It’s that time of year- the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval Winners have been Announced!

Congratulations to these fine products, which were awarded the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval for the 2014 Winter Holidays. The Seal recognizes products that facilitate father-child relationships by getting dads and kids engaged and having fun together.

We’re now accepting submissions for our 2015 Spring and Father’s Day seasons.  (Email me for more information on how to submit your product.)

Books

My Very Exciting, Sorta Scary, Big Move: A Workbook for Children Moving to a New Home (by Lori Woodring, Ph.D)
Even though about 40 million Americans per year do it, leaving one home and moving to a new one is often a hectic, stressful, anxiety-provoking experience—especially for children. Psychologist Lori Woodring has put together a workbook that takes kids through every step of the moving process. She helps children understand change, and gives them specific strategies for managing their emotions, saying goodbye, making new friends, and a lot more. And for younger children, she offers a way to understand their emotions, even though they may not be able to articulate them. Although the book is meant for children 5-11, it’s also for dad and mom. Going through the exercises and activities together can help parents understand and support their kids, and is a great way to spark conversations about moving. $15.99 on Amazon or at movingwithchildren.com

On the Go and Princess of the Year, personalized books for boys and girls (My Custom Kids Books)
Young children are fairly self-absorbed little creatures—they love mirrors, they love to hear their own name, and they love to see pictures of themselves (one could actually say the same thing about teenagers, too). These personalized books incorporate your child’s image (from a photo you upload) and name in a fun story that they–and their personal readers–will enjoy. On the Go, puts your child behind the controls of more than a dozen vehicles, including a dump truck, car transporter, helicopter, snow plow, and tow truck. Princess of the Year turns your child into a dozen different princess, including tooth fairy princess, flower princess, Halloween princess, and mermaid princess. A great way to get kids interested in reading and to strengthen that all-important dad-child bond. $36.99. mycustomkidsbook.com.
The Principles of Our World (David Esposito)
This is actually a series of short books, each built around a value that we’d like to instill in our children (and plenty of adults too): compassion, courage, honesty, hope, perseverance, teamwork, and sacrifice. The lessons are introduced through real-life stories that put the characters in situations where they have to display the value in question at home, at school, and at work. But the best part of the books are the “What Would You Do?” sections that get kids thinking about the issues. For example, what would you do if you bought something and the clerk gave you too much change? Those questions give dads and kids a wonderful opportunity to talk together about important issues. The books are written by a U.S. Army veteran. $9.95. Available at Amazon.

Building

• Great Asian Castle (Playmobil)
• Large Crane with IR Remote Control (Playmobil)
• Furnished Shopping Mall (Playmobil)

Playmobil toys and sets are tons of fun and they don’t get quickly tossed aside like some so many other gifts. These sets inspire imaginative play, are marvelously low-tech (although some have remote-controlled elements), and since the pieces are interchangeable with other Playmobil sets, the kids can build amazing universes.

One of the nicest things about Playmobil is that many of their sets are equally fun for boys and girls. Zoos are zoos—who really cares what gender the zookeepers are? Some sets, though, seem a little more oriented toward one sex or the other (such as the shopping mall or the construction crane set). Left to their own devices, though, the kids may very well put the two together. Who’s to say that the crane operator won’t pick up lunch at the mall, or that the shopkeepers won’t visit a construction site? These sets are great fun for everyone and provide plenty of opportunity for father-child playtime. Sure, you may have to be a giant panda, but hey, that’s what parenthood is all about. Oh, and if you or your child decide that playtime is somehow not complete without an online element, playmobil.com offers games and downloads that go with their toys. Playmobil sets are available wherever you buy toys. Prices vary greatly, depending on the set.

Star Wars Command Millennium Falcon Set (Hasbro)
What better way to bond with the kids than with toys you played with when you were young? And who didn’t (and doesn’t) love Star Wars? It’s un-American, really. The Star Wars Command Millennium Falcon Set is a lot of fun, and includes everything (and everyone) you need to fight and defeat the Dark Side—or to become one with it, whatever suits your fancy, you devil, you. Maybe you and mom on one side and the kids on the other. This set includes everyone’s favorites like Chewbacca, R2D2, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, as well as AT-AT drivers, pilots, soldiers, and AT-AT walkers. Seven vehicles and 24 action figures in all. And the Millennium Falcon vehicle itself pulls back and releases (blast off!) right into the fight. That’s a whole lot of stuff for $29.99. If you haven’t already introduced your kids to Star Wars, it’s not too late to redeem yourself. Available at your favorite retailer or at Hasbro.com.

Dolls and Puppets

The Mensch on a Bench (MenschOnABench)
Like so many great ideas, this one was born out of frustration. In Neal Hoffman’s case, his son wanted an Elf on a Shelf (a Mr. Dad Seal of Approval winner), but Hoffman wanted a toy that would be more in keeping with his Jewish background. So why not a Mensch on a Bench? The Mensch, like the Elf, watches over children during the holiday. But the Mensch also comes with a story book and eight rules (one for each night of Hanukkah). The rules include naming your Mensch, having him hold the shamash candle (the one used to light the others), and just having fun. But the one that really captures the essence of a true mensch, is Number 7: “… don’t open presents for yourself, instead, buy presents and give them to people in need.” That’s a message that more kids (and parents), Jewish or not, should be incorporating into their holiday traditions. $30. themenschonabench.com.

Education and Science

Brainzy (Education.com)
Helping a child learn at home—whether it’s part of a homeschool program or just some academic reinforcement—is a wonderful way for the two of you to bond with each other. But it’s always a struggle to find activities that both satisfy our natural fatherly desire to educate and guide, and also make learning fun (for the kids and for us). If that sounds familiar and you have one or more kids in the 3-7 set, you’ll definitely want to check out Brainzy. Developed by education.com, Brainzy is mostly a math and reading program, with 300+ games, songs, stories, and activities that we think will get kids excited about learning before they get too jaded. On the math side, games introduce and hone categorizing, sorting, and pattern recognition skills, as well as basic addition and subtraction. On the reading side, games encourage the children to spot rhymes, learn spelling, recognize the difference between upper- and lower-case letters, and a lot more. Brainzy isn’t terribly expensive, but the fact that each account accommodates up to three players, makes it a real bargain if you’ve got more than one 3-7-year old. And if you happen to be a teacher, you can get an account that will cover up to 35 kids. $6.99. education.com/games/info

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty (Putty World)
Not your father’s Silly Putty. You can tear it, smash it, stretch it, pound it, roll it, leave it under the couch, and it never dries out. Thinking Putty comes in a huge variety of options: glow in the dark, color changing, magnetic, UV reactive, and more. Use it as a stress-reliever, draw on it with a black light pen, or use it to illustrate a whole host of science-based concepts, including measuring the speed of light, capturing shadows, defeating fingerprint scanners, and a lot more. If you run out of ideas, there are all sorts of fun, educational tricks and experiments on the website. Comes in dozens of colors priced at $14.95. puttyworld.com.

Elements 4D (DAQRI)
One of the top toys we’ve seen all year. Elements 4D consists of six beautifully designed, white blocks. Each face (a total of 36) is dedicated to a single element from the Periodic Table of Elements (remember that from High School?). Beside the name, there’s the symbol (O for oxygen, H for hydrogen, and so on) and the atomic number (how many protons in one atom of the element). But when you view them through a smartphone or device running the free, augmented-reality app, those blocks go from nice-to-look-at to really interesting (or, as my middle schooler put it, “coooooool”). You get a more information and a virtual representation of the element. But wait, there’s more! Put two blocks next to each other, and you’ll see the chemical reaction and the resulting compound. For example, oxygen and hydrogen are both gasses, but together they become water. Similarly, combine sodium (actually a metal) with chlorine (a greenish gas) and you get salt. These visuals upgraded “cool” to “awwwwwwesooooome.” Overall, Elements 4D is a fantastic way to introduce or develop an interest in chemistry and it’s an engaging resource for home or school. We wish the product were a little easier to find in stores and that it were available to those of use who use Windows phones. Right now, only 36 of 118 elements are included. But that could actually be a good thing, driving an interested child (and his or her dad) to want to learn more. elements4d.daqri.com.

GoldieBlox and the Movie Machine (GoldieBlox, Inc.)
Another winner for young girls from GoldieBlox. Kids (boys can enjoy this too, even though, there’s no shortage of pink) and dads can read the story and follow the prompts to build a zoetrope, a device that pre-dates the movie projector. Although you may not recognize the name, you’ve probably seen a zoetrope before—imagine a cylinder around a foot tall and a foot in diameter with slots cut in the sides. You then put a series of images, each slightly different from the next, around the inside of the cylinder, turn a crank, and as you look through the slots, the images blend together and look animated. It’s kind of like a flip book. (The word zoetrope means “wheel of life,” based on the Greek words zoe (life) and trope, meaning turn.) The folks at GoldieBlox have designed this set to build spatial skills, teach engineering principles, and encourage reading. Ages 3-9 or so. $29.99. goldieblox.com.

Groovy Lab in a Box (Groovy Lab in a Box)
There are a lot of science kits on the market (many of which we’ve reviewed), but Groovy Lab in a Box kits—which were created by science educators—are the only ones that come with absolutely everything your child will need to do the experiments (under your watchful eye, of course). Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but a few missing ingredients could mean that the kit goes back on the shelf and never gets used. That won’t be a problem here. We reviewed the Here Comes the Sun kit, which takes you through the process of building a solar balloon, a solar oven, and more. The ingredients are easy to use and the results are fully functional. But in some ways, the Lab Notebook is the best part, introducing the scientific process and explaining the concepts behind the experiments in a fun, engaging way that will leave the kids (and you too) wanting to do–and learn–more. There’s also a website with activities and interactive videos that take the young scientist deeper into each specific kit’s subject matter. Single kits cost around $36, but if you do a year subscription, the price goes down significantly. groovylabinabox.com.
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Playmobile toys and sets are tons of fun- and they are not quickly set aside like some gifts.  These sets inspire imaginative play, let kids build, are no to low tech, and pieces are interchangeable with other sets (you can build quite a universe should you so choose.

No matter what your child is interested in, there is likely a set (or sets) in that theme, whether it’s animals, pirates, dragons, camping- anything, really.  Some sets have some technology, like remote control, that adds another level of play without connecting them to a keyboard or computer.

If you wanted to take it to the online world, playmobil.com offers games and downloads that go with their toys.  So many options.  And unlike many sets, lots of these are good for boys or girls, without involving Barbie or making everything pink.  Zoo sets are just zoos, no need for genderizing.  There are some sets that are clearly more for one gender or another (such as the shopping mall set or the construction crane set), but many are easily played with by everyone in the family. The more gender specific sets are fun for kids exploring their world and interests, and since they can be used with other Playmobile sets, a larger town or city can be made.  The construction worker goes to the mall on his day off, or on his lunch hour- the kids will figure out the logistics.

These sets are fun for everyone, and easy to get mom and dad involved in.  Everyone has a part they can play- even if dad is the giant panda, thus say the kiddos.

Whistlefritz is a fun way to introduce your kids to Spanish or French, or to supplement leaning they might receive in school. Created by a mom to help her own kids learn Spanish, Whistlefritz is available both is CD or DVD format.  Even if you don’t speak a second language, you can give your kids a leg up by letting them learn and be exposed to  this high-quality immersion program that is engaging, age appropriate, and fun. Studies have shown that early childhood is the best time for children to absorb a second (or third) language.  While US schools are not utilizing this, you can give your kids the advantage for better learning their whole lives, as well as a better grasp of the language.  Children who speak more then one language are better at multi-tasking, focus better, and have a better working memory in addition to a plethora of other benefits.  Not to mention, an entire new world of people and places is opened up to them- to give your child a second language is one of the best gifts you could ever give them.
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Luxury bedding is an invitation to curl up and drift off to peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. While some people reason that the bedroom is an area that doesn’t need to look as nice as the rest of a home since guests rarely see it, nothing could be further from the truth. You probably spend more time in your bedroom than you do in any other area of your home, so it’s important to make it a warm, inviting place where you can rest well.

Bedding

The bed is the focal point of most bedrooms. It’s the first thing you notice when you enter the room, and pretty, luxurious bedding is simply appealing. The right bedding can complement beautiful furniture, and it can enhance and improve upon furniture that may not be as attractive as you would like. In other words, the right bedding is an easy way to transform a bedroom into the place you want it be.

Comforters and Duvet Covers
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Have you ever considered Foster Care or Adoption?  Many of you know that we personally had our own experience which was not what anyone desired, and ended in a failure.  While our experience was far from unique (failed adoptions are not small in number- everything can’t be healed or “fixed” with love and therapy, and there is less support for families then one might think)  more adoptions that are done from foster care and into adoption end up working out then other types of adoption, since the child(ren) and the families get to spend time together first.  Getting to know each other is an (I believe) vital part to a good relationship- other types of adoption don’t offer that.  As a result, a bunch of strangers end up living together, with backgrounds you know little to nothing about.  Foster to Adoption gives everyone time, space, support, therapy, and the ability to decide (together and individually) if adoption is the best decision.  If you feel that adoption is right for you, take it slow, and learn about each other.  The children in the US Foster/Adoptive system will usually have full, truthful backgrounds and medical information available as well, which is a huge difference (and so important to have and know)  then most adoptions done abroad.
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Have you ever had al fresco all natural best known for their tasty, better-for-you chicken sausages? They also have an entire line of all natural chicken products. As al fresco says, no one should have to choose between food that’s good and food that’s good for you.

With 70% less fat and 35% less sodium than pork products, gluten-free and a great source of protein, al fresco chicken products are a nutritious addition to any dish. And the best part? They taste ridiculously good. al fresco believes when you eat better, you do everything else better, and breakfast is no exception! Until the end of January, if you buy two packages of al fresco breakfast chicken sausages at any store, you will receive a FREE carton of eggs. Chicken sausage + free eggs allows you to breakfast better.
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