Moon Jars

The Rocking Horse recommended this clever little savings trick for kids this November. Moon Jar Money Boxes have three colourful, seperate compartments - one for saving, one for spending, one for charity.

Apparently these things are selling like hot cakes. Launched in 2001 by Seattle native Eulalie M. Scandiuzzi, thousands of homes and even schools across North America are outfitted with Moon Jars.

I get the concept, I absolutely do. In fact, I could use my own Moon Jar to help me save money. The concept is based on an old story about John D. Rockefeller who kept three seperate jars for his children's allowances. One for saving, one for spending, one for charity. I think it's important and vital, particularly in times like these, for kids to develop a strong sense of how to spend wisely. And how to be financially ethical - it's great.

But at approximately $29.95 a pop...I think I'd rather just wash out three jars and label them myself. Love the concept, not a fan of the price tag.

This month Ally recommended Puzzibits from Manhattan Toy (http://www.puzzibits.com/). They market themselves as a flexible 3-D art puzzle.

She likes them because, first of all...Ally just likes toys more than most kids I know. She plays with everything in the store and always knows the best stuff. Puzzibits were picked for their flezibility of imaginitive play, their soft foam pieces that all fit together perfectly and their price (we're trying to keep our prices below $30 for toys we try out...recession and all).

Jack (10) Nathan (9) Rebecaa (8) and Ryan (6) played with the Puzzibits for hours. We got the shark set, where it shows you how to build crocodles, sharks and other vicious beasts. But they ended up making at least twenty different things. Rebecca made belts and bracelets and a butterfly. Jack made a crocodile, Nathan made things I didn't recognize and he couldn't explain to me because apparently I 'just needed to see what was inside his own head'. And Ryan made a Puzzibit loincloth. We didn't ask why.

The greatest thing about Puzzibits was that unlike Lego or traditional puzzles, you can put all the pieces together. Which means if you lose a piece or twelve, you're not screwed. They were bendable and pliable and colourful. And best of all, my friend Laura and I got hours of uniterrupted gossip while the kids played. WITHOUT FIGHTING. Awesome.

Board Game - Elephants or Ants

Elephants or Ants, a fast-paced board game brought to you by International Playthings, was Ally's first suggestion for the website. She recommended it for the interesting questions (eg. Are there more natural blonds in the world or left-handed people? Where are there more shark attacks, in the United States or Australia? The answers will surprise you...) and the fairly reasonable price tag - normally around $27.

What did we think of it? Well, we took it camping with us for the weekend and played with seven kids aged from 5 - 15, as well as a few thirty-somethings in the mix. We played on teams to make it easier for the smaller kids. It was a blast - alot like Trivial Pursuit except all the questions are either/or, and the little bits of information on the back explaining the answers were phenomonal. My sons, always suspicious of any accidental learning, loved reading things like 'What's more popular, chocolate ice cream or vanilla?'. We played the game about 20 times total.
HINT - Take advantage of the challenge option in the game. Once you have earned yourself a colour-coded card in one of the topics - like food, sports and games etc. - you can challenge someone else's answer. Be prepared though...if you're wrong, you have to give up one of your cards. It's that sort of cut-throat competition that got the kids hooked.

Our only slight issue with the game? By the end of the weekend we were running out of cards. We had heard most of the answers. So my recommendation would be to sell a booster pack of extra cards seperately.

Good choice Ally!