With 250+ parts, this robot kit (intended for children age 10 and over) is perfect for aspiring engineers and DIY enthusiasts. Kids will learn spatial reasoning and engineering knowhow while building their robots, which can be assembled, dismantled and recreated over and over. Beyond practical skills, children will develop their imaginative and creative abilities, too. Entirely solar-powered, there are no batteries needed—just sunshine and an inquiring mind.
French designer Laurence Calafat elevates a humble, classic toy with this 16-piece set of architectural blocks. The hand-sanded, untreated lime wood provides a pleasing look, while also offering an enjoyable tactile experience. Available in City (rectangles), Bauhaus (curved, geometric shapes) or Factory (trapezoids), there are innumerable creations to be made.
Mason’s Planets Handmade Sidewalk Chalk features each of the nine celestial bodies from our solar system (yes, including Pluto). All of the orbs are composed of multiple layers of color that are revealed through use. The Pennsylvania-based brand that produces them, TWEE, donates $2 from the sale of each set to benefit autism research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Sculpd’s lamp kit provides rookies and experts alike with the opportunity to create the lamp design of their dreams. Using the comprehensive bundle—two kilos (4.4 pounds) of air-dry clay, bulb with fittings, white paint, varnish, pottery tools, sponge and brushes—the possibilities are endless. The amber spiral filament bulb emits a vintage-inspired glow and is dimmable. The kit also comes with illustrated instructions and there are online tutorials for extra help. Plus, there should be enough clay leftover for a few more creations.
The Wireless Express Sing-A-Long microphone is covered in pink crystals and features a speaker decked in different LED lights to fully embrace the razzle-dazzle and spectacle of karaoke. Bluetooth-compatible, it works with most karaoke apps and connects to a smartphone, tablet or computer via Android and Apple systems. There’s also an SD card slot to access your personal collection of songs. With volume settings, an echo function and song control buttons on the microphone’s base, this glittery device is the perfect accessory for an extravagant, at-home performance.
LA-based Mister Green lends its distinctive green to their all-wooden kendama, a traditional Japanese skill toy. This entertaining toy comes in the standard size with Mister Green’s logo on the ball and inside each of the three cups.
Recommended for kids ages five and up, this accessible and fun kit comprises three different science projects. Crystal Chemistry Garden grows trees and bushes out of felt shapes, solutions and liquid watercolor. Colorful Chemistry explores the science behind color mixing through bubbling experiments. And finally, the Oil + Water Chemistry project creates a volcano in order to understand how gas bubbles float. Each experiment in the kit offers an intriguing and hands-on way to learn about the scientific method and chemical reactions.
Designed by Amsterdam-based Studio Roof, and printed on recycled cardboard with vegetable ink, these 3D insects tether the home to nature’s vivid cornucopia. Part decor and part puzzle, they are intended for kids four and up, and come as various creatures in assorted colors: orange and red-hued honeybee, blue copper butterfly, contrasting longwing butterfly, peacock butterfly, pink bee and bright yellow butterfly. Hung on a wall or resting on a desktop, each of these puzzles comes alive thanks to their rich colors and multi-dimensional design.
Detroit’s Shinola Hotel has reimagined the classic mystery board game Clue as a deluxe release where the thoughtfully designed boutique property on Woodward Ave is portrayed as the location of the sleuthing activities. This premium set is composed of an elegant white oak cabinet with meticulously painted wood-movers; all of the weapons include a gilded gold finish, too. Further, each character card features contemporary illustrations that bring the game to life.
Intended for children ages four and over, the Volcano Expedition Base Camp promises hours of storytelling thanks to a dinosaur-filled world equipped with realistic tremors, glowing lava and volcanic smoke. The creative toy is also packed with fun details like an obstacle course around the volcano, a dinosaur researcher, battery-powered rocks and a realistic Ankylosaurus and Giganotosaurus figurine to truly immerse kids in the prehistoric universe. The set requires three AA batteries (not included) and four LR44/A76 batteries (included) and, of course, other toys and dolls can be added to the mix for truly imaginative play.
A puzzle version of Frank Stella’s stunning 1970 painting “Firuzabad” echoes the colorful, geometric abstract piece. With two overlapping circles—which, in the puzzle, are specially contoured for the smoothest curves—the jigsaw boasts an unusual shape. Inside the circles, opposing and complimentary concentric and diagonal lines converge in a mesmerizing pattern. Made with 90% recycled paper, the puzzle is printed with non-toxic ink.
Crafted from hand-poured, sustainably sourced beeswax and natural pigments, each of the eight crayons in The Rounds set represents a different skin tone. These thick drawing or coloring implements have rounded tips, allowing for smooth lines. It’s the mission of the brand behind these thoughtful art tools, All of Us Crayons, to allow anyone and everyone to portray their loved ones within their art.
Built with 36 rare-earth magnets, Shashibo’s Magnetic Puzzle Box explores the endless shape-shifting potential within structures and magnets. The puzzle can create over 70 different shapes (which their guide can help with) in addition to being stackable with other puzzle boxes to create even larger formations. Available in a range of kaleidoscopic patterns and designs, this puzzle mesmerizes with all its folds and flips.
Kinstler, an independent puzzle company, highlights emerging contemporary artists via jigsaws. Their 100% recycled, 1,000-piece “In The Summer We Started Drinking During The Hot Of The Day And By Night Time We Were Monsters” puzzle features a complex, iconographic artwork from Andrea Joyce Heimer that sees a group of people drinking and transforming throughout different levels of a home. The darkly funny puzzle comes with a written interview with Heimer on the painting, notes on her creation process and her recommendation on how to complete the puzzle. It also comes with other images she made during her 2020 Quarantine Drawing series. The box was printed, assembled and packed in America and designed in Brooklyn.
NYC’s Chop Suey Club blends two tile-based strategy games, Mahjong and the Rubik’s Cube, to create a fun hybrid version. Using the pieces of the ancient Chinese game, Chop Suey Club’s inventive cube replaces the typical colors and ensures buttery-smooth rotations.
From CBD brand Feals, this Good Feals Kit includes a reusable bag, 500-piece puzzle and 600mg CBD tincture. Made from high-quality fractionated medium-chain triglyceride oil (naturally found in foods like coconut oil) and hemp cannabinoid extract, the tincture is unflavored and aims to reduce pain, stress and anxiety. Most importantly, 100% of net proceeds will be donated to Painted Brain—an LA-based mental health non-profit that focuses on community, offering art workshops, occupational therapy and more.
