep the toys simple, washable and inexpensive.

For impromptu excursions to the park or the beach, I like to have a plastic tote in the trunk of my van with plastic shovels and sand pails as well as a Frisbee and a soccer ball.   I check dollar stores first for all of these items, and then I check discount stores like Target or Wal-Mart as well as the seasonal section of our local grocery superstore.

I’m a big fan of plastic sandboxes which are widely available this time of year. My boys had a green one shaped like a turtle that they played in for years. I recommend buying one that comes with a cover so that stray cats won’t mistake it for a litter box!   Bags of sand meant for play are sold at home improvement stores like Home Depot.

For playing in the backyard, toys I like to keep on hand include jump ropes, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk and bubbles.  There are recipes available online for homemade bubbles, but I usually buy the large jugs.  I have a plastic dishpan that I picked up at a thrift store, and I pour the bubble solution into that and then drop in an assortment of bubble wands that I’ve saved from the jugs.  It’s messy but hands are easy to wash and kids of all ages love playing with bubbles!

Finally, it’s a good idea to have a storage container big enough to hold your outdoor toys. I like large plastic-lidded storage bins, which are cheaper during back-to-school sales. You can also use laundry baskets or even kitchen-sized wastebaskets, whatever you can find. The benefit of these is that they are easy to clean and built-in handles make them easy to transport from the garage to the yard and back.

I find it’s easier to get kids interested in playing outside when you provide them with toys that are just for outdoor play. Pick them up here and there as you see good prices, get a storage container to hold them all, and then get outside and have fun!

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger