Playground Scavenger Hunt Cards

This little deck of playground scavenger hunt cards consists of 32 cards, each illustrating an object that can be found in many typical playgrounds, parks, and backyards. They're great for encouraging outdoor exploration, and are a handy size to carry in a purse, glove box, or backpack.

The set can be used as a whole, or unclasped and divided between children for independent or competitive play.

The original illustrations were hand drawn using colored pencils, then scanned for layout. Each set is color laser printed then laminated, trimmed, punched, and strung onto a natural hemp strap which buttons around itself on a wool felt ball.

Get the scavenger hunt cards for $16.00 at Blynken & Nod's store on Etsy.com.

Crafting a Green World

Just found a great blog titled Crafting a Green World. It has entries on green crafts and projects that can be done by parents and children alike. Get the family together and browse around the blog or take a look at some of the more recent entries:

• Reusable Shopping Bags (made from t-shirts)
• The Crafty Cookout
• Eight Projects for Tins and Cans
• The Handmade Spa
• Create Gift Boxes out of Soap Boxes

Blue & Red Replica Sky King Tricycles

From AirFlow Collectibles, these beautiful 1936 replicas are a collectible for years to come, with the original Sky King trikes selling for over $3000. These great looking trikes are now affordable for the whole family and the future collectors of the replicas. Made of high quality steel and mechanically identical in every way to the Sky King of old. They come in blue (shown) and red with a suggested retail price of $279.00 (you can shop around for lower prices!).

• 26" High - Beautiful Blue Powder Coat with Chrome insignias
• Solid Rubber Tires
• Adjustable Spring Seat
• Working Light
• Reflectors
• Sealed Ball Bearing
• Rubber Handle Grips
• All Steel - Slight assembly required
• Toy Safety Approved / 3-6 years old
• Lead FREE Paint

Need Another DVD Player in Your Car?

Need another dvd player in your car to stop the kids from arguing? Do you have a laptop and $24.99 $19.99? Check out the CradleVue laptop travel harness at VueGear. It's designed to securely suspend your notebook computer between the front seats of your vehicle — positioning it perfectly for unobstructed backseat viewing.

The CradleVue installs in about one minute and is fully adjustable to accommodate SUVs, mini vans, cars, and trucks. It'll also custom-fit nearly any size notebook computer. Made of durable nylon webbing, tent-quality bungee-like shock cord, hook and loop fastening, and sewn to rigid standards, the CradleVue … well … cradles your computer and keeps it secure and in place while traveling.

Nintendo DS Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Check out a good review of the Nintendo DS game Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at Chip Chicklets. They've got some good pictures of the game and a nice overview.

Review: YummySoup! Recipe Management Software

If you've got a Mac and you enjoy cooking, you may have heard of it - YummySoup! If not, it's a recipe management tool that can be used to get you from point A (the recipe) to point Z (the dinner table) easily and quickly. It includes many convenient features including the ability to import recipes from any website, recipe sharing, full-screen viewing, picture attachments, and a grocery list feature. The best feature of all, the AnySite web importer, allows you to import recipes from ANY website. It's so easy, our 3-year old can do it! Once you find that next mouth-watering recipe on foodnetwork.com or bonappetit.com, all you need to do is highlight the sections you want to import (i.e. title, ingredients, directions, picture, etc.) and click the import button. From there, share it with your friends and family, shop for the groceries, and cook the meal of your life! Happy eating...and cooking!

While they're currently on version 1.8.1, everyone, including me, is looking forward to iPhone support in version 2.0. Try it free for 15 days, and then purchase for only $20.

Share Calendars the Easy Way (Mac or iPhone Required)

Always on the go? Have a Mac or an iPhone and use Google calendar? Check out BusyMac's newest product, BusyCal. It combines a beautiful, personal desktop calendar with their award winning calendar sharing and syncing technology — in one integrated application. BusyCal syncs with the iPhone, MobileMe, Google Calendar, and just about any other application or device that supports Sync Services. And its backward compatible with BusySync too. There's a whole assortment of other features, including:

• Sync with Google Calendar
• Sync with iPhone
• Multi-user editing
• Security
• Offline editing
• Recurring ToDo's
• Live Weather
• Graphics
• Sticky Notes
• Rich Text

Also, check out some screenshots and videos of the public beta!

Enter to Win an Ecozoo Backpack at Inhabitots

Tomorrow is your last chance to win an Ecozoo backpack at Inhabitots. The winner will receive his/her choice of one Ecozoo backpack — either the elephant, pig, panda, or puppy (valued at $29.99). All creatures are made of 100% organic cotton canvas and feature padded straps and internal pockets.

Check out Inhabitots for more info and to enter!

Never Miss Another Deal Again!

New to couponing? You can start at Pueblo Penny Pinching! Maybe you're a seasoned veteran looking for more ways to save a buck, take the time to check out even more deals. At PPP, they've got weekly ad deals, freebies, coupon 101, product reviews, and more. Also, on July 31, 2009, they'll be spilling the beans and "sharing with everyone their BIG secret!".

This Weekend: Rubik's Touch Cube

This weekend the Rubik's Touch Cube will premiere on QVC. The puzzle cube will be available for order for the very first time during the channel's Christmas In July segment. The price is expected to be $149.99, so if you're willing to pay it and want to be one of the first to own the touch cube, tune in to QVC this weekend!

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About

GeekDad, at Wired.com, has a great post on the '100 Things your Kids May Never Know About'. The things are broken up into 5 different categories: Audio-Visual Equipment, Computers and Videogaming, Internet, Gadgets, and Everything Else. Here are some samples of things your kids may never know about:

• 8-track cartridges
• Rotary dial televisions with no remote (you know, the ones where your kids were the remote)
• The scream of a modem connecting
• Blowing the dust out of an NES cartridge in the hopes that it'll load this time
• Getting information from an actual Encyclopedia
• When SPAM was just a meat product
• Pay phones
• Typewriters
• Cash

Check out more here!

The Perfect Vacation: Woodloch Pines

When thinking about our family vacation this year we wanted something different.  With two small little ones we wanted something that everyone in our family would enjoy;  something that didn't cost an arm and a leg.  For us it was a tall order to fill.  We were traveling with 2 adults, a 15 year old, a 14 year old, 3 year old and a 7 month old, so we really needed something for everyone.  We new that places such as Disney weren't the best option for the 7 month old as it's hot and he'd be stuck in a stroller all day, and we searched and craved for something different than the same old thing.  We thought and contemplated several locations but in the end we kept going back to a childhood favorite of my husband, Woodloch Pines.

Woodloch Pines is located in the heart of the Pocono Mountains in Hawley, Pennsylvania.  Woodloch Pines in one of the best all-inclusive family resorts out there.  They literally have something for everyone.  They have scheduled activities such as good old Scavenger hunts, which is no old school scavenger hunt (hint: bring your laptop), Bingo, Double Dare, Family Olympics, and the list goes on.  When you aren't attending a scheduled activity you won't have to look far for things to keep you busy, such as the mini-golf, go-karts, the numerous pools, the lake, boats, and again the list goes on.  

The best thing about Woodloch is that it brings the family together while still allowing for some alone time.  There is something for EVERYONE at Woodloch.  It includes most of the activities, 3 full meals a day and a variety of different accommodations.

See their website for a full list of activities and to start dreaming about your next vacation.

Aye, guide t' Pirate Parentin' Aye, me parrot concurs

Avast ye land lubber spawn raiser. Yes, that's all pirate talk, because in the Guide to Pirate Parenting, Cap’n Billy “The Butcher” MacDougall provides everything you need to know to turn your little powder monkeys into happy, healthy buccaneers. If you’re like most parents, you long to raise your children as pirates but just don’t know how. For only $11.95 at thinkgeek.com, you can learn:

• At what age your child should be able to remove a bottle cap by taking out his glass eye and using his eye
• Which offense requires administering The Flying Dutchman Wedgie
• How to prevent sogging the quartermaster
• The best place to maroon your disobedient child
• How to remove chewing gum or a giant octopus from your child’s hair
• The difference between plundering and pillaging
• How to convert your minivan into a pirate schooner
• When to smack your teenager in the side of the head with an oar

Best Time to Buy Laptops?

A recent study at DealNews, finds that the best times to buy laptops are April, August and September. So, if you're looking to get your kids a fancy new laptop or a sleek netbook for the holiday's, now might be the best time to start shopping! If you think waiting until the holiday season will net you a better deal, think again: surprisingly, one of the worst times to buy laptops is during the months of December and January.

Read more at DealNews.

Vintage Metal Speedster by Schylling

Schylling has introduced a vintage silver metal speedster, guaranteed to be enjoyed by your tots! The speedster, with the colors, graphics, and features of a real race car, has detailed chrome accents, a working steering column, and rubber tires. You can get this for your future driver for only $89.99 plus shipping.

Some assembly is required and there is a 42 lb. weight limit.

Personalized Maps of Imaginary Kingdoms at Kidlandia

Create your own personalized maps of imaginary kingdoms with friendly monsters at Kidlandia! Kids can name cities, islands, and other features of the kingdoms after family and friends, which, the founder says, helps them feel more connected to those who love them. Other features that can be added to the map include buildings, machines, "kreechurs", and plants.

Each map your kids build can be saved, shared, and printed. Also, you can purchase each map printed out on either a gallery wrapped canvas or canvas scroll. The prices are from $39.95 (12" x 16" canvas scroll) to $179.95 (24" x 32" gallery wrapped canvas), plus shipping.

Kidlandia is founded by Brian Backus, former producer at Disney Interactive.

Super Secret Photo Projects Just For Kids!

Check out Photojojo for some great photo projects just for kids! All they'll need is a camera; it doesn't even matter if it's a digital camera or not.

The projects include:

• The incredible bug's eye view
• The photographic shrink ray
• Make time stand still

Pre-Order: Toy Story Bucket o Soldiers

Remember those little green toy soldiers you used to line up by the dozens in preparation for living room war? They're baack (soon)! In preparation for the release of Toy Story 3, you can pre-order a bucket-o-soldiers at disneystore.com, complete with 72 soldiers, two working parachutes, and a reusable store bucket. The soldiers are even painted with film accurate paint details, using original Disney/Pixar digital data files! They're only $16.95 and will ship in "late August 2009". Recommended for children ages 4 and up.

Check out the other new arrivals disneystore.com!

Cool Toy of the Month: Children's Inflatable Speedboat

With summer in full swing, why not let your kids take the boat out for a spin around the lake? You can do just that, with the Children's 2MPH Inflatable Speedboat from Hammacher Schlemmer. It'll get the kids away from the tube for a few hours, and even better, you some time to relax in sun.

This inflatable speedboat provides a safe 2 mph speed on calm water, such as pools or small ponds. The outboard electric motor is controlled by a child sitting in the inflated hull - a handhold with a finger trigger turns the motor on or off immediately; the boat can accommodate two children at once. The motor drives a shrouded propeller with no exposed blades that provides smooth movement over calm water; the motor can be turned 360°, so even backward movement is possible. Requires eight D batteries that provides up to five hours of operation. Deflates for off-season storage. Hull constructed from 3mm thick PVC. Supports up to two children (or 100 lbs.) Ages 3 and up.

Click to see a video or purchase for $99.95.

The Digital Open: An Innovation Expo for Global Youth

The Digital Open is an online technology community and competition for youth around the world, age 17 and under. They seek creative young makers and innovators to share their experiences, expertise, and projects through photo, text, and video.

Maybe you've designed a mobile application that connects your community with others around the world to form a real-time, large-scale activist network. Or think about new kinds of customer database services, ways to share presentations online, and coordinating meetings with people scattered around the world. See more examples on the Digital Open Categories page.

The contest is open between April 15, 2009 and August 15, 2009 if you're submitting a project in English and between April 15 and August 1, 2009 if submitting in any language other than English.

Check out digitalopen.org for more details.

The Empire Muggs Back - Art for a Mighty Good Cause

Artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans are getting out their markers, paint brushes and glue guns to transform blank Mighty Muggs into one-of-a-kind Star Wars art to be auctioned by The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

These highly-collectible urban vinyl toys have been available in a variety of characters from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, among other comic book and film franchises. For this special project, called The Empire Muggs Back, Lucasfilm asked popular artists, comics book creators, toy designers and celebrity fans to take blank Mighty Muggs (donated by Hasbro) and transform them into their favorite Star Wars characters, scenes, ships and more.

StarWars.com | The Empire Muggs Back: Art for a Mighty Good Cause

40th Anniversary of Moon Landing - Apollo 11

Get ready for launch and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing at WeChooseTheMoon.org; a real-time, interactive re-creation of the Apollo 11 mission, 40 years after Apollo 11 made JFK's dream a reality. WeChooseTheMoon.org will go live on July 16, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. and will take off at 9:32 a.m. – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic Apollo 11 launch. The site will recreate Apollo 11’s lunar mission, minute by minute, with an interactive experience that lets visitors experience the mission as it happened, using archival audio, video, photos and “real-time” transmissions on the site and via Twitter.

Ask your parents or grandparents about their memories of the first moon landing. It's likely they'll remember where they were, who they were with, and what they were doing at that exact time.

New Scribble & Write from LeapFrog

Kids, ages 3-5 years, can use the new Scribble & Write from LeapFrog to learn to write their first letters. Learning skills include: the alphabet, phonics skills, early writing skills, and pencil control. One drawback I've observed is the lack of transfer onto the writing screen; when the child traces the letter, the digital pen doesn't transfer a line onto the screen. So the child can't actually see the line they drew. However, it will teach them what the letters look like and give them a feel for how to write them.

From LeapFrog...
Light the way to early writing with Scribble & Write! Children trace the lights to get practice drawing simple shapes and pictures, then graduate to learning upper- and lowercase letters with step-by-step guidance. Fun learning games help reinforce letter recognition and pencil control skills. Best of all, Scribble & Write uses a single retraceable surface for ease of use and portability. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning.

Recipe of the Month: Mini Open Faced Steak Sandwiches on Garlic Bread

Don't be scared by the number of ingredients or length of preparation...this recipe is very easy! The great thing about it: if you don't have flat-leaf parsley or canola oil, skip the parsley oil. If your provolone cheese has gone bad, leave it out! As long as you include the steak, bread, and garlic, you're good to go!

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter

6 cloves roasted garlic, pureed

12 slices French bread, cut 1/2-inch thick

6 slices aged provolone cheese, halved lengthwise, cut 1/4-inch thick

1 boneless rib-eye, about 16 ounces

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup canola oil

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Preparation

Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Heat grill to high. Mix together the butter and garlic puree and season with salt and pepper.

Brush steak on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling to medium-rare doneness. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Brush 1 side of the bread with a tablespoon of the butter and place on the grill, butter side down and grill until golden brown; turn over, top with the cheese and grill for 30 seconds longer or until the cheese melts.

For the parsley oil, mix together the flat-leaf parsley and canola oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the garlic bread on a platter and top the cheese with a few thin slices of the beef and drizzle with the parsley oil.