Naturally Finished for a Classic Look
Wooden blocks have been around for centuries and make an excellent tool to teach basic math concepts, organizational skills, sequential skills, and spatial relations. It is no surprise that blocks are found in almost every pre-school and kindergarten classroom. Youngsters become the architect of their own world as they fit pieces together to form their vision. This open-ended play set stimulates creativity and hones basic motor skills.

Each set features a large variety shapes and sizes including arches, columns, squares, rectangles, triangles, cylinders, and circles, as well as basic, half, and double unit blocks. This block set is crafted to the standard unit block size (1-1/2-by-2-by-5-inches) and constructed from Rubberwood, a resilient hardwood. The blocks are big, chunky, and easy for kids to grasp and build with. Smoothly sanded surfaces tantalize fingertips and create a handsome natural aesthetic. Best of all, when the child finishes constructing their masterpiece, all the pieces store neatly into a wooden storage box.

There is no limit to the types of fortresses the child can build with these blocks. This deluxe set even contains pillars, buttresses, gothic circles, and half-circles for advanced architecture. As an added bonus, the storage box doubles as a building platform. Children and parents have fun as they complete projects together. Parents can purchase another set and add to the amusement. An essential for any child's toy box, these blocks are sturdy, durable, and beautiful enough to put on display. The box measures 15-by-12-1/2-by-15-1/4 inches.

The bright blue, red, yellow and black two-cube engine has a sunroof so little heads can look ahead for any dangers on the track, a tunnel port for crawling through, and swinging side door access for realistic play. The lightweight material and compact storage makes this tent very portable, allowing kids to take something familiar to new places -- or the grandparent’s house.

This fun Thomas tent has plenty of room for friends.

Not Your Average Board Game
Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves.

Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature, raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares.

Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good:Machine gun-style Nerf gun fires multiple shots per second The Bad:The included 25 darts run out fast; gun is a bit too heavy for running around with In a Nutshell:A great addition to any Nerf artillery, the Vulcan EBF-25 provides an advantage thanks to the sheer force of shooting 25 darts in ten seconds At a Glance Ages:6 and up Requires:6 D batteries

This large, brightly colored Nerf gun shoots 3 darts per second.View larger.

25-shot belt feeds through the gun for a rapid-fire onslaught. View larger.

Full Auto Design Gives You a Quick-Firing Advantage
The first thing we noticed when we took the EBF-25 out of the box was how substantial it was. The gun itself was large, brightly colored in yellow and orange, and heavy enough for it to be a burden for quick missions; accessories included a tripod, ammobox, and ammobelt. The instruction booklet did a good job of describing the assembly process, which took about ten minutes. There is a handle that allows you to easily carry the gun around, but we would have appreciated a strap even more.

The darts are held inside an ammobox in a 25-shot belt, which is fed through the gun. You'll feel like Rambo when you carry the gun, or sit it on its tripod for taking out enemies by the bucketload. After we'd installed the required six D batteries (not included), we pulled the trigger to see the gun work methodically through our belt of darts. It took only 10 seconds to blast through the included 25 darts, flinging them thirty feet across the room. We wished there were more darts included in the box since it seemed a bit silly that we needed to spend a few minutes to pick up the ammo, and then reload them onto the belt, after shooting for only about ten seconds. A refill pack can be purchased separately, which, we think, would be a wise investment if you want to effectively beat your enemies.

The gun also has a single-shot mode that lets you shoot with extra precision. Rather than battery powered, you have to pull back on a spring-loaded lever, and then use the trigger release lever to shoot the dart. In our experience, you can achieve a little bit more distance this way than with the auto-fire mode.

Tactical Rail System Allows for Fun Additions
The Vulcan EBF-25 features the Nerf Tactical Rail System, allowing it to use most N-Strike accessories, such as the night vision Tactical light accessory for night-time missions.

For those interested in Nerf-fights, the Vulcan EBF-25 should be in everyone's artillery; the rapid-fire design gives players the advantage when engaging the enemy, and is ideal when it can be used on the back of a moving vehicle, or a stationary setting.

The BM-PS Badminton Pro Set from Park&Sun includes everything you need for friendly or fierce competition.

Specifications and Features:

• 1-1/2-inch, two-piece telescopic aluminum poles
• Official size net with one-inch top tape and 4-inch side sleeves
• Four steel frame/steel shaft racquets
• 3/16-inch pre-measured yellow boundary
• 1/8-inch guyline system
• Three A-grade shuttlecocks
• Carry bag for storage and transport
• Four 10-inch ground stakes

What's in the Box?
Two-piece aluminum telescopic poles, official size net, guyline system with tension rings, ground stakes, boundary, four racquets, three shuttlecocks, equipment bag