Educational Toys For Christmas {Giveaway}

With Christmas exactly a week away (!) I wanted to write about a long running favorite shopping place in the MOE family. Jouets Choo-Choo is a local toy shop that has been around since 1996, and is now an online shop as well. I love shopping there for my children as well as other little ones for many reasons. First and foremost, the quality of toys that Jouets Choo-Choo carries is exceptional. As their website points out, they pride themselves in carrying only educational, non-violent, and creative toys that you cannot find in larger stores. That’s a tall order with all the gadgets and gizmos that kids get into these days (boy, did I just sound old). And while there is something to be said about a fad toy, I tend to prefer long-lasting favorites. When I go shopping at Jouets Choo-Choo, I know I am getting smart toys.

The small dimensions of the local store hold nothing for the sheer amount of products they carry. And that doesn’t mean the store is stuffy and crowded. In fact, there is even place in the front for little ones to play with a fully setup Thomas the Tank Engine set! That comes in really handy when you need to ask questions to the staff about a product.

Speaking of staff, they couldn’t be more informed on their inventory. Ask them a question, they have answers. Better yet, if you don’t have a clue what to get someone special on your list, they can help you with that too. They have tested out the toys themselves and the majority of their toys are prize winning.

Jouets Choo-Choo carries full lines of products allowing parents the great opportunity to continue adding to a child’s collection. With lines such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Playmobil or Meccano, their entire catalogue is available (which also allows for best prices!).

So without further ado, here are some favorites in our home that I know your children will love:

Early Years Little Shopper Play Set – Pretend play is big in our home

Wow Toys Ernie Fire Engine – Friction-powered motor, no batteries required! Love that!

Playmobil Pick-up Truck with Quad – Playmobil really sparks my children’s creativity

Smart Games Day and Night Brain Teaser – A fantastic toy for toddlers that becomes a game for preschoolers

Meccano Buggy – Remember building model cars? This is the children’s version to get them excited in building when they’re older

Miss Corolle Classic Doll – the most eco-friendly doll I have found for children

Thomas and Friends Crane and Cargo Set – a perfect starter to a child’s train set

Gobblet Gobblers Game – This award winning game is going under the tree this year!

GIVEAWAY!
My wonderful friends Ari and Vanessa at Jouets Choo-Choo have generously offered a $25 gift card to one lucky reader! To win, simply visit their website and tell me in a comment below what toy you would love to get for your little one for Christmas this year. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that I can let you know if you win!

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

• Follow me on Twitter @AskMamaMOE (leave your Twitter name in comments)
• Like my Ask Mama MOE Facebook page (leave your Facebook name in comments)
• Follow Jouets Choo-Choo on Twitter @JouetsChooChoo (leave your Twitter name in comments)
• Like Jouets Choo-Choo on Facebook (leave your Facebook name in comments)
• Tweet this giveaway by retweeting this post (each retweet gives you one entry and you can tweet up to 2 times daily – please leave a link to your tweet)
• Write about this giveaway on your blog/website and leave me a link to your post in the comments section (this counts as 4 entries!!)
• Read any other post on Ask Mama MOE and comment on it (please leave a comment here with which post you read and commented on)

This giveaway is open to Canada and US residents. This giveaway ends on December 21st, 2011 at 11:59pm. I will contact the winner by e-mail on December 22nd. Good luck to all!

Congratulations to  lucky winner Tanya Hebert! Enjoy getting that toaster for your little one!