It’s some old school pixelated fun with these very clever little books for kids. 

There was a time when low resolution, pixelated images on a screen were frowned upon. And while they’re still not ideal on a television or computer monitor, their old school style is yet another one of those things that’s become über cool.

The kids can get a taste of what poor resolution used to look like, and have some fun at the same time with these adorable Pixel Sticker Books. There are two versions, Pixel Dolls and Pixel Heroes. Each page of the book shows a complete figure and a grid, and the kids can use the coloured pixel stickers to make up the image. There are nine pictures to complete in each book.

Such a nifty, simple idea and I’m sure there’s plenty of adults who’d love to get a hold of one of these. You can buy copies from John Lewis for £4.50.

As beautiful as natural timber is, it never ceases to amaze me what incredible things humans can craft from it. Like these amazing Animal Boxes.

New York-based Areaware has rightfully made a name for itself as a creator of functional and beautiful everyday pieces, including many desirables for children. The latest cab off the rank, from designer Karl Zahn, are these divine Animal Boxes.

Made from sustainably harvested new growth beechwood, the boxes are a beautiful sculptural form on their own. But they hide a secret. And that can be whatever little trinket your child decides to put in them. Have a look at how they open below.

They come in a great range of animals that are anything but what you’d expect to find carved into a box, including a whale, walrus and llama. They cost US$49 each from Areaware, which ships internationally. You can also browse through the other posts we’ve written on Areaware, including the iPhone alarm clock and the very charming Cubebots.

Just when you thought scooting couldn’t get any more fun than it already is – think again.

Fat Brain Toys take the humble act of riding a scooter up an artistic notch with the addition of Chalktrail Scooter – an attachment for your child’s ride on that leaves a speedy trail of coloured chalk behind as they scoot.

Chalktrail Scooter fits standard sized scooters, including the popular Razor brand, by simply hooking on to the centre hub of the back wheel and is fastened easily with the twist of a couple of screws. The Chalktrail Scooter includes one piece of non-toxic, washable chalk that lasts a staggering 2.4 kilometres – if your little one manages to use all of that in one riding expedition, you’re just about guaranteed they’ll sleep well! Additional Chalktrail chalk is available for purchase separately and comes in a variety of splendid colours for maximum driveway artistry and creative healthy play.

Chalktrail Scooter is priced US$12.95 and available from Fat Brain Toys. International delivery is available though expensive – perfect excuse to get friends in on the action for a group order.

(via Kidcrave)

I love when things from my childhood make a comeback so that a whole new generation of kids can enjoy them. How many Babyologists remember these beauties?

I can distinctly remember running my fingers over embossed labels as a child. Such a simple, sweet memory that can now be shared by the children of a much more technologically advanced generation. MoTex is a an unashamedly retro label maker (so retro it doesn’t even need batteries) that is just perfect for craft.

Its simple design and ease of use will appeal to children, and it’s a great incentive for those learning how to read. It comes in green or pink, and each label maker includes two wheels – one with numbers and lower case letters, and one with upper case letters and emoticons (something from this era for the kids who aren’t convinced!).

The kit also includes a roll of tape to get the kids started. It’s $19.95 from Lark, which also stocks a great range of embossing label tape (think neons and clear) for $3.95 each.

If it makes noise, you just know children are going to love it. And it’s a bonus if said toy is also beautiful. 

As parents we soon learn that children abhor silence. Or maybe that’s just my boys? Either way, these gorgeous little creations are bound to be a favourite with babies and children alike.

They’re called Minimaracas, from French company Deuz. They come in a set of three wooden rattles, carved from wood harvested from replanted trees grown without chemicals and are hand lacquered with natural vegetable dyes.

Made to Fair Trade standards in India, they are suitable from birth, and are available locally from Sustainababy for $42.90.

It’s day thirteen of Babyology’s Prizeapalooza and we’re flat-out having fun!

Flatout Frankie is giving one lucky reader a wild prize – a Unicorn Box Set and Roar Box Set valued at a total of $192.

Get set for your next party with a Flatout Frankie Unicorn or Roar box set. Sets contains six flat packed white unicorn or dinosaur heads – perfect as a crafty party activity; excellent stuck on a broomstick for an instant unicorn to ride; or great as a decor piece mounted on the wall!

Flatout Frankie is home to all sorts of other wonderful flat-packed cardboard creations from planes and dollhouses to play ovens and furniture. The pieces are beautifully designed and inspire creative and active play. They’re also easy on the environment and smart on space.

To enter, leave a comment below with your full name in the Post a Comment section telling us why you want Flatout Frankie on the guest list at your next party. You have seven days and entries close midnight, 19 May, 2013.

For full details, see our Terms & Conditions.

Children’s toys are usually over-the-top colourful, bold, brash and loud. So it’s refreshing to see a child’s plaything with a minimalist vibe.

The ironic thing about toys inspired by minimalism is there’s minimal words to be said about them. Their beauty speaks for itself, and such is the case with the Riga Roo. It’s a rocking toy for children, made from a single, moulded part.

Despite its name, the Riga Roo is not an Australian product, but made by Riga Chair, one of Latvia’s major seating furniture producers.

The Riga Roo comes in a birch, beech or oak veneer finish or can be laminated in various colours. It can be purchased from Twentytwentyone for £125, plus shipping to Australia.

(via Kidcrave)

I’m no big fan of Australiana. Call it a big, fat case of cultural cringe, but there’s always been something inherently daggy to me about toys and other things emblazoned with kangaroos, koalas and the like. But stone the flammin’ crows, if Ozzilla hasn’t changed all that.

In fact, I’m finding it very hard not to bust out a chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” (you know the rest) because this new Melbourne-based company has achieved the nigh impossible – a collection of stylish toys and other wares for kids with Australian animals and themes at their core. And they’re educational too.

I promise, you’ve never seen toys like this before. Yep, there’s kangaroos, koalas and cockatoos a plenty, but kitsch? Not on your life.

I’m digging Ozzilla’s Australian Alphabet wall frieze (pictured top), where A is for ants, B is for barbecue, F is for football and P is for pie (tomato sauce optional). There’s a Marine Alphabet version too, with twenty-six fishy friends that go from Albacore tuna all the way to Zebra lion fish. Cool.

Chuck in a memory game, constructable flashcards in alphabet or number sets, plus sweet-as height charts (are your kids as tall as a paperbark tree or are they more a bottlebrush?) and the cutest hanging mobiles you’re likely to find this side of Uluru, and you have an Australiana collection that makes you proud to be an Aussie!

So how did Australiana get this cool, you may be wondering? It could be because the boys behind Ozzilla – Dave and Cris – have an impeccable background in design. It shows in the colourful, funky graphics they created, then used with such flair throughout the range. It’s not just good looks though – the flash cards and games have been designed with input from teachers to help teach kids their alphabets and numbers with a distinctly Aussie flavour. The constructable flashcards too are very original, allowing the kids to build tall towers and other structures after the work is done – talk about making learning fun!

You can buy online direct from Ozzilla or peruse their list of stockists to find one near you. Prices start at $25 and items are packaged beautifully and designed to be easily postable too so they make perfect gifts for little relatives and friends overseas. Oh, and another important side note. All the products are made here in Australia or over the ditch in New Zealand.

For more cool Australian-themed souvenirs and toys that won’t make you cringe, check our previous posts on toy Melbourne trams and Sydney ferries from Make Me Iconic.

Jump to it, Babyologists! Come on through to see what has us jumping with excitement on Prizeapalooza day two. (And that’s the end of the dreadful puns, I promise.)

Ever wish you had a way to send the kids outside to burn off even more energy? If you’re today’s winner, we have you covered – one very lucky reader with energy to burn is about to have a brand new eight foot circular trampoline in their backyard, courtesy of Jump Star.

Trampolines have come a long way since the death traps of my youth, and this one is safe as houses. It’s Australian Safety Standard approved, and all the fabrics used in its construction have a maximum UV protection rating, so they’ll take plenty of harsh treatment from the Australian sun, as well as whatever your kids can dish out.

It comes with a ladder, and it’s fully enclosed, so nobody will launch themselves off with tricks they weren’t intending. With a five year structural warranty, it’s valued at $200. At eight feet in diameter it’s big enough for plenty of fun, but still small enough to fit in almost every backyard.

To enter, leave a comment below with your full name in the Post a Comment section, telling us what else you would stock up on at Jump Star if you had a spare $300. You have seven days and entries close midnight, 8 May, 2013.

For full details, see our Terms & Conditions.

It is no understatement to say that the Babyology team has been crazy with excitement over the opening of the Pottery Barn Kids and Williams-Sonoma empire in Sydney this week. I was the very lucky writer who had the privilege of walking through that space for the first time. And really – wow. It is amazing. Come through for all the details.

Pottery Barn Kids is one of a group of four stores in the Williams-Sonoma chain, and all four of them are opening tomorrow in the Oxford St Mall in Bondi Junction. It is the first time the interiors megastore has opened anywhere outside North America, and it’s happening right in our backyard. The other stores to open are West Elm and Pottery Barn (homewares and furnishings) and Williams-Sonoma (cookware and gourmet goodies for the home cook). I’ll give you some brief details on those three before we get down to the real business of the amazing Pottery Barn Kids.

The first place we visited was Williams-Sonoma. The store is a delight, with an amazing range of not just utensils, table linen, tableware and tools for the home cook, but also appliances, an amazing juice bar (where customers can make a fresh juice while shopping!) and most impressively, an instore cooking school. This is a new innovation for Williams-Sonoma – none of their existing stores have anything like it, so Sydney will be their test kitchen, in a sense! They are aiming for the whole place to have a fun and relaxed environment – like your own kitchen, except there is someone there to help you master the kinds of great techniques that make cooking enjoyable and not a chore.

Next up were West Elm and Pottery Barn, two homewares stores, each with a slightly different emphasis. West Elm was originally a New York-based store, and you can see that influence in their furnishings and accessories. They aim for an eclectic mix of aesthetics, so it’s a little bit vintage, a little bit industrial, and especially, a little bit crafty. In fact, they have a partnership with Etsy (now in its third year), which means that selected items from a range of local Etsy sellers are available in the store. Pottery Barn holds a more classic style of homewares, and for the Australian market this season they have focused significantly on the themes of coast and country. Different areas of the store are devoted to different areas of the home, and the staff are keen to help customers not only to design a room, but even to design and decorate for an event or party.

But let’s be honest – what we really want to know about is Pottery Barn Kids. What a spectacular store it is! Firstly, everything they stock is designed in-house and produced especially for them, so you won’t find it anywhere else. There is furniture (cots, glider chairs, beds, dressers and never-ending storage solutions), amazing co-ordinated linen and bedding, rugs, window treatments and a huge range of high quality toys.

What’s more, Pottery Barn Kids is committed to making the store an enjoyable place to shop. The whole toy range has been selected especially to encourage creative and educational play. The toys are arranged at children’s eye level, and the staff assured us that once the store is open it will be much more chaotic – they expect to see children playing in the area, using the toys and even tucking themselves into the beds – and that’s exactly how PBK like it.

For locals, there will also be a weekly storytime on Tuesday mornings – they’ll pull out all the gorgeous “anywhere chairs” from all over the store (you can see some in the shot below) and set them up so kids can get comfortable while listening to books aloud. Other regular events are on the cards too – seasonal craft, Halloween parades and tea parties are just a taste of what’s coming up.

The actual floor space in the store is much smaller than the kinds of spaces PBK is used to working with in the States. That means that not everything in the range is there to look at, although of course the displays will change regularly. However, it IS all available on the new Pottery Barn Kids website, which went live this morning. What’s more, we have it on good authority that if you go into the store wanting something that is out of stock, they will post it out to you for free when it comes back in.

Customer service seems to be what will really set PBK apart from the pack when it comes to helping you achieve an amazing look in your own home. They have their own design service (as do West Elm and Pottery Barn) and you can come in, or call them and they will sit down with you and design options for your space – absolutely free, and with no obligation to buy any of it at the end. They’ll even send designers out to your house to check out the space with you, if you live in Sydney. This seems to be a great way to start off buying a few statement pieces for the rooms you are decorating, knowing that you are heading towards a totally co-ordinated look, but you can achieve it piece by piece.

Some Babyology readers have asked us if there are plans to open another PBK elsewhere in Australia, and sadly for non-Sydneysiders, at the moment the answer is no, although another West Elm is slated for Melbourne before the end of the year. Apparently Sydney was the location chosen for the first ever store outside of North America purely based on the amount of Sydney-based traffic on the US website! They recognise that Australian shoppers have taken to online shopping in droves, and everything that is available at the new Australian websites will be available for delivery anywhere in Australia.

The US-based Pottery Barn site will no longer accept orders for Australia. And yes, as expected, the prices at the US site are cheaper than the local site. Having looked around all four stores though, I have to say that the prices are really reasonable for the quality and range of furniture and homewares on offer, and compare favourably to other homewares stores in Australia at the moment.

You can get a better idea of prices by going to Pottery Barn Kids and looking around. Moreover, they will ship all of their merchandise to anywhere in Australia, including offshore territories like Norfolk Island! I think we will find that the flat rates they offer for postage (a tiered pricing system dependent not on weight but on how much you have spent) will mean that the range has become more affordable to Australians than it ever was to order it from North America.

The pictures really tell the story, so feast your eyes, and then head over for the full range to Pottery Barn Kids. We’d love to hear from Babyologists who are going to brave the crush at the grand opening tomorrow, so make sure to come back here and let us know what you thought of it!

(Huge thanks to Alana from Little Rock Photography, for accompanying me today and taking spectacular photos in between drooling over all the merchandise.)

I can’t even stand how cute these knitted creations are! Move over mass-produced licensed toys, it’s time our kids hugged some handmade goodness.

My mother is incredibly crafty, and I have some very talented friends who create beautiful things for children. But I can’t sew a stitch or knit one, pearl one to save myself. So when I spy something like these gorgeous toys, I stand in awe. Both at the talent to dream up such enchanting creatures, and then be able to create them.

From the UK-based (and very charmingly-named) Stars By The Door Stitching, comes a merry menagerie of turtle-necked bears and bunnies, and sock owls. They are expressionless, yet somehow exude a real air of cheek and charm.

They are cleverly created using tights and knitted jumpers or socks and they are incredibly alluring.  They have safety eyes and hypoallergenic stuffing, and the store also takes custom orders. The bears and bunnies cost £20 and the sock owls beanie-plushies are £11 from Stars By The Door Stitching.

There’s much pleasure to be had in the simple things in life, especially when it comes to children. Like watching a spinning top do its thing.

My son was recently given a spinning top as a gift. To him, that small piece of turned wood is rather an enigma. The dedication of trying to get his spin technique just right has him jutting out his tongue and creasing his forehead – and has me smiling. There’s a multitude of benefits this small toy has given him, including honing fine motor skills and pleasure in simple things. For me, it’s a realisation that sometimes a silent, simple toy can be a joy.

These beautifully handcrafted spinning tops are the creation of woodturner David Earle, who lives on Vashon Island in the US, and uses locally grown, salvaged hardwoods for his craft.

He credits slow air-drying and skillful turning for very well balanced tops, which can actually be spun upside down. They come in a large range of shapes and colours, and are visually stunning. They cost US$12 each from David Turns Bowls, plus shipping to Australia.

What could possibly make the humble butcher’s paper and paint easel seem old school? An iPad easel, that’s what!

I tell you, I never cease to be amazed with just what iPad accessories are coming around the corner, but an iPad easel, well that took me by surprise!

From the makers of the iPotty, the CTA Digital Kids Drawing Easel For iPad takes drawing to that next level, with the use of downloaded drawing apps and a crayon-like stylus that comes with the easel. A 360° rotating iPad case does a fantastic job of keeping your iPad out of harm’s way.

Now before you think that the Kids Drawing Easel For iPad does nothing more than house an iPad, it does have a whiteboard side for drawing the good old fashioned way so children can reap the rewards of of both traditional and technical drawing worlds!

As far as we can tell, The Kids Drawing Easel For iPad isn’t available in Australia, but  is priced US$33 and available at major US retailers, as seen on the CTA Digital stockists page.

Is there a special little someone in your life who needs a pet? Not the eating, messing things up kind, but perhaps the snuggly, cuddling up in bed kind…

Handmade toys are back in a big way. Sometimes a bit wonky looking, with crooked smiles and floppy edges, but this is what gives each one its unique charm. A home for toys just like these ones is at Hipolita, an Istanbul-based Etsy shop full of whimsical handmade toys and gorgeous little dresses and cardigans.

The shop is a virtual menagerie – we love the mother and baby owls and the lovely ballerina bunny, and I’m quite taken as well with the beanie-wearing giraffe with his long stringy legs! Gorgeous mice and rabbits are dressed in charming little dresses and everything is soft and supremely huggable.

Prices are varied, but begin as low as $12, and you can check out everything that’s on offer at Hipolita.

Check out our past posts on knitted toys for even more handmade delights.

Fancy a strike or two woodland style? You sure can with these enchanting mushroom bowling sets from MuddyFeet!

As beautiful as they are fun, MuddyFeet have created gorgeous Mushroom Bowling sets in the shape of quirky mushrooms. Each mushroom pin stands at just over eleven centimetres tall and is finished with a painted basic colour top. This petite size means the game is ideal for little hands and easily contained to one area, which I’m sure will be welcomed by parents as opposed to turning the whole hallway into a bowling alley!

Cleverly, each pin also has dots painted on it from one to ten, so these mushrooms also aide in learning numbers, addition, subtraction and all things in between. MuddyFeet welcome custom orders, if you’d prefer a different colour or random dots, they’re more than willing to assist.

Mushroom Bowling sets are priced US$40 from MuddyFeet, with delivery to Australia available.

A child’s imagination never ceases to amaze me – how a simple, everyday item can be turned into just about anything when you have the mind of a child. So imagine what they might do with these…

Anything that can keep kids interested for more than a millisecond gets a tick of approval in my book. Our previous posts on Makedo have spruiked the entertainment value of this very clever brand. Here’s the latest offering from the folk at Makedo – Box Props.

Box Props encourage kids to use empty household packaging to create all manner of things, from characters and animals to fire engines and aircraft.

The range is simple for kids to master with some initial guidance from parents. The pieces are joined to the boxes using Scrus, which are child-friendly versions of screws.

The kits come in two versions, Faces and Transport. The Faces are perfect for using empty cereal containers and smaller boxes, while larger boxes will work fantastically with the transport options. The pieces are all reusable, and can even be coloured in to give the kids even more artistic licence over their creations. The People, Robot, Pet or Monster Face Kits cost $10 each, the Aeroplane, Roadster, Digger or Fire Engine Kits cost $15 each from Makedo.

Is it the feel of the toy in the hand? Is it the slight variations in the grain of the wood or perhaps the lovely smell? Whatever it is, I am enamoured of wooden toys. But sometimes it’s difficult to find a good range at a good price. Not anymore.

Whether you are after a Montessori-style toy or something that looks beautiful as well as provide entertainment, you are sure to find it in the very wide range of toys at Keepsake Toys. There is everything from rattles and teethers, through to shape sorters, balancing toys, cars and planes, and even wooden fairy wands.

Personalisation is available on a wide range of the toys, and they take custom orders too. Teethers and rattles begin at about US$12, and everything is very reasonably priced. There are also a range of gift sets and gift wrapping is offered.

Do you love wooden toys as much as I do? Check out our previous posts on stunning wooden toys for children.

I vote this the coolest Ikea hack yet. I am completely enthralled by Ikea Hackers, a website devoted to repurposing Ikea designs. I’m equally impressed when I spot a reformatted Expedit or Trofast on Pinterest – people are so clever!

Andreas Bhend and Samuel N. Bernier took two Ikea Frosta stools and turned them into a pedal-free bike – the Draisienne.

What sets this hack apart from the rest are Bhend and Bernier’s detailed instructions that mimic Ikea guides right down to the same fonts. Very clever!

Now it’s important to note that you will need a little more than your trusty Allen key to complete this hack. Bernier works at Le FabShop, a 3D printing firm in Paris, and created a number of custom parts on a 3D printer for this project. Don’t fret about needing access to a 3D printer – if you’re desperate to turn your Frosta stools into a bike, you can order the necessary parts from Le Fabshop (in any colour that you like).

The full guide to making the Draisienne is available at MakerBot. While you’re there, check out the Luge hack.

(via Gizmodo)

Every so often we feature a toy that generates a lot of discussion.

The VBAC doll that we reviewed recently was one such toy, so we figured Babyologists might be equally interested in a felt doula play set.

Made by Etsy designer Mama’s Felt Cafe, the doula play set includes everything a woman in labour needs – a fan for keeping cool, a cranberry oatmeal muesli bar with removable wrapper to refuel, a heat pack (although it’s filled with rice, it can’t be heated in the microwave), a bottle of calming lavender essential oil with removable cap, some peppermints and of course a handy tote bag for the little doula on the go.

It certainly makes a terrific and original gift for a child who is expecting a sibling!

The felt doula bag is US$40 and Mama’s Felt Cafe ships internationally.

(via Inhabitots)

You’re never too young to captain your own boat.

In fine sea-faring tradition, these spectacular hand-crafted wooden rocking boats are built on the coast of Maine, United States, by a former fisherman.

Just like the full-sized traditional dory boats, this pint-sized dory boasts lap joint construction and is made from hard and soft woods salvaged from local Maine timberyards.

The Rocking Dory is available in a choice of three striking nautical colour combinations – white teamed with either blue, red or green and because there’s all sorts of tradition associated with naming a boat, the dory can be personalised with your child’s name.

The Rocking Dory is suitable for children aged one to three years and is priced at US$274.95. Unfortunately Bella Luna Toys only ship within the US so you would need a freight forwarder to secure one of these charming vessels for your little sailor.

(via Inhabitots)