Our children loved Playmobil when they were little, and now our grandchildren and other visiting children are enjoying it. My daughter posted on her blog about them recently- with some great play tips for children. Playmobil are wonderful for hours of imaginative play. When we bought our first ones over 25 years ago, it was guaranteed that our kids would play with them more than any other toy or we could get our money back. It worked- Playmobil fast became their favorite toy.
Another favorite of our family is Glen Rounds- a real cowboy who writes and illustrates great books for kids. This book- Once We Had a Horse- is wonderful. I just read it this week to the Kindergarten class- they were delighted. It is the story of 2 kids, maybe in the Texas Panhandle- pretty bleak Plains surroundings, no toys, video games, bicycles, scooters- but an old horse comes into their life for their summer, and the enchanting and funny pictures tell the story of how they spent their summer learning to ride that horse. No riding lessons, no saddle, no reins- no one helping them, just dogged persistence.