Toys

You're not just a fan, you're a Star Wars fan, and you know what that means: costumes. While there are plenty of authentic costumes on the store shelves, they can clean out your wallet. No sense...

Building an off-road track for RC cars provides hours of fun and requires very few tools and supplies. With a few basic hand tools and a little time, a relatively small patch of open soil can be...

You have completed the simulators. You've gotten the confidence with the RC helicopter controls. You're itching to go out into an open field and take your new RC helicopter out on its first...

If your child has a Feber ride on vehicle, it will operate on either a 6 volt or 12 volt battery. Generally, two passenger cars will have a 12 volt battery and single person cars will have a 6...

Powered by just a little tension energy, the rubber band balsa airplane is an experiment that can teach any kid the fundamentals of flight.

K'nex is a brand of construction toy similar to Legos. However, unlike other traditional building block systems, K'nex uses a series of plastic rods that are connected by stationary plastic joints...

The remote control, or RC, transmitter sends signals to a receiver on the airplane. Each transmitter has its own signal so that the signals from the planes don't interfere with each other. The...

A great way to pass the time on a rainy day is to make your own dart gun. You can make a very basic gun from materials you probably have just lying around your home. This makes for a very...

New Bright Fountain Boats come with two AA batteries for the controller and a 9.6 volt battery pack for the boat--everything you need to get started. While the AA batteries are not rechargeable...

People who race any kind of vehicle will try many tricks for optimal performance. Tricks for HO Slot Cars include sanding the wheels, trying different types of magnets, and playing with the...

It is hard to determine who invented marbles because--like many games--incarnations of this activity has existed for centuries. Various cultures participated in games in which they played with...

A Hula Hoop, sometimes spelled Hoola Hoop, is the brand name of a plastic toy that has enjoyed popularity since the 1950s. Hula Hoops are currently offered in a variety of colors, and sizes range...

Flying radio-controlled helicopters can be an enjoyable hobby, but it is not quite as simple as it looks. Much like the piloting a real helicopter takes training and experience, so too, does...

Creating toys by hand can be a satisfying hobby. One toy that is relatively easy to create is the wooden toy car. You can create three vehicles out of one 2-foot 2-by-4. Many crafters are...

For generations, "Star Wars" has dazzled audiences with its unique characters and graphics. By far the most memorable weapon of the Star Wars franchise is the lightsaber. While it is the official...

Learn how to store your child's Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains on a sturdy wall rack and create a decorative display at the same time. No more storage boxes or floors full of trains. You...

Basketball is an awesome sport. It's important that when you play and practice that you have the proper ball for the proper player and park. Yes, there are different kinds of play balls! If...

Children's toys made from soft washable fabrics will always be popular. The more colorful the better. Any toddler would love to have this stuffed caterpillar to keep for several years.

Explains step by step on how to tighten up a bicycle chain.

You plan a day of outside fun with your kids. You are excited and so are they. They take off running to the sandbox ready to play. But what do you find. A nasty dirty sandbox. Follow these...

It's happened to all of us--especially us moms--your child wore out a special toy of theirs that takes ONLY D batteries. Your junk drawer in the kitchen, however, is inundated with C batteries. ...

Tired of always getting the broken water pistol at your friends' water fights? Need an awesome blast of water but don't have the necessary funds (or permission) to acquire a fire hose? Here's...

Summer is just around the corner and of course you want to see your children playing having a great time outside. There are larger climbing playing structures you can get for a lower cost if you...

Barbie's Dream House is beloved by both children and adults. It's a place where your child can spend hours using her imagination. The whole family can get in on the act of building a place for...

How do you teach a young child the concept of balance? While children may understand the idea of keeping your balance on a balance beam, they haven't necessarily been exposed to the concept of...

Action figure accessories and play sets can cost a quite a bit if you're into collecting. On the other hand, if you're more into actually playing with the figures and letting your imagination run...

Todd McFarlane's brand of action figures have been hailed for their attention to detail. From movie monsters to video game heroes and comic book villains, almost every pop culture medium is...

You can make a staple shooter in as little as five minutes. The staple shooter is covert, inexpensive, effective and easy to assemble. Whether you're interested in the mechanics of a staple...

From Sherlock Holmes to James Bond to Harriet the Spy, sleuths have captivated the imagination of kids around the world. Youngsters everywhere are fascinated by the secrecy of gathering...

A UFO glider works just like a frisbee, but it has a little more pizazz. Making your own UFO gliders can be a fun outdoor activity to do with children, or you can assemble the gliders in several...

One of the most popular new trends within skateboarding are miniature model replicas of skateboards known as "finger skateboards." These small versions of skateboards are most typically made to...

Building a wagon for, or with, a child is a fun project. You can create a memorable personalized gift for the children in your life by building a homemade wagon. Whether you use a kit, design...

Soft sculpture dolls had been around for years before Xavier Roberts created his signature Cabbage Patch Dolls. He replaced the traditional soft sculptured stocking faces with molded plastic...

A trampoline can be a whole lot of fun for both kids and adults. But when the sun's harmful rays wear down the polypropylene mat of your trampoline, then you may have something to worry about....

Lego wheels come in various types, from small, slick wheels to medium, treaded tires. Before purchasing Lego wheels, consider their purpose, how much you are willing to spend and how hard you're...

Paper clips may seem mundane, but in the hands of kids they can become unusual toys. This article gives examples of creations to make from these standard office supplies.

LEGO has provided hours of entertainment for children over the course of several decades. With all of the special pieces that are involved, however, Batman's Bat-Tank can be extremely frustrating...

Children enjoy things that move. As soon as they can walk, children will push objects along floors, walls, and tables, pretending that they are cars or trucks. Emerging walkers in particular will...

A light saber is a fictional weapon in the "Star Wars" movie series. A light saber is supposed to make a clean cut without drawing blood. Little kids and adults alike have enjoyed watching many...

Perhaps one of the first successful combinations of children's literature and toy marketing, the Raggedy Ann doll was the creation of children's book writer and illustrator Johnny Gruelle. The...

Model trains come in several sizes: H, HO and N. O is the largest scale and is considered the easiest to work with. HO is the most common scale. Hobbyists who want small trains or do not have...

Chinese handcuffs, better known as the Chinese Fingertrap, are a novelty toy used on unsuspecting victims to trap their index fingers; the harder they pull to remove their fingers, the tighter the...

Little Johnny had lots of fun playing with the play dough...but forgot to put it away. The dough is now dry and crumbly, and no fun to play with. Try my trick to breathe new life into dry play...

The instruction manual for many Exersaucers consists of nothing more than some simple sketches that may leave you scratching your head. Parents have spent countless hours over the last few decades...

Paintball guns are often used and can get very dirty. The barrel is the large round metal part on the front of the gun and can be found on both paintball pistols and shotguns. You can polish the...

The slingshot is synonymous with little boys and trouble. On television, it has been carried by Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons," Opie Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" and Dennis the Menace. The...

Hot Wheels are toy and collectible cars. The die-cast metal car series, owned by Mattel, is famous for tabletop and floor raceways. The cars are powered by gravity and can zoom through loops. The...

Have some fun with a rubber-band-powered toy car. This car moves without electricity (batteries) and can help you teach children about momentum and energy. Plus, they'll learn about making their...

Band-in-a-box contains rhythm and percussion hand instruments, including a triangle and its striker, a set of sand blocks, a pair of ridged rhythm sticks, a small hand tambourine, a set of wrist...

Wham-O introduced Silly String to the world in 1972. The product is foam sprayed from an aerosol can that hardens upon contact with the air to become a plastic-like, slightly tacky, colored...