The Biz

“Surprise” was my editorial theme for February’s KIDShow, held again at Bally’s, Las Vegas. I have attended every KidShow since it began 12 years ago in the massive windblown tents outside of the Rio hotel. At its new home at Bally’s hotel, KIDShow has easily become my favorite trade event in the West for its assortment of vendors, step-saving location just down the hall from the comfortable North Tower rooms, and the unsurpassed hospitality of its show staff, led by Denise Raeside. It was not easy to choose only one handful of favorites, but these brands made my top 5 for a variety of reasons: Sock Ons, CIRCUS 212, Hip Together, Hannah Banana from G.B.Y.M. and PeryKids.

Little Green Trike Shoe Company (formerly Squeakers) is all about bringing new and innovative ideas to the world of children’s shoes. The Utah-based business offers a line of fun and adorable shoes for kids from birth through elementary-school age. What’s special about this company and what unique products can they offer retailers? Little Green Trike’s Squeaky Feet shoes are specially made to help toddlers develop the appropriate heel-to-toe gait that leads to healthy walking. Squeaky Feet feature a removable squeaker that sounds when kids place their feet in the correct way as they walk.

Religious families know that sharing their basic beliefs with young children helps form their faith foundation early. A new book, Stella Strawberry: the Fruit of Love aims to show little ones how to love those around them. This book, the first in a collection of nine, uses rhythm to capture a child’s interest about the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The books are written by Yira Jones, who was inspired to create the collection after a bible study course that focused on the fruits of the spirit. With vibrant, full-color illustrations on every page, Stella Strawberry draws young readers and those who read to them into Stella’s world.

While child development experts and instructors agree that hands-on crafting projects are beneficial to kids’ creative evolution, it’s not always easy to pinpoint the best project for each child. Variety in projects is important. However, just working through a craft one time is not always best. Any craft project that really engages the child should to be able to allow for multiple versions of the craft, along with some opportunity for the child to add special touches. To this end, Eye Can Art is delivering the best in quality crafting projects that not only delight kids, but hit on all the important facets of really great products.