Every kid I know wants a metal detector. This was a “hot” item to buy a few years ago within my circle of friends and the novelty has not worn off yet in my household. Discovery Channel makes a good one that they will use for years and it’s so full of upgrades, you’ll want to use it too.

What a great way for kids to entertain themselves, get a little fresh air and a science lesson to boot!   The Discovery Exclusive Metal Detector boasts a telescoping design that allows it to adjust to different height levels, so even little kids can use it.

This model is highly sensitive and will distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metals and the LED light indicators will determine the different types of metal found. Bury the pirates “doubloon” included in this kit and watch their excitement as the detector starts to “beep” indicating they have found some buried treasure.  They can then use the shovel and sifter (comes with) to uncover their finds.

This is the kind of toy that is fun to take with you on these last days of summer. There are plenty of riches to find at the beach, park or even the local playground.  If your kids find something of real value though encourage them to put an ad in their local paper to help find the owner.  Include some Walkie Talkies for all-important communication and you have a toy that never gets old. (Discovery Toys FRS Walkie Talkie Watch Set)

eeBoo’s website promises to offer only “ beautiful, useful and well-made gifts for children”, and uses only the original art work of well- known, well- loved children’s book illustrators to create vibrant and original toys and gifts.”  I’m very excited about the wonderful products they have to offer, and I would like to share with you a few of my favorites.

eeBoo Spanish Bingo: A fun way to expose children as young as three to another language!

eeBoo Good Manner Flash Cards: Well, we could probably all use some of these.

eeBoo Fairies Of The Field Lacing Cards: Oppenheim Gold Award Winner, this is an old fashioned toy that has been updated with gorgeous illustrations and is a simple way to teach hand eye coordination to youngsters.

eeBoo Castle Sketchbook: For the princess in your life.

eeBoo Santa’s Flight Advent Calendar: It’s never too early to start shopping for Christmas.

eeBoo Poet and Astronomer Paper Doll Set: You can be anything you want to be.

I could go on and on, but you’ll just have to check out PriceGrabber for their extensive collection of fabulous eeBoo products.  Wrap one of these lovely items up in some pretty tissue or even some recycled newspaper and you will be giving the gift of creativity, knowledge and fun, all in one beautiful package.

I am just getting around to developing my pictures and assembling some sort of album for my son to remember this year’s family vacation. It seems like months ago we played and strolled on the boardwalk, yet it was only a few short weeks ago.

Memories that were so fresh in our minds are starting to fade as the summer months fly by. I found this Travel Notebook by eeBoo and thought this was a neat thing to take along on our next vacation. This 128-page book is designed to let kids create their own special account of their travels.   After your day’s activities, ask your child to write or sketch what they saw that was interesting or fun for them in the daily log. Or encourage them to send a note to their favorite friend or relative on the stationary that is included.

Be sure and check the itinerary for the next day’s plans.  Even a packing list comes with, so they can make sure they have everything they brought with them (we hope) before they depart.  Attach some of your favorite vacation photos to the journal pages once you’re home, and they have a scrapbook to show off to their friends!

This is an excellent way to teach organizational skills to children, and it offers a really great reward at the end.

Also from eeBoo, Scientific Notebook for the outdoor adventurer!

I love summer. Actually I love anytime I can work in my garden.

Several years ago, I was blessed with a little helper and that has made it that much more enjoyable.  It is really a great way to teach my son how the fruits and vegetables he likes are grown. He really gets in to digging in the soil (Getting dirty, of course) and planting the juicy tomatoes and bright green peppers we savor each year.

That’s why I like Angela’s Garden Kids Garden Collection Set.

This has everything you need to help develop a young gardener.  Kid friendly tools made especially for little hands, a useful tote to carry them in and even a sun hat and apron. (Just remember, they like to get dirty!)

We walk to the nearest nursery, he with his tote and I with my wallet and decide what we should grow each year.  With tiny plants and a few packets of seed tucked in it, we race home to get them in the ground.   We even started composting.

This set comes in a couple different patterns including Camo for the macho gardener.

They’ll have so much fun with this you may even ask to borrow it yourself!

My son’s birthday is coming up soon. As is usual, I expect a number of parents to call and ask me what they should bring as a present to his party. I like this tradition and try to follow it myself. This is, of course because I am very picky about the toys my son has and hope that parents WILL call me and ask rather than purchasing something I actually would prefer not to have in my house.

One thing on my list this year is science kits. If you’re into educational toys, you know that after the preschool years, it gets a little trickier to purchase them – especially if your child isn’t into puzzles. So I stick with building toys, books and science kits.

This National Geographic Dinosaurs & Fossils Kit will be a winner at my house – just in case you’re considering sending my son a present :-). It’s chock full of different activities including a dinosaur skeleton to assemble, a 32 page book of experiments, a real fossil to examine and  hands on projects. It also includes a puzzle, of course.

Since it’s National Geographic I know it will be a science based kid that we can save and use as reference material when he studies dinosaurs in school. It’s nice to buy from a name you trust to actually BE educational.