Valentine’s Day is this week and from classroom connections to best friends, playful pairings, and more… Family Entourage is here with gift ideas for all.
CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
For elementary-aged kids Valentine’s Day is always a special time as the entire class usually gives and gets Valentine cards and gifts from each other in an exchange. Depending on the size of the class and the age of the kids we love getting creative with classroom Valentine’s where you can pair a DIY card or tag with a small gift to make it personal yet still playful. A couple of our favorite ideas are:
Monster Jam Mini trucks that put the action in the palm of your hand! The Monster Jam, Official Mini Mystery Collectible Monster Truck 12-Pack is packed with awesome details and graphics, just like its large-scale version! So friends can potential get Grave Digger, Max-D, Megalodon, El Toro Loco and so many more. We love the idea of pairing one of these with a sweet saying like: “I’m Wheelie Glad We’re Friends” or “I Think You Are Wheelie Cool.” Also “You’re Crushing it Valentine,” “Have a Monster Sized Valentine’s Day,” “Wishing You A Truckload of Fun” or “Have a Smashing Valentine’s Day” — the ideas are countless but the smiles will “roll” on in with this paired perfection.
Our kids love kinetic sand and the Kinetic Sand Castle Containers Pack of 10 encourages creativity, never dries out and is safe for pretend play, arts & crafts, sand art and kids crafts. It’s made from natural sand and magically sticks together for easy clean up. These magical sand castles can pair with sayings ranging from “I Love How You Think Outside of the Sand Box,” to “Have a Sand-tastic Valentine’s Day” or my favorite, “I Really Dig You” where we even found a free DIY printable at WonderMomWannaBe.
For teacher or friends, you can give flowers that last forever and in this case bloom over and over with the Kinetic Sand Squish Blossom where you fill the flower mold with colored sand, press it into the foam & lift – the flower magically blooms to life. Mix sand colors to create leaves, bees & roses with the flowerpot’s molds.
BFF PLAYSETS
Hatchimals which topped most Christmas lists this winter has a smaller bestie version for kids to enjoy with friends and have a mini pool party. Hatchimals Alive Bestie Pool Party when your child adds water to the heart-shaped pool, the blue and pink halves fill up and then form purple. Two puppadees hatch out of the eggs and come with mix and match accessories to create pool party fun. Our kiddos enjoy watching the surprise happen right before their eyes!
Hatchimals Alive comes in two different styles Draggle and Pufficorn. Hatchimals egg glows and a magical mist builds the anticipation and music plays as your character hatches. Kids will enjoy feeding, playing, and teaching their Hatchimals friend to talk, play peek-a-boo and more! Hatchimals need love and care to bring them to life. Then, as kids interact with them, they have 100+ sounds and reactions like fluttering his wings and dancing too.
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?
Plushies, stuffies, whatever you call stuffed animals, teddy bears and cuddly options always come to mind for this holiday… usually combined with flowers or candy. GUND is America’s first soft toy maker, and has crafted unique and classic teddy bears and plush animals for 125 years!
A fun Valentine twist is that GUND and Disney have teamed up to introduce classic characters from your favorite childhood movies in new, huggable plush formats. These Disney Plush Pairings are favorties like Lion King’s Simba & Nala, Disney Icons Mickey & Minnie and friends, Lady & Tramp and more… they are perfect to give one to each sibling, or you keep one and give one to your significant other, or just super cute for a newborn or toddler you want to include in the season of love.
GALENTINES FOR YOUNG GIRL
Celebrate the magic bonds between friends, or in this case unicorns and their riders with gift ideas from Netflix’s hit fantasy series and book series Unicorn Academy. Why not have a unicorn-themed Galentine’s get together? The girls love Unicorn Acadmey’s Wildstar Interactive Unicorn.The unicorn responds to touch with magical lights and unicorn sounds. Pet Wildstar’s face, hold her horn, or pull the reins to see her markings glow and unlock additional songs, defensive lights, and guiding horn lights. Fans can also collect the different riders and their unicorns like Sophia and Wildstar. Each set comes with accessories and hair tool.
Unicorn Academy is the boarding school of every kid’s dreams. Located on Unicorn Island, Sophia and the rest of the freshman class must bond with their unicorns to unlock their magical powers. Only then will these students learn to become revered protectors of the island and its magic – all while balancing classwork, navigating friendships and rivalries and dealing with the trials and tribulations of typical teen life.
All of the items selected are from SpinMaster and they have been very active in fire relief and donations to families donating close 20,000 toys to Baby2Baby + cash donations to American Red Cross, Baby2Baby, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Toy Foundation. They have also donated 500 toys to various local fundraisers.
