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It's never too early to start thinking about summer camps. Especially when registration for some summer camps are already open or closing soon or when they're free.

Free camps? Yes, there is such a thing as free camps. We've done quite some research to find camps in and around Austin (up to a 2.5 hr radius) that are not a financial burden to families, especially families that already have enough to worry about.

Want to bond with your family, offer a break from screen time, and help kids develop critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills? Bring out the family games!

We’ve just added a new game to our collection. As parents of two kids, we actually pat ourselves on the back for this one, since it is… can you guess?... yep, a game for 2! Not that we don’t like playing games with our kids, we absolutely do, but this game is perfect for just the two of them: when we’re still working when they get home from school or when we’re busy cooking or doing other things around the house, or – we just found that out – when we’re traveling! The game is small enough to take on trips and it can easily be played in the car or on the plane.

And pssst, want to know what’s also great about this game? The brain behind it, Project Genius, is Austin-based and woman-owned! Read on to learn more about the game and Project Genius.

Fidget toys here, fidget toys there, fidget toys are everywhere. Fidget toys are definitely the toy of 2021. Our kids have asked for fidget toys for their birthdays and even bought fidget toy sets with their own money. They take them to school, where they do “fidget toy trading” during recess and come home with a bunch of new fidgets every day. As a matter of fact, our kids’ schools just banned fidget toy trading because it just got too crazy.

Anyway, to me, many of them are just a bunch of plastic that makes noise and sooner or later breaks and ends up in the landfill.

However, among all the pop-its, marble mashes, wacky tracks, squeeze beans, stretchy strings, simple dimples, and many more, there are a few that even I like...

With all the extra family time we got last year, we’ve played so many fun games and also tried a few new ones. One of them was Ravensburger’s Magna-Tiles® Treasure Hunt.

This game is recommended for children ages 3 and up. It is for 2-4 players, easy to understand, and – big bonus – even younger kids can play the game all by themselves!

If your kids are Magna-Tiles fans and already have a bunch of Magna-Tiles, this game is even better: while the game comes with genuine Magna-Tiles, it can be mixed and matched with other Magna-Tiles sets, which allows you to extend the game or create a whole new game!

Read on for details and enter for a chance to win your own copy of the game.

It’s fall, y’all, and what’s better than cozying up at home with the kids and a fun board game on a cold, rainy day? We just got a new board game and we love it: Ravensburger 3D Labyrinth!

Just like in the classic and other versions of Labyrinth, the goal of this game is to be the first to collect all of your treasures by moving walls and open passages of a Labyrinth, and to foil and block your opponents. Better get your thinking hat on!

Read our review and enter for a chance to win your own copy of the game.

Obviously, this is a difficult time for everybody and many local businesses are getting hit extremely hard. We therefore want to use our little platform and help in any way we can.

We asked local businesses to let us know of any products, services, or activities they're currently offering, that can help Austin families keep their kids busy and make this time as enjoyable as possible for their kids and their whole family. In the coming days, we will be introducing those offers on our blog.

Read about the Special “Quarantine Quazy” Offer from Austin Bounce House Rentals.

If you associate LEGO with pain and bruises on your feet, then this event may not be for you. However, if  your kiddos (and you) are obsessed with LEGO or just love using their creativity to bring their imaginations to life,  can spend hours puzzling over the construction of a particular model and exploring how it fits together and working out what pieces work best, then this is the perfect event for you.

Read on for event details and how to enter for a chance to win a family-4-pack to the event.

We love playing Frisbee and we have all kinds of Frisbees at home. Big, small, hard, soft, you name it. Now, we've recently received a new kind of Frisbee to try. It looks pretty cool and here’s how Wham-O describes it: “The square-like, sine wave shape mimics many things in nature. The alternating twists and turns of the design resemble a bird in flight as it spins through the air.” It’s true, it does look like a stingray in motion.

Check it out and enter for a chance to win your own Frisbee Sonic.

Love playing games with your kiddos? How about some Russian roulette for kids? 

The Shark Bite game is a fun game for young and old. Read our review of the game and enter for a chance to win one copy of the game.

Do you have a toddler or preschooler and are looking for a fun game that is easy to understand and play and teaches your child shapes and colors?

The Lucky Ducks Game is a fun color and shape matching game for toddlers and preschoolers. Read more about the game and how to enter for a chance to win a copy for your little one.

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