Great tech toys for kids

Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Great tech toys for kids
Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine found four great tech toys that are loaded with creativity and will really engage the young ones on your list.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Electronic toys are a favorite gift. But don't think that children have to just sit glued to a screen. Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine found four great tech toys that are loaded with creativity and will really engage the young ones on your list.

The $40 Leapfrog Leapband features "pets" that give kids activity challenges. It gets them up and moving, really active and engaged.

Crayola's Virtual Design Pro kit is also $40. It has a colorful array of crayons, markers and stencils and a book full of car or dress designs. When you scan your drawings into a phone or tablet they animate. Models walk the runway and cars race through an obstacle course.

Another crafty device extrudes a thin stream of plastic that dries almost immediately so teens can turn their drawings into 3-D creations. The $100 3Doodler comes with 10 colors. Extra color packs are $10 each.

The $50 kit from MaKey MaKey is loaded with fun. The wired clips connect to a little circuit board and turn anything that conducts a current -- everything from cucumber slices to bananas -- into computer keys that play music.