Info About Christmas Light Ohio

Happy Monday! It was a fun and exciting weekend at OBE HQ as we were nominated for two Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce community awards and were so very honored to be a finalist for the Chamber’s Environmental Initiative. So many fantastic businesses were honored over the weekend. It’s amazing to see the drive, ingenuity and warmth of business owners throughout the community.

It was also a big parent moment for us too, as our daughter had her first “real” babysitter on Saturday night when we headed to the Chamber dinner. I did a fair bit of babysitting as a young teen, but it never occurred to me until yesterday how much of a “gulp” moment it is for parents to leave their kids in the care of someone else.

Thankfully, our daughter has decided that her new “big girl” friend is so awesome. Might have something to do with the fact that there was one toy in the bedroom that everyone agreed knocked it out of the park in terms of fun - the Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Castle.

This Christmas was all about old-skool imagination. So, Santa totally caved and brought the tiny person this super cool addition that kicked off what we’ve dubbed the Year of the Magical World. It’s a simple castle, nothing fancy or ornate, which to me is absolutely perfect since it leave LOTS of room for making cool stuff to go with it.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with some cool gear though. In fact, this compact castle comes with a king and queen and a few guards, a few horses, two thrones, a bed and even a very cool treasure chest.

I actually didn’t know that until after Santa scooped up the extra royal family crew. But, hey, who doesn’t love a big family?:)

I’m a true lover of wooden toys and this castle is one of those great finds that leads to so much imaginative play. We’ve spent hours and hours making different magical worlds, setting up the castle, making paths from the “forest” and – of course – discovering different nooks and crannies in our fairy world.

And while we spend lots of time playing together, this castle is definitely one of those rare gems that keeps kids engrossed, full of stories and imagination all by themselves (no way! I heard you gasp:))

Every once in a while, I’ll wake up in the morning and find our daughter with her whole room set up – her dragon overseeing the whole scene – with the king and queen talking to the trees in the forest about the treasure. So sweet.

I’m so impressed by the quality of the castle – it is sturdy, light and easy to pack. It also comes in boy blue as well as girl pink.

It’s a great alternative to more traditional doll houses and is a super launching point for all kinds of creative adventures.

There are more extravagant versions of the castle. But, I appreciate the compact, transportable aspect of this one. It doesn’t actually require that you carve out a permanent space for it in a kid’s room. For families with limited space, easy storage is a major bonus.

All in all, I have to give the Fold & Go Castle an 8.5 out of 10 (my only gripe is that the horse legs lose their sturdiness after a while).

It can often be quite difficult to find toys for your children at Christmas that they will enjoy playing with but also that you will feel are suitable to them. However, this may be a lot easier this Christmas as many companies are bringing out ranges of wooden and educational toys. One of these toys is an eco wooden doll house set that has been made from 23-inch natural wood. This traditional play set comes with wooden characters that have their own clothes and moveable arms and legs to enhance the real home experience. The furniture that comes with the house is made from rubber wood and helps add to the manipulative and imaginative play experience. Of course the house is an eco-friendly house so it also comes with the necessary extras to make the house friendly to the environment, these include; a bin for recycling, a solar panel on the roof, a wind fan, a water pump and a bike rather than a car. These extras all help children realise how important and simple it can be to have your house set up to be an eco-friendly home and how our daily actions have a profound effect on our eco-system. Wooden toys have been around for years and have always proved popular with children and with this house also having an important message to pass out it would be an ideal Christmas present. Another toy that is different and exciting as well as being under the educational toys heading is the HumanWorks Eyewitness Kit – Cast and Paint Science Project for Kids. This toy helps teach children about the anatomy of the human skeleton. This is obviously very educational as well as being hands on and therefore fun as well. The set will enable children to make a cast of the entire skeleton from scratch, they can then construct the skeleton using the magnets or glue provided and for extra facts about the human body and skeleton there is a book provided with the kit that will help children answer any questions that they have about how the body works.

If you’re struggling to find suitable gift ideas for your children this Christmas, one of the toys you could buy is a wooden eco friendly house. Wooden toys have been around for many years and have always been a firm favourite with children. Another toy to think about this Christmas is a set that allows children to cast a human skeleton from scratch and this fun and interesting kit also comes under the educational toys

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