I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of seeing the word “educational” in huge letters slapped onto every single toy in the store. They can’t possibly all be educational, right? I mean, especially those really obnoxious toys with all the blinking lights and blaring noises – no way they’re actually teaching my child anything other than which button to press to make Mommy’s head explode. But I don’t have the time to go and research every toy before I buy it for Anna – sometimes I just want to be able to pick anything age-appropriate off of the virtual online shelf and not have to worry about it.

Thankfully, Growing Tree Toys has come into my life! Growing Tree Toys is a family-owned retail store that started in State College, PA but has expanded into the virtual world as well. They have a carefully chosen selection of toys, which they’ve picked based on their 30 years of experience, and when you visit their site you can immediately see the difference. GrowingTreeToys.com is bright and engaging, offering unique educational toys and product descriptions that tell a parent or caregiver what they really need to know about the toys to make the best purchase.

One of my favorite features of Growing Tree Toys is their rating system. When you look at an individual product on their site, it shows you the Developmental Benefits, Types of Play and Product Rating for that product. This rating system helps you to really tailor your toy purchases to the individual needs of the child you’re purchasing for. If you have friends whose children need help with imaginative play or verbal skills – now you can just click through the fantastic selection at Growing Tree Toys and be confident that you’re buying a quality toy that is going to be put to good use with its new owner. What more can you ask for?

We were fortunate to be sent Melissa & Doug’s Slice and Bake Cookie Set. From the very beginning, Anna was beyond thrilled with this toy. Everyone knows the fantastic quality of Melissa & Doug products and this one is no different. This complete play set has everything your child needs to “bake” cookies – a cookie sheet, a colorful kitchen mitt, a spatula, a “knife” and 12 cookies that can be sliced from the cookie roll container, along with 18 fun decorations to make your cookies look yummy! There are lots of toys that keep my child’s interest for half an hour – pretty much anything can entertain her for that long. But there aren’t many that keep her coming back, day after day, and lead her into open-ended imaginative play. This Slice and Bake Cookie Set would be a fantastic gift for a child who has a play kitchen and likes to pretend bake!

If you’ve ever wished that your child’s teacher could put together a list of toys that will engage, challenge and entertain your child – Growing Tree Toys is the right place for you!

Growing Tree Toys did provide my family with product samples so that I could experience the products and share my thoughts with my readers. All opinions expressed here are my own or that of my family and are not influenced in any way by any form of compensation.