Jan
01

10 Of The Most Popular Toys Of Summer 2021

[bc_video video_id="6263536617001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Looking for some fun in the sun. CTO - or Chief Toy Officer - from the Toy Insider, Laurie, and her team review more that 2000 toys each year to bring us the hottest toys for the summer. Crazy Bunch O Balloons Water Balloons This spring the “go-to” water balloon around the globe fills and ties 100 balloons in 60 seconds — and is now 100% recyclable! More than 1,200 tons of plastic has been removed from the brand this year, a 57% increase over the company’s original goal of 800 tons set last year. In addition, balloons are made of natural latex rubber and biodegrade, further delivering on environmentally and sustainable practices. With Crazy ZURU Bunch O Balloons, each stem comes with a completely new mix of multi-colored balloons for added backyard water excitement! Consumers sign-up online, package all their used Bunch O Balloons packaging and balloon pieces, then ship to TerraCycle, where they will then be processed and recycled into new materials. Fold and Go Beach Set  This bright and colorful Fold & Go Beach Set features a stylishly designed, collapsible pail that folds down almost completely flat! Families can pack it neatly into its lightweight nylon zip-up carry case along with its colorful plastic shovel and fish mold. The pail, made from nylon, features a waterproof lining so it can hold water or sand. The pail’s outside pocket is designed to hold the shovel and sand mold or can be used to store seashells! Sky Viper Fury Stunt Drone  This 7-inch, full performance stunt drone with Skyrocket’s Surface Scan Technology makes it easier to fly than ever before! Surface Scan Technology dramatically increases drone stability, allowing the drone to stay in one spot, even when kids let go of the controls. This innovative new technology works up to 100 feet and radically improves flight experience by providing superior control. The Sky Viper Fury Stunt Drone also features auto launch and land, one-touch stunts, and extended flight time. Disney Princess Creation Cube  Kids can bring the magic of Disney home with this creation cube! Place the beads on the provided flip tray, align the Disney Princess themed templates, spray with water and watch as the beads magically fuse together to recreate favorite Disney characters! Disney Princess characters include Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Belle, and more! Adds imaginative play value when kids can attach characters to the included creation base to display designs and act out scenes! Includes more than 2,500 solid, jewel, and star beads in 35 vibrant colors. Giant Jumbling Tower Don’t Let the tower tumble. Friends and family stack the tower higher and higher with the oversized blocks until someone slips up and makes the Giant Jumbling Tower crumble! The Giant Tumbling Tower Game is built to last, with 51 giant blocks that are designed for years of indoor and outdoor play Get Creative: The game includes the standard instructions, but kids, friends, and other family members can get creative by assigning entertaining tasks to certain blocks. Icee Machine   Kids can pour themselves the coolest drink in town, made right at home with this counter-top Icee Slushie Machine. Looks and operates just like the ones you see in stores. To enjoy, simply combine water, ice, and a favorite ICEE flavoring syrup (sold separately), and let it do the rest. Ice Ribbon Twirler  The Ice Ribbon Twirler is a beautiful sparkly dance accessory perfect for indoor and outdoor play! Kids can use the light-up feature to add some magic to their nighttime dance activities! X-Shot Epic Fast-Fill  The fastest filling blaster ever created can be filled in one second! Its patented Rapid-Seal Technology closes the blaster tank instantly allowing battlers to get back to the blasting action long before their opponents. The 2021 Spring line expands ZURU’s innovative approach for hours of water battling fun! The X-Shot Epic Fast Fill is nearly 21 inches long and holds more than five cups of water. Fills in one-second and comes with a robust pump-action feature that enables kids to blast up to nearly 34 feet. In addition, four different nozzles allow one to blast four different ways. Kidoozie Gopher It  Kids can “gopher” the highest score to win! Toss the six different bean bags into one of the four netted gopher holes to score points ranging from five to 20! The Gopher it game includes six nylon bean bags (three red; three blue) and a base with colorful “golfing gophers” scene. Easily to build and store. Add competitive play by playing against a friend or family member to get the highest score. Foamo Families can make mountains of foam in minutes! The Foamo set includes everything kids need for a backyard foam party, including an 18-gallon bin, a power blower, a pump, tubing, and foam solution. Just add water to create up to two hours of foam fun! For all ages and all occasions!  
Jan
01

4 Free Apps To Get The Family Outdoors

[bc_video video_id="6262936910001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] We’ve been indoors this past year more than we anticipated. And with virtual school keeping the kids inside, I found some fun apps that the whole family will love…. and they’re FREE! Geocaching  Geocaching is back in! What's it all about? Via: Geocaching Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.  Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. Endless fun! All trails and Naturalist  Discover new trails in your neighbourhood with ALLTRAILS app.  Access 200,000+ trail maps.  AllTrails has the largest collection of detailed, hand-curated trail maps. Via: All Trails  Learn more about the nature around you with iNaturalist - snap a photo of an organism you want to identify and using AI on the app, you can learn more about the species, facts, etc. Via: iNaturalist Sky view  This one is a favourite.  You can learn more about the stars with SkyView - Point your camera at the sky and learn more about constellations, satellites, and more. SkyView app is a free augmented reality (AR) app for both iOS and Android devices that uses your smartphone's camera to uncover different stars, constellations, planets, star clusters and other celestial bodies in the night sky. Using SkyView app, you can also discover coordinates and facts of planets, comets and asteroids, which if you have kids, can turn your stargazing into an educational experience. SkyView Free is a stargazing app allowing users to explore aspects of the night sky and learn more about astronomy. Skyview app download is available for iOS (iPad and iPhone) and Android devices as well as on desktop (PCs, laptops and Mac computers). Roadtrippers Plan your roadtrip and explore your own backyard: Roadtrippers app. Roadtrippers is the world’s #1 road trip planning tool, with more than 25 million trips planned to-date covering more than 16.9 billion miles. Discover the most incredible people, places, and experiences worth a detour. Share and collaborate with friends. Plan your next weekend getaway, spring break road trip, or cross-country adventure. Via: Roadtrippers
Jan
01

3 Fun Summer Science Experiments for Kids

[bc_video video_id="6262576907001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Looking for new ways to keep the kids entertained this summer? Natalie Preddie is rounding up her favourite DIY experiments that the whole family can enjoy. Ice Cream in a Bag  Everyone loves ice cream! Imagine how exciting it is to make it by yourself?! We are giving our littles ones the power to create. What a fantastic and delicious discovery! Via: Delish What you will need:
  • 1 cup half/half or cream
  • 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Ice
  • ¼ Cup of Salt
  • Ziploc bags (1 big & 1 small)
Instructions:
  1. Pour half/half (or cream) into Ziploc Bag
  2. Add vanilla & sugar
  3. Seal bag firmly to get out any excess air
  4. Fill larger Ziploc bag with ice and salt
  5. Add smaller Ziploc bag and cover with ice
  6. Get Gloves for shaking and shake for 6 minutes (this is a fun part for the kids to help with)
  7. Take the small bag out of the larger bag and rinse entirely
  8. Open the smaller bag carefully, ensuring that you do not get any salt on the inside
  9. Use a spoon to stir and TASTE
For extra fun, have your kids add their favourite toppings! Colourful Bubbles  Kids love bubbles. So how can we make an already fun activity even more interesting. We learn about mixing colors, but also how to make these bubbles from scratch. What you will need:
  • Jars
  • Food Colouring
  • Dish soap
  • Water
  • Bubble Wand or Wire
Instructions:
  1. Fill jars with small amount of dish soap
  2. Add a few drops of food colouring
  3. Fill jar halfway with water
  4. Use homemade wire wand to make bubbles
Bottle Rocket Blast off! This exciting science experiment is sure to take you and your family out of this world! What you will need:
  • 2L soda bottle
  • 3 unsharpened pencils
  • Duct tape
  • A cork (that fits the bottle)
  • Paper towel
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar – A lot!
Instructions:
  1. Prepare your rocket (not too many decorations or it will weigh the rocket down)
  2. Use the pencils like a stand
  3. Make a little baking soda ‘package’ in a paper towel
  4. Pour vinegar into bottle
  5. Quickly push in baking soda and then add cork
  6. WAIT
  7. STAND BACK
Jan
01

3 Family-Friendly DIY Backyard Games

[bc_video video_id="6259178105001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] If you know how to have good time you'll love these fun DIY backyard games. Game of Golf What is more fun than a good game of backyard golf? This is definitely a passion project. If you are an avid golfer and always trying to improve your game this is a great way to practice you chipping and work on those skills:
  1. We started by simply cutting holes using a jigsaw in some plywood for targets and added supports for the right slope.
  2. Next, we attached artificial grass tiles by snapping the tiles together and then screwing them into the plywood using 1 inch screws.
  3. Lastly, we finished it off with some trim and stain.
This is a great DIY father's day present, it might take you an afternoon to put together but you can enjoy it for years. It also transforms! You can get the kids involved as well by using it as a bean bag toss. Hook and Ladder   This one is a ton of fun and very easy to put together. It’s a race game so every time you get a hook you move the piece forward.
  1. To assemble take two pieces of wood and screw them into either side of a dowel.
  2. Screw in two eye hooks across from one another into the middle of the dowel.
  3. For the piece of wood on top of the dowel; screw in two eyehooks on either side. Next attach fishing wire tied to a ring to both hooks.
  4. For the ladder portion, which will be your scoreboard, take a piece of wood and drill 5 large holes the size of a dowel halfway in. Use a dowel that fits into the holes as the scorekeeper, every time you get a point move the dowel closer to your body. To win the game, means to have the dowel all the way on your side!
In terms of size you can make it as big or small as you want. This is a great family game as all ages can play. Giant Bubble Solution   You’re never too young or tool old for good old-fashioned bubbles, but why not make them gigantic? Here's how to make them:
  1. In a large bowl mix in 1 cup of dish soap, 1 tbsp of baking powder, 1 tbsp of cornstarch, 2 tbsp of glycerin and 4 cups of water.
  2. Give the mixture a gentle stir, make sure not to form too many large air bubbles.
  3. Leave overnight to allow mixture to set and thicken.
  4. For the wand, take two dowels and screw a hook into each one. Next feed a 3 ft. piece of yarn through the two hooks. Then feed a 5ft. piece of yarn through the two hooks. With the longer piece of yarn make sure to attach washers as it will help weigh it down.
It's time to make massive bubbles and re-introduce yourself to your inner child!
Jan
01

4 Ways To Have Fun In Your Backyard This Weekend

[bc_video video_id="6255399111001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] We’ve been spending yet another long weekend in lockdown…but don’t worry, Travel and Lifestyle Expert Natalie Preddie shares some fun ideas you can do with the family right in your backyard.

Pitch a tent in the backyard

Setting up a tent in the backyard is great because it’s a change of scenery from the norm, a different destination. You can even go inside if it rains- and use the indoor plumbing! When you are camping in a tent you can pretend that you are anywhere, if it's warm, imagine the Caribbean.

Play outdoor games

Outdoor games are a great way to get the whole family active.  Set up a cornhole or a ladder ball game outside.  These are great games to play if your family has a competitive edge. For some even more active fun, create an obstacle course using objects around the house!

Stargazing

Go stargazing with the family! Print off a star map and point out constellations. This works best with a telescope, but can be done with the naked eye. Wrap yourselves up all cozy in sleeping bags and get ready to stargaze!

Bug and bird safari

This is a great way for kids to learn about the environment. Make a list of bugs to find, bring a magnifying glass and get hunting! Or similarly collect photos of birds to look for and bring a pair of binoculars.
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