Category Archives: Grab Bag

Grab Bag, Review, Toys

Extraordinay Problem Solving with The EXTRAORDINAIRES

Eva working on her EXTRAORDINAIRES

At Blogger Bash, Sweet Suite 2016 I went by the booth for The Creativity Hub. I saw The EXTRAORDINAIRES and was so impressed, I knew that it would be something perfect for Eva. So, I requested the The EXTRAORDINAIRES Design Studio to review and we had one sent to us for free to review. Opinions about it are 100% our own.

I had Eva help me with a quick video intro and we didn’t have time for her to play with the design studio that day, she was bummed out, she wanted to dive right into it. The Design Studio is a self contained design product for kids. The game centers around The EXTRAORDINAIRES, 15 characters with very special needs. The challenge is to create different objects for these characters. Objects like an item to wash with for a Fairy who is a detective or spy. A special chair for a ninja who is also a drummer in a band. These characters are on beautifully illustrated cards. Their images are on the front and their special needs are on the back. Players choose a card with the object and then they can use additional cards called Think cards. Designers need to think about three basic things when creating their objects or gadgets. Those are Research, Design and Improve. The actual Design Studio case is so well designed. It is almost like a laptop in the design. There are spaces for all the cards and a place to put the design paper, plus it comes with a pen to use to create.

I was right about Eva loving this product. She dove right in and started designing. She’s done one a day since I gave her the studio. I can see how her thought process and problem solving skills will continue to improve as she challenges herself to create even better objects for The EXTRAORDINAIRES.

There is also this great research project that The Creativity Hub did with The EXTRAORDINAIRES.

Grab Bag

Safe Driving and Car Buying Tips for the College Bound from KBB.com #KBBDads

Behind the Wheel

After my trip out to the Kelley Blue Book Headquarters where I test drive five of the 16 top cars for families I consider myself a KBBDad. I’ve got the app on my phone and I won’t be going into another dealership again without checking it first. While I still have some years yet before either of my kids go off to college, please don’t make me do the math I’ll faint, I do have friends who are bringing their kids off to school right around now.

So, I thought I would share with you some information from KBB.com that was shared with me. Namely the 10-Best Back-To-School Cars for 2016, which includes information for the 10 best new cars for students that cost under $20,000, and 10 Best Used Cars Under $8,000, which offers more cost-effective vehicle solutions for students and their parents. Both of these best car lists are from the editors at Kelley Blue Book and the B.R.A.K.E.S. information is from our friends at Kia. These are great resources for college bound kids. Cars that won’t break your bank accounts. Speaking of not breaking the bank, at the end of this post you will find several tips for first time car buyers that are really perfect for anyone looking to purchase a car.

Before we get to those tips I do have some Teen driving Safety tips that the folks from Kia shared through the the B.R.A.K.E.S. Program, a non-profit Teen Pro-Active Driving School founded by Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert in memory of his teenage sons, Jon and James, who were tragically killed in a car crash on Jan. 26, 2008. The B.R.A.K.E.S. curriculum includes advanced, behind-the-wheel training from professional driving instructors including: skid avoidance, distracted driving awareness, panic stopping (ABS activation), drop-wheel recovery and car control. Continue reading Safe Driving and Car Buying Tips for the College Bound from KBB.com #KBBDads →