ChildTrek Blog

Usborne Activity Cards - Animal Doodles

Mazes, fill-in-the blanks, and free-hand doodling activities are all explored in Usborne’s Animal Doodles. Included are 50 double sided 4″x6″ wipeable cards and a dry erase marker. They are a fun and easy way to explore your child’s imagination and artistic creativity.

Whether he’s drawing spots on a leopard or creating an entirely new species, your child will love this open-ended activity. The Usborne Animal Doodles are great for long car rides, restaurants, and rainy-day play.

Age Range

5 - 12+ years

More About Usborne Books

Usborne and its sister company, Kane Miller - subdivisions of Educational Development Corporation Publishing, are designed to draw children in through colorful illustrations and photos, and often use humor to deliver information in short, concise paragraphs aimed to hold their interest. Research shows that when a child’s interest is held, they will continue to pursue and retain knowledge. The Usborne Animal Doodles are made with sustainable sources and printed using child-safe, non-toxic inks. Meets or exceeds new US children’s safety laws. Printed in China.

You May Also Like…

• Usborne Activity Cards - Monster Doodles - This version of Usborne’s Doodle Cards features 100 opportunities to create a spooky (or silly!) monster.

• Usborne Activity Cards - Travel Doodles - Traveling just got a little easier with these vacation-themed cards. Will entertain your little one through the longest of waits!

Educo Magnetic Marble Maze - Colorback Sea Turtle

Problem solving games like the Educo Magnetic Marble Maze - Colorback Sea Turtle are a great way to incorporate learning into every day play. As toddlers direct the ball through the small pathways of the maze, they are strengthening their fine-motor, hand-eye coordination and reasoning skills. While children can move the balls at any desired point, they can also direct the balls to corresponding color slots for an added level of complexity.

Additional suggested activities: gather all the balls in one favorite color slot, move the turtle “eggs” to the belly area, make it a counting game (move 1 balls into the orange slot, 2 in the red slot, and so on), etc.

The Colorback Sea Turtle Magnetic Marble Maze is an ideal travel toy with an all-inclusive design that keeps the ball inside. There is also an option to take the wand off of its string completely for added flexibility. A great take-along toy to restaurants and other settings where a compact activity toy is needed.

Age Range

2 - 5+ years

More About Educo Toys

The Colorback Sea Turtle Magnetic Marble Maze is made of sustainable Birch Russian plywood and is colored using non-toxic German silk printing and German lacquers. The beads are metal and magnetic - securely enclosed in high-quality plastic. Made in China under stringent quality and safety controls and third-party safety certification. Educo is a multiple-award winning and world renound toy company.

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• Educo Magnetic Marble Maze - Fun Farm - The Farm themed magnetic maze puzzle explores different animals and their habitats.

Beleduc Your Body Layer Puzzle Boy / Girl

The Beleduc Layer Puzzle - Boy or Girl is a great way to begin discussing the human body with your child. It consists of five layers including clothing, skin, muscles, anatomy, and bones. This 25-piece puzzle is an educational and unique toy that will invite young children to discover and understand the body’s many parts. Also strengthens fine-motor, hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.

The Your Body Layer Puzzle by Beleduc won the Parent’s Choice Award, and it is easy to see why. Also comes in an expectant mother version.

Age Range

4 - 9 years

About Beleduc Toys

The Beleduc 5-Layer Body Puzzle is made out of Baltic birch, which is commonly found in the Americas and Europe. It is dyed with non-toxic, water-based dyes from Europe. Parts are assembled in China under stringent quality and safety controls. Beleduc toys are part of HaPe International. HaPe is a German company with a manufacturing facility in China. HaPe meets or exceeds US and European safety laws and regulations. Toys sold in the USA are all third-party certified to be child-safe and non-toxic.

You May Also Like…

• Mother Layer Puzzle by Beleduc - This version of the award-winning body puzzle explores the many stages of pregnancy.
• Your Body Girl Layer Puzzle by Beleduc - The female version of the 5-layer body puzzle.

Plan Toys Palomino Rocking Horse

This beautiful wooden rocking horse is a fun way for toddlers and preschoolers to strengthen their gross motor skills. It is also a great way to satisfy their instinctual need to rock. Complete with grippable oversized handles and foot pegs as well as an intelligent low profile design, it is perfect for little ones learning to stay balanced.

The Plan Toys Palomino Rocking Horse offers a brightly colored soft foam saddle which ensures a comfortable ride.

Age Range
2 Years +

About Plan Toys


Plan Toys Palomino Rocking Horse is made of recycled and preservative-free rubberwood. Only non-toxic water-based paint is used. Such paints have been scientifically tested by independently-accredited laboratories and found to be safe for children and non-polluting to natural water sources. Made in Thailand by a multiple award winning world-renowned environmentally-friendly company.

You may also enjoy…

• 
  Plan Toys Arabian Rocking Horse Similar to the Palomino, this is a slightly different version of Plan Toy’s beautiful rockers.

ChildTrek is expanding its line of natural toys to include Bead Bazaar. This beautiful collection of assorted beads are made of select wood, pearl, glass, crystal, shell beads and other natural materials.

Choose from a range of age-appropriate beading fun kits: Alphabet Lacing Kit (3y+) with brightly colored letters and beads, the fun Garden Collection (5y+) with assorted beads in a cute flower pot, or the very beautiful Sofista Bead Kit (8y+) for hours of beading fun.

ChildTrek will continue to add to this collection. So check often.

Thanks to our customers, the ChildTrek Tacoma storefront is expanding and relocating in Westgate Center located in North Tacoma - corner of N 26th and Pearl (on the way to the Point Defiance Zoo). It will feature more play areas and more natural, green toy brands. For directions, click here.

Become a ChildTrek Facebook Fan to see before and after images, as well as get special Fan only promotions!

The new store is scheduled to open on Oct. 6. If you are in the area, please come in and play!

ChildTrek now offers high quality infant / toddler playground equipment with unprecedented safety, craftsmanship, and durability at competitive prices. Our high-quality playground equipment selection features extra deep steps with closed off risers and hand rails to support the child’s mobility and safe pattern of play as they balance and navigate the stairs. They are specifically designed for crawlers as they transition to walking — pulling themselves up to a standing position and maintaining balance. The landing at the bottom of the steps creates an extra
gathering space for children to interact. There are safety barriers above the slide to prevent “headers” by requiring the child to sit before exiting.

ChildTrek is the exclusive dealer for For Kidz Only infant / toddler playground equipment with recycled content. The plastic lumber on the deck, steps and ramps is created through a unique process of transforming tens of thousands of recycled milk containers into 100% HDPE (high-density polyethylene) recycled plastic lumber (RPL). By replacing conventional playground materials with this state of the art plastic, it effectively utilizes thousands of recycled milk containers each year that would otherwise be in landfills.

ChildTrek is proud to feature Sprig Toys - a line of eco-friendly toys by award-winning toy designers, dedicated to promoting active play.

Check out the Sprig Toys Eco-Trucks: Dump Truck, Loader, and Excavator. The chunky, cartoon-like style make them irrestible to young children. Let the construction fun begin!

Sprig Toys are made of Sprigwood™ - a composite of reclaimed wood and recyled plastic. They are non-toxic and child-safe. They meet or exceed established US and European safety standards.

Kidsonroof TOTEMs are highly imaginative 3-D puzzles and construction sets. Brightly-colored, amazingly-cool graphics are featured on durable, recycled cardboard pieces. Children take slotted pieces to create vehicles, buildings, trees, and a number of other increasingly complex structures. Highly engaging, the sets will stimulate your child’s developing intelligence as he or she applies creativity and problem-solving skills.

There are currently 5 different Kidsonroof TOTEMs - three with over 120 pieces each and two with about 30 to 45. The pieces are interchangeable to extend their play value and to increase the customization possibilities. 

Each set comes with instructions to assemble different structures. The Kidsonroof TOTEM City, for example, comes with a pictoral-based manual on how to build a spaceship, boat, house, and plane. Once your child puts one together, he or she will get a sense of how to use and manipulate the pieces to make his or her own masterpiece.

Kidsonroof recommends the TOTEMs for children age 6 and up. Younger children will need some adult assistance.

Vulli Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber. It is BPA, PVC & Phthalates free. Sophie is a true multi-sensory toy that delights and soothes teething babies. The high-contrast spots attract developing eyes. The soft, velvety and flexible body parts invite babies to grab, teethe, squeeze, and play. The gentle squeak, squeak amuses. The natural rubber gives off a gentle, powdery scent that differentiates it among other toys.

Also a great, natural and eco-friendly alternative to plastic bath toys. When done, clean with soapy water and dry.

Originally made in 1961, Sophie the Giraffe retains the same original design that has comforted teething babies for generations. It is made in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie region of France using time-honored, quality-driven processes.