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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!

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By Mom Unplugged, May 25, 2007 8:45 pm

We have an old version of the Maxim Ramp Racer that I found on Ebay about five years ago. It has only four levels and the ramps are straight with no bumps. There is just one “lane,” so only one car can be launched at a time.

My kids (girl, boy, and baby girl) have LOVED this ever since I first got it. The cars go speeding down the track and drop down onto the level below with a satisfying “click, clack.” It is really quite fascinating to watch, and listen to. My only criticism was that it would have been more fun with parallel tracks so kids could really race the little wooden cars to see who wins.

I decided to feature this toy on my blog and searched for it on Amazon only to find - the Deluxe Ramp Racer! This one has five levels, wavy tracks, and two lanes (hooray!) for real racing! I am so excited that I may have to upgrade to this version for our next family birthday.

This toy is all wood, including the cars. Ours has seen some very rough times but has never broken so I can certainly attest to its durability.

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By Mom Unplugged, May 16, 2007 1:24 pm

This little mouse is so cute! Little ones push him along by his long handle and he rocks back and forth with tinkling bell and twitching whiskers. He is also very sturdy. Ours is still going strong after about four years of use (not always for the intended purpose) and abuse. I just love the whiskers!!

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By Mom Unplugged, May 2, 2007 3:43 pm

The object of this classic game is to get four in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. This tiny version comes in a little 4″ x 5.5″ tin that is ideal for travel or a stocking stuffer.

I generally prefer travel toys with very few small pieces, so all these little balls could be a car or airplane disaster. I only recommend this as a travel toy for children old enough to manage the balls without spills (also not good around babies). But for older kids, or even adults, this is a great game!