November 4, 2009 4:37 PM
Schleich castle and knights - the Christmas gift that keeps on giving
When it comes to Christmas presents, I won't hype things that are not good investments for children - in terms of producing hours of activity that engage their creative imagination or developing skills. You will find great ideas under Barbara's Picks - many with explanations of what benefit a particular toy has.
I link to Amazon for two reasons - because purchases you make when you link through my site each time help support MommyLife, and because I love their customer reviews for helping all moms make informed purchases. I also love the free Super Saver shipping for almost all orders over $25. And I love saving state taxes and gas money and impulse shopping items. I recommend Amazon because I have shopped this way for 12 years (I don't get credit on my own purchases though!) I hope you will consider doing your Christmas shopping this way and using my link each time you shop (bookmarks will not give me the credit). You can also let grandparents know that Barbara's Picks is a good place to get ideas and using my link helps bring you the daily news :)
This morning I want to introduce something that my boys have loved and played with for years. It is virtually indestructible and has made their imaginations soar. The initial investment is pricey - we bought it for four boys for Christmas - but you don't have to start with everything, and you can add on with birthday presents and saved up allowances as time goes on.
So without further ado, this is one of my top-rated Christmas Gifts of All Time:
This is just a sample of what's available at Amazon. Like I said, this is one of those gifts that can keep growing through the years. Very well made and will last through your kids and down to grandkids.
And in my opinion, this beats any techno-toy hands down.
Comments
The best toys we have found for our boys has to be Legos. The sets are fun but even better are the buckets of Lego pieces. It is so much fun to see what they come up with on their own. My boys are very much the engineering, how does that work, take everything apart types. At least Legos are suppose to come apart and be put back together.
Posted by: Jane Duquette | November 5, 2009 6:13 PM
These toys are GREAT!!
We started collecting Schleich figures when our oldest were 1 and 2- don't worry, they are near indestructible and our oldest figures (one is that pink princess above) still look new.
My first son started playing with his knights at the same time he started really talking. He would spend hours acting out little quests and sword fights. We got them a 12" stuffed T-Rex to be the dragon (I didn't want something that large out of hard plastic) and Gpa and Gma got them a castle and always have a figure or two for Christmas.
I also like how compact the figures are. Everything but the castle fits in a large basket that lives under the side table and after 3 years of collecting we still have space for more.
My 6 yo dd loves her princesses and has a few paper back drops for putting on balls and she also has her own prince charmings so her brothers don't have to sacrifice their knights to sissy plays like that.
The figure prices at Amazon are excellent.
Posted by: Cheri | November 5, 2009 6:40 PM
You can make a really nice Chess set out of these too. If you have a large board printed on vinyl at a place like Kinko's, you can collect the pieces a few at a time and make a beautiful (very large) set that is like a real battlefield.
Posted by: Jennifer | November 5, 2009 8:09 PM
Thanks for the tip. These look awesome. My boys (and girls) would love them. I can't believe I haven't heard of these before. Looks like a Christmas gift just waiting to happen in our home!
Posted by: Lynette | November 6, 2009 2:19 AM
