Games to Play With Baby

Title: Games to Play With Baby

Author: Jackie Silberg

Price: 14.95

Pages: 256 pages

Publisher: Gryphon House

Publishing Date: 2001

ISBN: 0876592558

Genre: Parenting

Subject: Baby Play

Annotation: A wonderful guide with hundreds of stimulating play ideas and activities for parents to use with their babies.

Evaluation: A book that gets right to the point in a simplistic, easy to follow activity book that can directly be shared with your child. Organized activities that have the appropriate age at the top of each are simplistically laid out in step-by-step directions. Starting the book is a brief overview of development. Included are simple illustrations to help make the directions more assessable. In the busy world of parenting this book is a welcome resource that doesn’t require a lot of time to use.

Peek-a-Who?

Title: Peek-A Who?
Author: Nina Laden
Publish Date: February 1, 2000
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 10
ISBN: 0811826023

Price: $6.95

Age Range: 0-4
Classification: Board Book

Annotation: This interactive book is filled with simple, bright illustrations and a baby guesses and turns the easy to hold chunky pages to fine out the question, Peek-a-WHO? A moo, a zoo, a YOU!

Evaluation: This book is super cute and encourages exploration, surprise, and play. It's takes the "Peek-a-Boo" game to the next level. It supports parent-baby & toddler bonding. The little die-cut opening that keeps you guessing what's on the other side is a perfect baby-hand sized hole that supports both predictive literacy skills and fine motor skills.

Autor Website: http://www.ninaladen.com/

Super-Safe Color Viewers

Title: Super-Safe Color Viewers
Author: N/A
Publish Date: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Item Number: DD657 (Lakeshore Learning)

Price: $19.95
Classification: Toy
Age Range: infant - kindergarten / 6 mos. - 5 yrs.

Annotation: This exploratory fun toy that is safe and durable allows baby to grip and view the world in a variety of colors.

Evaluation: Super easy to hold, shatterproof and safe, this toy is a wonderful tool for education, developmentally appropriate play and exploration for baby and parent!

Link to Product: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|DD657~~.jsp

Goodnight Moon + Toy

Title: Goodnight Moon
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Pages: 12
Publisher: HarperFestival
Publisher Date: 2005
ISBN: 0689836732
Genre: Board Book Combo Toy
Classification: Board Book

Annotation: Favorite Bedtime read aloud, Goodnight Moon, is packaged here with a plush toy.

Evaluation: Not only is Goodnight moon a favorite early literacy read that encourages memorizing and bedtime ritual (great for sleeping issues) but it also has a toy here that can be used as in dramatic play and literacy tie ins! I love Goodnight Moon, and it was one of my favorite stories as a child. This is really a great way to add more depth and bring the story to life.

Author Website: http://www.margaretwisebrown.com/

Baby Band

Title: Baby Band

Author: N/A
Publish Date: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Item Number: RE623 (Lakeshore Learning)

Price: $21.99
Classification: Toy
Age Range: infant - preschool / birth - 3 yrs.

Annotation: Shaped perfectly for baby hands this little set of musical toys will be a first groove inducer.

Evaluation: These tools are not only fun to play and experiment with but they will encourage vital developmental skills little ones need. Movement encourages expression and fine motor skill development while providing fun and excitement! This would be a great addition to the toy chest while really being a masked pre-literacy tool! Move over sneaky chef, we're sneaky literacy players!

Link to Product: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|RE623~~.jsp

Colorpillar Sorting Mat

Title: Colorpillar Sorting Mat

Author: Lakeshore Learning

Price: $39.99

Product Number: JJ766

Age Range: Infant to age 3

Annotation: Matching colors is fun with this sorting mat shaped like a caterpillar!

Evaluation: The pieces included in this sorting mat are not only fun and colorful but they are safe for baby. Simple yet, unique, babies and parents alike will love to get down on the floor and play!

Then after play, move the pieces aside and read The Very Hungary Caterpillar! The ideas are endless, although the toy itself is kind of pricey.

Link to Product: Click Here

Giant Soft Building Blocks

Title: Giant Soft Building Blocks

Author: Lakeshore Learning

Product Number: GB619

Price: $129.00

Age Range for Toy: 9 Months-6 Years

Annotation: Building "sky high" soft mounds of fun with these super safe, giant building blocks.

Evaluation: It never fails, building blocks are always a hit with kids. But, with younger kids jumbo size blocks are better for motor skills but they are still hard and sometimes dangerous. These blocks are developmentally appropriate in more then one way. The Largest block is just over 11 inches. The only draw back is they are extremely expensive. A great reason to find a library and join their "Family Place" program. There are sure to be some soft giant blocks in that workshop!

Link to Product: Here

Find a Family Place Library: http://www.familyplacelibraries.org/

Shapes Discovery Boxes

Title: Shapes Discovery Boxes

Product Number: GG487

Price: $49.95

Age Group: Infant - Preschool / 9 mos. - 3 yrs.

Annotation: Concepts like shapes and colors are prettily packaged in a fun toy that encourage family play as well as independent play.

Evaluation: The colorful boxes are about five inches tall and packed with color coordinated items (and some familiar one too-like faux crayons, waffles, or wheels). Developmentally, babies and toddlers explore everything from color and shaped recognition, to putting things in and out of boxes, opening and shutting, and much much more. Creativity and exploration take over in this wonderful (and safe) learning toy! The outside is a washable vinyl and all together there are 16 pieces.

Link to Item on Lakeshore Learning: Here

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Title: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Author: Richard Louv
Publisher: ALGONQUIN BOOKS OF CHAPEL HILL
Publisher Date: 2008
Price: $14.95
Genre: Nature and Child Development

Annotation: This recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal is an awakening book for parents to reconnect their children with nature and the affects of a nature-less phenomenon nature-deficit disorder which the author identified before writing this book.

Evaluation: This is a wonderful read for modern parents, especially those who live in cities or areas that don’t encourage outdoor play or connections to the natural world. Also, in a world that everything’s answer is given in digital forms from television to computers, parents are introduced to a natural answer to common current trends in illnesses such as “ADD.” An inspiring look at days gone by where we spent much more time playing outside and an encouraging goal to get our kids away from nature-deficit disorder (a clever play on the all to common “Attention Deficit Disorder”). Will get parents, teachers, and librarians thinking about new and interesting ways to share activities and play with children.

Author Website: http://richardlouv.com/

Games Babies Play

Title: Games Babies Play: From Birth to Twelve Months
Author: Vicki Lansky
Pub Date: 2001
Publisher: Deephaven: Book Peddlers

Price: $10.95

Genre: Parenting, Baby Play

Annotation: A small, easily portable playbook that can go where baby goes in almost any sized diaper bag.

Evaluation: Covering ages birth to twelve months, this book of games can be used by parents, grandparents, nannies, and even baby sitters with almost no experience in baby play. An instant play can be had with this little book that is filled with songs, fingerplays, lyrics, and movements that will enrich your child’s rapidly growing sense. There are no pictures, but the directions make it easy to follow. A great book choice as an intro into games baby play or to travel with.

Vicki Lansky's Practical Parenting Page: http://www.practicalparenting.com/