Items tagged “Children (4-7 years)”

Toys that promise to entertain kids while also teaching a skill are rare, and oftentimes are more for show than education. Not with LightUp, a company devoted to teaching children about the world of electronics and programing through interactive circuit building and coding. Kids will become fascinated when they learn how to make a circuit run, and can even write a custom program for it once built. It’s the perfect gift for the curious child interested in how everyday objects work.

The art of doll making has a history that goes back thousands of years. In a world without mass produced playthings, items like dolls were precious and hard to come by. Eventually, dolls evolved into the comfort and fashion objects we’re familiar with today, and can be found by the hundreds in just about any discount or department store in the world, but there are still a number of craftspeople who continue to produce interesting, beautiful and top-quality dolls. Viola Hale, of Viola Studio Dolls, is one of these artists.

Most parents will try anything to comfort their child at night, especially when they have to stay at the hospital. One family in particular found a solution with a Cloud b toy, the Twilight Turtle. To help her 7-year-old son Max battling brain cancer, mom Audra Wilford gave him Twilight Turtle, and he immediately felt the healing calm of the tranquil star display. This inspired her to start the MaxLove Project, an organization that raises money to fund childhood cancer and rare diseases research, and to donate hundreds of thousands of Cloud b Super Max turtles to children currently fighting these illnesses.

J.L. Childress Co. was started 30 years ago by Jan Childress. Today, Childress’ daughters Kate Doti and Sarah Gray are continuing to grow their mother’s legacy. “Jan’s needs as a working mom who wanted to breastfeed her daughters for as long as possible were the inspiration behind J.L. Childress’ first products,” Doti recounts. Childress first designed the Express Bag, which is a tote bag to carry breast pumps and the DuffleCOOL, an insulated bag with a reusable ice pack. J.L. Childress has grown to now celebrate 30 years and a position as a leader in gear accessories both in the U.S. and worldwide.

Upon starting her career in the sports market at Nike and Reef (a surf lifestyle brand), Silly Souls Founder and President Shelly Foster found a real need for a fun and cool urban brand for babies. When Silly Souls launched in 2002 (originally called babygags), the urban, surf and skate brands had not yet fully entered the baby market. “The market was very classic pink and blue,” according to Foster. “I wanted to create a fun, funny, irreverent kids brand parents would love and laugh at.”