Like amateur magicians, most childhood toys offer nothing more than old gimmicks and noticeably wince when sawn in half. Enlist a dependable new plaything instead with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of educational toys, games, and more at School House.
Doling out smarts-sharpening supplies for more than 30 years, School House stocks a treasure trove of toys and games designed to stimulate creativity and send synapses shimmying in kids of all ages. Jazz up everyday story time with Fingertale puppets—fairy tale-themed phalange costumes perfect for dramatic digit re-enactments of Little Red Riding Hood, Three Billy Goats Gruff, or Fist of Fury ($10.99 per pack). Or, treat an I-spy aficionado to the investigation-testing Find It At the Zoo game, a clear cylindrical cage that hides tiny animals in a deceiving blanket of polychromatic beads ($19.95).
Young Michelangelos can initiate illustrious sculpting careers with nontoxic, moldable Wikki Stix ($11.99), and Tadoodles crayon holders protect color sticks from staining tiny, talented hands ($5.99). School House's cleverly disguised brain boosters also include sing-along alphabet DVDs ($19.99), and kid-friendly potty-training picture books, which allow parents to give a polite hint to their diaper-dependent descendants ($7.95).
