Merry Christmas!
DEC 2014
INSIDE LET’S EAT OUT! NEW• DAD’S EYE VIEW • FAMILY MOVIE TIME • EARTHTALK • DISCOVERY BOX Oregon Family’s The 3rd Annual
Top Ten
Holiday Gift Guide by Kelli Matthews
“P
ut it on your Christmas list…” Like many families, we have spent the last several months uttering this phrase to our kids when they ask for the latest toy or gadget. And as the mailbox fills with wish lists and gift guides and toy catalogs galore, the drumbeat of the holiday season gets louder. In my search for some of the best gifts this season, I came across lots of great ideas that may not be on your radar. From the little ones to tweens and teens, we found high-tech, lowtech and even some mixed tech. OUR 2014 TOP TEN 1. DODOCase Virtual Reality Cardboard Toolkit ($24.95; Barnes & Noble and DODOCase.com) — Want a decidedly low-tech way to access high-tech cool? Try cardboard. I was skeptical, but it didn’t take long for the “wows!” and “whoas!” Our favorite app was a virtual reality roller coaster. It was a huge hit with both my kids (ages 2 1/2 and 8). If you have an Android phone, you’ll have more app choices, but the two we t r i e d on t h e iPhone were great fun. 2. Silverlit’s Nano Falcon ($49.99; Amazon, Toys R Us) — This tiny helicopter holds the Guinness Wo r l d R e c o r d for the smallest RC vehicle. The little ones
animal conservation around the world. The box comes with a bunch of goodies — maps, stickers, guide books, trading cards and activities. Kids also get access to an online portal that has additional games and activities DODOCase Virtual Reality Cardboard Toolkit for exploring that month’s focus. My third grader really enjoyed the demo box download and it’s very easy to get we tried out and it looks like we’ll the hang of. My kids loved the “trick be joining the official list of Junior mode” and older kids will enjoy the Explorers in the near future. custom features. 5. Morph-O-Scopes Sports of 4. Junior Explorers All Sorts ($22.50; Amazon and ($19+; JuniorExplorers. OozAndOz.com) — This kit is com) — From kids definitely low tech — ancient tech, in toys to goodies fact. The drawing and coloring pages for mom and rely on a mirror anamorphoscope, everything an art technique used by Renaissance in between, artists and even spies to hide secret sub s c r ipt i on images in plain sight. The drawings boxes are on the page appear warped, but e v e r y w h e re ! when you put a cylindrical mirror in J u n i o r the right place, the image becomes Explorers is a clear. The kit has coloring pages, creative twist mazes, fill-ins and puzzles that on this model had my son fully concentrated and by sending kids completely engrossed in how the on a new “mission” mirror changed what was on the with each box. The Morph-O-Scopes paper. missions are related to
are mesmerized and the older kids have a great time flying it. The controls take a little practice and I will attest to the durability of the ‘copter. Ours spent a great deal of time bonking into the ceiling and falling to the ground. It also completely freaked out our dog. But it didn’t take long for my third grader to zip it around the house like a pro. 3. Ollie by Sphero ($99.99; Amazon and GoSphero.com) — This little robot is super fast! It’s appcontrolled and can spin, drift and do flips. With simple finger directions on the smartphone screen, Ollie flies across the floor. The app is a free
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