The Top 4 Children’s Toys Made from Plastic

Plastic Injection Moulding is something that has been at the core of American manufacturing for nearly fifty years. There is such a wide variety of goods on the market that are made from moulded plastic these days that it would take forever to list each and every one, and some still would be forgotten on that list. But one of the widest categories of plastic goodies is something that you probably forgot about. Toys! Many children’s toys of the recent few decades are in fact just moulded pieces of plastic. But don’t tell your kids that! Here are the top four most popular children’s toys of the past few decades, all of which are just glammed-up chunks of plastic.
1. The Cozy Coup

This one takes the cake as far as popularity goes. Who didn’t have a cozy coupe to cruise around in when they were youngsters? I know I did, and when I was too big to drive it around my little sister got plenty of use out of it.    

First manufactured in 1979 by Little Tikes, a company based in Hudson, Ohio, the Cozy Coupe was one of the first plastic moulded toy cars in the US. By 1991, it was selling 500,000 units per year! It beat out the Ford Taurus and Honda Accord that year as the bestselling car in America. In 1998, the New York Times called it the bestselling car of the decade. It recently celebrated it’s 30^th year of production in 2009, and was added to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum.

2. Barbie Dolls

This popular brand of Mattel Dolls first came about in 1959, and has since taken the world by storm. Barbie has not only dominated the market for young girls toys with its dolls since 1959, but it also has released television shows, movies, books, video games, cosmetics lines, clothing, and countless other products  as well. It has been estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold all over the world to date, and Mattel claims that is sells an average of three Barbie dolls every single second!

3. Lego Sets

Lego sets were first introduced in 1949 by a Danish company called Lego, which comes come from “leg godt” or “play well” in the Danish language. They were first introduced as simple interlocking bricks which could build a variety of things and then be taken apart and used again. However, they were far different from what the current lego brick looks like, and in 1958, they were redesigned to something more akin to their modern counterparts. From the 1960’s and into the 21^st century, Lego has released thousands of different sets, with themes such as pirates, the Wild West, medieval castles, Vikings, and outer space.

4. The Rubik’s Cube

While not necessarily a toy specifically for small children, the Rubik’s cube is

nevertheless a classic among both adults, young adults, and children everywhere. Invented in 1974 by Hungarian Sculptor and Professor of Architecture, Erno Rubik, it was first sold as the “magic cube” and then the Rubiks Cube starting in 1980. It is a solid cube that has nine colored stickers on each side, each individual cube in the Rubik’s cube being hinged allowing to be slid and rotated around it’s central core. The object of the puzzle is to make all of the colors on a particular side match.  In fact, contests are still held today to determine who can solve a Rubik’s Cube in the fastest time.

Article written by Josh Bailey Josh is a blogger and SEO content creator and copy-writer for Apex 77 Studios Check me out on Google+:  http://gplus.to/Jbailey90 Follow me on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/TheDudeAbides08 Read my Blogs here:  http://truck-bodies.com/ http://greattimingwatches.wordpress.com/ http://www.injectionmolding-machinery.com/

Teaching Kids In A Fun And Arty Way

 

When it comes to teaching children, some parents start to leave carrying out learning activities at home, once they start attending school. However it is a great idea to keep it up a couple of nights a week so you can help them out with anything that they don’t understand and keep their minds taking in information. Kids’ brains are like little sponges that soak up knowledge and it is a great routine to get them used to, especially before they start growing up and deciding how much studying they do when they hit secondary school.

 

A great way to help kids learn is with visual aids. When they are very young colours seem much brighter and are very vivid to them, which is why so many toys use these bold shades. Art is a great form of learning. Drawing images and using different mediums will help your child especially if they like to be creative, and what child doesn’t enjoy drawing? If you buy a load of materials and make a space at the table you can create arts and crafts for kids time. This could be done a few times a week, possibly over a couple of weekday evenings or at the weekend. Maybe start off with some words that they could try to draw and incorporate some bubble writing to help with spelling.

Crafting items is also a great bonding activity. You could start out by making a cross stitch purse together if you child is slightly older, such as 3 years old. Obviously you will be taking main control of the needle but you can buy plastic ones that will go through soft material so they can get more involved. Sewing is an important skill that not as many people can do today, so starting them off with the basics might just spark an interest in later life.

Arts and crafts doesn’t have to stick to pens and paper either, you could take it to the kitchen! Getting creative with food is a fantastic way to get kids involved in cooking, and it might also help to encourage fussy eaters to try a few more things. If they can see and pick what is going into the food, they are more likely to eat it. You could start off with a jacket potato and then stick a cherry tomato on for the nose, spring onion for the whiskers, raisins for the eyes and a choice of veg for the ears. Not forgetting a little block of cheese to put on the plate for the mice to eat too! Making food look interesting helps them learn about food, and is another brilliant way to bond whilst you are teaching them in a way that feels fun.

 

 

An Early Start at Fitness: Why Kids Need Sports

It’s never too early to get your children started in something that helps keep them fit. All kids need exercise so it is important to get them active

early. Whether you are taking your child to open “free play” events or have them in structured activities, an active lifestyle as a youngster is important to lifelong health.

Here are some reasons parents should embrace organized sports in the lives of their kids:

 

• Sports fight childhood health problems. More and more kids are becoming overweight and being diagnosed with health problems like diabetes early because of their lack of activity. Getting your child involved in a sport gives them a way to combat these issues. Being involved in a physical sport helps them to burn off extra calories and build muscle. It also keeps their organs and bodies strong, which can help fight off germs and sickness.

 

• Being in a sport leads to a lifetime of health. Even if your child is an early teen and overweight, just getting them started will help give them the boost of confidence to start working towards a goal. Once they get started, and their bodies get stronger, they will want to stay that way. This will help them feel better about themselves. Building a healthy lifestyle today will help them stay that way when they are older.

 

• Sports build mental investment. Giving your child the ability to pick a sport to try helps build self-confidence too because they will gain a sense of ownership for that sport. They will become excited about what they are doing and want to get out there and keep going, learning more, and becoming better. The items necessary for each sport, whether it be cheer gear or golf clubs, also make a child feel like a true athlete.

 

• There are sports for every personality. Some of the sports available your child include: soccer, basketball, football, cheerleading, swimming, gymnastics, running, karate, dance, and more. Whether your kid decides to put on soccer cleats or cheer shoes, there is a group of like-minded kids ready to welcome him or her. These are great activities for your child too, because they are disciplined and structured. If your son or daughter wants to participate, they have to learn to listen and follow directions. If you are having trouble getting your child to listen to you, sometimes getting an outside person like a coach involved is a great way to get your child to respect an adult and build a relationship of encouragement.

 

• Team building and cooperation is learned. Being part of a team is a way to build excitement about wanting to become healthy and in shape. It also teaches important social interaction skills that will be needed in the workplace as an adult. When you are part of a team, you gain ownership of it. Kids that put on cheerleading uniforms or basketball jerseys are becoming part of something that is bigger than they are as an individual.

 

Getting your kids involved early in organized sports will help them stay fit, gain confidence, and build a sense of pride and accomplishment. A family that is healthy and strong starts with parents ready to encourage their child in active pursuits. The end goal is shaping a child instilled with healthy habits that stick with him or her forever.