First Time Mom and Losing It

When I went to the Toy Insider HoliDAY of play event in October I was most excited to see the toys that taught while being fun. Being a former teacher and a mom of a soon to be preschooler I know the types of toys that would keep her engaged. Since she will be going to Pre-K4 soon I want her to learn at home as much as possible while she plays.

At the HoliDAY of play event they had a whole category just for STEM. STEM covers Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. When I first went to the STEM station I didn't think that there would be many things for a three year old, boy was I wrong! The Thames & Kosmos company has some amazing engineering kits and three of them were aimed at kids 3+.


The one that mostly caught my eye was the Amusement Park Engineer kit. My daughter is at the age now that she can finally get into some rides at the arcade we go to. I love that this kit is a part of a fun story involving two very curious kids. They build simple models to solve problems that their family encounters while at the amusement park. While reading the story you can help your child build 20 different structures and machines. Some of these structures include a Ferris wheel, carousel, pirate ship pendulum, bumper car and so much more.

The Amusement Park Engineer kit is made up of large and colorful plastic building pieces that are perfect for little hands. While the kids are having fun building the structures it helps develop fine motor skills. It is also helping with science and math skills, and reasoning and development skills.

Click on the link to learn more about the Amusement Park Engineer. They also have an Automobile Engineer Kit and an Aircraft Engineer Kit.


Which one of the kits would you have most fun playing and learning with? 

**I received the products below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


This year I had the opportunity to go to Sweet Suite 15 and the Toy Insider HoliDAY of Play to get a first hand look at what was going to be the hottest selling toys of the year. These are the toys I feel a preschooler would enjoy the most.

Play All Day Elmo - $59.99 - 18 Months to 4+ Years
The Play All Day Elmo has two modes, one for toddler play and one for a preschooler. This was perfect to use with my toddler because once she became an expert on that mode and becomes a preschooler next year I can switch up the mode and she has a whole new Elmo and games to play with. The Elmo has 8 different modes of play and 150+ play responses like turning him upside down and tickling his tummy. It also has a Nap switch when you are done playing with him where he will sing a song and go to sleep.


Design & Drill® Flower Power Studio™ - $32.99 - 3+ Years
I love that it is a drill set made for girls. Girls want to be handy with tools too and my daughter loved it. Having the base fold and close was a big plus to contain all of the little pieces. Once I put the batteries into the drill my daughter was in love! She felt like a big girl using the drill and got the hang of it pretty quickly. She wouldn't stop until each nut was drilled in place. I love how it came with a booklet of designs to try.


Legoland Discovery Center Annual Pass - $65.00 - 2 to 10 Years
What kids don't love LEGOS? We took my daughter when she was 2 and a couple of weeks ago when she was 3. She enjoyed it both times so much that we are getting her an annual pass for the Holidays. Going just three times pays for itself and there is so much to do! You get a factory tour, view mini land made out of LEGOs, build and race cars, watch 4D movies, sing karaoke and the littlest ones have their own DUPLO village to play with and so much more. Great for when the weather gets colder and it's the gift that keeps on giving.


Learn with Homer Learning Program Annual - $79.95 - 3 to 8 Years
Learn with Homer is a learning program that was developed by top literacy experts and proven to give results. I love that it has supplemental material you can print out and extend the lessons. One of my favorite features is allowing the children to record and hear themselves sounding out letters and words. My three year old has been using the program for about a month and a half now and is already reading and just started spelling words.



Sands Alive - Price Varies on Kit - 3+ Years
I got to first experience the Sands Alive at the HoliDAY of play event. I have been hearing about this sand for a while now and just wanted to play with it. You can easily mold it and manipulate it with tools. Then just knock it over and watch it come alive with how it moves.


Stikbot Studio Pack - $14.99 - 6+ Years
Although this one has a higher age range, I have been helping my daughter create movies using the Free app and one of the Stikbots we got in our HoliDAY of play gift bag. The little figurines have suction cups and joints that allow you to move them however you want to easily create stop motion movies. After you are done with your movie you can upload it to social media and share your creation. The package includes two stikbots and one tripod.


Amusement Park Engineer - $64.95 - 3+ Years
I love that the Amusement Park Engineer has a story connected to the kit where you have to problem solve and build things to help out. You go around the amusement park fixing and building things that are useful. The plastic pieces are big, bright and easy to put together which is best for little hands. I love that you can build 20 structures and machines with this one kit.


How do you find the perfect gift for your child? 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NauticaforDad #CollectiveBias


I knew my husband would be a great dad but I never knew how great until I saw him with our daughter. He works very hard so that I could be a stay at home mom. After working long hours he comes home to a very active toddler. As soon as he walks into the door she runs to him and tells him about her day. Then she gather's up a whole bunch of her toys and asks him to play with her. He never complains and just plays with her. He even plays with her little Disney Princesses and combs their hair!


Every time June comes along I start planning on how I am going to make his Father's Day special. A gift for him is always cologne because he always asks me to pick one. He says that he wears cologne for me so it's a smell I should like. Now that my daughter is three and she understands why we are getting a gift for Daddy I decided to take her with me to Macy's to purchase a gift set. I love that my local Macy's is just a few blocks away so it was a great time to just take a stroll with her to get daddy a gift.



My husband and I have been talking about a weekend away on a boat so I was automatically drawn to the Nautica Life Cologne Gift Set. I love the brand message of the Nautica man because it reminds me of my husband who has a strong connection to his family, traditional values and is romantic to me at times. When I smelled it I could smell sea salt, ginger, sage, lavender and a little bit of woodsy essence, I knew it would be perfect for my husband. I picked it up and walked back home with the toddler.


As soon as we got home and settled I got out some old wrapping paper and cut it out to be the size I need to wrap the gift set. I taped it down to my daughter's table, set out some paints and let her print her hand print all over the wrapping paper. I let it completely dry and then I wrapped the gift set to give to my husband on Father's Day.





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Nautica for Dad  What special plans do you have for Father's Day?