Similar to playhouses, play tents are usually made with nylon or plastic and also come in a wide variety of designs and styles. The biggest difference between two is that play tents are usually much easier to assemble, disassemble and portable if needed. Play tents are available in tunnels (for crawling through), dome play tents, lady bug tents, tents with tunnel addition, school bus, fire engine, bulldozer, playhouses, camouflage tents, popular fictional character theme tents, four tunnels joined by tent in middle, tee pees and castle tents. Fabric parachutes can also be used as tents draped over objects in home or used for throwing up toys with children in a circle.

It truly feels like summer once everyone has gone for a swim. Pools offer wonderful relief from hot weather and a refreshing way to have some fun. There is a mountain of pools and pool toys to choose from, whether it be a kiddie pool or a pool lounger there is no shortage of options. Above ground inflatable pools can be found in different sizes to accommodate kids or whole family. Kiddie pools are available in sunshade cover designs, popular character themes, different colors and activity pool styles. The pool toys you select will only add to enjoyment with water guns and canons, kick boards, lifejackets, inflatable water wings, retrieval toys, rafts and loungers, inflatable sharks, tubes, inflatable basketball hoops, seat rings and beach balls to name a few.

Lastly, playing in sand can provide both learning skills and entertainment for any child, whether it be in their backyard sandbox or at beach. Building sandcastles and sand play is particularly helpful in teaching social skills (sharing, interacting and cooperation), cognitive skills (measuring sand and mapping out roads) and physical skills (pouring, dumping, pushing and gathering sand etc.). Sandbox kits can be purchased to set up or you can select from several designs such as; turtles, castles, water and sand tables, ladybug, dinosaur and frog sandboxes. Sandbox and beach accessories might include; wheelbarrows, pails of all sizes, rakes, shovels, molds and beach chairs.

Outdoor play is a great way for kids to get out of house and use their imaginations. All forms of outdoor activities easily promote well-being and physical development. Children love to play outdoors as it allows them chance to freely explore their environment while developing muscle coordination, flexibility and motor skills while decreasing restlessness and stress. And don't forget . . . always remember to put sunscreen on your child whenever they are outside.

The mats and cat nip toys are very durable, and I'm surprised they are still in perfect condition. Boo especially can get wild while playing, and feared he would tear it apart. I was amazed to see not one flaw on it still (other than a few cat hairs, of course). The cat nip inside certainly made them excited and they tried very hard to get to it without success.

Louella's Goodies currently has several options for purchasing these cute and very useful products. You can purchase cat mats and simple cat toys separately, or together in a package. There is even an option for purchasing a "multiple cat collection", which includes 2 cat mats, 2 small cat toys, and 2 large cat toys. If you have more than one cat or cats that don't like to share, definitely go with this option!

To see these items and more, visit: http://www.louellasgoodies.com (Cat mat and toys available under "Kitty Cat Supplies")