Childrens Gift Ideas Blog Toys and gifts to inspire the Imagination

Life and Soul: Relationship of a father and child

photo credit: cscott2006

Parents are one of the most important role models  in a childs life. They are the ones who shape to their children’s  lives, character and future. One such dominant role is played by our fathers. Father’s day is celebrated in honour of our fathers or father figures and as a show of love, respect and celebration to the importance of a father child relationship. It is this day when children get an opportunity to show their love, respect, affection for their fathers. This day is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in different parts of the world. Though this trend is mostly followed in western countries it is slowly arriving in Asian countries too where mother’s day has also become popular. Father’s day celebrations began in the earliest 20^th century to celebrate paternal bonding and fatherhood. The first observance of father’s day was in Fairmont, West Virginia on 5^th June 1908 which was initiated by Mrs Grace Golden Clayton. She wanted to honour the lives of those fathers who were lost in Monongah Mining disaster. It was quite possible that she was influenced by the celebration of mother’s day which was done in the same year a few miles away. It was since then that Fairmont was promoted as the “Home of First Father’s Day Service”.  After this Father’s day celebrations gained momentum and moved to other countries.

It is celebrated in different dates in different countries worldwide but most commonly on the third Sunday of June. However in many countries like Russia, Portugal, Denmark and certain Asian countries it is celebrated at another time.  . Father’s day is marked in many ways for instance  a family meal, cards and presents family oriented activities, cooking their favourite food, playing their favourite movies or music.  In other words it involves making that day special for their loving fathers.

Father’s day is not only made special by the children for their fathers but also by the fathers for their children. They can do so by making new resolutions, promises for their betterment as well as betterment of their family. Another perspective of father’s day is  celebrating being a father and enjoying this day for the very first time where you are not only giving to your own father but are receiving a gift for being a father . The excitement that a father gets celebrating his first father’s day is incomparable with any happiness in the world. On one had he has a joy of becoming a father and on the other hand new responsibilities of determining his child’s future.

Father’s day  is celebrated to thank fathers for their unconditional contribution that they have made for their children to make their life rosy and pleasant. It is tribute paid by the children to their fathers on this wonderful day and making it memorable. It is to make them realise how special they are and how grateful their children are for having them in their lives.

Our contribution on World Environment Day

photo credit: thilawee

World Environment Day is an annual event which celebrates our planet and promotes positive environmental action. The concept for raising environmental awareness was conceived by the United Nations in 1972, to encourage the world’s population to make changes that will improve the condition of the planet not only for ourselves but for future generations.

Each year a different environmental issue is put under the spotlight. Past themes have raised awareness about issues such as water shortage, desertification, children and the environment, oceans and melting ice. This year’s event, hosted in Delhi on June 5^th,  focused on forests. It aims to draw attention to the 5.2 million hectares of forest that is cut down each year - despite the essential role it plays in sustaining life to more than 1.6 billion people across the globe.

The principle aim of World Environment Day this year is to encourage a move towards a greener and more sustainable economy, by helping people make simple changes to their lifestyle, such as buying furniture, wood and paper that carries a forest certification logo. Fortunately the awareness we have of our impact on the environment as we go about our daily lives has never been stronger. Whether it be connecting more with nature, planting trees, walking to work, buying locally sourced organic food, growing our own vegetables, recycling, reusing or just the old-fashioned principle of make-do most people are now choosing to make small yet significant changes to their lifestyles.

One of the most important and increasingly popular changes is creating opportunities that stimulate our children’s interest and raise their awareness of environmental impact through the art of play. Many exciting new toy products such as solar-powered toys, recycled-cardboard playhouses and battery-free toys made from innovative new materials are emerging in the marketplace.

This developing ‘green’ sector of the market also taps into the current trend for traditional wooden toys and games made from sustainable sources, rather than the ubiquitous plastic variety which have saturated the market in the last few decades. Not only is this shift essential for the environment, it ties-in perfectly with the Imagination Station’s ethos for encouraging learning and development in children through educational toys.

It is against this backdrop that we have seen more and more parents look for quality andvalue for money in the toys they buy, rather than the high-tech, electronic gadget range which tend to distract children instead of stimulate them. That is why we actively seek out toys that will not only help to educate children through playing, but also teach them how they can interact and make a positive impact on their environment, and get plenty of fun out of it at the same time.

By partnering with the very best suppliers at the forefront of eco toy manufacturing, we aim to inspire children to investigate sustainable objects and materials around their homes and in their daily lives. Our Make Your Own Plastic Bag Monster - a Green Creativity Toy that will turn unwanted plastic bags into an environmentally friendly monster, puppet or decoration is a great example of the type of toy that will engage future generations with the concept of  ecology and environmentalism.

Baby Shares Birthday With Mum and Dad

A New York baby will be opening his first birthday gift on the same day as her parents celebrate their happy returns.

Baby boy Riley La Ra will be one year old on November 1 this year. His parents haven't decided whether to have one birthday cake or three.

Mum Keri, who will be 30 on the same day, says Riley was “the best birthday gift we could ever get.

“Either he's going to be extremely happy he shares this amazing bond with us or he'll request a different birthday,” she jokes.

Keri met husband Thomas at a wedding in 2004. He had an unusual chat up line: “When is your birthday?”

"I said, 'No way! Shut up! That's my birthday, too,'" Thomas recalls.

"It gave us an instant connection," Keri added. "We knew there was something between us. The chance of meeting someone who has your birthday are slim to none."

The couple married in 2006 and began trying for a baby in 2008. After Keri became pregnant, doctors predicted a birth date of October 29 or 30.

But when Keri's waters broke at 11:30 pm on Halloween, October 31 2009, the couple knew that they would be sharing their joint birthday with their son.

"We knew something special was happening," said Thomas, adding that the nurse who looked after Keri also was born on November 1.

Keri predicts that the biggest problem will be deciding who gets to decide what to do on their birthdays.

"I've given up my birthday for the next 18 years," she laughs. "It's all about him now."

First Birthday For Gift Review Site

Gift review site GiftsGuideUK.com celebrated its first birthday this month.

Launched on the internet in October 2009, the site aims to make buying first birthday gifts, toys, luxury baby gifts and presents for every other occasion easier for consumers by providing a one-stop source of no-nonsense reviews.

The site reviews a wide range of weird and wonderful gifts, gadgets and giving ideas from the top online retailers, testing products for real so that buyers can be sure that they are getting top quality for their money.

photo credit: j2dread

In its first year, the site has introduced a gifts forum where browsers can ask for gift-giving advice from fellow users or the site's own experts. The forum is also the place to share tips on special offers and competitions for the latest gifts and gadgets.

Managing director Paul Smith said: “GiftsGuideUK.com was born out of the idea that I could never figure out what gifts to buy people for Christmas.

“I’d wander around the shops on Christmas Eve with little to no idea about what to buy people,” he recalled. “We built the site around the ‘making gift buying easier’ goal and all the developments within the last year have been implemented specifically to achieve this aim.”

First Birthday Party To Help Lifesaving Neonatal Unit

Baby Joey Patterson's parents are asking for a very special first birthday gift for him on October 24.

The toddler's family are holding a special birthday party to raise funds for the the hospital neonatal units that saved his life when he was born 10 weeks premature.

Mum Beth Patterson from Great Sankey in Cheshire has organised a charity raffle at the Lymm Hotel in aid of the Warrington Hospital and The Newborn Appeal at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, and is looking for prize donations.

Staff nurse Beth recalled that doctors had little optimism for Joey's survival when he was born.

But she could not bring herself give up hope: “When my waters broke at 18 weeks doctors told me I had miscarried,” she sad. “I was offered a termination but we couldn’t do that when he had a heartbeat.”

Beth and her husband Ian went home with their other son Lucas to let ‘nature take its course’ after doctor's said that Joey’s lungs had little chance of developing outside the womb.

But the tiny baby survived against all the odds. Beth said: “The worst time was those 12 weeks when I could have gone into labour at any point.

“Joey was born at Warrington before being transferred to Liverpool for three weeks. He weighed 2lb 2oz when he was born and was given oxygen for seven months.

“But now he’s doing everything that he should do for his age and even crawling around earlier than his big brother did. He’s a regular little miracle to us.”

Donations can be offered through the website justgiving.com/bethan-patterson.

‘Seven Wonders’ Of Dubai Sponsors Human Rights Educational Toy

Dubai's Falconcity of Wonders theme park attraction sponsoring a scheme to develop a human rights-focused children's educational toy.

The 'My Rights' toy project, which is supervised by Emirates Human Rights Association, aims to educate children to know their rights as defined by to international conventions.

Under the terms of the sponsorship deal, Falconcity of Wonders will sign contracts with an unspecified educational institution to design, manufacture and distribute one thousand copies of the game, with a brief to to educate children about their rights and how to to prevent any violations against them.

The theme park hoped that the sponsorship will show its commitment to charitable and humanitarian works in the Emirates.

Falconcity of Wonders recreates the seven wonders of the world in miniature over its 100-acre site within the Dubailand Master Plan theme park in the Persian Gulf state of the United Arab Emirates.

Departing somewhat from the ancient definition of the seven wonders, it includes models of the Egyptian Pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The project will eventually combine various hospitality, commercial, residential, educational and leisure amenities with entertainment facilities, including apartments, villas, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, health clubs and spas, schools and parks.

National Geographic Launches Educational Game

Publisher and broadcaster National Geographic is foraying into the children's educational toy market with its new range of educational video games.

The NatGeo Quiz! Range is being developed for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii platforms by Italian video game company Black Bean Games.

The first title in the series is NatGeo Quiz! Wild Life, which draws on the magazine and documentary giant's extensive archive of wildlife films and pictures.

The game contains some 90 minutes of high-definition videos, 5000 different questions and 2000 high-resolution images which allow players to discover the natural world of deadly predators, amazing survivors and undersea life.

Similar to the Buzz! and Trivial Persuit games the game features several different play modes: single or multi-player quiz, with length and difficulty options; Quest: where you must get seven out of ten questions right to progress through each level, and Stat Attax, a two player game using a special deck of quiz cards.

A narrator guides and entertains the player through the game, keeping scores, praising the leaders and encouraging the others.

National Geographic was founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge.” Over the years it has branched out from magazine publishing to film-making, broadcasting, the internet and now video games.

Disney To Host Young Innovators Robotics Competition

Young robotics experts will meet in competition when Walt Disney World hosts the VEX Robotics World Championship next April.

The world of children's educational toys and science craft kits will come to life as the youthful inventors battle it out at broadcaster ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex inside the theme park.

Organised by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (REC) and VEX Robotics, the contest aims to inspire young people to excel in science, technology, engineering and maths education through amateur robotics.

Taking place during US National Robotics Week, the three-day tournament will bring together top middle school, high school and college robotics teams from around the world to share their accomplishments and inspire more young students to pursue careers in robotics and other related fields.

Children's educational toy maker VEX Robotics say that their competition is the largest and fastest growing such programme in the world, with more than 2,500 teams from 20 different countries competing in some 200 tournaments worldwide.

REC Foundation President Jason Morrella said: “Disney’s state-of-the-art facilities will provide the ideal experience for VEX participants and fans, and we are delighted to host the VEX Robotics World Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.”

VEX Robotics president Paul Copioli added: “Bringing the World Championship to such an esteemed venue as Disney provides a truly global arena for us to support and celebrate the accomplishments of today’s young, diverse and enthusiastic minds.

Educational Benefits Of Children’s Puzzles

Puzzles are a traditional favourite children's educational toy among not just kids, put parents and teachers.

You can improve your child's early learning both at home and at school by giving them puzzle toys to play with.

Children's puzzles help to develop a whole range of skills, including cognitive skills, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and even social skills.

Puzzles improve cognitive — reasoning and problem-solving — skills by helping children to see the relationship between the whole and its parts.

They can also enhance visual spacial awareness and teach subjects such as the alphabet, counting, colours, shapes and sorting objects into sets like animals or vehicles.

Motor skills such as grasping and manipulation (not the monetary or emotional kind) are developed through puzzles such as jigsaws, or those which require the child to put pegs or blocks in holes or attach one object to another. These skills are crucial for writing and drawing, but children begin learning them long before they ever pick up a crayon.

­Similarly, babies and toddlers learn hand-eye coordination skills as they pick up pieces of a puzzle and place them in their right place.

Playing with puzzles can also teach your children social skills when done with other children. Children learn share tasks and cooperate as they swap pieces of the puzzle and discuss where they should go. They can also learn how to cope with frustration when they cannot make a piece fit.

Educational Toy Firms Stage Children’s Science Fair

Two US children's educational toy suppliers teamed up in August to provide hands-on science experiments for children.

Leading suppliers of educational toys, novelty items and educational children's craft kits Toysmith Group and xUmp.com collaborated to provide an exciting balloon-themed program for xUmp's free monthly MeetUp science event on August 22.

Toysmith Group donated balloon-powered cars and helicopters for children to build and take home with them for the event, which took place at xUmp’s warehouse in Signal Hill, near Los Angeles, California.

The event focused on balloon physics. In addition to building balloon-powered cars and helicopters, children played with rocket balloons and observed a demonstration of a giant 36-inch balloon being inflated.

xUmp operations manager Ana Sanchez said: “Toysmith's donation was perfect for our event.

“We wanted to show the participants how you could use observation and analysis to figure out how to make balloon objects work.

“Something as simple as playing with balloons really encouraged the children to approach their use of the toys in a scientific way,” she added.

xUmp.com is one of the largest online retailers specializing in scientific supplies, gifts and toys, shipping everything from magnets, microscopes, telescopes, science kits, gadgets, desk toys and more to over 200,000 customers in 105 countries worldwide.