Category: gifts for kids

Counting Campers: One, Two, Three..Help the Campers Get Their S’mores!

Goliath Games Logo

Reinforce important math skills with this fun new game from Goliath which has kids adding and subtracting on their mission to get the s’mores.

About Counting Campers

Counting Campers is a fun counting game for your little camper. Players move their pawn forward or backward on the board along their individual hiking trail by drawing a ‘plus’ or ‘minus’ card, thus allowing little ones to practice counting and to develop fine motor skills. Follow the path through the muddy swamp, across the fishing pond, over the old bridge, and more, to get back to the campsite. The first camper back to camp wins the game!

Each game includes:

  • folding board game
  • four coloured camper pawns
  • playing cards
  • instructions

Our Thoughts

We fell in love with this adorable, bright and fun game that all members of our family enjoyed, regardless of their age. Each player takes a turn choosing a card and they will have to move their player forward or backwards on their colour markers depending on the card drawn. To add a little bit of variety, there are also “happy” and “sad” camper cards that cause you to lose a turn or take an extra turn.

As a parent, I loved how this game encouraged simple addition and subtraction for little ones, they weren’t simply sliding down a ladder, they had to think about how many spots forwards or backwards they had to move. I actually liked the fact that there were no dice, instead just the cards to help guide the movement across the board.

While this game is perfect for ages 4 to 9, we all had fun playing this game (right up to the adults). It was competitive but fun game to play all together (although you have to watch the moves of the little ones trying to steal extra spots!). The board, card and pieces are durable, which is a bonus with younger children that can be rough on their items. Counting Campers will make a great addition to family game night for the whole family.

You can purchase this game at Walmart and Amazon.

Make sure to follow Goliath on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the newest games and products.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Cinderella and the Secret Prince DVD Giveaway

Shout! Kids Factory

On November 5th, a never before told story of Cinderella comes to DVD from Shout!Kids Factory and Gold Valley Films, Cinderella and the Secret Prince.

About Cinderella and the Secret Prince

With the help of good fairy Crystal, Cinderella and her three mouse friends are able to escape the attic they live in and make it to the Royal Ball at the palace. They soon discover a terrible secret. The real Prince has been turned into a mouse by an evil witch! The “Prince” standing in front of everyone at the Ball is an impostor!

Cinderella and her faithful furry friends must embark on an all-new adventure to restore the real Prince to his true form and help him defeat the forces of darkness.

Cinderella and the Secret Prince is voiced by Cassandra Lee Morris (Your Name), Chris Niosi (TOME), R. Martin Klein (Perfect Blue), Tony Azzolino (The Grover Complex), Kirsten Day (Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures), Wendee Lee (Cowboy Beebop: The Movie), Stephen Mendel (Barbie: Dreamtopia), Terrence Stone (Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft), and Stephanie Sanditz (The High Life), directed by Lynne Southerland, and produced by Allen Tsang at Gold Valley Films.

DVD Trailer

Are you ready to see a whole new take on the story of Cinderella?

Then get ready for this modern version of the classic story where Cinderella does all the saving! Huge admiration for the girl power in this movie, love the idea that girls can be the ones saving the prince and that we don’t always need to be the one saved in films.

This is beautifully animated film that runs approximately one hour and a half in length. It is full of personality and fun with a great, brand new spin on a family favourite story. This new version will soon become a family favourite. The DVD would make an excellent addition to a stocking this holiday season if you are looking for stocking gift ideas.

The DVD arrives in stores on November 5th but you can enter now to win your own copy. The giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 years of age and older. Good luck!

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Calling All Wizards! Throw a Harry Potter Themed Game Night with Goliath Games

Calling All Wizards! Throw a Harry Potter Themed Game Night with Goliath Games

Hands up where are all my Harry Potter fans?

I fell in love with the series years ago, I loved that the characters were young, brave and all of the magic. I wanted to be able to wave a wand and command spells long before this series came to light as a young child (I don’t think I am alone in this?). Even though the series started before my children were born, they also love the books and movies. This shows the power of Harry Potter – the story and characters can reach out to and relate to all age groups and genders.

Goliath Games has released two Harry Potter games that will add plenty of magic to your game night or to the every day.

Calling All Wizards! Throw a Harry Potter Themed Game Night with Goliath Games

If you are ready to cast spells, win the Tri-Wizard cup, explore Hogwarts and capture fantastic beasts – these games are for you!

Harry Potter Tri-Wizard Maze will have you muggles and wizards race around the board in order to capture the Tri-Wizard cup! Be careful as you head around the maze as there are traps that could help or hurt you.

Calling All Wizards! Throw a Harry Potter Themed Game Night with Goliath Games

This game is designed for two to four players and can be played by anyone five years of age and up. It is similar to Trouble, where you “pop” the center and dice will roll indicating how many spaces you can take. Depending on where you land, you may have to pick up a card which will hold either something that can help you win or put you back a couple of spaces. We LOVED this game – my youngest actually ripped the package open trying to get this one out. It was challenging but not overwhelming so that young kids couldn’t play. We played a few times without drawing the cards and it was still a lot of fun but the cards do at that extra bit of magic. My kids were quite clever with this game, I think they figured out how to ‘pop’ the dice to get the best rolls, I lost every round to them (my pieces were the red ones above!).

Maybe you are looking for a greater mental challenge? Then Harry Potter Magical Beasts Game will fit the bill.

Calling All Wizards! Throw a Harry Potter Themed Game Night with Goliath Games

Magical beasts are running loose at Hogwarts and it is up to you and your friends to save the day. You can choose to be one of the main characters (we had a small argument over who will be Harry but I was able to be Hermione so I was happy!). You must work through the clues and Hogwarts building and grounds in order to recapture the beasts before it is too late. This interactive board game has a swinging playing board, both sides of the board can be used which took me a bit to wrap my head around but once you get it, I couldn’t believe how clever it was. This game is definitely a bit more complicated and geared towards older children and adults, I would suggest eight to ten years of age or older.

These games added an element of magic, mystery and fun to our nights and with this cold weather settling in, we will definitely be looking at having more family game nights. We loved that each time you played the games, it was different – you never really knew what to expect and you could add your own elements of magic into the games to make them your own.

Make sure you connect with Goliath Games on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with the newest toys, games and more!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Top Four Camping Kids Games That You Must Have This Year

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

While we may be in the start of August, summer is far from over! We still have several great weekends left of camping, labour day long weekend and not to mention fall camping (one of my favourite seasons to camp in from my Girl Guides days!). Camping (or glamping!) not only gets us out of the city but forces us to put away the electronics and our connections to work, and focus on the most important thing, family.

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

As parents, we know how quickly our children’s attention spans can be. While we may be content curled up reading a book in nature or enjoy watching the rain from inside the cover of a tent, children can be easily bored. The same goes for the car rides, day trips and the list can go on and on. It is so important that we are prepared in advance with games and activities that will keep them having fun and engaged.

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

Goliath Games has an incredible selection of fun indoor and outdoor activities that will keep them engaged both physically and mentally. These top four activities are easy to carry, easy to use, loads of fun and the best way to unwind together as a family. They are literally just pack and go!

To help save our sanity on the drive up to the camp, cottage or beach, the 6 in 1 travel magnetic games is a life saver! It is small and portable, just a tad bit longer than the length of your hand. Players can choose from checkers, chess, backgammon, Chinese checkers, snakes and ladders and Parcheesi. Each of these games will appeal to all age groups and your older ones will delight in being able to teach their younger counterparts.

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

This portable game is suited for two to four players, although we found two was the best just due to the size of the game itself. The board pieces were a bit smaller – so be careful when using them. They come with their own carry case that fits in the back of the game (bottom left image above). I loved this concept, as too many times we put the pieces in baggies and the baggie gets misplaced or parts thrown out, making the game unusable. This toy was easy to use and navigate for both our youngest and eldest.

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

While we all need those rainy day breaks, boredom and frustration can slowly creep in if you don’t have enough planned or ready to go but Flip’n Chips has you covered! This is a unique take on the traditional game of memory. The game can be played with up to four people, although I think two to three would be the best, especially with younger players. You put the chips in the case it comes in, shake and pour. Then you flip over a chip to find your colour – the first to seven chips wins! Easy right? We had a lot of fun playing this game, it is an interesting take on memory and you have to build up a strategy plan in order to secure the correct chip colours.

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

Need to burn some of that high energy off? Zoom Ball is the perfect, high action game for your children to play. The concept is pretty easy to follow – each child (or adult) pulls on their set of handles to send the ball in the middle over to their partner who performs the same action to send the ball back. You really have to keep yourself on your toes for this one! Especially if you are playing with younger children – it can be hard to keep up with them! This is an extremely fun and yet competitive game, especially in our home with all boys! Throw in a water balloon in the inside of the blue ‘ball’ and you really have some action fun!

The Top Four Camping Kid's Games That You Must Have This Year

 

The i-Top brings smart technology to kids activities, where you spin to win! In this activity, children spin the i-Top and it counts the number of spins – the higher your score, you win! This game reminded me of all the spinners and battle games my children loved to collect but this was far more advanced! Your kids will spin the top, complete challenges while it records who wins! No more battles over who is the winner here (win win for all parents!).

The Top Four Camping Kid's Activities That You Must Have This Summer

Summer camping, day trips to the beach and relaxing at the cottage should be a fun way to unwind with your family away from the stress of every day life. With planning, you can make every moment spectacular and full of adventure! Planning for downtimes, car rides and keeping them moving is key to a great adventure. These four games were by far a fantastic way to keep the kids moving, minds engaged and working together (and sometimes against to keep that competitive edge).

Make sure to follow Goliath Games on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with the latest toys, games and more!

What are you favourite summer time activities and games to do together as a family?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

Gnome on the Roam

Summer break for children is set to begin in just over two weeks. As parents we may be busy trying to figure out how to fill the weeks. It could be with summer camp, day trips and even daily activities. While fun is always at the heart of what we do, education is so important! We want to keep their minds just as active during the summer months being creative, writing and reading.

Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

What is Gnome on the Roam?

Gustav, the Gnome, is an inquisitive gnome who longs to explore the world outside of his own yard. In order to do so, he needs the help and love of your child to make this happen!

Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

Your Gnome arrives at your home in their own special suitcase ready for your child to take them on an adventure. Your Gnome brings with them a special journal for your child to record their adventures in, Gnome on the Roam book and a very special pen to write with.

Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

When your Gnome arrives you can take some time to decorate him/her to give the Gnome a personal touch and connect each other. We also downloaded the app on the Apple Store to get new ideas, create online journals, upload photos and more. You can also visit the website to get more ideas (resource list), colouring book and the adventurers guide.

Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

I loved that the kit encourages families to explore their world around them and to expand their knowledge when they get home. It doesn’t have to be big adventures, all that matters is that you get away from the television, video games, electronics and get moving and writing. I am a firm believer of always pushing yourself to learn more (I am a forever student always taking another course!) and I want my children to learn the importance of writing, reading and hands on education.

My Gnome on the Roam gives your family the ability to take charge to their own adventures, learn more about each others creativity and personalities and learn new things. Bonus – it keeps everyone busy and interested with new activities throughout the whole summer. While a special activity for your child – it is an activity that the whole family can come together with.

Take an Adventure This Summer with My Gnome on the Roam

You can connect with Gnome on the Roam on their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can purchase your own Gnome on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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