It's difficult to decide what route to go when shopping for a highly energized, highly boisterous and highly havoc-inducing little one. Do you go full chaotic-evil and give the tyke a jar of Play-Doh or Silly Putty solely to see the life leave the eyes of the kid's legal guardians? Or do you try to aid the futile efforts of bubble wrapping the little one to not cause harm to themselves or others? As we live in this highly tense and contentious time period, let's try and find a way to do good rather than enable.
MOBIUS GIFT CERTIFICATE
It wouldn't be a half-bad idea to constrain or at least preoccupy your little monster into some activities that are constructive. That activity could be a trip to Mobius downtown, where there are loads of discovery science projects that will not only distract them but point that exploratory process in a positive direction. A day pass is only $8 for kids and adults, and kids must be accompanied by someone older than 16 years of age. Add an extra $3 to a plan and check out their planetarium, which will give the kiddo a better understanding of scale to the cosmos. $8-11 • Mobius Science Center • 331 N. Post
FORBIDDEN ISLAND BOARD GAME
Perhaps one of the most important lessons that these little ones need to learn is patience and cooperation. You can't let the inmates run the asylum, so get the kid something that has explicit rules. Forbidden Island will promote participation, patience and strategy, which is enough to be a major win for all parties. The game is cooperative, too, which could help everyone moving forward. $20 • Uncle's Games • 404 W. Main
DAY AT TRIPLE PLAY
There are a lot of tricks you can use to beat out the onslaught of a rambunctious terror. Keeping calm surely is one of them, but so is the old
The latest trend in toys for younger kids is that of the high-dense foam figurines called Squishies. The toy is an affordable hands-on gift for young ones, which won't leave the mess of slimes or putties, nor the cleanup of Legos. White Elephant has a range of them that come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and would be a hit with the younger and more distractible demographic. $2-15 • White Elephant • 1730 N. Division ♦
