Since 1946, Ten Thousand Villages has supported the work of artisans in over 30 countries including Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  The company has grown to over 145 retail stores.  They continually strive to improve the lives of artisans in developing countries through the expansion of fair trade.  Most of its artisan partners use environmentally friendly processes, sustainable natural resources, and recycled materials for their products.

I was able to try out the Handmade Caterpillar and Butterfly Puzzle. Now, this is a tad too old for Will (who is 18 months old), but Madison (my 4 year old) seems to handle it pretty well. You can definitely tell this is a hand painted puzzle. It has the detail that you don’t normally see.  The butterfly puzzle has more pieces, but the bottom of the tray is also painted with a butterfly, so it makes it easier to figure out where the pieces go.  The catepillar is less pieces, so it is a tad easier to do.  As for materials,  this is painted albizia wood (and the paint is nontoxic).

Ten Thousand Villages has many other items to pick from also.  I focussed on the toys, but you there is really something for everyone there.  I found gifts for women, men, and even teachers!  If you are a looking for a one of a kind gift this Christmas, Ten Thousand Villages is your answer.

Can you think of a word containing a double a (no proper names either!)? How about double h, i, or w? If these kinds of puzzles are right up your alley, you need to get Fabulous Fun With Puzzles. It just became available on October 7th, and it is right up the alley for any puzzle lovers you know. Each section of this book is broken down into what kind of puzzle it is. It makes it quite easy to find the word and letter puzzles, the anagram puzzles, and the mathematical puzzles (there are a ton more too chose from too!).

The part the amazed me most about this book was that it was originally published in 1947! They are republishing it again for all of us who don’t remember this book (which would include me). There are over 400 mindblowing puzzles that are just as good today as they were back then. I also love that they do give you the answer guide too. Sometimes I can’t help but to look up the answer.

Anyone who loves puzzles or even is mildly amused by them, will love this book. Did you figure out the answer to the above questions? Here you go if you didn’t:

Double A’s: bazaar, baaing, ma’am
Double H’s: highhanded, hitchhike, bathhouse, beachhead, fishhawk, fishhook, roughhewn, roughhouse, washhouse, withhold,
Double I’s: genii, radii, skiing, shiitake, taxiing
Double W’s: bowwow, glowworm, plowwright, powwow, arrowwood, arrowworm, screwworm, yellowwood

How many did you get?

Often when we are in the doctor’s office, we see Highlights.  For many of your who are in my age range, we all pretty much remember Highlights.  It is one of the few magazines that is for children and is educational.  My only issue with Highlights is that it is for old kids, and I have younger ones.  When I found out that Highlights now makes High Five, I was estatic.  High Five is for preschool age children, and it is a huge hit in my house.  When Madison’s magazine comes, she literally will spend an hour flipping through it herself on the chair.  That is even before we sit down together to do some of the activities!  I love that it is right at her level.  There are stories and activities that you can do with with your children.  In my latest issue, we learned how to make bathtub crayons and chocolate covered bananas.

If you are needing a gift for a preschool age child or have on yourself, make sure you subscribe to High Five.  It is the only magazine I have seen on the market for that age group, and you know it is quality since it is made by Highlights!

One of the puzzles that we have in our house that the kids have the most fun with is the ImagiPlay RainForest Puzzle. It is for ages 3 and up. However, my 4 year old and 1 year old both love it. Mommy loves it too.  This puzzle is made from rubberwood which is an earth friendly hardwood.  The part I love the most is that it is painted with lead free paint.  It is clearly labeled that way, and I don’t have to worry about Will (the one year old) sticking it in his mouth (love it, love it, love it!).  It is 18 pieces, so they can easily play with it together and not get into any fight.  We also were able to create many different scenes with the puzzle on my living room floor.  I love the fact that we can do that and also still make it into a puzzle.  It is very versatile and is great for your child’s imagination.  As you can see from the pictures below, I highly recommend this puzzle to any one with little ones.  They really will play with it for hours and hours.