This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! Here are our suggestions for STEM and educational toys.
Citi Blocks Wood Engineer Catapult Launcher
Check out all of our 2015 Staff Gift Picks here.
Looking for a fun game to play with family and friends when you get together for the holidays? Or maybe you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves games? Here’s a list of our staff’s favorite games:
2 to 4 Players
Ages 6+
Use the magnetic wand to pick up one color (and *only* one color) of bells. The first player to collect all ten of the same color wins!
2 to 6 players
Ages 8+
Steal the King’s treasure and become the richest pirate at sea! You earn coins by obtaining the best combination of dice rolls. Each turn provides the chance to steal gold from fellow pirates and the King; play shrewdly, and take it all for yourself!
2 to 4 players
Ages 7+
Object is to roll the 5 dice and choose the ones that offer the best combination. Encourages taking calculated chances and making strategic choices.
2 to 6 players
Ages 8+
Play the classic game of Monopoly with fun themes! A simplified kids’ version for ages 5-8 is also available in multiple themes. Roc-Opoly, the Rochester-themed game, will be available in December; pre-order yours here.
2-10 players
Ages 7+
The classic family card game. Points are scored by being the first to rid yourself of all the cards in your hand before your opponents. Be the first player to score 500 points.
2 players
Ages 8+
TacDex IS WAR…LIKE YOU’VE NEVER PLAYED IT BEFORE! In The Walking Dead TacDex it’s survivors vs. walkers. The Battle Marker determines if high or low card wins each battle. Special Action Cards add new challenges so that no two games are ever the same.
2 or more players
Ages 7+
Try your luck using pigs as dice! Roll the pigs as many times as you dare on your turn to score points. The position that the pigs fall in determines your score. Don’t roll a “Pig Out” or an “Oinker” or you’ll lose all your points! The first player to score 100 points wins.
1-6 players
Ages 8+
Roll two dice, add the dots and find the best combination of numbers to shut two rows of nine tiles.
2 players
Ages 5+
Fastrack is a fast-paced, action filled game that’s fun for everyone. Using the elastic cord, be the first player to propel all 10 wooden discks zooming through a small opening into the other side.
2 players
Ages 8+
The classic game of code making and code breaking!
Take the dare with the spinner wheel, then pick the jelly bean in the color the spinner lands on. It’s a dare for intrepid jelly bean eaters to take their chances on tasting lookalike wild or mild flavors.
2-6 players
Ages 13+
The Walking Dead Survival Edition Risk game allows players to vie to be the dominant group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world infested by the undead. Based upon the hit graphic novel series, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead Risk forces players to fight for survival in a deadly game of conquest.
Check out all of our 2015 Staff Gift Picks here.
Taking a trip this Summer? Here are five great games and activities to take with you on your travels!
Magnetic games are great to play in the car, in a hotel room, or at a campsite, since all of the pieces stick to the board, making them difficult to misplace!
The 3×3 Rubik’s Cube is a classic toy for a good reason – with 43 quintillion (that’s 43,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible combinations, it’ll keep anyone busy for a long time!
Find It to Go (available in four fun varieties) is an awesome self-contained game. Shake, spin and twist it to find all the items listed on the top of the game.
Melissa & Doug Water Wow activity books use plain water in a special pen to color and draw on its pages. The image fades when the water dries, and then the pages can be drawn on again!
The Breyer Horse Crazy activity set is full of fun horse-themed items – stamps, stickers, a drawing pad, coloring sheets, markers, crayons, and a pencil case to hold all the small stuff!
Looking for a fun game to play with family and friends when you get together for the holidays? Or maybe you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves games? Here’s a list of our staff’s favorite games:
2-8 Players
Ages 8+
Choose a category card and start the timer on the Tapple wheel. In just 10 seconds, name a word matching the category, press the first letter of that word on the wheel, tap the button to reset the timer, and pass it along. Can’t think of a word in time, you’re out for the round. The player who collects the most cards wins!
2-4 Players
Ages 7+
Everyone gets ten dice. Someone says “Go.” Then everyone rolls and rolls as fast as they can until someone gets all their dice on the same number. Sure, there are a few more rules, but you get the idea!
2 players
Ages 5+
Fastrack is a fast-paced, action filled game that’s fun for everyone. Using the elastic cord, be the first player to propel all 10 wooden discks zooming through a small opening into the other side.
3 or more players
Ages 5+
L-C-R or Left-Center-Right is a fast paced dice game. This is the game that everyone is getting hooked on! Hours of fun for the whole family.
2 players
Ages 8+
The classic strategy game.
2 or more players
Ages 8+
Farkle is a classic dice-rolling, risk-taking game for the whole family.
2 to 6 players
Ages 10+
Can a giraffe fit in a phone booth? Does a sofa fit in a shopping cart? It all depends on how you size it up in this game of creative thinking and outrageous scenarios.
3 or more players
Ages 8+
Can you get your partner to guess the secret Password by giving one-word clues? Password is the classic word association game of clever communication.
2 to 4 players
Ages 7+
Object is to roll the 5 dice and choose the ones that offer the best combination. Encourages taking calculated chances and making strategic choices.
1 or more players
Ages 8+
Rory’s Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. With Rory’s Story Cubes, anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Simply roll the cubes and let the pictures spark your imagination!
2 to 8 players
Ages 6+
There is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any 2 cards in this party game. Spot it and you win! A sharp eye and a little bit of speed is all it takes to become a Spot it! master.
Still need an idea for a great present? Check out our Staff Gift Picks for presents for kids, tweens/teens and adults in every price range!
Join us in celebrating “National Ugly Sweater Day” today by wearing your ugliest sweater while you shop. We’ll reward you with a 20% discount off one regular priced item!
Mention this online special at the checkout for your discount. Limit one item per customer. Valid Friday, 12/12/2014 from 10am until 8pm. Not valid for red tagged items or sale items. No other coupons or discounts apply.
This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! For everyone from young kids to grown-ups, here are our suggestions for stocking stuffers!
Young Kids:
Melissa & Doug Finger Paint Set
Tweens & Teens:
Adults:
Check out all of our Staff Gift Picks here!
This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! For everyone from young kids to grown-ups, here are our suggestions for gifts under $25!
Young Kids:
Melissa & Doug Wooden Doorbell House
Snap-Together Cars/Planes Kits
Battery-Operated Thomas the Tank Engine
Melissa & Doug Fill & Spill Sets
Tweens & Teens:
Safety Pin Birthstone Angel Kit
Alex Wood Wonders Ultimate Set
Adults:
Grow Your Own Oyster Mushroom Kit
Check out all of our Staff Gift Picks here!
This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! For everyone from young kids to grown-ups, here are our gift suggestions for gifts between $25 and $50!
Young Kids:
Tweens & Teens:
Alpha 3 Starter Kit
Adults:
Check out all of our Staff Gift Picks here!
This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! For everyone from young kids to grown-ups, here are our suggestions for gifts between $50 and $100!
Young Kids:
Playmobil Unicorn Jewel Castle 5474
Playmobil Top Agents Robogangster Battle Yacht 4882
Tweens & Teens:
Adults:
Dromida Kodo Quadcopter w/Camera
Freightliner FLC 1/24th Scale Kit
Check out all of our Staff Gift Picks here!
This week, our staff shares their top picks for great Christmas presents! For everyone from young kids to grown-ups, here are our suggestions for gifts over $100!
Young Kids:
Thomas Tidmouth Sheds Deluxe Set
Thomas Up & Around Sodor Tower
Playmobil Pirate Adventure Island 5134
Thomas Deluxe Mountaintop Supply Run Set
Tweens & Teens:
Harrisville Designs Easy Weaver
Adults:
Ravensburger 18,000-Piece Puzzle
Check out all of our Staff Gift Picks here!
Dan's Crafts & Things 
