A Whale of a Time

Do you know a kid who's bored with Legos, who's done with construction, and who's longing for a meaningful imaginative play gift? No? Well, you might want to consider this fabulous set anyway.

This whole shebang is like living "Free Willy." Or, "Rescue Willy," if you will. The Whale Rescue Mission puts a powerful Killer Whale in danger, and only the child, equipped with a boat, a helicopter, a rig, and a crew, can save him from disaster. The whale's jaw moves, so it can articulate its thanks as it's hauled from the hazardous sea, presumably to be deposited in calmer waters (and NOT imprisoned in some Shamu concentration camp, please). There's many lessons to be learned while playing with this toy, and most of them can be taught during bath time. Most excellent.

If the Whale Rescue doesn't float his or her boat, check out the Mummy Set or the Everglades set (shrink-wrapped bodies and gators, respectively). They're all about 50 bucks for hours of fun. At www.constplay.com.

Self-Cleaning Hip Hop

The thing many kids ask for during the holidays is a pet. Normally, this is frowned upon, since puppies and kittens can truly get caught in the holiday shuffle. But what about something far less demanding? What about... frogs?

This Frog-O-Sphere from Brookstone is a pretty nifty idea. They call it a "miniature community" consisting of a little aquarium, rocks, something called "Living Gravel", a plant, a cleaning tool and TWO African Dwarf frogs (I guess two makes a community. Maybe a calling them a couple is just too personal?). Anyway, this little ecosphere is pretty self-contained, requiring you and yours to do not much more than feed the happy hoppers (they're actually swimmers) twice a week with handy pellets. I myself have had these frogs in the past, and I must say that they're pretty cute and fun to watch.

Did I mention that the entire set up is just $40? And they supply a year's worth of food? Check it out at www.brookstone.com. It's hip hop you'll want your kids to play.

Star Maker

If you live in a populated area, chances are you have night time light pollution. Simply put, there's too much artificial light at night to allow the natural light of the stars to shine bright. That means that kids have never really seen the actual night sky in all its glory on a regular basis.

While this tiny facsimile of a night sky isn't the real McCoy, at least kids can use it to identify the stars in their proper places on the correct night. Just tap in the time, date and place, and the Star Theater reproduces your night sky right in the bedroom, complete with labels for proper star and planet identification. It's like having your very own planetarium, and is just the perfect gift for the curious nine year old in your life. This way, once you actually go camping or at least go somewhere without that light pollution, the kid can ID the stars.

Find the Star Theater (complete with meteor maker) at www.hearthsong.com.

Lightweight for Lightweights

I think it's always nice to have a toy or two lying around the living room, just in case someone (be it child or adult) wants to play. Of course, that doesn't mean plastic dreck. It means something arty and interesting.

These subtle cork blocks are arty and interesting. They're functional enough for any child (because, no matter how hard you try, most kids just aren't all that interested in aesthetics). But they're just fabulous enough, with an artsy pedigree and ultra-safe environmentally sound veggie dyes, to be of interest to design oriented adults. In short, these are a perfect gift for a parent who loves, as perhaps you do, to leave a toy or two out on the coffee table for the masses. Bring your friend a set, and see what evolves upon your return: a skyscaper, a castle, a canned soup factory.

An added plus? These are cork, folks, so no one gets hurt. Check them out at www.momastore.org.

Bites On The Run

Every mother knows the drill: you're out with your small child, and suddenly they're gripped with starvation style hunger. Problem is, you're unprepared. Besides hiring your very own boy scout to keep you loaded with delicious and filling snacks, what can a mother do?

These Little Bites silicone storage jars might be a start in the right direction. The lilliputian scale means they're easy to store, either in the car, your bag, or at home. They're equally at home in the fridge, at room temp, or in the microwave. And they are blessedly free of nasty chemicals like BPA, Phthalate, and lead (because poisoning your children as you're nourishing them is bad, bad form). Plus, they're an ideal baby shower add-on gift for a new mom, who will know nothing of the hungry wolf-like screams that can emanate from a backseat strapped, ravenous toddler. Give them the Little Bites and save them from this dreadful fate.

Find these adorable containers at www.mightynest.com. They don't come with the actual snacks, but I'm sure you can figure that part out.