Are you on the hunt for Christmas gifts already? What, it's too early to get your gifts...think again. It pays to shop now to take the stress out of the Christmas period. It also means things could be cheaper and easier to get. Christmas is a time notorious for running out of hot toys and consequently prices get inflated out of proportion for the must have toy or toys of the year. If you are looking for Christmas presents for 5 year old girls or girls around that age here are a few ideas to get you going.
Calico critters have been a popular toy for girls around 5 years of age for a few years now. You might have heard of them as Sylvanian families. Well they have been re-branded as Calico Critters. Don't ask me why this has been done but they still look as cute as ever and tend to melt the hearts of little girls.
Calico Critters are 6 inch toy figurines of a whole range of woodland animals. They almost look like Beatrix Potter type characters - you know - Rabbits, Badgers, Door mice and various creatures like that.
They all have families, so there will be a father and mother Rabbit and various sibling bunnies of various ages. Girls love this family aspect of the toy because it gives them an outlet to express their nurturing side. And the toys are ever so cute.
You can also get all sorts of accessories to make the critters even more adorable. The townhouse or townhome (as they like to call it in Cloverleaf Corners) is predicted to be a popular seller this year. It is a complete home for one or more Calico critters families. And the details of the house are exquisite.
The V Reader Animated E book system is a toy that girls learning to read will really cherish. The V Reader is made by Vtech that specialize in educational toys. It makes reading and spelling and learning new words more interesting and fun.
Basically you put in a cartridge and the story starts. A narrator tells the story and the animated screen changes as the story goes along. Under the animation, the words that are being used are displayed and each word is highlighted when it is spoken by the narrator.
Children can stop and have the word repeated. They can even highlight the word to get more information, like a definition on the word. There are also various word and spelling games that can be played with the V Reader. Girls love to read and this will be a constant companion as they develop the skills to start reading proper books.
