Kids, and some adults, can’t resist the chance to do some dangerous tricks on a patch of asphalt. As a matter of fact, give a twelve-year-old boy a 5×5 patch of concrete, and any wheel, and they will find a way to invent a new X-game.

I first saw a wave style skateboard in Walmart, and I spent five minutes trying to convince my roommate that it was a small oar for kayaking. When he told me that his little brother had one and that it was a new kind of skateboard, I lost it.

Small, Streamlined, and Champ-Building

Now that I’ve seen kids on these things, I think they are ingenious. Small, streamlined, and hard to use, these things make kids look impressive. Kids feel like champs knowing their parents could never get the hang of it.  This particular one has a bunch of bells and whistles, too, including flashing LED lights in the wheels (parents, remember how we only had sneakers that did that?) and a very trendy checkerboard pattern.

My stepsister did a lot of skateboarding, and she told me that a decent board, with brand-name wheels and all the right parts for tricks would cost over $200 where she used to buy gear.  Most waveboards today cost $75 or more. This little lightweight “Checkboard” by StreetWaveNow is only $35 on Amazon (granted, it isn’t endorsed by Tony Hawk or anybody, and it isn’t the name-brand Ripstik product).

It comes with a carrying case, tools, and a DVD that shows you how to ride it without falling and breaking your moneymaker.

Some parents might be concerned about safety issues, and yes, this combination of skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding looks pretty treacherous. With such a low price, though, just snag a helmet and a tube of Neosporin to go with it.  It’s part of being a kid to fall down once in a while.

Now, if you’re an adult and want to try one of these puppies out, all I can say is good luck.

Are you ready for some scrapes and bruises?

Hey everyone out there: Spring’s coming up incredibly fast. Did you know this? Did you also know that along with spring comes good, or presumably better, weather? Well it does. That means that kids are once again going to want to be outside, so that means I need to give a rundown of more good outdoor toys beyond ride-on toys and Power Wheels. What sort of outdoor toys? Bikes and skates of course. Do you have one of either? Good, more chances for me to tell you about the bestselling toys as of right now.

Skates Belong To the Women

So let’s start with skates, shall we? I was awful on skates as a kid, either of the roller or the inline variety. As a result it was very important that I took the precaution to put a helmet on my stupid head, and in a surprise to no one, the top selling item related to skates is a helmet, specifically the Razor brand. The standard black is number one with the satin pink being a close second, meaning both boys and girls are getting outside and protecting their noggins. Good!

Good thing they make helmets look cool. Now put this on.

Now that we’ve got our helmets on, what do you suppose the most popular pair of skates is today, according to Amazon’s retail charts? That would be the Roller Derby Firestar Girl’s Roller. Yeah, that has the word “Roller” in the name twice. Deal with it boys. In fact, be prepared to deal with your shame for not having a single pair of skates in the top ten current bestselling items relating to skates. Items 3-7 are all girls’ skates, one pair of ice skates included. Then some knee pads. Then a Spiderman helmet/knee pad combo pack. Then carpet skates that I’m not going to mention because you’d have to be indoor to play with those. Boys, you don’t have a skate on the list until spot 11. You should be outside is what I’m thinking.

Seriously boys, learn how to ice skate and you'll always have friends.

Bikes Belong To Infants

Maybe the boys are leading the way in bikes instead? Once again the number one item is a helmet, so that’s a good start. Is it a boy’s helmet? Actually, it’s the Giro Me2 Infant Bike Helmet, particularly the one with a duck and a goose on it.  Okay, but that helmet looks sweet, not gonna lie.

Dang that goose looks happy. I'd like to be that happy with anything.

Anyway, after the typical bike accessories such as kneepads, bike locks, and a child seat, the first actual bike-like product is the Schwinn Roadster Trike. Okay, but the big kids have got stuff to see, right?

Not quite a bike but we're getting closer.

The next bike-like item is another tricycle, this time the Radio Flyer Classic Red Tricycle. At the very least we’re staying classic here since you just can’t beat Radio Flyer for one heck of a product. Even I had a Radio Flyer tricycle when I was a kid, or maybe my sister did. I don’t remember, but I know I rode one all the time. Not important.

Classic, but still not quite a bike, either.

Would you like to know how far down the list I had to travel to find an actual bike? Not a trike, not an accessory for a bike, but an actual bike? Number 55. And it’s a training bike. The PV Glider “Mini-Glider” 12-Inch Balance Training Bike by Glide Bikes to be exact. Number 55 there, and it’s a training bike. Hey, good to have the kids trained properly at least.

Boys, I know you're out there. Are you just not buying bikes or something?

There’s still plenty of time for you boys to reclaim some glory, and while you’re at it, it looks like you’ll meet a lot of girls. And infants. So get outside and play!

Wait, I'm not just repeating articles, am I?

Everybody is going green these days. It’s rather trendy to say the least, so it’s no surprise that toys are following the trend and selling big when it comes to eco-friendly categories. If you’d very much like to give your kids something fun to play with that they’re guaranteed to enjoy plus is quite possibly better for the environment in the long run, then good news because here’s an article about the top selling eco-friendly toys right this second.

Still Going Green It Seems

Do you remember me talking about the company Green Toys a while ago? I’m not here to judge; it was after all quite some time since that article. The reason I’m bringing them up is because they’re selling one heck of a lot of their toys right now with the number one green toy of them all being the Green Toys Tea Set that I went on about in my article. Someone must have been listening to me when I wrote the positive review or something. Of course they aren’t just a one-trick pony since they also have a cookware and dining set, a dump truck, and a sand playset. You know, things every kid should already have. The best part of all that is that none of those toys are particularly expensive with only the full cookware and dining set being over $30.

Dang it, now I want to go play in the sand.

Green toys may have a lot in the bestseller category, but they aren’t alone. Another company called i Play is doing quite fine for themselves until Apple decides to sue them for using a lowercase I in their company name. Their top item is the Green Sprouts Stacking Cup Set, yet another incredibly simple toy that happens to be a toy every kid should own. Heck, I had a set of these when I was a kid, but I’m sure this set is a lot better for the environment.

My set had much manlier colors though, but otherwise they looked the same.

If you’d prefer something way more advanced, check out Elenco Electronics’ Frightened Grasshopper Solar Powered Bug. I swear to you I didn’t just invent that thing, and even better, this robo-bug is only $7. That’s a deal no matter who you are.

Alright, I'll allow a robo-grasshopper, but as soon as we get robo-hornets I say we've gone too far.

Sprig Toys have a handful of bestsellers when it comes to construction vehicle toys if you’d rather not buy everything from Green Toys. Let the girls have their tea sets, us boys got stuff to dig and construct and whatnot. Then after we’re done with that maybe some more tea.

Once more, all I want to do now is go play in the sand.

Rounding out the bestsellers is Plan Toys with a couple items. What’s their highest selling item right now? A solid wood drum. That’s it. Just a little drum with a little mallet. While I’m all for kids having a toy drum, I’m not everyone. Plan Toys also has a doll house nursery set for the less noisy children, though I’m somewhat surprised to find out that the toy drum is $21 and the doll house set is $18. I must be really out of touch with my green side.

Yup, that's one wooden drum there.

So there you have it folks, a multitude of great eco-friendly toys at affordable prices. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s once more time for tea.

This right here is one of the most popular education-based toy around. And it's a video game system.

If I were pressed to defend the educational value of video games, I probably couldn’t do much other than say they can teach reading, math, problem solving, community interaction, cause and effect, and hand-eye coordination skills, so really I’d have an uphill battle talking about their benefits (wink). However, there are a handful of very popular toys being sold this very second to parents wishing to give their kids a little boost in the learning aspect of playing while still making sure the toy is fun (gotta love parents). But just what are some of the most popular educational and learning toys right now?

Yay! A noise-maker for kids!

Heard of LeapFrog? You probably have since they’re selling tons upon tons of electronic toys aimed at teaching kids. It just so happens one of their best-selling products is a video game system called the Leapster. It looks like a mutant Game Boy but plays like something with the explicit purpose of learning in the foreground. However, you can easily fool a kid into forgetting he’s learning something when the character in the game is Batman. LeapFrog also has a wide variety of other electronic-type toys with the Learn & Groove Musical Table for kids (a thing that makes noise), the Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo (a thing that makes noise), or the Scribble and Write (I’m sure it makes some sort of noise, it is a child’s toy after all).

Responsibilities! Exciting!

If, perhaps, you’d rather not futz with noise or electronics in general, our good friends Melissa & Doug have more than enough toys made of wood and magnets. Sometimes simple can be best, and Melissa & Doug tends to make very high-quality toys that last and last. It’s hard to beat a magnetic alphabet set or a magnetic responsibility chart. Sure, kids hate responsibility, but disguise it with magnets and they’re sold.

Dang that kid looks happy. I want some of those blocks!

Fisher-Price is still around and doing just fine, by the way. Do you remember them from your childhood? I sure do. I had all sorts of plastic blocks and shapes and steering wheels and things of that nature from Fisher-Price, and I’m happy to say they still make all those things with their Brilliant Basics Baby’s First Blocks staying as a bestseller. Their Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote may not really be in the same category though. It may say “Sesame Street: on it, but it also says “Silly Sounds” which is code for “Lots o’ Noise.” Just get the blocks.

Hooray for bugs! What, you don't like bugs? That's science!

It’s also cool to see that the Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden is up near the top in sales. Why is that? Bugs, while super gross, are also super cool. Plus, it’s impossible for kids to find bugs in the house, so they have to go outside. If they can find tons of bugs inside, you’re teaching your kids something wrong. I was always happy as a kid with a bug net and a jar to keep my findings in. I assume kids haven’t changed too much since my childhood.

This is an incomplete list of the bestselling Education and Learning toys, but it’s a good start for sure. If all else fails, I can’t think of a single kid that’d say no to “Imagination Time” with their loving parents. In fact, I might just call my dad and see if he’s up for a game of it right now.

Who would win in a drag race between Matchbox and Hot Wheels?

I wrote an article last week about Hot Wheels cars, but upon posting it something started gnawing at me. While talking about Hot Wheels, I had completely neglected to mention Matchbox, the opposing brand. What makes this worse is that as a kid, I couldn’t distinguish between the two as both brands made little toy cars. They still do of course, so it’s only fair that I give you the other side of the story.

The Other Big Name In Toy Cars

What is the key difference that separates Matchbox cars with Hot Wheels cars? As far as I can tell, one has an imprint on the bottom that says “Matchbox” and one has an imprint that says “Hot Wheels.” This does not by any means imply that I believe one to be a knock-off or inferior or anything. Heck no, both brands are awesome and as a kid I was perfectly happy getting either. I happened to get most of my toy cars as hand-me-downs though, so it didn’t make much of a difference as long as the cars had wheels.

If I had to make a sweeping generalization about the differences, I’d say that Hot Wheels tend to be more fantastic in nature, emphasizing designs that are impossible such as a stegosaurus or a torpedo car, whereas Matchbox was more concerned with real world vehicles like ambulances and police cars. The playsets seemed to reflect this as well since I remember having Hot Wheels tracks meant for jumps but Matchbox sets like a city landscape or a triple-decker parking garage.

Don't ask me why, but I always thought realistic cars were just as cool as dragon cars.

The important thing about all of this is that more brands mean more variety, and I already noted Hot Wheels’ incredible number of different vehicles to choose from. Matchbox may have even more than Hot Wheels if we’re talking variety of collectables, but either way, it makes it even easier to have a collection entirely original to you and no one else.

One thing that I find really cool about Matchbox is the official website makes reference to the 100 new cars released this past year. Yes, 100 new cars to collect. They even provide a checklist for the hardcore collectors, and with a 20-car pack being priced at $19.99, that sounds like a fair challenge for the year. You’d be so lucky to only spend a C-note on toys each year.

I remember the time my uncle gave me an old tackle box filled with all the Matchbox cars he had as a kid. Some were busted pretty badly, but the majority were in perfect working condition. This equaled an awesome time of taking each car out of the tackle box and checking out what it was. Parents, make sure to pass down your toys as soon as possible to your kids. Few things are more enjoyable for the kid.

There is certainly something to say for simplicity.

Do you have a favorite Matchbox car from your youth? Can you tell the big difference between Matchbox and Hot Wheels from a distance of twenty feet? Do you prefer one or the other? I want to know your thoughts. Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you once I’m done checking out my collectables.

I don't care, I'd still ride in the Barbie version.

I was insanely jealous of anyone who had a Power Wheels as a kid. Sure, I was fairly content with my Hot Wheels, but how was I supposed to compete with those kids that could ride around in their toy and laugh at me? I couldn’t, that’s how. And why? Because Power Wheels were beyond awesome. Let’s talk about why.

Imitation at the Heart of the Fun

As kids, one of the activities we most enjoy is imitating adults. Inversely, as adults, our favorite activity is imitating children, though that’s somewhat frowned upon despite it’s truth. If you consider some staples of children’s toys, you’ll see that consistent high-sellers are kitchen sets, vacuums, life-like dolls, phones, and steering wheels. It all makes sense as kids just love doing anything that they see adults do. So when someone comes along and decides to create a Jeep Wrangler that kids can drive around, Ham Radio included, is it any wonder that kids go nuts for these things?

Dang it, look how happy this kid looks! I want to be this kid!

While I didn’t have a Power Wheels, I had friends that did. I’d hop in their Barbie Jeep and roll around talking to Barbie because, forget you, it was freaking sweet. I was DRIVING a VEHICLE. No one was going to say I wasn’t cool because my little imagination was way above whatever the real world was doing. So what could be cooler than all that? How about a Kawasaki Power Wheels? Check and mate. The product even has the word “Ninja” in its full title, so there will be no convincing a child otherwise on the wonderfulness of said product.

An Expense Worth Making

And sadly you probably will want to convince them otherwise as Power Wheels, while cool, are crazy expensive. We’re talking past $200 expensive. I wish I had one as a kid, but I never questioned why my parents didn’t plunk the money for one of these bad boys. It’s a big investment to make and the only place to really use a Power Wheels is outside, meaning that if you live in an apartment complex, these kids are probably going to be unable to ride it anyway.

It's sad, because what kid wouldn't want to roam the open fields in one of these?

However, don’t let me deter those of you with ample space and money, plus a kid or two. A common complaint from parents these days is the lack of outside exercise kids get. Some things make for great incentives to get kids outside, and Power Wheels count as such an incentive. Even though they’re riding around in these they’ll be getting exercise. Trust me, no kid can resist a full-fledged imagination adventure involving a high-speed chase that leads to him hopping out of the car and sprinting around in circles fighting bad guys with an invisible katana. If I had a Power Wheels right now I’d totally do that.

That’s pretty much all there is to say about the wonder of Power Wheels. Any of you have fortunate enough childhoods to have Power Wheels? What are your thoughts on the matter? I’d like to know, so you need to post a comment.

Yeah, I'd be happy if I could race cars through a shark all day, too.

Little known fact about me: I grew up as a little boy when I was a lot younger. What this generally meant is that Barbies weren’t typically in my play-cycle and Hot Wheels dominated most of my free time in between Ninja Turtles. I’m happy to say that even though I’ve taken a long hiatus from the small die-cast cars of my youth, they’ve been waiting around should I ever choose to get back into the habit. It’s always great to know that my kids will someday have the chance to play with my favorite toys.

Simple Fun Without Limits

So what made and still make Hot Wheels so great? Not to sound too crass, but they’re extremely cheap. You can get a pack of 10 for under $15, and a lot of stores will sell them individually for 99 cents. Even better is the sheer amount of models to choose from. You and your friend could each own three-dozen cars and only have two that look identical. This means that every kid has a chance to have a unique set of cars best suited for his or her personality (sure, girls like Hot Wheels, too).

Sweet Glavin! This 10 set has a motorcycle?! I would have killed for a motorcycle Hot Wheels as a kid.

What did I have? I had a few cars that I absolutely loved, but my favorite for some reason was a beat up old Jeep that had a hood that could open. I had entire plotlines that involved this Jeep fighting other cars, just because it was my favorite and clearly the hero among my other cars. It had a posse of several other, “cooler” cars, but nothing could outclass my Jeep, not even the Mach 5 from Speed Racer or a car shaped like a dragon. Nope, the Jeep was my favorite.

I was also lucky enough to have a set of tracks for my Hot Wheels, allowing me to make the most basic of tricks for them to engage in such as loop-de-loops and jumps. I never had the more elaborate sets like they’ve got today, though, such as the freaking Sharkbite playset or a rapid-fire car launcher. There are now just about as many Hot Wheels playsets are there are cars to play with, meaning that you can customize your adventures even more so that the Batmobile can race a Dodge Viper (literally a snake with wheels in this case), past an erupting volcano. Kids today have it too good.

There is also a lot to be said for simplicity. While Hot Wheels likes it when you buy new playsets, I always enjoyed a simple play rug. I had a city-themed one the size of my room laid out for me to drive around in. I’d dump out all my Hot Wheels and place them in the city as I figured real cars would be placed in parking lots and at stop signs and such. And then the Jeep would show up and fight all of them just because. Oh yes, life was good. I should go back and buy some new Hot Wheels. Maybe you should, too.

Oh yeah, forget those video games because things just got awesome.

I’ve been hung up on video games a lot lately, and I apologize for that. There’s just been an abundance of games getting released in such a short time frame. Plus, it sounds as if half the US has been snowed in for a while. To make up for all this sitting around in front of the TV, I think it’s time to take a look at the complete opposite here and talk about getting those kids outside and on something that moves. No, not a car, not even a bike, but one of these handy active outdoor toys. Grab your helmets and kneepads and let’s talk about some popular ride-on toys.

So first off, the products I’m about to bring up are entirely safe for your child, but there will no doubt be numerous scrapes and bruises caused by using said products. Don’t worry! This is actually a good thing! Why, when I was a child, I’d injure myself on a regular basis. You ask any parent and they’ll tell you they nearly destroyed themselves as a child with the amount of outside activity they participated in, but would they change it? Of course not. Like I said, remember the helmet and you should be fine.

Some Toys Never Go Out of Style

Some of you might remember the big Razor Scooter craze that set in a few years back. Did you know that Razor Scooters are still one of the highest selling ride-on toys at this moment? It makes sense, too, as the lightweight scooters are only around $50 and provide simple entertainment for the energetic kid. I had one a few years back and found it to be pretty snazzy, despite my lack of skillz. It is a great way to get exercise and encourages families to go to parks and wander around for a bit.

Expect your kid to build at least one ramp after getting a Razor Scooter.

You want to know another ride-on toy I’m happy is still selling well? Radio Flyers. Heck yes. Also known as a little red wagon, the Radio Flyer brand is just built to withstand the test of time. Every kid worth his snuff needs a Radio Flyer at some point for either transporting mischief or racing down steep inclines towards doom and more scrapes. And that’s the way we liked it! A no-hassle Radio Flyer can price just under $80 if you know where to look.

For the more advanced kids out there, the option of the magnificent pogo stick is readily available to increase the chance of phenomenal wipeouts. Pogo sticks can cost anywhere from $30 to $150, but as long as it pogos you’re in for fun/frustration. The only thing deadlier on a frustration level is a paddleball toy.

If you can figure this thing out, congrats, you've surpassed me as a true kid.

I don’t particularly care what you’re riding as long as it’s outside away from TV’s and such. Oh, and no cheating kids! The iPod counts as a TV if you have videos on it, so no using those either! Time for fresh air and scrapped knees. If I don’t see more scraped knees by the end of the week, I’m going to be disappointed in each and every one of you.

Like a shadow rising from the mist, army men shall never die.

I like toys. I know, we’re talking revelation of the year here. I’m also a guy, so typically whatever toys I’m playing with are required to have some sort of firepower or at least look like they are capable of fighting either each other, or some other toy I have yet to purchase but will feel the need to as soon as I see it. I’ve mentioned that G.I. Joes are the perfect action figures and that Ninja Turtles are the coolest, but I want to go even more old school than those. I’m talking zero points of articulation, absolutely no accessories or outfits or anything. How could a toy still be awesome after all that? Aha, I’ve got you now don’t I? How about if I’m talking a whole squadron of toys? Yeah, let’s talk plastic army men.

The point of the little green (or grey or red or whatever color suits you) men is not regarding pose-ability but rather sheer quantity and simplicity of the design. You can go out right now and pick up a few dozen army men for somewhere in the vicinity of one dollar, pull them out, and start playing immediately. No set up is required and no location is too obscure to wage impossible wars. Kitchen? Perfect. Bathtub? Aquatic misadventures. Cat box? Strange, but you do what you’ve got to do. But to get the full effect of the war you really need a whole sea of the little guys, so drop a ten-spot and load up.

I always liked the way army men each had a personality to them. Sure, you have the standard rifle-toting version, but those came in guys with the rifle sling over their shoulder, aiming straight ahead, crouched while aiming, crouched and aiming downward, aiming up and back, and who knows what else. You’ve got guys with grenades, guys with radios, guys with mine detectors, and guys that look like they do all their work solo with a handgun and a face so grizzled you can sharpen steel on it (I like to think I’d be that guy in the army men world).

There is a lot to do with your plastic soldiers beyond just placing them and enacting whatever battles you’d most like (such as Grizzled McGrizz fighting EVERYONE). I’ve found that they work very well as markers for whatever game you may be playing (add an army man to Candy Land and watch your sister squirm), or even place them on a world map and have an interactive history lesson about World War II (in which Grizzled McGrizz fights EVERYONE). Okay, yes, you can also melt them, explode them, and generally mutilate them, but should you? Should you really? All right, just ask your parents first before using the microwave.

I was lucky to find a set of army men that came with small plastic tanks, helicopters, jeeps, and fighter jets. There were also USA flags and German flags and all sorts of other nations, meaning that my war could be even more elaborate than just the typical run-of-the-mill ground assault. I’m curious if they have boats anywhere.

Something I always wondered as well is if someone ever made an army man playset of some kind similar to something you’d see in G.I. Joes but less complicated, like a battleground floor mat with bunkers and such that you could set up and hide soldiers behind. And then add some structures and traps like nets and catapults (or trebuchets for our hardcore medieval brethren). I want to know if this exists, and if not, why? Also, my patent is pending should it turn out to be the latter.

What I’m really advocating for at the moment is a good old-fashioned get-outside-and-play-in-the-dirt. Army men were built for punishment. That’s why you get so many of them and people have to go through the trouble of exploding them to cause any significant damage. You can literally lose an entire packet of army men in the sand and not feel as if you’ve lost something irreplaceable. You will however feel like you’ve lost your best friend, but only until you go by another bag at the dollar store.

Grab your sled and get out the door already.

Winter is fast approaching, and if you’ve been paying attention you may have noticed that the temperature outside has dropped to something near “Why can’t I feel my feet?” levels. That can only mean one thing: Snow will be here soon. That also means that your kids (and hopefully yourself) will be outside playing in the snow rather than situated in front of a TV screen. I’m all for video games, but when there’s snow, dang it, there is playing to be done!

Now, with snow you get the inevitable snowball fight. It’s important for kids to be prepared to defend themselves at a moment’s notice from balls of compacted frozen water being hurled from any and all directions.

Luckily it isn’t difficult to create your own snowball, but might I suggest an alternative that could possibly be considered cheating? Try out the Snow Baller, a tool used for making perfect snowballs and then launching them greater distances than your puny arm can muster alone. Plus, no frozen hands, so when your opponents are losing fingers from frostbite, you’re still raining frosty death upon them from a safe distance.

Even better though: The Snowball Blaster! Make three snowballs at once and fire it with lethal accuracy. You won’t have any friends left once you’re done, but who needs friends when you have a snowball gun?

Who needs friends when you've got one of these?

If war isn’t something you find particularly engaging, why not sled down a hill or two? There are tons of options for how best to coast along the top of a snowy incline, with standard sleds, snow discs, or snow tubes. There’s an item for just about anyone’s monetary needs here, so pay attention. The classic wooden sleds with steel runners will run you between $70 and $90, but sometimes you can’t beat a classic.

However, no one said you needed to be fancy. Do you have a shovel? Sit on the shovel part and away you go. Then again, if you’d rather not go too cheap but still want a real item with the purpose of sledding on snow, there’s always a handy snow disc, which range from $5 to $20 depending on size and brand stickers. Pretty much anything with a smooth surface can be converted into a makeshift sled, so the sky’s the limit (or should I say, the “ski’s” the limit? No, I shouldn’t).

See, pretty simple design to replicate.

All of this sledding is great, but what if you would rather be on a motorcycle? Okay, kids shouldn’t ride around on motorcycles, least of all when there is snow and ice everywhere, but low and behold, Wham-O, the company behind most of the items on this list, have also developed something called the Snow Hog, a thing that looks somewhat like a motorcycle sled. Honestly, if I were still a kid (which I am), I’d want to have one of these. The deluxe model will only run you between $50 or $60 depending on where you look.

Yeah, I'd really kinda like one of these.

But maybe racing down hills and attacking loved-ones with snow isn’t something you enjoy. Perhaps something more stationary, yet more elaborate than just constructing a snowman? There’s always the Snow Art Kit for the creative kids among us (which happens to be most kids out there). Even if you’d prefer to just make that snowman, the Snow Art Kit can assist with accessorizing so that your snowman is the most fabulous in the neighborhood.

Oh how darling. I mean manly. How manly and darling. Just go outside and play.

Always remember proper snow attire when playing in these winter wonderlands. Thick gloves, warm hats, galoshes, and most certainly long johns are important to suit up in, not to mention a good coat. However, parents, don’t bundle your kids so tight they can’t move a la The Christmas Story. They need that ease of flexibility if they’re expected to have any sort of a chance in a snowball fight or drifting around embankments.