| “It is a happy talent to know how to play.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson Above: Build-Your-Own KaleidoscopeThis STEM kit is an exciting two-part project for a young artists and scientists. Step-by-step instructions show how to construct a working kaleidoscope, which is then used to create an impressive outer space–themed light show. The instructions are illustrated, detailed, straightforward, and easy to follow. Ages seven and older. Use code SHOPEARLY at checkout for 20% off.
HURRY!!! CODE EXPIRES ON NOVEMBER 9TH. Hedgehog Prickly Sticks This game is a twist on the classic pick-up sticks. A roll of the die determines what color stick must be ever so carefully removed from the bunch. As each stick is removed, the balancing hedgehog will become more and more unsteady, and when it drops, the game is over. | Play with Matisse Activity Kit Jump into the bold and bright world of Henri Matisse, one of history’s most playful artists, as you make a paper masterpiece inspired by the artist. This is an innovative and original craft kit that will be enjoyed by adults as much as children. | Giant Plane Kite This giant, yellow airplane kite with a bright red nose is light and simple to handle, takes off easily, and makes an original and joyful gift for all ages. Recommended for ages five years and up. | Giant Butterfly Kite Kites have been around for thousands of years in many different cultures around the world. This unique, festiv kite is a perfect way to get kids away from screens and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors! | Bugtastic Bingo Butterfly, ladybug, dragonfly—what’s your child’s favorite bug to spot in the garden? This classic family game of bingo has been reinvigorated with lively, colorful illustrations. Children and their adults immerse themselves in the world of insects, eagerly waiting to yell out “BINGO!” | Explore Microscope Set with Case Explore the world on a cellular level with this forty-five piece microscope set. Accessories include collection/prepping tools, prepared and blank slides, a shrimp hatchery, a sturdy case, and more. Ages eight and up. | Decoder Jigsaw Puzzle with Eyeglasses MasksThis delightful 100-piece puzzle for ages four and up comes with a fun payoff: once it is completed, the puzzle workers don the special animal masks to discover hidden objects printed on the puzzle that are invisible to the naked eye. | Planetarium ProjectorExplore space and the night skies on the ceiling and walls of a room. This projector illuminates a darkened room by casting projections of the stars in the night sky and space-themed images, turning any room into a planetarium theater. | Paper Maché Bowls Craft Kit This kit comes with everything needed to make two bowls in different sizes, and the very beautiful results belie the ease of the process. Decorative paper pieces are simply glued on the plastic molds; the molds are transparent, allowing children to see where they’re placing the added elements. After the glue dries, the bowls lift off the molds with ease. | Store-and-Go Easel Help your child’s creativity blossom with this three-in-one tabletop easel. Functioning as a chalk blackboard, a magnetic whiteboard, and a sturdy carrying case, it is perfect for an aspiring artist on-the-go. A magnetic surface lets the whiteboard hold magnetic tools, great for games and learning. When not in use, the art kit folds up into a durable carrying case that can hold all the supplies and accessories for the board, making for compact storage and easy transportation. | This deluxe Madeline tea set is decorated with scenes from the beloved book by Ludwig Bemelmans and includes a tray; a teapot; four cups, saucers, plates, spoons, and napkins; and a tablecloth, packaged in a sweet little suitcase for tidy storage. | Playing Cat Bingo is a delightful way to learn the names, colorings, and characteristics of your favorite breeds. Spot all kinds of cats—Tonkinese, Siamese, Bengal, and more—then, mark them off on your card, and…BINGO! | ABC Spot Me Game This is one of the few games we’ve seen that’s appropriate for early spellers. It’s simple, fun, fast-paced, and helps emerging readers match phonetic sounds to letters. It can be played several ways and has flexible rules included in the instruction booklet. | Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks Pajama Set There’s no better feeling than putting on a cozy pair of pajamas and snuggling up with a great book before bed. Make your little one’s nightly ritual even more memorable by bringing their favorite book to life with this adorable pajama set. Your child will love wearing these super soft pajamas, which feature images from the beloved children’s book Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry. | Zig & Go Musical Chain Reaction Construction SetThis set includes wooden construction components, as well as chimes, bells, a gong, and other “instruments” that can produce sound when positioned to do so, making a chain reaction. The possibilities are endless as kids learn about the ingenuity and magic involved in chains of movement. | Traditional Potholder Loom Weaving is a quiet activity that encourages concentration and helps children understand spatial relationships and patterning while developing fine motor control. The set includes a sturdy 7" x 7" metal loom, weaving and crochet hooks, and enough loops in mixed bright colors to make six traditional-sized potholders. | Musical Dog Tea SetMaybe the best birthday present ever. As if the charming basket and illustrations weren’t enough, the tea pot is musical. Wind it up and enjoy the Happy Birthday melody. The cups and saucers come in a convenient basket for tidy storage and stylish transport. | Magic Wands KitMake beautiful, quality keepsakes that can be used endlessly for imaginative play, whether the maker wants to be a Merlin or a pharaoh, a fairy godmother, or a sorceress. This creative kit has all the components to make four wands which can be customized with the included decals, stickers, and ribbons. | Under the Rain UmbrellaThis children’s umbrella has a deep canopy that provides extra protection from wind and rain. The manual opening mechanism has safety protection to keep little fingers safe, and the fiberglass frame is strong. The toddlers we know loved pointing out and naming “elephant,” “rabbit,” “giraffe,” “frog,” “cat,” “ladybug,” “butterfly,” and more—a charming menagerie. | Press Here and Mix It Up
Board Books These pictures books have won many awards: a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year, a PBS Parents Best Picture Book, an ACL Distinguished Book, and a Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, and more. These unique board books about the power of imagination and interactivity provide read-aloud fun for all ages. | Balsa Wood Model Airplane Kits These airplanes are an old-school, irresistible way to get kids away from their screens and outside. (And not only kids: they’re fun for seventeen-year-olds and seventy-year-olds too.) No batteries, electronics, or plastic. Inexpensive. And: a toy glider just naturally brings joy to anyone who launches one into the open sky. | Dimmable LED Reading Lights for Young Readers One of our editors pointed us in the direction of these reading lights for kids. When she travels with her two children and the siblings must share a bed, one of these lights allows the night owl to read without keeping the younger one awake. They’re also perfect for sleepaway camp, camping trips, and car rides, or just for reading under the covers at home. | Natural History Museum:
100-Piece Puzzle Celebrate the history of life on this planet as well as memorable trips to the natural history museum. With a wealth of closely observed details, this richly illustrated puzzle promises long periods of learning and observation. A poster to help beginners and a sturdy suitcase for tidy storage are included. | This travel journal is filled with thought-starters, so kids (ages four to nine) can capture important memories of their trip—like cool things they spot, new things they try, and people they meet. | Animal Orchestra PuzzleThis elaborate “look and find” puzzle is as fun as it is beautiful. When completed, find the objects from the border in the puzzle’s illustration. The puzzle comes with a poster of the illustration. Helps develop problem-solving and fine motor skills, concentration, memory, color and shape sorting, and visual reasoning. Ages three and up. | The World of Quentin Blake:
1,000-Piece Puzzle This 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle is a wonderful collage of Quentin Blake’s most memorable characters and will provide hours of fun and memories of the books Blake illustrated. | Listen As You Read:
The NutcrackerAs you and your little one follow Clara on her Christmas adventure through the magical scenes of The Nutcracker, you will hear ten excerpts from the ballet’s music. Play the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms, and musical techniques that make them so powerful. | Set: A Family GameThe three families of staff members who tried out this game had similar experiences. The game quickly turned from competitive to raucously cooperative—players constantly jumping in to identify or object to SETs—not as easy or as obvious as one would think. Most impressive: the youngest players were as successful as the adults. | Monster is curious about making friends, finding a home, and exploring his city. This book collects six Monster stories—written by educators Ellen Blance and Ann Cook, who worked with children to write the books—brought to life by Quentin Blake’s charming illustrations. | Build-Your-Own Springtime Mobile This kit has everything needed to create a large floral mobile. Recommended for ages seven and up, it would seem perfectly at home in a teenager’s bedroom or dorm room. First, the flowers and leaves are painted the eight gouache colors. | In Palmer Brown’s beloved story of a little mouse’s search for a very special gift for a very special person, nothing seems just right until the little mouse realizes that the best present of all is already at hand. Ages three to eight. | What better way for a baby to announce that they have arrived? “Chapter I. I Am Born”—the first line of Charles Dickens’s classic David Copperfield—is printed in black across the chest of this white 100% organic cotton baby onesie. | Midsummer Toddler Tee
in Hot Pink “And though she be but little, she is fierce!” This favorite quote from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream is printed on these bright pink tees for toddlers. Available in sizes 18m and 2T. (Bear not included.) | BabyLit Collection Introduce young ones (ages birth and up) to a world of literature with these cheerful, colorful, and humorous board books, bundled together in an I Love Books canvas tote. The ten books include four classics from the wildly popular BabyLit series, two volumes from BabyLit Shakespeare, and four from BabyLit Little Poets. The Company They KeptWriters on unforgettable friendships from the pages of The New York Review of Books. “[An] extraordinarily striking, moving and delicious collection…”—Financial Times Many of the illustrious contributors to The New York Review of Books have had deep and abiding relationships—both personal and intellectual—with other poets, writers, artists, composers, and scientists of equal stature. The Company They Kept is a collection of twenty-seven accounts of these varied friendships—most of them undeniably fraught with “idiosyncratic complexities.” |
