These just look like a delight to me. Such a simple design but I have no doubt that my kids would have a blast with them. They’re high on the list of presents I’m likely to buy soon for my son for Christmas… not that I don’t think my daughter will enjoy them too.

They’re available through Amazon or Magic Cabin. The reviews look quite promising, and they toys could easily be used for more than simply stacking into interesting shapes.

There are some really great toys out there for kids to get really creative with, and I love that. The hard part for me has always been choosing which to buy.

Technorati Tags: kids toys, dado cubes

Can’t say I particularly blame the Writers’ Union for the strike, but having this season of Heroes chopped short is driving me completely up the wall. Just seeing all the story lines obviously shortened, minimum details only is really hurting.

But overall it’s a good show anyhow.

Next week is the early ending of the season. No fun seeing how quickly it’s all going. No fun knowing that the things they talked about for this season pretty much fizzled. But lots of hope for next season.

Many kids love geeky gifts just as much as adults do. Geek toys allow them to explore and to be creative.

On the light side of geekdom, my husband bought our kids an MP3 player. Just a cheap one, since the oldest is 5, but to me this is very practical too. We can download music as well as fill it with the CDs they already have. Considering how hard kids are on CDs and DVDs, I wish it were more reasonable to do similar with their movies.

There are a lot of really great science toys out there for kids, and some are even pretty popular right now, like the Eye Clops. I can also really picture kids enjoying the Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes, which I saw and played with last year. Didn’t quite fit in the budget, but even now I still think they would have been a great gift.

But some options are perhaps a bit more directly geeky. Such as the DIY Telescope Kit. Great for the kid who is really into astronomy. A quick lesson in what goes into making a telescope, perhaps as a lead in to a future, bigger telescope. Or for the kid who has everything, including that dratted cold they gave you, Giant Plush Microbes could be a fun idea. Cuddly yet noninfectious… at least until the kids get their hands on them when they really do have a cold or flu.

For older kids, I really like the Khet Laser Game. We try to do game nights every here and there, and while my kids are too young yet to really strategize, they do get a kick out of playing. We have some pretty unusual games too, since my husband is a big fan of Cheapass Games.

And of course, geek t-shirts are a consideration. ThinkGeek has them mostly in infant and toddler sizes, but some of them are pretty cute. I suppose it is challenging to come up with good shirts for the range where their friends won’t get it, and even if you explain it, the kids may not understand either.

The Learning Resources Gearbotics® Robot Motorized Set caught my attention too, as a switch from the usual R/C prebuilt robots. I mean, the Roboreptile is cool, but it’s always fun having kids build their toys to encourage still more creativity. That’s probably why I like the plain LEGO sets, Capsela, and K’Nex.

I have to admit, I’m not always so good at following my kids’ wish lists for gifts. After all, according to my daughter, every commercial she sees is her favorite toy. Why go and get her something she will probably play with at every one of her friends’ houses when she can have something more unique at home?

and how better to encourage her own geekdom (I hope)?

With Christmas approaching, I have fun wandering sites thinking about what I might get for various people for Christmas. Since I know none of them read this blog, I’m going to mention some. But I won’t say who they’re for, just in case I’m wrong about that. And I’m not promising that any will actually be purchased.

Great Geysers Kit

I know too many people who want to do the Mentos & Diet Coke thing.

Bi-Color LED Blow On-Off Candles

Not quite as romantic as real candles, but no worry about fires. Seems pretty nice to me.

USB Microscope - QX5

Rather like the Eye-Clops that is so popular right now, but for the computer. I kind of like that better. It also looks to be more flexible, with 3 different magnifications available.

Geeky Wrapping Paper

More to wrap with than to give, obviously. I especially like the ChristmasBots paper.

R2-D2 Laundry Baskets

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m thinking of this for my son. He’s 2, he’s not going to read this!

No, I will not fix your computer t-shirt

More to give my inlaws a scare than anything. You don’t want to know how often I’ve fixed their computer for them.

Inconceivable t-shirt

A lot of Princess Bride fans in my family….

It’s coming… Black Friday, the big kickoff to holiday shopping. And you can count on my staying far, far away from all the malls.

My first reason is simple. I worked retail for 6 years. I got plenty of experience coping with the craziness and don’t need to participate on the other side.

But beyond that I’d sooner shop online much of the time. I don’t like shopping in a crowd. I don’t care if I manage to get my kids’ dream toy or not. If they don’t get it at Christmas, they can wait for a birthday. The deals can be amazing, but the crowds are too much of a turn-off.

Technorati Tags: black friday, christmas shopping, crowds

My kids and I had a blast earlier today. I got some Insta Snow to try out, along with a couple other things, and let’s just say my kids really, really enjoyed it. How could I not take pictures?

Not dandruff… snow!

This stuff came from the Vat19.com website, and they have a lot more really, really fun stuff. Things like the Coiled Beeswax Candle that has the ability to extinguish itself, or the Color Flames Colored Candles that I also received. We tried one of those (sorry, no pictures), and the kids both want them for their birthdays.

Not everything they have is just for fun. A lot of it is practical too. But many items have a sense of fun while being practical. Or if you don’t want to call it fun, call it geek appeal. That works too.

Their site is a lot of fun to wander. Possibly too much fun, in fact. I spent rather too long wandering the site while thinking on this post. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Who am I kidding? It was fun!