Build & Color DIY Kids Fantasy Toy Castle

Creative Kids Toys

Named a Top Natural Toy of 2010
by Mothering Magazine

Fantasy Castle Tower Giveaway - Ends 1/1/2011.



This is no fairytale.  Every child can have a castle of their very own for this holiday season with this innovative product from Imagination Box Company (IBC).

American-made and green, IBC's Castle Tower for ages 3 and up is designed with a child's creativity and imagination in mind.  This product, for certain, lives up to the company's motto, "We Make Toys Children Remember."


Fantasy Kids Toy Castle

As we discovered, this is no ordinary kid's castle.  This structure, which comes unassembled and printed in black and white ready to color, is made partially with post consumer material, is all non-toxic, and is 100% recyclable.  It measures 39" tall and 18" in diameter when it is put together and can be colored with the included watercolor paints or your child can use crayons or magic markers to make this uniquely their own.  Included with the castle tower are 6 miniature cardboard shields to add to the fun.




After this castle tower project arrived, I thought this would consist of 30 minutes maximum of crafting and play time for the kids.  But, when my daughters (13 year-old triplets) and their little 6 year-old friend opened the box and saw everything that was inside, they were ecstatic.  

As it turned out, this was so entertaining that the time they spent working on this stretched into multiple sessions of a few hours each over 3 weeks.  I could see from the outset that this project would be fun for even a single child to do or for cooperative play with siblings or friends.  It would also make an excellent manipulative for you and your child to enjoy some quality time together.  As a homeschooling mom (like the mom who invented this) I think that this is a really brilliant product that helps build motor and creative skills in a super fun format.

From the results pictured here you can see that they really went to town coloring the sturdy cardboard castle tower and the little cardboard shields that came with it.  But, there's no reason why little boys won't like making the castle and playing with this too as the brother of this little girl discovered.


 
Regularly priced at $40, the Castle Tower is currently on sale online for $31.20 plus shipping at Imagination Box Company.


About Imagination Box Company
Imagination Box Company, www. imaginationboxco.com is based in a yurt in Sandpoint, Idaho and is run by Kim and Russ Cash who are homeschooling their 3 children.  This small business has won multiple awards such as Dr. Toy Green Product and Mothering Magazine's Top Natural Toy, among others.  All IBC green toys currently available -- the Castle Tower, A Country Cottage, and Barn -- are made with sturdy double-walled corrugated board and are made to last.  Toys are printed inside and out with IBC's unique and original play time designs. 

ENTER this Giveaway NOW by leaving one or more comments below this post.

Contest ends January 1, 2011 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only.


For the Required (Mandatory) Entry
Simply leave a comment below this blogpost with your email address, Facebook or Twitter contact info so we may contact the winner. 

Optional Extra Entries
Get extra entries for following MommyBlogExpert and/or Imagination Box Company on Twitter and/or Facebook.  Remember: Be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert to leave an additional comment after each individual action you do to confirm them so we can record all your extra chances to win.

Follow MommyBlogExpert (1 or 2 extra entries)
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In ADDITION to doing any or all of the extra entries above, you can earn one extra entry each time you Tweet the message exactly in the paragraph immediately below (limit 3 separate tweets for 3 extra entries per day).  Don't forget to return to leave a comment on MommyBlogExpert with the direct link to right after every Tweet so you'll receive entries for all your RTs.
Award-Winning Child Size Castle Tower Toy @imaginationbox GIVEAWAY http://tinyurl.com/2bf59uj #xmas #kids #eco #contest #gift RT 2 WIN

Remember, for each of the above entries to count, be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert to leave an additional comment after each of the above actions to confirm them so your extra chances to win will be tabulated. 
   
FTC Disclosure: I received the Castle Tower reviewed from Imagination Box Company to facilitate this review blogpost.  Also, IBC is providing an additional Castle Tower for the giveaway being hosted on MommyBlogExpert.  However, I did not receive payment or any other compensation associated with this particular post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one. 
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Luxury Travel SWEEPSTAKES Contest to Win an Exotic Trip Valued at More Than $30,000


ENTER to WIN This Luxe Vacation NOW
Contest Ends January 1, 2011

Whether it's you and a friend, your spouse and yourself, or even you and your family who seek an upscale trip, JustLuxe has the solution that's just right for you: a destination that is simply luxurious and fun for everyone.

Just Dreaming about an Exotic Vacation?
Then Enter to WIN it...
If you enter then you could be the lucky one to win this Trips of a Lifetime sweepstakes sponsored by JustLuxe, which is the largest affluent lifestyle guide in the world.  For this generous sweeps, JustLuxe has teamed up with some of the most prestigious hotels in the world to offer an incredible array of luxury vacation giveaways every month for you. Featured destinations are Paris, Greece (my personal fave), St. Lucia, Vienna, and many others.

No purchase is necessary.  One entry per household.  The GRAND PRIZE winner will get a 4 night stay in $7,000/night suite at Halekulani Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, roundtrip airfare -- and if that is not enough -- an exotic car rental complete with a personal chauffeur. Paying for all that yourself would cost more than $30,000.  Contest ends January 1, 2011.

Enter to win this Luxury Travel Sweepstakes HERE

FTC Disclosure: JustLuxe is providing the travel prizes in this sweepstakes.  All MommyBlogExpert readers' individuals entries will be included with all other entrants in this contest, making you eligible to win the Grand Prize.  I did not receive payment or any other compensation associated with this particular post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
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10 Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Vegetables and Fruits During the Holidays & All Year from American Heart Association


Fresh Fruit Plate,The Standard, West Hollywood, California
Among the Healthy Foods Served at Jane Fonda's Workout Relaunch Tonight
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

In the midst of the holidays it's a wise idea to do some motivational posts to help you make sure that your family doesn't fall victim to unhealthy eating during December that spills over into the new year.  Now is as good of a time as any to talk about some great strategies to get your children to eat vegetables and fruits during the holiday season and throughout the whole year, too.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), in a new study, children who ate the most vegetables and fruits had significantly healthier arteries as adults than children who ate the fewest.

 Here are AHA's 10 tips to encourage your children to eat more vegetables and fruits
  1. Make fruit and vegetable shopping fun: Visit your local green market and/or grocery store with your kids, and show them how to select ripe fruits and fresh vegetables.  This is also a good opportunity to explain which fruits and vegetables are available by season and how some come from countries with different climates. 
  2. Involve kids in meal prep: Find a healthy dish your kids enjoy and invite them to help you prepare it.  Younger kids can help with measuring, crumbling, holding and handing some of the ingredients to you.  Older kids can help by setting the table.  Make sure you praise them for their help, so they feel proud of what they've done.  
  3. Be a role model: If you're eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables -- and enjoying them -- your child may want to taste.  If you aren't eating junk food or keeping it in your home, your kids won't be eating junk food at home either.  
  4. Create fun snacks: Schedule snack times -- most kids like routines.  Healthy between-meal snacks are a great opportunity to offer fruits and vegetables.  Kids like to pick up foods, so give them finger foods they can handle.  Cut up a fruit and arrange it on an attractive plate.  Make a smoothie or freeze a smoothie in ice cube trays. Create a smiley face from cut-up vegetables and serve with a small portion of low-fat salad dressing, hummus or plain low-fat yogurt. A positive experience with food is important. Never force your child to eat something, or use food as a punishment or reward.
  5. Give kids choices -- within limits: Too many choices can overwhelm a small child.  It's too open ended to ask, "What would you like for lunch?" It may start a mealtime meltdown.  Instead, offer them limited healthy choices, such as choosing between a banana or strawberries with their cereal, or carrots or broccoli with dinner.  
  6. Eat together as a family: If your schedules permit, family dining is a great time to help your kids develop healthy attitudes about food and the social aspects of eating with others.  Make sure you are eating vegetables in front of your children.  Even if they aren't eating certain vegetables yet, they will model your behavior.
  7. Expect pushback: As your kids are exposed to other families' eating habits, they may start to reject some of your healthy offerings. Without making a disparaging remark about their friends' diet, let your children know that fruits and vegetables come first in your family.
  8. Grow it: Start from the ground up -- create a kitchen garden with your child and let them plant tomatoes and herbs, such as basil and oregano in window boxes.  If you have space for a garden, help them cultivate their own plot and choose plants that grow quickly, such as beans, cherry tomatoes, snow peas and radishes.  Provide child-size gardening tools appropriate to their age.
  9. Covert operations: You may have tried everything in this list and more, yet your child's lips remain zipped when offered a fruit or vegetable.  Try sneaking grated or pureed carrots or zucchini into pasta or pizza sauces.  Casseroles are also a good place to hide pureed vegetables.  You can also add fruits and vegetables to foods they already enjoy, such as pancakes with blueberries, carrot muffins or fruit slices added to cereal.  On occasions when you serve dessert, include diced fruit as an option.
  10. Be patient: Changes in your child's food preferences will happen slowly.  They may prefer sweet fruits, such as strawberries, apples and bananas, before they attempt vegetables.  Eventually, your child may start trying the new vegetable. Many kids need to see and taste a new food a dozen times before they know whether they truly like it.  Try putting a small amount of the new food -- one or two broccoli florets -- on their plate every day for two weeks; but don't draw attention to it.
What are you doing to get your kids to eat their vegetables and fruits? Would love you to share your advice with this blog's readers.  Please leave a comment and let us know what works for you and your family.

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive payment or any other compensation associated with this particular post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
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When Is Hanukkah This Year? A Rock Video on YouTube by Melee for Teen Jews & Non-Jews Alike


Though those who celebrate this Jewish holiday will be lighting the last candle of the 8-night fete of Chanukah tonight, I loved this YouTube and wanted to share with you.  Hopefully this will enhance everyone's celebrations of all races and creeds.

Christmas always falls on the 25th of December so everyone knows when it is, both those who celebrate it and those who don't. Conversely, Hanukkah is based on the Hebrew calendar the date varies from year to year and can fall in either November or December -- so it's not unusual for both non-Jews and those who are not that observant to know when it is.

I think all people regardless of religious affiliation and level of observance -- both those who celebrate Hanukkah and those who don't -- will really appreciate the holiday message in this video.



2nd Nite of Chanukah - Homemade Potato Latkes for Kids
1st Nite: in the Chanukah Mood With Adam Sandler & 8 Crazy Nights Song
Guess what my teen daughter is getting for Chanukah this year
Beyond Thanksgiving Pie: Moving into Hanukkah & the rest of the holidays
Really Memorable Gifts for Celebrating Hanukkah

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive payment or any other compensation associated with this particular post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
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6th Candle - Monday's Hanukkah Celebration at Los Angeles Police Department Training Center


Whoa, I'm way behind schedule with my Chanukah reports.  Last night we lit the 6th candle -- and we've already lit the 7th light this evening -- and I still haven't told you all about the unusual holiday celebration I took my teens to yesterday.
My Eldest Son in the Lobby of LAPD's Ahmanson Training Center
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Can you think of anything more unique than celebrating Hanukkah at the L.A. Police Department (LAPD) Training Center in Los Angeles?  Sure there were potato latkes and sufganiot (jelly doughnuts) to eat plus a DJ playing Chanukah music and a menorah lighting, but that wasn't what made this so unforgettable.

Instead, what my kids and I discovered was a truly educational and meaningful event where my kids and I celebrated the Festival of Lights while we all learned something new about what it takes to train our city's police force.  After today, we really had a much greater appreciation for those who serve to protect us, literally putting their lives on the line during a typical day's work.
LAPD Officer Herman, Who is Also a Mom, is Flanked by My Daughters
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

This is definitely something I think we will always remember.  Though the activities, organized by Chabad of South La Cienega (SOLA) which is affiliated with the worldwide Chabad organization only ran from 12:30 till 3 p.m., we did so much in this short period of time.  

Upon arrival at LAPD's Ahmanson Recruit Training facility, older children had the chance to visit a number of static displays from various LAPD units, while toddlers enjoyed a table where they could work on safety-oriented coloring pages.  The kids also got to talk one on one about their jobs with some amazing active police officers such as Lisa Herman.  Officer Herman, BTW, is a police officer and a mom of four children who will be participating in the 250 mile bicycle Police Unity Tour in Washington, D.C. next May to help raise awareness about officers killed in the line of duty.

A Most Memorable Sight to See All in One Place:
Police Academy Cadets in Formation and the Lighting of the Menorah
Photos by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

A Real Working LAPD Police Car
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Big kids and small ones loved the chance to actually sit in the seat of a real police squad car that is currently used by the LAPD.  These are definitely not the mock ups of police cars you may have seen at children's museums.



An LAPD Officer-Handler With his Bomb K-9 Dog
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Animal-loving kids and adults (like me) enjoyed meeting a Bomb Officer and his very friendly, bomb-sniffing K9 dog.  Party goers also had the chance to visit with two of LAPD's mounted police officers and their conversation-starting horses.  

As if that wasn't enough, during the afternoon, the kids and adults were thrilled by a thunderous fly over of an LAPD helicopter just for them.
My Eldest Triplet Daughter is a Horse Lover So She Really Loved This
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com 

Families got to tour the Academy's grounds, both indoors and outside, too.  The kids were struck by the military precision and discipline of the drill teams as they marched in the yard as much as they were amazed at how studious the officers in training were in the classrooms.   Surprisingly, during the walk through the facility we saw a wide range of beautiful works of art, murals, sculptures, and textile wall hangings.
Among the Many Works of Art at the LAPD Ahmanson Training Facility
  • A Sculpture Memorial for Those Lost in the Line of Duty
  • The LAPD's Iconic "To Protect and to Serve" Emblem
  • One of Many Colorful Painted Wall Murals
Photos by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

On the tour we stopped by the center's mini museum display in the hallway and learned about the history behind The Gamewell Police Box (phone box).  This old-fashioned black box opened with a single large key and it used to be on the streets of Los Angeles and cities around the U.S. and was used by police to call the station.  In modern times this relic of the past has been replaced by state-of-the-art technology and communications.

The LAPD's Antique Police Phone Box On Display
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

A special treat for moms and dads only was the opportunity to attend a special LAPD Firearms & Tactics Section law enforcement simulation program designed just for us.  Here, using the same $135,000 high tech IES simulation system that the department uses to train its cadets, I got to role play as a police officer arriving at the scene of a hostage situation in progress.  Holding an object that looked similar in shape to a real gun I virtually responded to the crime scene I was dropped from a helicopter.  Then I repelled down the side of a building and climbed into a window.  As I stepped down into the room I suddenly saw a gunman holding a hostage -- I had only a few short seconds to think and react quickly to save the victim and my own life.  

The LAPD Firearms & Tactics Section Expert Leads Our Simulation Experience
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Having to process so many different factors going on around me really quickly before reacting was unbelievably hard.  Ultimately to experience all that a real police officer goes through to do the right thing gave me a first-hand understanding of what every cadet at the Academy must practice to perfection.   It also helped me get an idea what it must be like for our police officers when they actually encounter stressful and life-threatening situations not unlike the one presented to me.

All in all, what an incredible day this was.  I would have never thought in a million years that my family and I would be attending a Hanukkah celebration like this and that we would enjoy it and learn so much too.  Truly, this was the experience of a lifetime and probably the most extraordinary holiday party we've ever been to.

Don't miss MommyBlogExpert's Other Hanukkah Posts 
5th Nite of Chanukah - An Arctic Celebration for Special Needs Kids

We enjoyed this most exceptional Hanukkah celebration at the L.A. Police Department's Academy.  Now it's your turn, leave a comment and tell about the most unusual or memorable Chanukah experience you and your family have experienced.

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive payment or any other compensation associated with this particular post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
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