Play and Learn with Kid O Toys

As stay at home mom, I’m often challenged to find ways to fill the day. I’m the first to admit that I am NOT creative when it comes to fun ways to keep Toddler Boy engaged in learning at home. As such, our usual games include racing cars, playing with trains and he watches more TV than I would like. That’s all well and good as far as he’s concerned but I am definitely interested in finding games and toys that will allow him to play AND learn at the same time. Luckily, I found Kid O, an online retailer that specializes in educational toys geared towards preschoolers.

About Kid O
Kid O is dedicated to enriching the play and learning experiences of preschool children at home. We provide families with the products, tools, and experiences they need to support their children’s journey toward becoming life-long learners and confident, independent adults. Everything we do and sell communicates our belief that children are competent, rich in potential, and worthy of respect and beauty.
Kid O generously provided us with three toys to enjoy: the Bilibo and two Kid O puzzles. The kids have really enjoyed all the toys, and even though they’re geared towards preschoolers, Baby Girl has also liked playing with them.

Bilibo
The first time I encountered a Bilibo was when Toddler Boy was just a babe and we were still living in Germany. I took him to the organized play group at the kindergarten in our village and at one point in the get together all the babies sat in a Bilibo and the mamas rocked and sang to them. I spent the entire time trying to figure out exactly what it was my child was sitting in and wondering what the other mamas were singing. (Obviously they were singing in German and I don’t know and certainly don’t sing German.)

I can now answer one of those questions! Here’s how Kid O describes the Bilibo:
Deceptively simple and magically attractive, Bilibo’s iconic shell shape and bright colors immediately appeal to children. Developed in collaboration with childhood development experts, Bilibo’s unique form arouses curiosity, engages the imagination, and encourages creativitiy.

We LOVE the Bilibo. The magic and genius behind the thing is that it’s nothing and everything all at the same time. It’s been so much fun coming up with new ways to use it , including spinning in it and hiding things under it. As you can see, we’ve found lots of creative uses for the Bilibo.

Hat. Hill for Cars. Seat.

Kid O Products
In addition to carrying a great collection of educational toys, Kid O also creates fabulous toys and puzzles. We’ve been enjoying Sorting Primary Colors and Recognizing Shapes.

Both sets are geared for children developmentally between Toddler Boy and Baby Girl, but both kids have still enjoyed these toys. Baby Girl has loved playing with the Sorting Primary Colors rings – she bangs them together and even tries to get them on their peg. With Toddler Boy, we’ve practiced counting and making patterns with the Primary Colors set. The Recognizing Shapes has been good for learning more about shapes by counting the sides on a square and triangle and comparing it to the circle.

Because of our experience and the great quality of the products, I think most kids will enjoy these toys for several years, both before and after the recommended age of one year.

To Buy… I highly recommend the Bilibo and the Kid O puzzles. We’ve really enjoyed each of them and I know they will continue to get lots of use as Baby Girl gets older. The Bilibo is $30,

Or Not to Buy… Honestly? It’s hard to come up with a reason not to buy a toy for a child that is affordable, educational, and doesn’t make noise or require batteries.

Shop! The Kid O website is AWESOME. You can browse products by age, activity, environment (bedroom vs playroom) and even educational philosophy (Montessori or Reggio Emilia). The Bilibo is $30, the Sorting Primary Colors is $14.99 and Recognizing Shapes is $9.99.