11TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Our 11th annual holiday gift guide uncovers some wonderful hidden gems and ideas that you may not have heard of. From playtime to outdoor time to family time, each choice follows two basic guidelines: no “hot” toys with popular characters and not a single thing that will increase screentime. As my own kids (a.k.a. my trusty reviewers) get older, I’ve co-opted nieces and nephews and kids and grandkids of friends and colleagues to provide their feedback on every item. This year’s picks cover ages toddler through teen! We’re sure you’ll find just the right idea to add to your list.

One of the most creative gift ideas we reviewed this year was ZENIMALS. My 10-year-old loves sleep stories at night, but I worry about him having a device in his room all night. Zenimals teaches mindfulness and meditation, all without screens. The Zenimal is a small device that has 9 different guided meditations and three soothing sounds. My son loves it and asks to listen to the guided sleep meditation every night. Available at: https://zenimals.com/ Bath time is the best time and the BATH BOMBS FROM DABBLE AND DOLLOP are all-natural, vegan and smell so good! The Bath Bomb set includes 12 bath bombs in four fresh-smelling, all-natural scents. Our reviewer’s favorite part was mixing the smells to create his own “recipe.” https://dabbleanddollop.com/

Sometimes, we all feel like a GRUMPY OCTOPUS, and now your kids (or you) have the perfect little companion to commiserate with. He’s a joyous bundle of negativity that can’t help but bring a smile. He also has friends like Grumpy Shark and Grumpy Baby Dinosaur. Grumpy is the new adorable and, although he may complain, I’m sure he’s ready for an adventure. Available at: https://thegrumpyoctopus.com/ These four smart, creative dolls from SURPRISE POWERZ bring inspiration for the next generation of leaders in science, technology, engineering and math. Astro the Astronaut paid a visit to our young reviewer, who was delighted by the phrases, singalongs and sound effects. Maria the Mathemagician, Codie the Coder and Vera the Vet are the other Suprise Powerz characters to engage little learners in making math and science. Available at:

Your kiddo can create a whole world of make believe with the PLAY MAYSIE wild portable travel dollhouse. The set looks like an old-fashioned lunch box with magnetic floors and scene/prop magnets. Add the adorable characters and create a fishing and camping adventure on the go. This set is pretty irresistible and will provide hours of imaginary play wherever your holiday travels take you. Available at: https://playmaysie.com/

Set sail… or hide in your fortress… or take a rocket ship to the moon. All of it is possible with FIGGY. This play couch is anything and everything an imagination can create. I thought maybe my 10-year-old was too old for forts and pirate ships, but he couldn’t get enough! And yes, sometimes it becomes a gaming couch or cozy nap spot. The Figgy includes 4 base cushions, 2 rectangles, and the option to add an extra wedge and separate waterproof liners. Available at: https://figgyplay.com For little ones, the KIKO + GG*

GAME is a delightful journey to outer space with 50 friendly aliens. Little fingers try and stack the funky alien figures along the UFO’s edge without the UFO or aliens toppling. Or they can build martian pyramids or alien parades to practice your stacking and counting skills. This a beautiful toy that delighted our toddler reviewer (and her preschool big brother). Available at:

Growing a garden with your preschooler takes on an adorable look with

Memory Game. In this game, you work together to plant and grow a pretend garden by finding matches. This adorable award-winning game induced a-has and giggles from our preschool reviewer. Available at:

The SPEAQUA Barnacle Vibe 2.0 will go anywhere you go. Seriously. It’s waterproof, floatable and thanks to a (removable) suction stand, it can tag along on any adventure. If your adventures take you to areas where there’s no wifi or phone connection, the Vibe delivers. It stores up to 2,000 songs without wifi or Bluetooth all with great sound quality thanks to three speakers with an ultra deep bass. Available at: https://speaqua.com/ Remember those first rides on your bike as a kid? Or the look on your kid’s face the first time she took off on her own? Bikes are a little taste of freedom. With WOOM BALANCE BIKES, kids as young as 18 months old can enjoy a cruise around the cul-de-sac. Our toddler reviewers love the woom ORIGINAL balance bike. The woom is lightweight and purposefully designed to set kiddos up for a lifetime of bike riding bliss. Available at:

In Western Oregon, we saw snowflakes in early November, which meant everyone in my house got excited for snowboarding, skiing and tubing this winter. Time to gear up! The

SUIT is a high-quality base layer made from proprietary merino-rich 4-way stretch fabric. Airblaster says its blend is 45% stronger and dries twice as fast as Merino alone. Available in men’s, women’s and kids’ sizes in solids and fun and funky prints. Available at:

Sidewalk chalk is a fun, easy way to get outside and express a little creativity! Use SMELLY CHALK to draw a race track, decorate the driveway or leave a love note. With 10 bright colors and 10 fun scents, Smelly Chalk is fun for the eyes and the nose. Available at: https://smellychalk.com/

Of course, you need snow toys, and the WOW Sports Snow Tube Collection is durable, unique, and FUN! We checked out the WOW

TUBE. Admittedly, pretending to sled in the living room isn’t nearly as fun as Willamette Pass Sno Park. Still, the bobsled will obviously provide hours of fun on the hill this winter. The shape of this inflatable offers a shield from the snow and two molded handles give you a tight grip. With a PVC slick bottom, you’ll fly down the hill every time. Available at: https://wowwatersports.com/ Enjoying the outdoors doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down. In fact, with the CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER it’s easier than ever to navigate the sky. This telescope uses sky recognition – think about it as similar to face recognition but for stars and plants. It’s easy to identify, locate and observe celestial objects. It’s easy for a beginner and even works well in brighter urban environments. We had a blast exploring the sky on a few recent clear nights. Available at:

ART WITHIN is the first familyoriented subscription box I’ve seen. I love that you get enough supplies each month for four people to create art together. We tried the acrylic pour kit and had a great time together (yes, even the teenager enjoyed it). Each set has all the art supplies you need, instructions, video tutorials and activities. Available at:

If you’re looking for an outdoor game that is fun to learn and easy to play together, try MURBLES. This American-made version of lawn bowling is designed to be played by the whole family. Take it to the yard, take it camping or to the park. Murbles can be played anywhere. We loved that Murbles came in custom color sets and we absolutely ordered a Go Ducks version. Available at: https://murblegame.com/

We love games in our family and try to plan a game night at least once a week. We found a few to add to our rotation this year! THESE FIVE GAMES were a great way to spend an evening together. None of them required extensive set-up or were easy to learn.

ASYMBOL - https://www.simplyfun.com/

DISH ‘EM UP - https://www.simplyfun.com/

SPOOF - https://inspirationplay.com/ or Amazon

UNSOLVED CASE FILES - https://www.goliathgames.us/

HACKBOTS - https://www.blueninjastudios.com/