Staff Reports
INDIANAPOLIS — Each year, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis asks the big question: what will the kids really like? And every year for the past 20 years, the museum’s annual “Kid-Tested, Kid-Approved” toy vote provides answers with gift ideas parents may not have thought of.
This year’s competition — which is usually hands-on at the museum — was virtual. For a week in November, families watched video demonstrations of 20 toys then voted electronically for their 10 favorites:
1. Hexbug Nano Land — This mix and match construction playset includes a nano Flash, two Hexbug nanos and flexible jelly walls to build playgrounds. Priced at around $20, this toy is for ages 3 and up.
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2. Shadows in the Forest — The tabletop adventure Shadows in the Forest is an immersive play experience that brings a twist to game night — you play it in the dark. One player moves the LED lantern around in search of Shadowlings, mysterious creatures who avoid the light. The lantern illuminates the forest and trees, casting real shadows on the game board. The rest of the players work together, strategically moving their Shadowlings to stay out of the light. Priced at around $37, this toy is for ages 8 and up.
3. Water Wow — Keep your kids entertained and learning while on the go without any mess. Colors are revealed with an included water filled brush that disappear when it dries. This activity can be used over and over again for mess-free fun to teach numbers, colors, dinosaur names and more. Priced at around $11 for a three-pack, this toy is for ages 3 and up.
4. Creatable World — The Deluxe Character Kit includes a doll, a wig, clothing and accessories that can be mixed and matched to create more than 100 characters and styles. Priced at around $30, this toy is for ages 6 and up.
5. Lego Architecture Toyko –This toy construction set includes scale models of Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest freestanding tower, Tokyo Tower, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower and Tokyo Big Sight. Priced at around $60, this toy is for ages 16 and up.
6. Luminescent Lab: Glow Science — This kit contains everything you need to complete five unique experiments: make a glow stick, create glow-in-the-dark chalk or a glowing snow you can build figures with or grow plants in. Learn all about photoluminescence and how things glow. Priced at around $17, this toy is for ages 8 and up.
7. Galaxy Orb — A sensory toy that is a blob full of a squishy substance. Priced at around $17, this is for ages 5 and up.
8. Dino-Faurs Pullback Vehicle — Pull back and race into a monstrously fun adventure! The large, deep-tread rubber tires and authentic spring suspension of these dino-cars keep them rolling over all kinds of terrain just by pulling them backwards and releasing. The arms move on hinges, jaws open and shut, and the tail pivots up to allow for pop-a-wheelies. or ages 3 and up.
9. Cat Stax Puzzle Game — Select a challenge to stack the cats, and then arrange all of the them on the card so that they fit perfectly within the grid. The cats come in all shapes and sizes, so you’ll have to figure out how they precisely nestle together to solve each challenge. Priced at around $13, this is for ages 8 and up.
10. Loonacy, the Maniacal Matching Card Game — Loonacy is a rapid-fire game where players race to be the first to empty their hands by matching images in their hands with the images on the open piles in front of them. It’s easy enough to teach in a single sentence. Priced at around $14, this is for ages 8 and up.
Naturally, these toys are on sale with 4,000 others at The Children’s Museum Store, online at childrensmuseum.org/store and wherever toys are sold.
