Holiday gift ideas that make learning fun for children

Want to deepen children’s understanding of the world around them? The holiday season is the perfect time to do that. Educational gifts and toys can extend the learning fun throughout the year and embolden them to make exciting discoveries every day.

• Starry-eyed: Bring the night sky closer to the little ones in your life. With the Magic Adventures Telescope from LeapFrog, fledgling astronomers can focus on the moon at night or nature during the day at up to 110x zoom, and even capture and save images of what they see. This real telescope is accompanied by 20 Cosmic Cards featuring images and fun facts about objects in space, and more than 100 videos and images courtesy of NASA and the European Space Agency on such topics as the solar system, the Moon, star life cycles, constellations, space discoveries and more. A detachable tripod allows for steadier scientific exploration and its adventure game will have kids dodging planetary hazards, powering on satellites and rebooting robots.

• Coding building blocks: Many of the newest hands-on coding kits don’t even require a screen to get started. With block-based programming tools, young engineers can get problem-solving experi- ence while beginning to develop the computational mindset needed to code. What’s more, the featured games and challenges can make the learning process fun, versatile and interactive.

• Tiny worlds: Help kids realize just how cool science and the world around them can be with the Magic Adventures Microscope, which offers 200x magnification. Budding biologists can zoom in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using eight double-sided smart slides that activate amazing BBC videos and images to discover answers to curious questions like: What do plant cells look like? What is sand made of anyway? Kids can then make their own discoveries by finding things around the house and getting a closer look using the reusable slides or large sample tray. This innovative take on a classic microscope allows kids to save on-screen images, and even features a quiz game to put their new STEAM skills to the test.

• Mini masterpieces: Inspire little ones to express themselves through the visual arts with a comprehensive, mixedmedia art supply kit. Whether you buy a ready-made kit or stock it and package it up yourself, be sure it includes all the age-appropriate essentials: markers, crayons, colored pencils, paints, brushes, paper and pencil sharpeners. Pair this present with an easel, so that kids will have a dedicated place to create and display their artwork.

• Globe-trotting: Young explorers can travel the world and see everything in it with the Magic Adventures Globe. Using the stylus, children can tap on the 10inch interactive learning globe and experience new places, languages, cultures, animals, geography, habitats and more through high-quality BBC videos. Its integrated 2.7-inch video screen immerses kids in the curriculum through animations and live-action videos, providing a better understanding of the world. They can also play interactive games to explore the globe, challenge a friend and solve mysteries.

This holiday season, encourage a love of knowledge and self-expression. With so many fun learning tools and toys to choose from, you can make the jolliest season of the year a time to get inspired.

–StatePoint

The busiest shopping days of the 2023 holiday season are on the horizon. Industry experts point out that knowing these dates in advance can help you score great deals -- or beat the crowds -- depending on your shopping priorities.

“Amid inflation, the return of student loan repayments and other factors that could impact holiday spending, many consumers will be bargain hunting this year. Since retailers are likely to plan promotions and experiences around the busiest shopping days of the year, if you’re on a budget, you should take note of when these days occur and adjust your plans accordingly,” says Brian Field, global leader of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, a retail solutions provider of Johnson Controls. “And of course, it’s helpful to know these dates if you simply wish to avoid bumperto-bumper parking lots and crowded store aisles.”

On average, the top 10 busiest shopping days in the United States account for approximately 40% of all holiday retail traffic, according to Sensormatic Solutions, which based on historical data, predicts those days will be:

1. Friday, Nov. 24 – Black Friday;

2. Saturday, Dec. 23 – Super Saturday;

3. Saturday, Dec. 16 – Third Saturday in December;

4. Friday, Dec. 22 – Friday before Christmas;

5. Saturday, Nov. 25 – Saturday after Black Friday;

6. Tuesday, Dec. 26 – Boxing Day;

7. Saturday, Dec. 9 – Second Saturday in December;

8. Saturday, Dec. 2 – First Saturday in December;

9. Saturday, Dec. 30 – Saturday after Christmas; and

10. Sunday, Dec. 17 – Sunday before Christmas Eve.

In addition to planning your spending around the top 10 shopping days, Field advises taking your own personality into consideration for the best shopper experience. For example, if you want to get a jump on the holiday season, Veterans’ Day, which falls on the second Saturday in November right before the start of the formal holiday shopping season, may be ideal, as retailers are likely to capitalize on the timing and go all-in on early promotions.

However, if you are someone who prefers the excitement of finding lastminute deals, you should be aware that Super Saturday, the second predicted busiest shopping day of the season, falls very late this year on Dec. 23, and could be the last opportunity to wrap up shopping. For more holiday shopping insights, visit sensormatic.com.

“Finding meaningful, fun and trendy gifts for friends and family is one of the best parts of the holiday season, especially when you have insights that will help you stretch your budget and shop with minimal stress,” says Field.

The holiday season is the perfect time to show your friends and family you care about their well-being.

And what better way to do that than with the gift of better mornings?

From stay-at-home parents to nine-tofivers, here are three gift ideas that will improve the early hours of their day.

1. Rise and shine: A morning is only as good as the night of sleep that preceded it. A Restore device from Hatch, including wind down routines, soothing music, guided sleep exercises and sleep stories and sounds, can make falling and staying asleep easier at night.

In the morning, an alarm light with 22 different colors makes for a gentler, individualized wake-up call, setting the tone for a peaceful and productive day.

2. The perfect cup of coffee: Those who like to linger over their morning cup of joe, or those who easily get distracted mid-cup by work tasks, meetings or parenting duties, know all too well that a great cup of coffee can lose its steam by the time it’s able to be enjoyed. Now, there is a solution for keeping one’s favorite hot beverage at the perfect temperature -from first sip to last. Nextmug, a ceramic, temperature-controlled, self-heating mug, maintains an individual’s beverage at their ideal temperature for hours. This eliminates trips to the microwave to reheat cold coffee and means that whether one is stuck in an in-person meeting or a video call, their beverage will stay the right temperature the entire time. With three settings, Warm (130 degrees), Hot (140 degrees) and Piping (150 degrees), there is room to customize one’s drink and enjoy it for hours. Ideal for home, the office or the home office, you can brighten and improve mornings, wherever they take place. To learn more, visit nextmug.com.

3. Jazz up the shower: Take shower time to new heights by letting your loved one bring their favorite audio entertainment in there with them, be it an intellectually stimulating podcast that broadens their horizons or their favorite pop tunes. For students, this gift could even improve their academic success. With so many textbooks now available as audio recordings, shower time can become an opportunity to creatively squeeze in a study session and brush up on the latest material. Just make sure the speaker is listed as safe for the shower and that it can be hung or mounted easily.

This holiday season, brighten your loved ones’ year ahead with gifts that make mornings easier, and more joyful and productive. –StatePoint

PUBLISHED BY: Worrall Media 1291 Stuyvesant Avenue Union NJ 07083 908-686-7700

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Publisher: David Worrall

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