I've always loved the Mexican Celebration of Day of the Dead - ever since I visited Oaxaca many years ago during the celebration on Nov.2. We have been helping the kids make sugar skulls, collecting stories and any other classroom resources we could find to help teachers bring this event in to their classrooms. Of course we run in to a few folks who say "ooh isn't that Satanic?" which I don't understand - it's about honoring and remembering those who have passed away - so much different than our celebration of Corn Syrup and Cheesy costumes that doesn't really celebrate anything.
This year we have decorations - which is good because it's a step towards greater awareness. If companies are starting to put out products, we might actually have a chance of making this a part of the Halloween celebration everywhere.
Our event is being held on Saturday Oct 8th this year - we do it early so teachers can take the ideas back to school with them. Join us if you are in the area 1 pm - 3 pm!
The Specialty Toy Retailers Association has released this year's Best Toys for Kids list. We are happy to promote this list, not only because we voted for it, but also because we love the toys that made it! You can see the toys on our website right now. I'll be featuring this list in our emails and postings for the next few months - with more about the selection process and how a toy makes the list. In the meantime, stop by the store and ask us, we love to talk about these toys!
