Discovery Joebot is new this year and exclusive to the Disocvery Store. With advanced robot technology, Joebot can walk, talk, dance, and interact and is very funny.  He’s for ages 8 and up and lists for $99.95.  Shop early with a coupon.  Find Joebot here:  Discovery Toys.

The Discovery Macro Microscope is a quality kids microscope with micro and macro settings.  It can magnify from 40 to 400 times with clear images. Lenses are interchangeable with most standard research-quality microscopes.  It comes with all the accessories shown in the picture. The Discovery Macro Microscope lists for $79.95. Pick up the Discovery Microscope for a great gift.

The Discovery Ultimate Pottery Wheel has been around for a couple of years and is a popular arts and craft toy. It has 3 speeds and is great for all skill levels, however is recommended for ages 8 and up. It comes with clay and instructions and you may want to pick up some extra clay. The pottery wheel lists for $79.95. Take a look at the Discovery Pottery Wheel.

The Discovery Liluminated Ant Gel Habitat is a fascinating ant farm.  It is a complete, self sustaining habitat and does not require food or water. The ants are shipped directly to your home. You might want to open the box and order them before Christmas.  Just $29.95 and for ages 8 and up.

The last of the top 5 toys for the holidays is the Discovery Sky & Land Telescope.  This is a 70mm, refracting, short barrel telescope. It is designed to be easy to use for kids and adults and can be used for stargazing or observing nature.  This is a quality, hard working telescope and lists for $159.95. You will only find this telescope at the DiscoveryStore.

Find all these great toys and more at Discovery Top Toys.

To find the best deals on any of these games, check out Best Toys and Games for Teens.

Toys are usually only for kids, but this group of games appeals to adults, and make great gifts for the hard to please teenager age group.

1. Blokus

 With 409 reviews on Amazon as of this writing, 403 of which are 4 and 5 star ratings, its no wonder that Blokus tops our list. Blokus has won many awards including the Mensa Select Award and the 2004 Teachers choice award, and is played in tournaments many countries around the world. Simply put, Blokus is the chess for today’s youth. It’s equally addicting to young and old alike. The rules are much simpler than chess so you can literally start enjoying the game in less than 5 minutes from opening the box. The goal is simple to get rid of all your pieces first, but the game is pure strategy with an emphasis on using your spatial intelligence. The original Blokus game is catered to playing with 3-4 players, but it can be modified to play with two players. It is this authors opinion that two player games are equally, if not more fun as group games. Pick this one up if you haven’t already.

The Settlers of Catan

2. Settlers of Catan

Take Monopoly go back a couple centuries, and add in extra variation, and ways to win, and you have Settlers of Catan. Settlers of Catan is considered one of the best board games of all time by many reviewers, due to its enjoyment by both hardcore gamers and non-gamers alike. It is a highly interactive group play game that relys on trading and building. One of the fun aspects of the game is it’s easy to derail the person winning by refusing to trade with them. It’s also amusing to see how each person is affected by their chosen strategy.  With five different types of resource cards and several different ways to score points, this is a game of endless variety, and constant action. This game is suited for the teen who enjoys playing complex games with their friends (the game can last 2 hours and it takes playing one game to understand the rules and strategies). This is the type of board game your teen will want to invite friends over and make and evening out of it.

3. Set

Staring blankly at this deck of cards at the game store scratching my head, it was hard to see why this game was so popular, until you play it. Set is a game of recognizing “sets” and calling them out. Your brain and your eyes will rapidly scan 12 cards in hopes of catching the next set before your opponents. I believe it is this adrenaline rush that makes this game so fun. After playing, you might feel like you have just drunk a double shot of espresso. The only drawbacks are that the same person might win over and over, and beginners cannot stand a chance against a seasoned set player. On the plus side, it’s a fast, portable, and addicting game (just like coffee!)

4. Carcassonne

Along with Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne is a European style game that was so popular it made its way to the states, but the similarities pretty much end there. Carcassonne is a tile game. There is no board in the beginning, but a board is slowly built throughout the game by the players laying the tiles and claiming the formations that are created. The players build cities, roads, monasteries and farms and lay their pawns on them to claim points, but must wait until the formation is complete to take back the pawn back. With a limited number, of pawns, players have to do some careful strategizing to win the game. This is a game to make an evening out of taking anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. It is also suited nicely for 2 players, whereas Settlers of Catan is more of a group game. Warning: this game can be very addictive, and there are many expansion packs that you will be tempted to buy if you get hooked.

5. Bananagrams

Bananagrams combines portability, verbal skills, spatial skills, and speed all into one game. The object of the game is to be the first person to finish laying their tiles. After laying all the tiles in your hand, you call out bananas and each player has to draw a tile from the pot. During the game you can rearrange the tiles in front of you to accommodate the new tiles. Winner of multiple awards, and touted my many as extremely addicting, Bananagrams is a great game for teenagers to play with friends or alone (there is an equally fun solitaire way to play!).

Find theses great games and more gift ideas at Best Toys and Games for Teens.

1. You can carry around up to 1500 books at once.  Great for travel.

2. It comes with free Internet access. Of course, the purpose is to make it easy for you to buy more books but it can be used to surf the web as well.

3. Books are usually a little cheaper than purchasing a hard back or paper back.

4. No waste of paper – good for the environment!

The Kindle is only available at Amazon (or ebay), check it out here and see a video preview too:

Need a little help picking toys for your baby or for a newborn gift? Here are some baby facts that should help with selection:

1. A newborn will briefly follow objects with their eyes and will also attempt to imitate facial expressions. Visiual toys are important at this age.  Newborns also love to be held and will quiet down when picked up.

2. A three month old likes to play a little more, reaching for objects and starting to show repetition with their activities. A three month old baby toy might offer more hand manipulation in addition to visual stimulus. Your baby will begin to respond to your voice and even understand words like “no” while they begin their own babbling.

3.  A six month baby will play more with toys. They enjoy peek a boo with hidden objects and baby will even search for the toy. Your baby will probably be more mobile, starting to roll onto their back.  Baby will often now understand their name and respond to your voice.

4. A nine month old baby toy will allow even more child interaction, such as pushing a toy vehicle or animal. They will enjoy games with sound such as pat a cake and toys with sound too.  Baby may be crawling around or pulling themselves up in attempt to learn to stand and walk.

For more help with selecting age appropriate developmental toys, check out ebeanstalk’s baby toys page.

Find additional gift ideas, you might also want to look at our Infant Toys and Preschool Toys pages.