Kids can . . .
Cut out cookies
using the kinderkitchen® Kids' Cookie Cutter Set. Made just for young bakers, these star, heart, and flower shapes are fully functional. Large handles help little ones press down into dough without hurting their hands, and bright colors bring family fun into the kitchen. These cookie cutters are part of a line of kid-friendly cooking tools. $8.95; surlatable.com.
Hold their breath
and try a 1080 underwater with the Tony Hawk HuckJam Series Subskate. Pro-skater style comes to the pool with these underwater surf/skateboards. The boards come in three official Tony Hawk designs and are the actual size of the Tony Hawk skateboard. A special speed slick bottom enhances maneuverability and stability. Ages 8 and up. $24.99; swimways.com.
Toddle with toasty tootsies
when they wear the Deglingos Kicks pre-walker shoes. Little crawlers can outfit their feet with Bigbos the Wolf, Ronronos the Cat, Milkos the Cow, and Lapinos the Bunny. Characters are all colorful and highly detailed, and Velcro adjustments on the front and back of each shoe allow for a good fit. Available in three sizes (6–12, 12–18, and 18–24 months). $39.99; allnewmaterials.com.
Add pizzazz to personal electronics
and create colorful 3-D designs using the stickers and pens in Sticklers Activity Kits. Stick on and color in the metallic gold or silver stickers with pens that come in an array of colors. The glossy, transparent glaze and matte pastel inks leave a raised texture behind after they dry. $6.99; sakuraofamerica.com.
Build a spinning windmill
that works without wind—or batteries. The 21 pieces of the 6-in-1 Educational Solar Kit snap together to form an airboat, a windmill, a puppy, a car, and two kinds of planes. A solar panel drives a small motor and makes the car speed ahead and the boat sail in water. No tools are required to put together this beginning builder kit. For ages 8 and up. $19.95; robotikitsdirect.com.
Crochet a cat named Stripy Stu
and practice the skills they will learn from the book Kids Learn to Crochet. Cheerful cartoon characters point out details in the large, colorful illustrations and photos. Young crafters can start with a slip knot and move through six projects of increasing difficulty, ending with All-Together Albert, a clever critter using all the stitches in the book. A section on what to do when things go wrong troubleshoots common crochet mistakes. Ages 6–9. $15.95; trafalgarbooks.com.
Type on their own techie gadget
and feel just like a grown-up when they play with the LeapFrog Text and Learn. Animated puppy Scout leads users through the pretend browser and sends play text messages. Kids learn their letters and keyboarding while they play games. This large, durable, brightly colored tot-PDA appeals to kids who keep trying to get their hands on mom and dad's easily destructible electronic devices. Ages 3 and up. $25; leapfrog.com.
Nurse a turtle back to health
after they make a diagnosis in the Playmobil Vet Operating Room. Aspiring veterinarians can check the dogs, cat, and turtle with an X-Ray machine and CT scanner. Removable casts and attachable bandages protect the critters' sore spots after surgery. Two crates on the side of the room hold the animals for overnight observation. Ages 4 and up. $29.99; playmobilusa.com.
Prepare a platter of Paella Mixta
using rice, seafood, chicken, an adult's help, and the book Cook It Together. Fact pages give fun information about the different foods used in the recipes, including bananas (which grow upward). Recipes are designed for children and adults to cook together, and they cover a range of snacks, meals, and desserts such as Honey Cakes and Chocolate Truffles. $12.99; dk.com.
Toss around a Q-Ball
after they build it with Qubits, a colorful construction toy. The simple triangular pieces can be combined to build, sculpt, bend, and connect shapes and towers. Future architects and scientists can bridge the flexible pieces to create 3-D sculptures, and an instruction sheet provides inspiration for beginners. Comes in Junior, Q-Ball, and Jumbo kits. Ages 5 and up. $29.99-$69.99; Qubits.com.
Come nose-to-nose with a rhino
when they flip through the pages of Life-Size Zoo. Large, detailed, color photos show just how big the animals are in real life. Readers can compare more than 20 animals, including a prairie dog with a meerkat and a full-grown elephant with its baby. Pull-out pages house the animals that are even larger than this book's oversized pages, and sidebars give fun facts about each animal. $17.95; falls-media.com.
Dig in the dirt
when they protect their hands with Kid's Classic gloves. Whether kids are planting or playing, the tall cuffs will keep dirt off their wrists. The breathable mesh on top comes in lime and berry colors, and light padding cushions palms from blisters and thorns. Available in sizes S (ages 5–6) and M (ages 7–8). $20; westcountygardener.com.
Go hog wild
and design the motorcycle of their dreams with the Custom Motorcycle Studio kit. The book Full Throttle gives design ideas and art tips to rev creative engines. Young bike fans can draw a camouflage dirt bike and a dragon chopper, or create a new design using the light table, colored pencils, and frame templates. For ages 7 and up. $22.99; smartlabtoys.com.
Find playfulness in parsnips
and craziness in carrots this month—National Poetry Month. The book Poems on Fruits & Odes to Veggies contains produce puns and abundant alliteration. Figurative language and watercolor illustrations motivate picky eaters to appreciate freshly grown foods and maybe even dance the mango tango. $14.95; judithnatellimclaughlin.com.
Do The Flamingo
(hop on one foot and then switch to the other) to get a total body workout. They can play Inchworm (walk from standing position to push-up position) to work their upper body, Venus Fly Trap (stretch out on their backs and touch feet and fingers above the head) to tighten their abs, or Military March (walk while kicking) to strengthen their legs. Each of the 56 cards in FitDeck Junior describes and illustrates exercises for the whole body, and for all levels of fitness. For ages 5–15. $14.95; fitdeck.com.
Design a plush monster
with the CurlyQ Cuties Monster-Maker. Children choose their creature's body shape and color, as well as his eye, mouth, and belly designs. A Monster with a dark green "rounder" belly with a hot pink cyclops eye, a three-tooth mouth, and a yellow spotted belly is just one of the 158,558,400 possible combinations. $25; curlyqcuties.com.
Let their imaginations go wild
completing more than 200 drawings in Oodles of Doodles. Each page in the book contains the start of a picture along with prompts such as "What's happening on the beach?" and "Follow the secret passageway." Doodlers just need a pencil or crayon--no artistic skills required. $12.95; runningpress.com.
Drive the family car
around the board as they play the game Family Matters. Players answer questions, share stories, discover family trivia, and think from other points of view to solve "Fake Family Crises" in multiple ways. After playing, the entire family grants the winner's weekend wish. For ages 7 and up. $24.99; familymattersgame.com.
Adorn cookie and cake treats
with decorations such as chubby chicks, fancy frocks, and seasonal symbols. The Dazzling Desserts: Make Everyday Desserts Special kit shows how to make sweet candy clay, which culinary kids can use to mold edible dessert toppers. Also included are cookie cutters, icing recipes, decorating tips, and design ideas. For ages 9 and up. $17.95; americangirl.com.
Color a clean Earth
by using Crazy Crayons. The Crayon Recycling Program collects broken and worn-down crayons and turns them into new, multi-colored ones in a variety of shapes and sizes. Crayon themes for purchase include dinosaurs, flowers, endangered species, letters, fish, and more. $0.55 per crayon and up; 800/561-0922, crazycrayons.com.
Test their knowledge
playing The Black Heritage Trivia Game for Kids. Players answer questions correctly to move toward the "Inner Circle." They may know the name of the woman who refused to give up her bus seat, but will they know the first African-American to play in the National Hockey League? For ages 7 and up. $14.99; BlackHeritageToys.com.
Make a stovepipe hat
in honor of Abe Lincoln's birthday on February 12th. The book Abraham Lincoln for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities covers the life of the President and contains craft activities that teach about 19th-century America, tips on running for student council, instructions to make a time capsule, and more. For ages 9 and up. $16.95; chicagoreviewpress.com.
Become yogis
when they jump, breathe, laugh, dance, and sing with their families. The yoga for families DVD menu lets viewers choose the music to play during their yoga session. They can also make a session shorter or longer to suit stamina and time. $19.95; yogatohavefun.com.
Dance to the music
of a home-grown New Jersey group known as Parents Who Rock. let 'em play features 23 bands and artists playing an eclectic mix of rock and folksy songs, and proceeds from sales will go to benefit music education in Montclair public schools. $14.38; parentswhorock.com.
Create masterpieces
by using simple shapes to draw complex pictures. In the Art House DVD, a real-life art teacher gives step-by-step instructions for drawing animals and objects from basic geometric shapes. Viewers learn that the moon is a circle and the roof of a house is a triangle, and even da Vinci's Man can be broken into squares, rectangles, circles, and ovals. $17.99; inthearthouse.com.
Buckle
and unbuckle BuckleyBoo, a cuddly plush toy with brightly colored ribbons and five plastic fasteners. Babies can scan and match the patterned ribbons; toddlers can develop their fine motor, visual, and spatial skills as they learn to manipulate the different styles of buckles. Available in bear, cat, and dog; $29.99; buckleyboo.com.
Bluff or block
Be king or queen of the castle
as soon as they build it themselves. The durable cardboard Calacastle is a playhouse, a castle, and a blank canvas to paint, large enough for small children to walk in, crawl in, and play in. The towers have removable tops, giving kids a secret place to store treasures and toys. $99; ages 3 and up; creativetoyshop.com.
Laugh out loud
playing the tabletop game called Guess What I Am! Players put their faces through the cut-out space of a mystery card, transforming themselves into one of 30 silly characters. With each roll of the die, players ask yes or no questions, such as "Do I play sports?" or "Do I have have fur?" to gather clues from the other players about their identity. Ages 3 and up; $17.99; guesswhatiamgame.com.
Unleash their imaginations
wearing U*Neaks sneaker-style shoes. Each pair of these customizable sneaks has clear side-panel windows that allow kids to change the look of their shoes by simply changing their socks. Collectible sock prints include flowers, rainbows, hearts, dinosaurs, sports, camouflage, and more. Shoe sizes 3-8. $34.99-$39.99 for the shoes; $4.99-$5.99 for each pair of two-sided socks; uneaks.com
Whip up food
using the Playful Chef Deluxe Cooking Kit. Each kit contains kid-sized tools, five laminated recipe cards, and a denim tool-belt apron for easy storage and handy access. Each component is packed into a backpack that also contains lessons in kitchen safety, age-appropriate cooking skills, science, measuring, nutrition, seasonings, clean up, and the fun of eating and sharing what you create. For ages 6 and up. $39.99; playfulinc.com
Strap on some fun
with a pair of Skorpies™. Kids wear their own shoes and glide over bumps and cracks in style. The smaller wheels and bearings help maintain low speeds, and an adjustable footplate lets the skates "grow" with a child's shoe size. For ages 5-8. $69.95; skorpion.com
