Cure the nothing-to-do, summertime blues with these 10 family-tested playthings.
Don't Rock the Boat
Photograph by Mark Mantegna
The wooden Balance Boat: Endangered Animal Edition serves as both game and playset -- meaning your kids get double the fun. Our testers tried to pile the animals as high as they could before they all toppled. When that got old, they sent the critters on many an imaginary adventure. Ages 3 to 7 $35, beginagaintoys.com
DIY Solar Car
Volta Racers combine building, learning, and playing in one sweet ride. The recyclable foam-and-bamboo car parts assemble without tools, and the completed vehicles are powered by a flexible solar panel that works even in indirect sunlight. Ages 8 and up $24.99, toylabs.com
Draw Some Rave Reviews
On each page of Photoplay!, by M.J. Bronstein, a silly or intriguing photograph is paired with a creativity prompt. Kids can sketch an alien visiting two cats, populate a house with friendly zombies, and much more, for hours of mixed-media amusement.Ages 5 and up $12.99, chroniclebooks.com
A Cup of Cuteness
Photograph by Mark Mantegna
Neatly tucked into a clear oversize pot (not shown), the Hello Kitty Tea Set is purr-fect for serving an afternoon cuppa. The set comes with a small teapot and quartets of cups, saucers, and spoons. Ages 3 and up $14.99, toysrus.com
Turn Your Phone Into a Microscope
Slide Skyrocket Toys' Quick Attach Microscope over the camera lens of a smartphone or tablet and see what bumpy tree bark, slick cat fur -- or even an uncle's hairy arm -- looks like magnified 30 times. iOS Ages 4 and up $14.99, toysrus.com
Pet Project
Kids clamoring for a furry friend? Buy some time before bringing home the real thing with the Lego Furry Creatures set. The 285 pieces can be assembled (and reassembled) into three animals. The best part? No cages to clean! Ages 7 and up $19.99, shop.lego.com
Ride the Jet Stream
Photograph by Mark Mantegna
It's hard to improve on the paper airplane, yet the set Straw Shooter Jets does just that. It comes with directions and materials for 60 fliers, as well as 14 straws and 10 nose weights -- enough for a personal squadron. Ages 8 and up $16.99, klutz.com
A Crazy Card Matching Game
In Loonacy, players race to be the first to match the cards in their hands to those on the discard piles. The wackiness of the illustrations (a UFO, a brain, hippies) and the speed of play made this a slam dunk with our testers. 2 to 5 players. Ages 8 and up $14.99, amazon.com
Puppets With a Dark Side
Each themed collection of Mudpuppy's Shadow Puppets Shadow Puppets offers eight stick-mounted paper shapes ready to perform flashlight tales in the dark of night. Six sets available, including pirates and princesses. Ages 3 and up $16.99 each, mudpuppy.com
Just Shoot This
To complete the 30 missions of Plum's Photo Hunt app, kids head out with a smartphone or tablet. After snapping shots of clouds, birds, and more, they upload them to an online gallery (with parental permission and no identifying info). Added fun: choosing characters from the PBS Kids web show Plum Landing to photobomb the pics. iOS Ages 6 to 9 Free
Originally published in the August 2014 issue of FamilyFun
