Halloween is the time of year when children get as excited for their costumes as they do for the candy they get going door to door. If you’re not so keen to give kids a major sugar rush this year, don’t settle for boxes of raisins or an apple in their bag. This year, be the cool house on the block by handing out some nifty gadgets this year!
These gadgets might not fit your trick-or-treating budget, but they would bring you a full year of neighborhood bragging rights. Let’s take a look!
#1. Tinkerbots
It’s the new form of Legos that is sure to hurt your feet when you step on them, but it will still melt your heart. Kids get the chance to build cool things and then add simple robotic mechanisms to them. There’s no programming or wiring required. You simply attached the Powerbrain to your construction and you’re ready to go! What’s ultra-cool about this upcoming set is that it works with any building set. That means Legos, Kre-o Star Trek builders, and even your Lego princess castle can all transform into robots with one nifty set. You can even control your new robots with your smartphone!
#2. Kinetic Sand
It feels like wet sand, but it’s really a 2% polymer that’s mixed with 98% sand to create 100% awesomeness. The polymer keeps the sand stretchy and soft, making it perfect for those Play-doh cookie cutters that go unused all the time. You know how wet sand kind of oozes through your fingers in a crumbly mess? This kinetic sand does the same thing. There are multiple bright colors with which to play, it never dries out, and if the young ones put it into their mouth, you don’t have to call poison control. It’s a bit messy [it is sand, after all], but kids and messes work well together.
What’s more fun than creating s’mores by the campfire? Shooting marshmallows at one another with a bazooka, that’s what! The one and only Marshmallow Bazooka shoots its namesake up to 40 feet with compressed air and it automatically recharges itself so you can win the campfire war. It’s described as “shoulder-mounted” because you need big-time stability when blasting a marshmallow, of course, but you can’t beat the flip-out sight that also lights up. It only weighs a couple of pounds, but it does take 6 AA batteries.
#4. FiLIP
Kids deserve to get into the smartwatch revolution too, but in a safe way. That’s what Filip has in mind, letting parents program up to 5 numbers which their child can call from their watch. It also acts as a locator with the equipped GPS and if your child is as smart as mine seem to be, it blends GSM and WiFi to help make sure you know where they are when they’re not at home. Best of all, if your child is in an emergency, they just press a button and Filip will begin to cycle through its programmed numbers while recording the background environment. Parents can set up one-way messaging and safe zone alerts too.
#5. Tetris Sandwich Cutter
Since Dr. Mario, kids have had fun with versions of Tetris. Now you can let them take that fun home with them without the video game thanks to this sandwich cutter. Create blocks out of your next peanut butter and jelly sandwich and eliminate the crust all in one simple motion. It works pretty well with deli meats as well, but don’t try it with a meatball marina sandwich or a Sloppy Joe. Trust me on this.
Have your kids brought home toothbrushes on Halloween yet? It’s one of the latest trends in my neighborhood and dentists might get a smile from it, but the kids look at them in disdain. Change that all around by giving out the GUM lightsaber toothbrush instead. It comes in three color variations that follow the Star Wars series expectations and the lightsaber flashes to let kids know when a minute has passed so they can go from their lower teeth to their upper teeth. A toothbrush will never be as exciting as a King Size Snickers, but it comes pretty close.
#7. HTML For Babies
This Halloween, why not give your neighborhood toddlers some life skills they can use? HTML For Babies helps the littlest ones begin to develop coding skills at the time when their minds are most receptive to learning. It’s just some of the basics in a board book with big, bold colors that the kids will love, yet it also creates a foundation for tech learning that will take the kids to new levels as our world journeys farther into the information age. My kids have used it and although they’re more interested in ninjas and princesses at the moment, they actually understand what Daddy is doing on the computer some days too. Don’t forget about the CSS and Web Design companion books either!
They’re a little small, so they aren’t the best thing to give to kids under 3, but they are pretty cool. Put these art tools into a trick-or-treat bag and you’ll have the kids in your neighborhood coloring to the right, attacking, reversing, and then repeating to blast through their creative shields. A set comes in 8 primary colors and they are made from paraffin wax.
#9. Awesome Earbuds
This earbuds come with a mic, so they can be used for gaming or for music [and yes, they’re available in our store!]. Kids will love them because they provide noise cancellation, so they’ve got an excuse not to ear their parents telling them that it’s time for bed. Parents love it because it keeps the kids occupied without blasting noise throughout the house. It has a standard 3.5 mm jack, so it works with most MP3 players, learning toys like a LeapReader, and tablets or smartphones. They are incredibly comfortable and don’t slip out either, meaning that Mom or Dad might just “borrow” them when the kids aren’t watching for a quick jog or gaming session themselves!
Halloween is a great holiday when you’re a kid. Getting treats is part of the fun, but getting one of these cool gadgets would make this holiday awesome!
