Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase something, I'll receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting my efforts with this blog!
I was sent free products in exchange for writing a review. All opinions are my own.
Have you figured out what you're giving your kids for Christmas yet?
G and I were excited last month when we realized that we already had everything we needed for Gv's presents this year.
My mom had saved several of my favorite toys from when I was a kid, so we'd decided to package up my old doll clothes and toy dishes for her to unwrap - making our budget ho-ho-ho-happy at the same time!
But then there was the Santa problem.
No, we don't have a problem with carrying on the Santa tradition at our house, but every year until now, the big "Santa gift" has been easy for us to come up with.
Not this year.
This year, we just couldn't figure out what to have the jolly old man bring Gv.
Then, I got a call from the North Pole:
Elf Central was offering me a few of their products if I would spread the word a bit - and I knew it would be easy for me to find something interesting to explore.
At first, I thought I'd load up on craft kits, since those were always my go-to for holiday party activities when I was back in the classroom.
Then, I thought I might grab some goodies to help us with our Latticed Learning lessons - because I knew the company had a lot to offer for faith-filled fun, as well as plenty of teacher resources.
But that all changed when I visited the website.
My experience with the company in the past had always been through their catalogs. These were filled to the brim with loads of products, but I had no idea until I clicked over to the site just how many products they really had!
Over 50,000, according to the fabulous team member that I was in contact with!
Within just a few minutes, I'd discovered entire categories dedicated to Crayola products, scrapbooking, jewelry-making, adult coloring books and even Melissa & Doug toys!
OhMyGoodness, this was the point where my head started spinning.
Too.Many.Great.Things.
Too.Many.Great.Ideas.
But that's when I suddenly realized that this opportunity was even more of a blessing than I'd first realized:
I quickly began looking again with this goal in mind and easily had a cart full of fun things to share with G:
I'd spied these great dry erase crayons and knew they would be a wonderful addition to last year's Santa present (a dry erase easel) that would last much longer than our typical markers.
Then, G and I decided on two musical instruments. Gv has been extremely interested in "playing" our household instruments lately. She tickles the ivories nearly every day and asks to run the bow across the violin strings at least once a week.
I'd read that a recorder is the perfect first instrument for little ones interested in learning to make music, but too young for formal lessons.
We knew Gv would love tooting on this flute-like stick, but decided to start her off first with a kazoo.
We'll stick the kazoo in her stocking as a start and then save the recorder for her birthday in the spring!
We had several other fantastic items in mind, but then I discovered a second tab on the main webpage and a whole other world of possibilities opened up to us.
Oriental Trading Company acquired MindWare back in 2013 and wow, have we fallen in love with so many of the amazing educational toys they have there!
I was truly blown away by all of the unique, "brainy toys for kids of all ages" that I discovered while poking around. Not only are there products for the littlest learners available, but great goods for the classroom and even grown-ups (family game night!) as well!
I was quickly coming up with a list of ideas a mile long, but then I spotted a clever dollhouse.
G and I had thought about this year's Santa gift being a dollhouse in the first place, but we knew we didn't have the space for it.
But this dollhouse is different. This dollhouse is several toys in one:
G and I are so excited to see Gv's expression when Santa delivers this gift! I can't wait to see all the houses she constructs and adventures she has with the dolls in it.
We're most excited about how much space this dollhouse takes up. Everything fits into a small box:
I'm so excited to have discovered all the great things Oriental Trading has to offer and will definitely be returning to the website for not only craft supplies, but gifts for Gv, too.
The best part of what I discovered here was that the prices on everything are as good or better than what you can find at discount brick-and-mortar stores!
Take a minute to stop by their Christmas page - you might find great gifts like we did, or load up on stocking stuffers for everyone on your list!
G and I were excited last month when we realized that we already had everything we needed for Gv's presents this year.
My mom had saved several of my favorite toys from when I was a kid, so we'd decided to package up my old doll clothes and toy dishes for her to unwrap - making our budget ho-ho-ho-happy at the same time!
But then there was the Santa problem.
No, we don't have a problem with carrying on the Santa tradition at our house, but every year until now, the big "Santa gift" has been easy for us to come up with.
Not this year.
This year, we just couldn't figure out what to have the jolly old man bring Gv.
Then, I got a call from the North Pole:
Elf Central was offering me a few of their products if I would spread the word a bit - and I knew it would be easy for me to find something interesting to explore.
At first, I thought I'd load up on craft kits, since those were always my go-to for holiday party activities when I was back in the classroom.
Then, I thought I might grab some goodies to help us with our Latticed Learning lessons - because I knew the company had a lot to offer for faith-filled fun, as well as plenty of teacher resources.
But that all changed when I visited the website.
My experience with the company in the past had always been through their catalogs. These were filled to the brim with loads of products, but I had no idea until I clicked over to the site just how many products they really had!
Over 50,000, according to the fabulous team member that I was in contact with!
Within just a few minutes, I'd discovered entire categories dedicated to Crayola products, scrapbooking, jewelry-making, adult coloring books and even Melissa & Doug toys!
OhMyGoodness, this was the point where my head started spinning.
Too.Many.Great.Things.
Too.Many.Great.Ideas.
But that's when I suddenly realized that this opportunity was even more of a blessing than I'd first realized:
This was the answer to our Santa problem!
I quickly began looking again with this goal in mind and easily had a cart full of fun things to share with G:
I'd spied these great dry erase crayons and knew they would be a wonderful addition to last year's Santa present (a dry erase easel) that would last much longer than our typical markers.
 |
| No fumes and no caps! These crayons come with a cleaning cloth and a built-in sharpener on the box. The box also claims that they are fully washable, so any stubborn marks should come off easily with a little water. I'm anxious to see how well these live up to their promise! |
Then, G and I decided on two musical instruments. Gv has been extremely interested in "playing" our household instruments lately. She tickles the ivories nearly every day and asks to run the bow across the violin strings at least once a week.
I'd read that a recorder is the perfect first instrument for little ones interested in learning to make music, but too young for formal lessons.
 |
| I was excited to find this Melissa & Doug recorder, because I knew the quality would be great! |
We knew Gv would love tooting on this flute-like stick, but decided to start her off first with a kazoo.
 |
| We may live to regret this one... |
We'll stick the kazoo in her stocking as a start and then save the recorder for her birthday in the spring!
We had several other fantastic items in mind, but then I discovered a second tab on the main webpage and a whole other world of possibilities opened up to us.
Oriental Trading Company acquired MindWare back in 2013 and wow, have we fallen in love with so many of the amazing educational toys they have there!
I was truly blown away by all of the unique, "brainy toys for kids of all ages" that I discovered while poking around. Not only are there products for the littlest learners available, but great goods for the classroom and even grown-ups (family game night!) as well!
I was quickly coming up with a list of ideas a mile long, but then I spotted a clever dollhouse.
G and I had thought about this year's Santa gift being a dollhouse in the first place, but we knew we didn't have the space for it.
But this dollhouse is different. This dollhouse is several toys in one:
 |
| This kit comes with walls and roof pieces, so the first step is to build the dollhouse! (They stick together with magnets. I couldn't help but quickly try this out a bit to see how it worked, but I'll save the big constructions for after Santa comes!) |
 |
| After the house is built, there are two dolls and a sheet full of magnetized clothes and accessories to continue the fun with! These can even be stuck right onto the walls of the house! |
G and I are so excited to see Gv's expression when Santa delivers this gift! I can't wait to see all the houses she constructs and adventures she has with the dolls in it.
We're most excited about how much space this dollhouse takes up. Everything fits into a small box:
 |
| The box it comes in is cute and compact, but I might even just stick these pieces into a zippered bag to take up less space later! |
 |
| Front of box, with much niftier house construction shown than what I was able to do in my few sneaky minutes while Gv napped the other day! |
 |
| Back of box, which again helps to showcase this toy, since we're saving ours until after Santa visits! |
I'm so excited to have discovered all the great things Oriental Trading has to offer and will definitely be returning to the website for not only craft supplies, but gifts for Gv, too.
The best part of what I discovered here was that the prices on everything are as good or better than what you can find at discount brick-and-mortar stores!
Take a minute to stop by their Christmas page - you might find great gifts like we did, or load up on stocking stuffers for everyone on your list!
Did you have any clue this website had so much to offer? What category are you most excited to explore? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
Also, if you don't want to miss a single minute of great tips like this and all the fun around here, be sure to sign up for free updates and then look forward to having each post delivered right to your inbox.
Looking for a great deal at Oriental Trading? Visit their coupon page for the latest in sales!
Linked up with: Pintabulous Moms Christmas Linky, Favorite Things, Over the Moon, Share the Wealth Sunday, Dishing it & Digging it, What's for Dinner?, Family Joy Blog Link-Up, Literacy Musings Monday, Practical Mondays, Homeschool Nook Link Up, Happiness is Homemade, Merry Monday, Motivation Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend, Meet Up Monday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Little Learning Link Up, Two Uses Tuesday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party Tuesday Talk, Wonderful Wednesday, A Little Bird Told Me, WFMW, Everything Early Childhood, The Mommy Club, Creative Muster, Party in Your PJs,What to Read,I Am Pinnable, Christian Bloggers Link Up, This Is How We Roll, Creative Ways, Hearts for Home, Creative Exchange, 100 Happy Days, Try It Like It, No Rules Weekend Blog Party, Booknificent Thursdays, Thursday Favorite Things, I'm Lovin' It, Inspiration Spotlight, Home Matters, Pretty Pintastic Party, Weekend Potluck, Awesome Life Friday, Creative Collection, The Beautifully Creative Inspired , Bloggers Pit Stop, Weekend Traffic Jam, Pin Me Party, From the Archives, Family Fun Friday, Friday Frivolity, Bloggers Spotlight, Make My Saturday Sweet, Weekend Wind-Down Party,Friday Features Linky, Funtastic Friday , Best of the Weekend, Sweet Inspiration Link Party, Small Victories Sunday, You're Invited
We've used Oriental Trading company for holiday decorations in the past. We got so much value for our dollar. I haven't looked at a catalog though in a few years, it looks like I definitely need to check them out. I absolutely love the doll house, and that it can be folded up and taken wherever GV would like to take it. and I certainly hope she loves the kazoo. Or, I'm hoping that you love it as much as she does!
ReplyDeleteI have used Oriental Trading company before they are so handy for stocking fillers
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing your post to the Blogger's Pit Stop last week.
ReplyDeleteJanice
Oh my gosh, that dollhouse is fantastic!! SO fun. I love that Gv's Santa presents this year did appear kind of "magically"!! Even makes it better. :P #FridayFrivolity
ReplyDelete