magic

Blokus Strategy Board Game

Grades K and up. Europe's 2003 game of the year! Develops logic and spacial perception while kids learn to be tactical. Players take turns placing pieces on their board, each starting from their corner. Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners! The goal is to get rid of all your pieces. The game ends when all players are blocked from laying down any more of their pieces. Includes one gameboard with 400 squares, 84 game pieces in four bright translucent colors, and an instruction guide.

Fun for both kids and adults, Blokus is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking. Bright colors and simple rules make it ideal for ages five and up, but adults will certainly be engrossed by this unique and challenging game.

Not Your Average Board Game
Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves.

Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature, raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares.

Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments.

What's in the Box
84 pieces in four colors, gameboard with 400 squares, and an instruction guide.

Once a piece has been placed on the board it can't be moved, so plan your moves carefully.

Adding to the game's challenges, each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners.

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

The Mozart Magic Cube is a true breakthrough in music education. This exciting learning toy teaches how sounds combine to form true polyphonic music, and is appropriate for all ages. Just press one of the musical sides and hear the instrument play on. Your child can compose and arrange millions of musical masterpieces. Measures approximately 6" x 6" x 6". Requires 3 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included).

Awards:

• 2000 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
• 2000 Parents Choice Approved Award

Music stimulates the brain and encourages early learning skills. This interactive cube lets children choose from any combination of five different instruments--harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin--to collaborate on eight Mozart tunes. A solo flute might play an excerpt from "Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman (Twinkle, Twinkle)," or a French horn intone a theme from The Marriage of Figaro. Other choices include "Country Dance #5," "Come Sweet May," "Der Vogelfanger" (from The Magic Flute), "March in D," "Landler," and "Là Ci Darem la Mano" (from Don Giovanni). Press the "orchestra" button and hear all the instruments play together. As the songs play, each selected instrument button flashes to the beat. The sound is not orchestral quality, but you get a fair electronic approximation of each instrument. Operates on three AA batteries (not included). --Tami Horiuchi

A true breakthrough in music education, the Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube will be music to your baby's ears. Providing hours of interactive play for budding young composers of all ages, this award-winning toy is the perfect musical foundation for little ones.

The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube teaches how sounds combine to create baby's own Mozart masterpieces. View larger. The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube offers: Sounds from 5 instruments. Soft, rounded corners for baby's safety. Fun and entertainment for babies of all ages. Music Education in a Cube Fun, creative, and inspiring, the Magic Cube teaches how sounds combine to create eight Mozart masterpieces. With a touch of a button, this interactive cube lets your child add or subtract from any combination of five different instruments, including harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin. Each selected instrument button flashes along to the beat of the music. An orchestra button even plays all the instruments at once. Baby-Safe Design Designed with durable plastic construction, the Magic Cube features bright colors such as yellow, green, purple, and magenta. Made with soft, rounded corners, it's easy and safe for baby to hold. The 6-inch cube requires three AA batteries (not included).

The Settlers of Catan

One of the most successful games of all time, Settlers of Catan is a trading and building game set in the mythical world of Catan. Players roll dice to determine which resources are generated each round and then must strategically trade those resources with other players to get what they need to build their settlements, cities, and roads. With multiple ways to gain victory points and a board that changes in every play, Settlers of Catan is a game that can be played hundreds of different ways. The base of a hugely successful franchise, with multiple engaging expansions, Settlers is the core game of many collections, and is a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. For 3 to 4 players.

Fisher-Price Musical Tea Set

Product Description There's something magical about a tea party! Tip this teapot over for magic pouring sounds, or press the lid to hear a tea time tune! Set includes four cups, saucers and spoons, plus a creamer and sugar bowl with lid, and a tray for serving treats. Requires 2 replaceable button-cell (LR44 or equivalent) alkaline batteries.

Every child should have a tea set somewhere in the toy box, not just for feeding favorite dollies and teddies, but also for practicing tea-party manners before a special party or dinner. This molded plastic set is made with the thoughtful design and extra-durable materials of most Fisher-Price toys, with the added bonus of a jolly musical teapot. It plays "I'm a Little Teapot" when the top of the lid is pressed, and also provides a "magical" chiming noise when the pot is poured (requires two button-cell batteries; included). The set includes four teacups in pastel shades, matching saucers, a sugar bowl, a creamer, and four white spoons. Everything fits onto a sturdy lavender tray with large handles and a built-in stand for the teapot. --Marcie Bovetz

Carcassonne Game

The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique Roman and Medieval fortification. In this clever tile-laying game, players develop the area around Carcassonne and deploy their followers on the roads, in the cities, in the cloisters and in the fields. The skill of the players to develop the area will determine the victor. For 2-5 players.

MAGIC 8 BALL®

Magic 8 Ball

Ever wish you could see into the future? If you answered "without a doubt" or "signs point to yes," you are in luck. It is easy to get a sneak preview into the future with Mattel's Magic 8 Ball. Take all the guesswork out of finding the answers to life's more perplexing questions. Yes, this is the same Magic 8 Ball you remember from the past, and it is just as reliable as ever. If you don't get the results you are after, you can always "ask again later!" --Alison Golder

Travel Blokus

The travel version of award-winning Blokus, Travel Blokus is the perfect on-the-go strategy game for two. The simple rules take less than a minute to learn, yet the game has the depth to challenge both beginners and experts alike. Set includes game board with 196 recessed squares, 42 game pieces in vibrant, translucent purple and orange, and game guide.

Playhut Magic Ball Zone

Magic Ball Zone. All the fun and excitement of a real ball pit... right in your room! Included 100 3"-diameter plastic Magic Balls in bright primary colors. Features a hexagonal base, roll-up flap door, sunroof for ventilation and 2 tunnel ports to hook up to other Play Hut structures. 60"L x 60"W x 40"H.

Cloud b Sleep Sheep - Four Soothing Sounds From Nature

Designed for babies and adults, Sleep Sheep is the perfect nighttime companion to help soothe the whole family to sleep in a safe, calming and effortless way. A sound box tucked safely inside of Sleep Sheep lulls you to sleep with soft sounds from nature and the reassuring sound of a mother's heartbeat. Sleep Sheep's soothing sounds are an audio pacifier that can calm even the fussiest babies to sleep. When babies sleep better, parents sleep better. Sleep Sheep is also ideal for traveling and in unfamiliar environments. Features: 4 Soothing Sounds: Mother's Heartbeat, Spring Showers, Ocean Surf, and Whale Songs.Velcro tab to secure Sleep Sheep to the outside of a crib.Removable sound box with adjustable volume and on/off controls. Automatic time-out after 23 minutes. Includes 2 AA batteries.

Soothe your child into a restful, relaxing nap or night of sleep with the Sleep Sheep from Cloud b. This soft and adorable sleep time pal plays calming sounds that help drown out distracting noises and let baby drift into dreams.

Four Soothing Sounds Winner of several industry awards, including the National Parenting Council's Seal of Approval and the iParenting Media Award, the Sleep Sheep is plush and very cuddly, so it immediately gives a restless child something pleasing and calming to hold on to. It also creates a tranquil environment with four soothing sounds, from Mother's heartbeat (a steady thumping) to the gentle rhythms of nature. You and baby will both relax as you listen to the quiet stream, spring showers, swooshing ocean waves and harmonious whale sounds, making the Sleep Sheep a kind of audio pacifier that helps take some of the stress and crankiness out of rest time. Perfect for Naptime Many babies find it hard to settle in their cribs when noises from both inside and outside the house distract and disrupt them. They crave repetitive, comforting rhythms that don't frighten them. The Sleep Sheep creates a kind of white noise that blocks out the other surrounding sounds, so babies can be lulled into sleep. This parents-little-helper also comes with a Velcro tab so you can secure the Sleep Sheep to the outside of a crib. User-Friendly Operation The Sleep Sheep features user-friendly operation that both big and little hands can handle. Select sounds by simply pressing the push button, and then choose the most comfortable volume. For added convenience and to save battery power, the sounds automatically time out after 23 minutes--enough time for baby to fall into a comfortable and restorative sleep. Compact and lightweight, the Sleep Sheep stands 12 inches tall and takes two "AA" batteries (included). The sound box removes if your child simply wants to use the Sleep Sheep as a stuffed toy, and clean-up is a snap--just wipe the surface with soap and water. About Cloud b Cloud b, the baby sleep specialist, was established by two new mothers with the philosophy that every baby deserves a sound night's sleep for healthy development. That's why all of Cloud b's products are developed in consultation with an advisory board of pediatricians and sleep specialists with a single focus: to achieve a better, safer sleep for baby. What's in the Box One Sleep Sheep and two "AA" batteries.

The Sleep Sheep offers: Cuddly plush toy that provides soothing sounds. Built-in Velcro strap for easy attachment to strollers and car seats. Timer shuts off the sound after either 23 or 45 minutes. Shown here together with smaller, on-the-go Sleep Sheep.

As any parent of babies knows, sleep is a precious, precious commodity. Scores of books and articles have been written on the subject, and one of the first questions any parent will hear, after "How cute! How old? Boy or girl?" is, "Does she sleep through the night?" Babies aren't designed to sleep through the night in their early months, but eventually, they can sleep for longer blocks of time. And this is when parents will do just about anything to lengthen those snooze hours. The Sleep Sheep might just be the most effective sleep aid in a parent's tool belt. It sure is the cutest! Standing (or rather, sitting) just 11 inches tall, this cuddly lamb can be attached with Velcro strips to baby's crib. Tucked in its back is an audio box with four soothing sounds from nature: a heartbeat, a spring rainfall, the ocean, and whale songs. Push a button, adjust the volume, and sneak out of the nursery while the Sleep Sheep does its job, playing a full 23 minutes of snooze-inducing sound. Did you catch that? It's important: twenty-three minutes! So many sound machines only play for five minutes or so. Our woolly friend knows it can take longer than that for some babies to fall asleep. Beyond "White Noise"
Music can be too stimulating. The whirring of a fan can be effective, but, well, breezy. And regular house noise, especially with an older sibling or too, can be distracting or downright disruptive to sleep. What babies need are relaxing, repetitive sounds. And when those sounds are housed in a huggable package, so much the better!

Mother's Heartbeat
What's the first sound baby hears while still in the womb? His mother's heartbeat, of course. This steady underwater thumping is bound to reassure babies, even once they're on "the outside."

Spring Showers
These spring showers may never bring May flowers, but their cozy patter may bring hours of peaceful slumber.

Ocean Waves
The swooshing sounds of a gentle ocean surf have the power to lull just about anybody to sleep.

Whale Songs
Eerie yet harmonious, whale songs are thought to elevate mind and spirit. Even if baby doesn't know that, the lovely distant songs provide a tranquil background to sleep.

The Sleep Sheep's sound box is removable, so even if space is limited, baby's soothing sleep sounds can go where she goes. A unique numbered certificate of adoption is provided for those who want to make a special place in their families for their new, valuable, sure to be beloved friend. Requires 2 AA batteries (included). --Emilie Coulter