While Waiting for April the Giraffe to Give Birth

Kids love all animals and a giraffe is no exception. The world has been patiently waiting for April the giraffe to give birth to her calf. Many are watching the days go by with the live stream from Animal Adventure Park, a zoo in upstate New York. This may be a good time to teach your children about the giraffe. Look into the variety of books on giraffes, as reading and pictures are great tools for preschool learning.

Next, pass the time with toys. There are companies who have toys that are related to the giraffe and other toys that are just fun when passing time. Keeping busy is important, no matter the circumstances. Below are a few of the toys I recommend and the important information about each play item.

VTech® Zoo Jamz Guitar™
Rock and learn with the Zoo Jamz Guitar! Join the animal band and play along with the silly giraffe. The eight light-up buttons and strings allow little musicians to jam to the included music or make their own. The light-up buttons also add funny animal sounds to the melody. Sing along to eight familiar tunes with the giraffe. Turn the dial to choose acoustic, electric or distortion guitar to learn about different types of guitar sounds. Bring the animal band together by pressing the star-shaped button and hear the giraffe sing with the zebra from Zoo Jamz Piano™ and the lion from Zoo Jamz Microphone™ (each sold separately). Be a rock star with this cute giraffe!
Ages 1 ½ – 4 years, $19.99

Janod A Day at the Zoo Funny Magnets
These four chunky wooden jungle animal magnets are ideal for little hands to piece together as a puzzle, plus you can encourage your child to mix and match heads, bodies and tails to create very funny looking animals! Each animal is segmented into three parts and children will enjoy creating their favorite zoo animals by snapping them together with the help of the safely embedded magnets. Designed in the Jura mountains of France, the quality of these magnets is absolutely superb and will make a special gift for toddlers.
Ages 1.5+, $21.99

Janod Tactile Puzzle “A Day at the Zoo”
Janod Tactile Puzzle - A Day at the Zoo lets your little one bring the petting zoo home! Build the 20-piece puzzle to create a scene featuring 7 types of zoo animals in their habitats. One of each animal is textured, so you can feel their fur or skin. Touch a flamingo, koala, tiger and more, they won't bite! Includes a 25.5 inch x 19.5 inch puzzle with 7 textured pieces.
Ages 3 – 6 years, $21.99

ALEX Toys Tots Art Start
Alex Jr. Tots Art Start lets you have fun introducing art to your toddler and preschooler. Everything is included for 6 great activities. These colorful projects include sticky collage frames, which encourage your child to draw in the center. Includes easy grip crayon, crinkly, tissue and fringe papers, doilies, stickers and specially colored activity paper shaped like a tree and giraffe.
Ages 1.5+; MSRP $17.00

ALEX Toys Ready Set Count
Finger puppet counting friends are as easy as 1-2-3! Learn number, counting and easy math concepts with Ready, Set, Count. Each activity is packaged separately so everything is ready to go when you open the kit. Make a giraffe ruler, linked paper counting chains, adorable finger puppets and make a number collage!
Ages 3+; MSRP $12.00

And let's not forget about Slinky. It's a toy that has no age -- it was a favorite in my day and now with the kids. The Slinky is an icon of traditional fun. The MSRP is about $5.00 for the original size and mini Slinky toys are available too.

Check your local toy stores and online for these wonderful and educational products.
Alex Toys
Janod Toys
VTech Toys

Looking forward to April the Giraffe's baby in the near future. Find more information here.

I want to thank all the toy companies for the opportunity to try their products. I was not paid or coached to write this blog post. The information about the products were provided and these are my own opinions.
Photos by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved