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Hot Holiday Toys for Children and AdultsBy Paula Green
For the young there is the ever-popular plush stuffed animals that contain a secret code for the child for access onto the Internet website which unleashes a mystery code. This craze was started in 2005 by the Ganz gift company with the release of Webkinz, which are still very popular today. A new version called Shining Stars has been introduced by the Russ Berie Inc. Toy Company in partnership with the International Star Registry. When an individual purchases a plush animal, they can log onto the website and name a star in the cosmos. The name given to the star is officially recorded in book form with the United States Copyright office. For the little tikes on your list, the trend-setter in educational toys is from Baby Genius. Also, those fun-loving Sesame Street characters T.M.X. Elmo, T. M.X. Ernie and T.M.X. Cookie Monster are a smash. Dolls are also prominent – Hannah Montana from the Disney hit series, Barbie Girls, Amazing McKayla, Amazing Allysen, Bratz Dolls for 2007, and also the 2007 Holiday Collector Barbie. FurReal Friends, Legos Mindstorms, Pleo Dinosaur, Kid Tough Digital Camera, Nintendo DS, R/C Spy Video Car and Digi Makeover all make the “hot” toy list this year, as well as the robotic toys iDog, iCat and iFish. And of course it goes without saying that popular movies create popular toys such as: Spiderman 3, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Shrek the Third, Harry Potter, The Simpsons, CARS, Ratatouille, and High School Musical. Some other hot items include: American Idol Talent Challenge, Eye-clops, Heelys Roller Shoes, Nerf-N-Strike, Disc Shot, PlayStation3, Rubik’s Revolution, Spotz, Swypeout Online Battle Racing, MP3 player, and the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Do you feel like your child is not getting enough exercise? Well, how about investing in the Smart Cycle from Fisher Price? Smart Cycle is a stationary bicycle that your child sits on and pedals while playing a video game. So the child is exercising and learning at the same time. Don’t forget about the adults on your wish list. (Yes, they like toys too!) Some cool gadgets for mom and dad include: iPod, PS3, Xbox 360 Elite, the Apple iPhones, VCamNow, GPS for the car, or Garmin StreetPilot, Satellite Radio devices for the car, and on the high-ticket end Plasma T.V. A hugely popular toy for all ages is the NintendoWii. This interactive home video game console is the direct successor to the GameCube. Stores simply can’t keep this item in stock; they fly off the shelves as fast as they come in. How about some family fun? Well, there is always the: Outdoor Movie Screen Airblown, Polaroid 7” Two-Screen Car DVD Player w/Game Controller & Built-in games, Portable DVD players, and Family Trivia Game. You’ve got to get these items while they are hot and still sizzlin’ (if you can find them!) Or if you miss the boat, try eBay or perhaps you can purchase some of those nostalgic, classic toys from yesteryear. Happy shopping and enjoy the holiday season! How to Make Some Inexpensive OrnamentsBy Janice Lane Palko
The first recipe is for cinnamon dough ornaments. These are great because they require no baking and are fragrant. Cinnamon Dough Ornaments Ingredients: 1-½ Cups Ground Cinnamon Mix the cinnamon, applesauce and glue together in a bowl. It should have the consistency of cookie dough. If it is too hard, add a tiny bit of water until you get the right consistency. Knead the dough until smooth. Roll out the dough between waxed paper to a thickness of 1/8 to ¼ inch. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. This dough, since it is cinnamon colored, is especially nice for teddy bears, gingerbread people and camels, etc. Make sure to poke a hole in the ornament so that you can thread a ribbon through it and hang the ornament. Place the ornaments on wax paper, and set them aside to dry. It will take three to five days for them to dry. Turn the ornaments daily to keep the edges from curling. The ornaments will shrink while drying. The second recipe is for salt dough ornaments. This dough is nice because it can be rolled flat or used like modeling clay. Salt Dough Ornaments Ingredients: 2 Cups of Flour
Mix salt and flour. Add half the water, then gradually add the remaining water. Knead until the dough is smooth. It can take several minutes. You can make shapes or roll the dough out to use with cookie cutters. If you roll the dough out, do so on baking paper. Remember to put a hole in the dough for the ribbon so you can hang the ornament. Bake at 325 degrees for 1-½ hours or until dry. When cool, you can paint with acrylic paints or glue on decorations. Coating them with an acrylic varnish will preserve your creations. This dough is ideal for making ornaments from your children’s handprints. Just roll out a circle about a half inch thick and that is larger than your child’s palm. Have the child press their hand firmly into the dough. Don’t forget to date the ornament so that every year when you bring out this treasure, you can measure how much your child has grown. |
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T’is the season for shopping and buying up
all of those
hot holiday toys. So what is the craze for this year for
children and adults?
When my kids were very
young and I wanted to convince
them that I was
“super mom,” I thought it would be
nice if we made a gingerbread house
together. Well, let’s just say my creation
turned out looking like a gingerbread
home that was hit by Hurricane
Katrina. A few years later, I did purchase
one of those pre-made gingerbread
house kits, and we had a great
time assembling and decorating it.
However, it did require about five
hours to complete. For those wanting
to bond with a loved one over a holiday
craft that doesn’t take up too much
of that precious holiday time, below
are two simple recipes for ornaments
that you can make that are inexpensive
and fun. No matter how your ornaments
turn out, remember to enjoy
yourself because you’re making more
than ornaments, you’re making memories.
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