Butterflies can also fly up to 12 miles per hour. That may sound impressive due to their size, but some moths double that speed at 25 miles per hour!

And if the butterfly’s body temperature drops below 68 degrees, it can’t fly.

Earth Explorer Toys can help you introduce your children to these amazing insects with a Butterfly Garden ($19.99). Watch the amazing metamorphosis as your Painted Lady butterflies go from larvae to adult butterflies. The kit includes a habitat, guide and a send-away certificate for five larvae and food. Releasing the butterflies can be just as fun as watching them grow.

The Busy Butterfly puzzle ($9.99) introduces small children to butterflies while stimulating their young minds. Puzzles help develop hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills and memory skills. Make all that learning fun with this colorful, wooden, 14-piece puzzle.

The Sticky Mosaic Butterflies ($17.99) lets your children’s imaginations soar as they create their own butterflies! The kit includes four designs, four hangers and hundreds of jewels and foam to give each butterfly a unique look.

Summer is here, so enjoy it with your children and the butterflies!

These super cool helmets are taking the nation by storm, enticing kids to protect their noggins by wearing a helmet that doesn’t really look like a helmet. Called Raskullz, these helmets combine the latest in helmet safety technology with toy-inspired characters including animals, insects and even … hairstyles! Raskullz helmets are the first ever to use full 3-D technology to catch a kid’s eye.

Earth Explorer Toys carries the same Mohawk-style helmet you may have seen Gwen Stefani’s son, Kingston, sporting while riding his skateboard. We carry the blue and black versions of this Mohawk helmet ($24.99) to help your little one release his/her inner rock star, as well as the black, yellow or grey Shark Attack helmet ($24.99). The girls may go more for our Cutie Cat in purple or the Ladybug in red. There’s something for everyone!

Besides looking super cool, these helmets really do their job. They help keep your kid’s head safe. They meet CPSC standards for bicycle helmets with a shock-absorbing EPS inner shell and aerodynamic cooling vents that “keep your bucket fresh.” The nylon straps adjust to fit a variety of domes, too.

Come on into Earth Explorer Toys and pick up a cool Mohawk or Shark Attack helmet, and we’re pretty sure the next time you ask your kids to wear their bike helmet, they’ll say, “Sure, Mom!” Heck, you might not even have to ask…

Screen-Free Week is an annual event sponsored by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. It used to be called TV-Turnoff, but since all kinds of screens are available these days to distract us, the effort widened to include all screens: TV, video games, computers, cell phones, etc.

CCFC says children of preschool age spend an average of 32 hours a week watching some type of screen. It’s even more for older kids. And that makes us sad. As CCFC says, excessive screen time is harmful for children; it’s linked to poor school performance, childhood obesity and attention problems.

Earth Explorer Toys urges you to take this opportunity during Screen-Free Week to improve your child’s/children’s well being by reducing dependence on entertainment screen media. Take this time to examine your family’s relationship with entertainment media and make a big change.

Download and fill out both the Pledge Card and the Weekly Log of Activities, turn them in to us by May 15 and each participating child will receive a $5 gift certificate to Earth Explorer Toys.

What should you do with your kids during Screen-Free Week? Read books, talk, go for a walk and enjoy nature, put together a puzzle, play a game, play music, sing songs, have the kids invite friends over for a game of football or a hula hoop contest. The options are just about endless and the important thing is that instead of screen time, your kids are getting face time with you and their buds.

Check out Screen-Free Week’s Facebook page for tips and suggestions for things to do.

You can also visit our website, Facebook page or just pop in our store for suggestions for things to do and play during Screen-Free Week.

3 … 2 … 1 … Unplug!!!

Download and fill out both the Pledge Card and the Weekly Log of Activities, turn them in to the store by May 15 and each participating child will receive a $5 gift certificate to Earth Explorer Toys.

We did a little research and found that there are different types of kites for various wind speeds. Apparently, deltas, diamonds and dragon kites fly well in light to medium winds (approximately 6-15 mph), while box kites and stickless parafoil kites fly better when the winds get a little stronger (approximately 8-25 mph).

We don’t want you to miss celebrating National Kite Month, so come on down to Earth Explorer Toys where we have some really awesome kites in stock that are perfect for catching spring and summer breezes, right on into fall!

Our Fairy Kite ($29.99), for example, is made by Premier Kites. This fun, colorful design is perfect for light to moderate winds. It’s made of durable nylon and includes 300 feet of line and a winder.

Our Flo Tail Delta Poison Dart Frog ($29.99), also made by Premier Kites, is easy to launch and also perfect for light to moderate winds. It is made of durable nylon and includes 50 feet of line and a winder.

Here are a few kite flying tips from National Kite Month’s website. These tips are for single line kites.

• Stand with your back to the wind. Hold your kite up by the bridle point and let the line out. If there is sufficient wind, your kite will go right up. Let the kite fly away from you a little, then pull in on the line as the kite points up so it will climb. Repeat this until your kite gains the altitude necessary to find a good steady wind.
• Light wind? Have a helper take the kite downwind and hold it up. On command, the helper releases the kite and the flier pulls the line hand-over-hand while the kite gains altitude. Practice this high-launch technique.
• No helper? Prop the kite up against a bush, post or wall. Reel out enough line for altitude and simply pull the kite aloft.
• If the kite sinks tail first, there might not be enough wind. If it comes down head first or spins, there might be too much wind. Different kites fly in different winds.
• Bridles: If your kite has an adjustable bridle, move it higher (nearer the top) in higher winds, and lower (towards the tail) in lower winds. (Adjust no more than 1/2″ at a time.)
• Before heading out, it might be a good idea to review a few safety tips, too.

And don’t forget to take a picture of your kids outside flying their kites and post it to our Facebook page. We always “Like” to see our toys in action. J

Well, that was really fun, but a lot of work. Nowadays, Melissa & Doug makes it so easy for kids with its Scratch Art series. Earth Explorer Toys carries a lot of Scratch Art kits, aka Scratch Magic, which are perfect for just about any age. And we’re expecting more kits this spring and summer.

Here’s how it works: Each kit comes with several pages of paper (it ranges depending on the kit you choose). Each page is coated with a black surface, but all you have to do is scratch off the black coating with the included wooden stylus to reveal glitter paper, rainbow paper, patterns, swirls, holographic colors and more!

Scratch Art kits come in a bunch of different themes, ranging from simple doodle sketch pads to elaborate sketch kits to create and apply body and nail art!

The Stained Glass kit is really cool. It comes with four Scratch Art Light Catcher sheets that reveal translucent colors when you draw or trace your designs with the wooden stylus. Also included are hang strips so you can stick them on a sunny window and see the artwork glow – just like real stained glass!

We also have a fun Scratchin’ Fashion kit that comes with Scratch Art stickers on which kids can design the latest fashions and then stick them to the included models. It comes with more than 150 Scratch Art stickers and eight picture stands so kids can display their work when finished.

Traveling? Pick up our Travelin’ Scratchin’ Fashion kit, which includes 150 Scratch Art stickers and eight real postcards. Kids can create Scratch Art fashions, stick them to the models on the postcards and then mail the postcards to friends. Don’t forget to pick up one of our traveling trays, which can be personalized in the store and are the perfect surface for Scratch Art projects and snacks, too!

As you can see, Scratch Art has really been updated in the last few decades (but who’s counting!). So, if your kids have the itch for art, you should scratch it with this series.

Earth Explorer Toys is excited to announce a new shipment of Saturnian outdoor sports toys. What did we get? Their awesome soccer balls and footballs, as well as a cool beginners Lacrosse sets. Your kiddo can learn to play this fun game with a safe 2 ½ inch bean bag training ball. It comes with two 30-inch lacrosse sticks that feature a high-quality, heavy duty head with mesh net.

We also stocked up on the Fun Gripper Bowling Set, which is great for kids ages 3 and up. The set comes in a convenient bowling bag and includes a 7-inch easy-grip stuffed nylon ball, as well as six stuffed nylon pins.

Hula hooping is great fun (and great exercise!) and we love Saturnian’s hoops, which feature a nonslip surface on the inside of the hoop that helps keep it up and spinning. The hoops are made with eye-catching tie dye nylon. Parent tip: Play music while the kids hula hoop and encourage them to try spinning the hoops on their hands, arms and legs for some silly fun!

Come on down to Earth Explorer Toys and try these toys for yourself. You’ll like them because they’re safe, durable and fun, and your kids will like them because they’re super fun.

Earth Explorer Toys loves Ready, Set, Pogo! This cool pogo stick ($39.99) bounces up to 24” high and includes an encased metal for safety. It also has easy grip foam handles and a wide rubber foot for stability so your kids can hop around like kangaroos and burn off some serious energy. Made by Alex, Ready, Set, Pogo is great for kids ages 6-9 and safely supports up to 99 pounds.

Another great toy by Alex is Ready, Set, Stilts! ($39.99). This toy allows your kid to first learn how to balance on the stilts with big foot trainers that can be replaced with no-skid caps for “official” stilt walking. You can adjust the height of the stilts, too.

When your kids are ready to roll, you might want to look into the EzyRoller ($99.99). Kids (and parents) love the EzyRoller because, well, it’s easy to use, like the name suggests. It silently moves like a snake without chains or pedals simply by using right-left leg movements.

You can use this roller bike at the park, on the sidewalk, in the driveway, and in a pinch … inside! But don’t tell your kids that J, because with this beautiful spring weather we’re having, it’s time to get them out of the house and into the fresh air!

One great way to enjoy the great outdoors (and beautify the yard) is to get your kids involved in planting flowers and veggies. Earth Explorer Toys has a great gardening set that includes a rake, shovel and a spray bottle for watering. It all comes in a cute canvas carrying bag.

Once the flowers have been planted, the kids might enjoy making a stepping stone for the garden. This great kit, appropriately named Make Your Garden Stepping Stone ($9.99) contains everything you’ll need to make one gardening stone 5.5″ x 7.5″.  It includes concrete mix, mixing bag, disposable gloves, stone template, glass marbles, plastic crystals and instructions. You might as well get a few kits because your kids will have a blast making the stepping stones and they’ll be so proud of their useful works of art!

Another great nature activity is to have your kids create a butterfly garden. EET carries an award-winning and best selling kit that allows your children to witness metamorphosis. The Butterfly Garden ($19.99) includes habitat, guide, send-away certificate for 5 larvae and food. The Painted Lady Butterflies that “hatch” are indigenous to all 50 states and can be confidently released into the environment.

How do you get your child involved in gardening?

Magna-Tiles are magnetic building tiles that come in a 32-piece set in primary colors ($49.99) and a 100-piece set in translucent primary colors ($119.99). Both sets are tons of fun. You can lay the tiles flat on the ground and create cool patterns and shapes, or you could use them to build an upright 3-D structure. A few 3-D things we’ve seen include rocket ships, pirate ships, airplanes, castles and dragons! All shapes are magnetically engineered to attract on all sides, even when flipped around. Kids love the tiles because they’re just plain fun. Parents love the tiles because they help their children develop patterning, shape recognition, three-dimensional thinking, building skills, fine motor skills and magnetic principals.

KaZAM Balance Bikes ($99.99) look like a regular bike at first glance. And then you notice there aren’t any pedals! The idea behind this two-wheeler is that your little one can learn how to ride a bike without ever using training wheels, because your child will learn how to balance first, before pedals even come into the picture.

Don’t forget the helmet! We carry several helmets including the Shark Attack black helmet ($24.99) and the Mohawk blue helmet (both $24.99 by Raskullz).

If you’ve never visited us at Earth Explorer Toys before, just follow the UPS truck. J See you soon!