All the scares from toxic toys

Where did the toys you gave your kids last Christmas come from?

China is a great place. But it is huge and pretty hard to regulate. There have been many health scares originating from China, the manufacturer of the world.

If you want cheap and good stuff, chances are, those items are made in China. But what if you had a bad scare from toxic paint on toys kids put in their mouths?

What if you want to be certain that the toys you give are from places other than China?
Do you have a choice?

There is this store that specializes in stuff toys from countries other than China. Personally, I still use mostly China made stuff because of my budget, but, hey, this is a free world and one should have choices in everything. Including where whatever you use or give comes from.


These Toys not made in China are perfect for the children of the extremely cautious.

Dress Up Games

Kids, in particular, little girls, love to play dress up.

Dress up games afford kids hours of fun. Coming up with different outfits for their dolls is an exercise in creativity for the girls. Hey, all studies no play makes Jill a boring girl, so give her a break with these dress up games:

Fisher Price Dress and Dance Dora

Fisher Price Dora The Explorer Dress and Dance Dora Dance to ballet and merengue music with Dora! Dora knows which dance to perform when you change her dress. Press her necklace and Dora ... more info.

Lights Camera Interaction Lacing Bear Dress-Up

Melissa and Doug Lacing Bear Dress-Up 1 adorable bear 17clothing and accessory pieces 2 extra-long laces encourages fine motor and creative development the bear and ... more info.

Madeline & Friends Dress Up Trunk Set

Dress Up Trunk Set La mode de Madeline is cest magnifique! This buckle-front trunk contains fantasy dress up items guaranteed to provide hours of ... more info.

Molly P. Originals Alyssa

Molly P. Original Alyssa Alyssa's rosy cheeks, big blue eyes, and soft brown spring-curled hair are a gorgeous contrast to her beautiful, off-white satin dress. Her capped sleeves feature flower ... more info.

How To Make Phonics Flip Cards To Teach Kids To Read

When my younger son turned five, he still could not read. By reading, I mean reading proper books, using phonics to pronounce new words -- reading the words by putting the sounds of the letters together. My son could read the words he had memorized but that was it.

My mom, a brilliant school teacher, was horrified. According to her, I could read entire books (kids books, but with several non-repititive words per page) when I turned three. Both my parents were excellent school teachers (retired now) and they used all sorts of teaching aids to help me learn to read. One of the things she used to teach me is through phonics flash cards.

That was what she used to teach my son to read. Flip cards with rhyming words, with interchangable consonants.

Actually, she made 1 set : ends with 'AT' and then she got my elder son, who could already read and write, to make the other rhyming sets.

The AT series goes with the consonants B, C, F, H, M, R,S and V

You take a long card with enough space for 4 letters.

Write C A T on the card
Then cut out 8 cards, each big enough to cover the C and write 1 consonant on each card.
Pile up these cards over the C and staple once, on top of the stack of cards to hold them together.

By flipping each card, you get a new word. Make the sound of the consonant, followed by AT, followed by the full word as you show the child each word. Get him to repeat the word after you, until he 'gets it'.

Make rhyming sets for 'AN', 'OR','OT', 'UP', 'EN' and 'IN'

Get the kids to practice with rhyming games. Before long, the kids would figure out how to read.

You will find more tips for teaching kids at my main site little kids games. Do check it out.

Here are some free phonics games