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By Mom Unplugged, August 24, 2007 6:15 pm

Varialand is not really a puzzle, I would call it more of a collage. It consists of 80 wooden picture tiles that can be combined any way a child wants to make different scenes. Some tiles are parts of houses, some are clouds in the sky, many are animals or trees.

This is the ultimate in creativity for children. I guarantee that kids will never make the same scene twice!

Plus it is made out of very durable wood. The images are printed on the tiles, not glued on. All in all, this is a toy that should last for generations to come.

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By Mom Unplugged, August 14, 2007 8:46 pm

Maggy The Cow, by French toy manufacturer Djeco, wins my award for cutest shape-sorter!

Colorful, wooden cow is a nice baby size (about 4″ x 7″). Her head bobbles up and down on a spring and she sports a stylish red string tail. The six bright blocks fit in holes in the top and sides.

My 19 month-old loves it, but at this stage she just opens the top and drops in the blocks. Why mess with stuffing shapes into strangely-shaped holes when you can do it the easy way, right?

This toy makes me wish I were a baby again!

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By Mom Unplugged, August 11, 2007 8:40 am

We just returned from vacation and a great unplugged travel game that I discovered for the trip home is a cute travel-sized version of the game “Connect Four.” The goal, or course, is to get four pieces in a row before your opponent does. This is such a simple concept, yet it encourages the development of strategic thinking skills and can lead to quite a complex game. Plus I can also highly recommend it since it kept my 5 and 6 year-old entertained for the better part of a 4 hour flight (although we might have lost a few pieces on the plane).

Another really nice one (but a bit harder to find) is Haba’s 4-In-A-Row game. We have this one and my husband and I play it more often than the kids! I should have thought to bring it on the trip because the small size (a 4″ X 5.5″ tin) is ideal for travel. Plus, it is wood so it feels like it will last forever. You can buy it here for $6.99.

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By Mom Unplugged, July 15, 2007 9:31 am

This game / puzzle / toy is wonderful in its simplicity and versatility. It consists of twenty distinctively shaped colorful wooden blocks, each with its own matching wooden “card.” It all comes packed in a drawstring bag.

The main game consists of drawing a “card” and then finding the matching piece in the bag entirely by feel. My kids also like to lay out the cards and fill them in like puzzles. Children can sort the blocks by shape or color. They can even play a memory game by laying the cards shape side down, drawing a shape, then trying to find the matching card by memory. My children have even played with the blocks as blocks and made up little stories with them (some shapes are people and animals).

This is my favorite sort of toy since the possibilities are almost endless! 3D Feel & Find encourages imagination … plus think of all the play possibilities you get for the price of one single toy!

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By Mom Unplugged, June 5, 2007 9:07 pm

We have several Selecta games, and they are all good quality, simple, nice games.

This one, “Grief Zu” in German, “Grab It” in English is fun for younger players. Adults joining in will have to slow down a little.

There are 24 wooden tiles (images are printed and lacquered on to last - not like glued on paper which peels off quickly) and four dice, each side of which depicts a very simplified, silhouette image of one of the tiles.

Players take turns throwing the dice, then all players try to be the first to find and grab the matching tiles. The player with the most tiles wins.

Adults will find this boring, but little ones really seem to enjoy it. Plus it is built to survive a lot of play.

Another great thing is that the picture tiles can be used for sorting or story-telling activities too!