YOU TAKEOVER TUESDAY: Learning is Fun-damental {GIVEAWAY}

It's YOU TAKEOVER TUESDAY again and this week's question comes from Caitlyn in Waltham, Massachusetts.  She wrote: 

Dear AFOMFT, I have a one year old daughter, Stella, who's just starting to get invited to birthday parties for her playdate pals.  I know I could get them an outfit or something from Toys R Us but I'd rather give them a gift that's more unique, maybe even educational.  And not Melissa & Doug.  I love their stuff but we got so many of their toys for Stella's birthday that I'm hoping to find with something more original.  Does what I'm envisioning even exist? 

Yes, Caitlyn, it certainly does!  And guess what?  You can find lots of options that fit your criteria at Evgie.  Their Play to Learn toys are handmade and created with the goal of enhancing learning.  Like this felt Tic Tac Toe set:

Seems like a simple game, right?  Well, it also helps promote developmental logic. And this Rainbow Set will help your child learn about colors and shapes.

The ABC, 123 Bag is perfect for teaching toddlers the fundamentals:

And the Vegetable Alphabet Learning Set is great for older kids.  It comes with all of the letters they'll need to spell "potato" and "carrot" along with fun foods to inspire their creativity.

You can order the numbers and letters plain or embroidered so each set will be completely unique!

Evgie also has the cutest hand puppets around.  Meet Salvador:

And his sister, Mimi:

They're just $9 each and the perfect toys to help foster any child's imagination.

And did I mention that Evgie only uses eco-friendly felt made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles?  Just one more thing to love!

Caitlyn, I hope the Play to Learn toys and games from Evgie are the answer to your birthday present predicament.  And we've got a gift up our sleeve too.... 

Evgie has graciously offered to give away two keychain letters to a lucky AFOMFT reader!

To enter, visit Evgie and make the store one of your Etsy favorites, then post a comment here telling us that you did and which two letters you would choose if you win.  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• Become a fan of AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Become a fan of Evgie on Facebook -- http://www.facebook.com/evgie
• Ask your friends to become a fan of AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who becomes a fan and names will be cross-checked. 
• Follow AFOMFT and Evgie on Twitter (@AFOMFT & @Evgie) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  Enter to win an adorable letter keychain from @Evgie at A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends March 2nd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on March 3rd. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Evgie

TO DIE FOR THURSDAY: Busy Zoo Activity Center

With the holidays quickly approaching, you probably have family members asking you what to get your for your little ones.  I've started putting together a list for the girls but it's hard to know which toys are as good as they look, so I try to rely on recommendations from my mommy friends.  Since I've gotten so many good ideas from them, I thought I'd return the favor with my own suggestion in today's TO DIE FOR THURSDAY post.

We went to a fabulous first birthday party this summer and in the guest of honor's living room sat the most fantastic looking toy ever - the Busy Zoo Activity Center. 

Gabrielle and Alaina were immediately mesmerized by all of the colors and movable objects, and I made a mental note to add this fun new find to our "must have" list.  When we received a gift card for the girls' first birthday, I knew exactly what it was going toward.  From the moment I opened the box, they were all over it.

[NOTE: I have a lot of great pictures of the girls enjoying their Busy Zoo but I had to use this one because they're sporting their Bronx Bomber gear - Alaina's in her pinstripes and Gabrielle has on her Yankees onesie from Uncle Jason.  Can you say World Series Champs?]

What I love about the Busy Zoo is that all four sides and the top have different interactive activities to engage your child.  They include animal alphabet spinners, a silly critter flip-flop puzzle, peek-a-boo doors, squiggly tracks, snake-along beads and animal paths.  The fact that it's five-sided is especially great with twins - they can each find something to play with so there's no need to fight over the toy.

The Busy Zoo is made from solid wood and has rounded edges so there's no potential for eye gauging or major injury, and it's 18 inches high and 12 inches square so it doesn't take up a ton of room.  If there's one drawback, in my opinion, it's how lightweight the toy is.  The girls love to pull up on it and it's not heavy enough to sustain their weight.  But after tipping over with it a few times, they've gotten the hang of kneeling to play with it instead.

The Busy Zoo is made by Parents Magazine and is supposed to promote hand and eye coordination.  It's recommended for ages 12-18 months but I wish I had gotten it earlier.  I think Gabrielle and Alaina would have enjoyed from 9 months and maybe even earlier.  I've seen it retail for as much as $99 but you can find it at here at Target for $48.99.

Like this recommendation?  Throughout the month of November, I'll be featuring some of Gabrielle and Alaina's other favorite things and assembling them into the AFOMFT Holiday Must Have List.  But since I only have experience with girls one year old and younger, I need some help making sure there's something on the list for everyone.  That's where you come in!  Is there a toy or other product that your little one loves?  Post a comment here letting me know what it is (include a link if possible), what age it's for and why it should make the Must Have List.  Every recommendation will earn you one entry into a drawing for a $25 Visa Gift Card which will be given away on November 30th.  What are you waiting for?  Let's hear about a few of your favorite things!

Image: AFOMFT

CRAFTASTIC: Rag Quilt Letters

Do you have lots of fabric scraps hanging around but no idea what to do with them? Then this is the project for you! Jessica from Happy Together came up with the fantastic idea to quilt them into letters.

There are so many ways you can use these colorful creations - configured as banners for holidays and birthdays, as a learning tool for your little one or even as a piece of art.  Hanging them off a clothes line like this would be adorable along a wall in a nursery or play room.

So what are you waiting for?  Gather some fabric, fire up your sewing machine and get your craft on!  You can get the full Rag Quilt Letter tutorial at Happy Together.  And don't worry - this project isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds.


Images: Happy Together