Jet Disc

Combines the classic play patterns of flying disks and airplane gliders to get kids outside and moving. Its unique design allows it to be thrown like a disc, while the aerodynamic plane tail allows it to glide smoothly in the air. $7.99-$9.99, ages 5+, target.com

GeoSafari Jr. Rocknoculars

Junior geologists can take this on any adventure. Collect , examine and store rocks in the storage compartment, then extend the eyepiece and view your rocks under the 3x magnifier. $16.99, ages 4+, educationalinsights.com

SwimWays Baby Spring Float Splash and Play

Features a soft mesh seat with secure leg holes so baby can kick freely underwater. The mesh play space allows little ones to easily enjoy splashing with water toys. $27.99, ages 9-24 months, shop.spinmaster.com

IGOR Lona V Shoes

Constructed from 100% cotton canvas. These shoes feature two touch fastening straps specifically designed for the barefoot concept. The zero drop design provides flexibility and a soft feel, with the added option of a removable sole. For easy maintenance, simply wash in cold water without the insole. $49, ages 6-13 months, justshoesforkids.com

Oomphies Splash Sandals

Perfect for a kiddo who’s always on-the-go. With a neoprene upper, lining, and footbed atop a durable injected outsole, this shoe is quick-drying and suitable for play in and out of water. $21.99, ages 3-11, oomphies.net

 

Unicorn Academy

The boarding school of every kid’s dreams. This Netflix-original animated series follows Sophia and the rest of the freshman class as they must bond with their unicorns to unlock their magical powers. Will have these students’ balancing classwork, navigating friendships and rivalries, and dealing with trials and tribulations of typical teen life. Ages 4+, unicornacademy.com

Patty Shukla YouTube Channel

Learn educational songs with widely recognized singer/song-writer, Miss Patty. Shows focus on counting, shapes, colors, the alphabet, right hand left hand, months of the year, days of the week, phonics and ASL sign language. Includes action songs for kids to jump, dance and move. FREE, ages bith-8 years, youtube.com

Vida the Vet

Follows ten-year-old Vida, an animal doctor who nurtures the charming and silly woodland creatures who live outside her home. Whether it be a fox with a sprained paw, a turtle with an itchy toe, or a tiger with an aching tooth, Vida is the vet for the job. FREE, ages 3+, spinmaster.com

The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids

Plan your family camping adventure—and get kids outdoors. Filled with tips, tools and checklists, plus new gear recommendations, practical advice, recipes, activities and art projects to keep your kids engaged and connected to nature. $24.95, shambhala.com

SwimWays Infant Float Spring Float with Sun Canopy

Featuring a soft seat with an adjustable 3-point harness and wide base, ensures that young infants can enjoy the water safely. $45.99, ages 3-9 months, swimways.com

Kinetic Sand Soft Serve Station

Scoop, squeeze, decorate, and customize. This sweet playset emulates the real-life soft serve experience with the fun of Kinetic Sand. Place the cone under the dispenser and push the sand through to create colorful swirls. Add some sprinkles and extra toppings, then squish and create all over again. $14.99, ages 3+, spinmaster.com

DRIZZLE Popsicle and Ice Cream Cone Holder

No more drips and drops cascading down hands (and all over the floor). Easily holds a popsicle stick while the bowl catches the melting mess. It’s great for collecting soupy ice cream too, just pop off the bottom. The 100% food-safe silicone is dishwasher safe. This two-pack includes a handy carrying case. $7.99, ages 12 months+, us.tomy.com

Tour Travel Brush

A travel-sized toothbrush that features a unique 2-in-1 hideaway design that acts as both a toothbrush and travel case. features an eco-friendly replaceable head. $7.98, madebyradius.com

Daily Summer Activities

Prevent summer learning loss in just 15 minutes a day. Packed with colorful activities, a weekly reading log and stickers, these books will keep kids’ skills sharp while still leaving time for summer fun. $13.99, between grades 2nd and 3rd, evan-moor.com

Summer is finally here! And we’re ready to get the fun started. Check out our latest  Summer Fun & Travel Guide filled with amazing products for you and your kids to enjoy. It includes over 90 NAPPA Award winning products that have been tested and evaluated. It features water toys for fun in the sun, games and puzzles to challenge your mind, books for summer reading, music for a rockin’ playlist and travel gear for comfort on the go. Check it out for everything you need this summer!

Ready for some family fun! Check out these new NAPPA Award winners!

The Rank Game by Storyastic

A super-fun game about YOU and your people–and your likes and dislikes. How well do you know each other? Can your teammate guess your RANK? $30.00, ages 8+, storyastic.com

StickTogether Mosaic Puzzle

Like paint-by-numbers, but with stickers! A great activity for the whole family, maker spaces, community-building events, reading challenges, and more! $36.00, ages 5+, letsticktogether.com

Ice Tumble

The first player to successfully place all of their ice blocks and their fox pawn on the sculpture wins the game. The blocks are slippery so be careful or the sculpture may come tumbling down. $36.00, ages 7+, simplyfun.com

Crystal Cup Rally

A fun three-dimensional game that will have players practicing their planning skills and adapting to new conditions. Race around the track, planning which paths to take in order to get ahead. $38.00, ages 7+, simplyfun.com

The Game Plan Game

Addresses every day teachable moments that aim to normalize conversations around safety and flexible thinking through the medium of a board game. $19.99, ages 4+, gameplangame.com

For more award-winning products, visit NAPPAAwards.com

This summer will be different, but as parents we need to do all we can to create fun and a sense of calm for our kids. So this summer, turn your backyard into the FUN ZONE! Our NAPPA Awards Guide to Summer Fun is here to help you bring that carefree vibe home. We have toys, family games, music, recipes and much more. Happy Summer!

 

 

 

Ice cream scientist Maya Warren. Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison

Maya Warren has a job title that would get most kids’ attention. She’s an ice cream scientist. Translation: Warren is senior director of international research and development/tastemaster at Cold Stone Creamery, and has a doctorate in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in frozen desserts. After being introduced to food science through the Food Network show “Unwrapped,” she decided to combine her passions for ice cream and chemistry to create a career that lets her do what she loves every day.

While her favorite ice cream flavor fluctuates between cookies and cream and a double-buttered candied pecan that is her own creation, the L.A.-based flavor maker finds inspiration for new flavors everywhere. “Whether it is at a fine dining restaurant, the candy or yogurt aisle at the grocery store or just following up-and-coming food trends across the globe, creativity is always around us,” Warren says. “It is really fun to push the envelope with ice cream flavors.”

Honey, cornbread and blackberry jam? Thai curry, peanuts and lime? Why not! “The flavors you can make are totally endless!” Warren says. “Now, not everything will taste amazing, but you never know when you might develop an amazing flavor that will leave people wanting more.”

What does she eat when she isn’t eating ice cream? “I love a great plate of veggies,” Warren insists. “I pretty much add spinach and broccoli to anything and everything … except ice cream. I’ve definitely not tried spinach or broccoli ice cream!”

The recipe this ice cream scientist has shared is the no-churn variety, which means you can make it without an ice cream maker. She says both varieties are very tasty, and that the main difference is in the process. No-churn recipes involve whipping the cream separately to create foam and give the mixture lightness, which wouldn’t be efficient for large-scale production. Ice cream that is churned freezes a prepared mixture and uses the machine to incorporate air during the freezing process.

Using this no-churn recipe, you create the base, then let your creativity loose to create your own flavor combinations. “Layer in whatever your creative mind and taste buds desire!” says Warren. Want more inspiration? Follow the ice cream scientist on Instagram, where she hosts live “Ice Cream Sundays with Dr. Maya,” demonstrating her recipes so that families can follow along.

The No-Churn Ice Cream Recipe:

2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream, chilled

1¼ cups of sweetened condensed milk (approximately one 14-ounce can)

¼ cup evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Inclusions of your choice – broken/chopped cookies, sprinkles, caramel and/or fudge sauce, etc.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract.Gently mix with a spatula until homogeneous, then set aside.

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a smaller mixing bowl. Starting on the lowest speed to avoid splashing, then gradually increasing to the highest speed, whip with a hand or standing mixer until whipped cream forms stiff peaks, about 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to over-whip the cream or it will turn into butter.

Using a spatula, scoop and gently fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture until all of the cream is folded in. This now becomes your ice cream base – set aside.

Grab your storage container and a ladle. Using the ladle, scoop a layer of ice cream base into the container. Spread a layer of inclusions on top. Add another layer of ice cream base, followed by another layer of inclusions, and alternate until all of your ice cream base and inclusions are in your container.

Place a lid, plastic wrap or parchment paper over your ice cream. If using parchment paper or plastic wrap, gently press down until it lightly touches the ice cream. Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight. Remove the container from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 5-7 minutes if the ice cream is too hard to scoop. Enjoy!

Summer is a great time for music and we have wonderful new NAPPA Award winners to share with you. Listen and Enjoy!

This Is Our Time

“This Is Our Time,” by Sir Dapp & The Paw Prints, embraces meaningful messages for kids about self-image, kindness and respect, and the power of words while providing toe-tapping, dance-worthy fun! The album incorporates multiple music genres the whole family will enjoy. The real-life singers on the album are Eli Jacobson (“Sir Dapp”), of NBC’s “Sing-Off” and the popular acapella group VoicePlay, and Rachel Potter (“The Dollie”), of Broadway and Nashville’s Steel Union band. $9.99, ages 3+

Positronic

Marsha and the Positrons clever lyrics about science and how the world works, positive messages and catchy sound will definitely entertain kids and grown-ups alike. This 12-track album skillfully weaves science with themes of friendship and kindness, underscored with an infectious rock beat. Playful, educational, and engaging, this record features collaborations with other children’s musicians such as  Barry Louis Polisar, Lori Henriques and Billy Kelly. Produced by talented indie rocker, TJ Lipple. $15.00/physical or $9.99/digital, for the entire family.

For more award winning music, visit nappaawards.com

 

Summer means outdoor fun and what’s better than water play! These NAPPA Award winners are perfect for hot summer days.

Baby Spring Float Splash Station

The Baby Spring Float Splash Station is a part of the SwimWays Swim Steps program, designed to provide a fun and secure first-time water experience for babies. It includes adorable whale and starfish interactive water toys that squirt and spray water. It also features a patented inner spring around the outside edge for added stability, removable sun canopy with UPF 50+ sun protection, soft mesh seat with secure leg holes and mesh sippy cup holder. $29.99, ages 9-24 months.

X-Shot Fast Fill

The X-SHOT Fast-Fill allows you to refill your blaster in 1 second and get back to the water blasting action long before your opponents. Just dunk, fill and close with rapid sealing technology. It shoots up to 30ft/10m and you can fill it anywhere, because a Fast-Fill is everything. Up Your Game this summer! $12.99, ages 5+

PAW Patrol Swim Trainer Life Jackets

The PAW Patrol Swim Trainer Life Jackets are U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices for kids. Permanent flotation in the arms and chest provide greater mobility and the out-of-reach adjustable back buckles are convenient for parents and more secure for kids. The life jackets feature soft fabric and fit most children weighing 30-50 pounds. Available in PAW Patrol 3-D Chase & Skye characters (Chase & Skye sold individually) and PAW Patrol non-3-D character graphics. $18.88-$24.99 each, fits most children weighing 30-50 pounds.

For more award winning products, visit nappaawards.com

We have been very busy testing and evaluating lots and lots of products to bring you this special Summer Fun Guide filled with inspiration for outdoor fun, game nights, summer reading and learning and so much more! Check it out.

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