You are here: Home / Archives for kids

This One’s For the (Teen) Girls

February 17, 2010 By elapkin 4 Comments

Have one of those tough-to-shop-for teen girls in your life? We’ve got a treat for both of you.Invisible I Book Jacket, Teen Fiction

Remember how nutty everyone got over the Da Vinci Code? Staring at The Last Supper, looking for clues… well, Invisible I, the first novel in a new series called The Amanda Project, is a little bit like that, but its target audience is teen girls. It is a story of a mysterious “new girl” at Endeavor High who touches the lives of the main characters, and just as quickly disappears, leaving everyone — including the reader — compelled to figure it all out. Even more importantly, it’s a totally interactive experience. Beyond reading the book, your teen can use a cell phone camera to crack a code in the book, visit the website, and contribute her own stories and ideas to the online community.

Author Melissa Kantor creates a vivid and authentic reality, with text messages and passed notes baked right into the story, as well as moments of gritty realism (an alcoholic parent) all tastefully and carefully handled.

The next book in the series, Signal from Afar, is due out in June, which makes it a great time to join in the fun.

And if you’re a grown up with a fondness for other younger folks’ series (Twilight anyone?) this might be something new for you, too!

Filed Under: Books and Music, Discoveries Tagged With: , ,

Creative & Unique Gifts For Kids

December 9, 2009 By Angella Leave a Comment

Want to break away from the over-commercialized presents for kids and get them something with a bigger “wow” factor? These Grommets are anything but everyday- creative gifts for kids:

Wild Creations Frog EcoAquarium, Pet Frogs, Frog Aquarium,Frog Wild Finding a pet that’s exciting for kids but low maintenance for parents is a tough challenge. But we’ve found a really fun solution. The EcoAquarium from Wild Creations is an all-in-one aquatic environment that will thrill kids (without stressing out the adults!).  ($3.99 to $30.00) Buy Wild Creations’ pet frog eco-aquarium here.

Fashion Playtes - DIY Design Site for Tweens, Design Your Own Clothes for Tween Girls

 

It’s Sew Easy Fashion Playtes is an interactive clothing design website that’s perfect for girls ages 6 to 12 who have a creative flair and love fashion. In a few simple steps, young designers pick garments, select sizes and choose colors. Then comes the really fun part: embellishing the tops, skirts, dresses or jackets they’ve selected. (Free and up!) Learn more about Fashion Playtes studio where tween girls can design their own clothese here.


  

Zipfy Freestyle Mini Luge Sled, Snow Speed SledKing Of The Hill The unique lever on the Zipfy Freestyle Sled makes it super maneuverable and stable. And, at just 3.7 pounds, it’s easy to throw this sled over your shoulder for a quick run back to the top of the hill. Your kid will be the coolest sledder on the slope! ($39.99) Buy Zipfy snow speed sled here.


 

Animation-ish, Easy Animation Software for KidsGet Creative, Be Happy. Here’s one computer game you won’t mind your kids spending time with: Animation-ish. The easy-to-use software lets kids make their own animated movies, greeting cards, websites, and presentations. Our 10-year-old tester was up and running in minutes – allowing mom some time for her own creative pursuits. ($59.95) Learn more about Fablevision “Animation-ish” easy animation software for kids here.


 

Shred Sled Try this New Caster Board, Extreme Skateboarding Fun Why Skate When You Can Shred? Imagine the combined sensation of skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing, and you’ll have a good idea of what the Shred Sled is all about. Reaching for the Dramamine? That’s okay, you’ll never get a chance to ride it anyway, since the daredevil kid in your life will probably love it more than you would anyway. ($119.00) Buy Shred Sled’s caster board here.

Francie Pants Cover-Up Shorts for Girls, Cover Up Shorts for Girls

Better Than London And France More modest than just underwear, but way more sassy and fun than bike shorts (not to mention less restricting), Francie Pants are giving girls the freedom to both wear dresses and play hard without anyone chanting, “I see London, I see France…”($16.50) Buy Francie Pants cover up shorts for girls here.


 kids play fort

Portable Fort & Canopy  What kid doesn’t love making a fort with blankets and chairs? And what parent doesn’t cringe a little when the kids grab your best clean sheets to make their fortress? With the Fortamajig, kids can exercise their architectural creativity and keep your special linens out of the game. ($49.95) Buy Fortamajig play for here.


See more gift ideas for kids here.

See what unique gift ideas Daily Grommet had discovered today!

Filed Under: Grommet Gift Guide Tagged With: , ,

Already!?! Daily Grommet’s Ideas to Ease Back-to-School Pain

August 10, 2009 By Barbara 2 Comments

We can’t believe it, either.  It’s almost time…
To make your life a little easier this fall, check out our list of back to school shopping ideas.  We hope you’ll find some  you can use, and we’d love to hear what else is on your back to school list, too.

By Elise Smith

Don’t look now, but the first day of school is just around the corner. Going back to school means getting organized, getting efficient and getting back to work — for both parents and students.

clocky smA Runaway Hit
When Clocky’s alarm goes off, there’s no sleeping in! It jumps to the floor and skitters across the room, with R2D2-like twitters and beeps that make it impossible to ignore. Truly, the only way to turn it off is to chase it down. Rest easy knowing your kids will make that early class. ($42.85-$49.99) Buy Clocky, the best bedside alarm clock here.

shoe stickers

Customized Kicks. With sneakart’s punchy graphic films, you can unleash your creativity and transform your plain leather (or leather-like) shoes into something that showcases your personal style.

 ($15.00) Buy the sneakart’s custom sneaksins here.

listmakerNoteworthy News
Running your life on scraps of paper and envelope backs? Always losing your to-do list? Get your life in order just in time for the school rush with the List Maker Desktop Caddy, an organized supply of note papers for shopping lists, honey-do lists, telephone notes or reminder notes. ($40.00) Buy B Designs letterpress notecards here.

Netflix-style Book Rentalbookswim
Don’t want to lay out big bucks for the syllabus list? Tired of long wait lists for the hottest best-sellers at the library? BookSwim gets it right: for a flat monthly rate pick the books you need for home delivery and keep them as long as you need them. (Memberships start at $19.98 / month) Find out more about BookSwim online book rental here.

No Smartphone? No Problem!peek image
Don’t need all the complications and expense of a Blackberry or iPhone but still need to stay in touch on the go? Peek Mobile Email Device is a simple, inexpensive answer because all it does is handle messages. ($59.95) Learn more about the Peek handheld mobile email device here.

Password Controlled Bike Lockwordlock

Kids can keep their bikes safe without straining their brains trying to keeping track of the combination. WordLock has a five-foot vinyl-coated cable with a lock that opens with a four-letter password you select (hint: use a word other than “bike”!). ($14.99) Buy the Wordlock cable bike lock here.

                                           altec lansing                  

Portable Tunes for Your On-The-Go Life      Wherever you go to study or get away from it all once the school year has begun, you can take your MP3 player along and forget the earbuds with the Altec Lansing Orbit portable speaker. The perfect gift for college kids, teens (or just for you!). ($28.41) Buy Altec Lansing Orbit portable MP3 speaker here.

You Sneeze, You Lose!
cleanwellKeeping kids safe from germs at school is a pretty tough challenge. Hand sanitizers can help, but most are filled with harsh chemicals. The CleanWell formula is just as effective but it’s non-toxic since it’s made with a patented formulation of naturally antimicrobial plant oils. Smart, right? ($3.39 and up) Buy CleanWell all natural and safe hand sanitizer here.

SnackTaxiSuper Sandwich Savers

This inventive mom decided enough was enough, and started stitching her way to a greener lunchtime solution for her kids. These cotton, nylon-coated, reusable lunch and snack bags from SnackTaxi.put an end to plastic in our homes – and they’ve got great patterns to choose from (bright and fun for kids, hip for teens, even stylish options for us parents). ($6.95-$8.95 per bag) Buy snackTAXI reusable snack and sandwich bags here.

mabels labelsNo more trips to the School Lost and Found
Tired of losing every new jacket, mitten, ballet shoe or sport bag you buy?  Check out Mabel’s Labels –the perfect solution for labeling everything your kids need for back to school.  Mabel’s Labels come in a variety of designs and colors — you can personalize them to match your kids’ favorite activities or colors. Buy Mabel’s Labels children’s clothing labels here.

Click here to visit the Daily Grommet for more unique back-to-school and gift ideas.

 

//

http://www.dailygrommet.com/products/112-Fridgefile-filing-system
Filed Under: Grommet Gift Guide Tagged With:

April Fools' Day family fun

April 1, 2009 By Barbara Leave a Comment

april-fool1

Last year we gave my son a “Pranks” kit for his eighth birthday.  The fun ensued for days, and we fell for many a penny on the floor, only to have it be pulled (miraculously!) away from our hands by an invisible string.  Delighted squeals of laughter would light up our home — a great reminder of the stuff that really matters in life.

Welcome to April Fools’ Day!  Will you prank someone today?  Or will you be the Fool?  I always admire families who have a game plan for every holiday.  My son already pranked us today by replacing the creme in Oreo cookies with toothpaste.  I’m already behind the eight ball!

So for parents (like me) who need a little help thinking of fun pranks to play on or with their kids, check out FamilyFun.com.  I like the simple  food pranks such as meatloaf cupcakes, the printables like a “Chore Camp” brochure or a “Tax on Allowance” official letter, and the fact that families can share their favorite pranks.  The best pranks are often so simple — such as pretending to run out of gas with the kids in the car.  Once the kids have moaned and groaned and started walking for a bit, call out “April Fools!”   For younger kids, I love the bedtime switcheroo (switch the beds your kids are in while they are sleeping).  And we all know that gummy worms and fake bugs can work magic in a variety of places!

What are some of your favorite April Fools’ pranks?  Let us know!


Filed Under: Discoveries Tagged With:

Kids and allowance: A good idea or not?

March 13, 2009 By Nataly Leave a Comment

Today’s find on Daily Grommet is ThreeJars, a website that helps kids learn about managing money and give to those in need. As I was checking it out I kept thinking about this whole idea of an allowance.

We don’t give an allowance to our almost five year-old daughter but many of our friends do. In one family the kids have to get their chores done for the week in order to get their allowances; another friend gives her six year-old son a few dollars a week, as long as he saves some of the money. I’m really conflicted on this.

On the one hand, I think it’s our job, as parents, to help our daughter learn about saving, managing, spending, and donating money. I can go on for way too long about this topic, but I think these are the kinds of skills schools can do a better job teaching. On the other hand, I think we can teach her about money without paying her and I don’t love the idea of tying the allowance to chores. We’re a family, each of us has to pitch in, and no one needs to get an allowance to do it. (I certainly don’t!)

What do you think: Is allowance a good idea for kids? Vote in our poll or share your thoughts in the comments.

[polldaddy poll=1450667]

 

Learn more about ThreeJars’ system to teach money management to kids here.

Filed Under: Discoveries Tagged With:
Newer Posts »