Good Find: Total Basic Skills Preschool Workbook

The bargain books stall is once again up and running at the ground floor of Greenbelt 1, Makati mall, across Watson's. Hard to find books related to Disney characters (and Barney!) can usually be found within the assorted stacks of books. My mother recently came upon another great find within its bookshelves - the Total Basic Skills Preschool Workbooks. It consists of 300+ pages (easily 2x-3x the size of a Kumon book at roughly the same price), with writing and coloring activities covering all preschool topics: alphabet, numbers, opposites, shapes, etc. It also comes with colorful reward stickers!

Angry Birds Mania!

Are you a fan of Angry Birds? Are you desperately seeking all kinds of its cute merchandise? Check out Blade/Clipper at the ground floor of Greenbelt 1, Makati. They offer box sets of figurines (pigs included!), pillows, keychains, cellphone charms, stuffed toys, piggy banks, and bags at reasonable prices.

Dora's Storybook and Figurine Playset

Great find at Fully Booked in Fort Bonifacio today - the Where Is Tico? storybook, giant playmat and 12 toy figurines set! The figurines include Dora, Boots, Benny, Isa, Tico, Swiper, Backpack, Abuela, Mami, Papi, Senor Tucan and Grumpy Old Troll! And all for P750 - beats buying the individual Megablock Dora toys at the toystore for P800-P1500. Not to mention that Megablock usually only has Dora and Boots figurines.

I've yet to open the pack because I'm planning to give it to my toddler as a reward for when she starts school this June. She really likes Dora's Theater, but has difficulty maneuvering the paper dolls and balancing them on the cardboard stage. I'm really hoping she'll like this playset!

The Poor Man's Kitchen Playset

Does your toddler love to fiddle around with the high tech kitchen playset perpetually on display at Toy Kingdom, Rustan's, and Toys R Us? The electronic one that comes with its own fridge, stove, oven, appliances, and that cute little clock on top? The one that tugs at your heart and has you imagining raising a little chef - but tears at your wallet with its P10K++ price tag?

Here's the cheaper alternative:

(1) Basket of plastic fruits and vegetables - less than P200, available at Landmark and Toy Kingdom (with the basket, your kid can play shopping too!)

(2) Set of plastic cups, plates, and cookware - less than P200, available at Landmark and Toy Kingdom (get the one with the little stove and sink)

(3) Set of food you can "slice" - less than P500, available at Toy Kingdom (these are plastic pancakes, hamburgers, ice cream, cake, etc. held together by velcro so your child can practice slicing with the plastic knife)

(4) Toy Microwave - less than P2000, available at Toy Kingdom and Rustan's. After watching my child play with the uber expensive kitchen playset, I realized that it was the doors that can open/close that engrossed her and the lights that indicate the food is cooking. The toy microwave serves this same purpose. I got the one that simulates an actual microwave and comes with toy hamburger, chicken, popcorn, hotdog, ketchup, and mustard.

And voila! You have your cheaper alternative to a full kitchen playset! If you're iffy about having your child play with plastic toys, the alternative - though more expensive - are the wooden food and cookware toys available at Rustan's and Hobbes.