Doll Houses Aren’t Just For Girls

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:08:21 +0000

The dollhouse market is inundated with toys and miniatures geared towards young girls. In every toy store across the world, you can find various styles and sizes all built towards the girl who wants to imagine and “play house”. There is nothing wrong with any of these houses, and they foster healthy play and enjoyment.

However, fifty percent of the population seems may seem somewhat forgotten by the majority of the dollhouse market: boys.

When you think of boys’ toys, the assumption is that boys need trucks, action figures, or sporting goods like a new baseball, basketball, or hockey stick. Yet, there is a small market of boy’s dollhouses.

Many of these “dollhouses” are described in a way that would appeal to the rough-and-tumble boy who likes to imagine he is a superhero, a firefighter, a cowboy, an astronaut, or anything else. You won’t find any of these in the regular toy section as you’d find the normal dollhouses. They are cleverly camouflaged in the action-figure aisle under the guise of a fortress or a space base.

Over the years, “dollhouses” for boys have taken on themes such as Castle Grey Skull from the He-Man series and the G.I. Joe Command Headquarters Command Centre. Both these fortresses contained some of the same imaginative elements as a regular dollhouse: functioning doors, moveable pieces, and places to sit your “action figure” down after a long day.

Even today, you can find a boy’s “dollhouse” in the form of Captain Jack Sparrow’s ship, The Black Pearl, from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The trick to getting boys interested is focusing on the elements that they enjoy.

You can find farms that can foster the development of your young future cowboy. Give him a hat and a lasso, and the rest will take care of itself. There are no rules in how you have to play with a dollhouse. NASA even has model space stations, shuttles, and action figures for your would-be astronaut.

The only limitation in knowing what can be considered a boy’s dollhouse is the extent of one’s imagination. Sometimes finding a “dollhouse” that’s directed towards boys’ tastes takes a little thinking outside the box and changing the way we see things.

The next time you think about dollhouses as a gift, don’t forget about all the young boys in your life. You may be missing out on a great toy that the boys will never stop thanking you for.
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Interesting Facts About Plants

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:03:51 +0000

Houseplants are a beautiful addition to any home decor. They add color, they’re great for filling in empty spaces and they bring a little bit of the outdoors inside. But did you realize that they fight pollution indoors?

I don’t know about you, but how many of us actually have real houseplants in our homes or offices? Not all of us were born with a green thumb. Some of us go crazy buying plants when a special occasion arises to add ambiance. Only to have them die because we didn’t take care of them. Some of us have even received them as gifts which is nerve racking because honestly who wants to be responsible for killing a plant that’s also a present. But remember, just as outdoor plants are beneficial to the great outdoors, indoor plants are beneficial to our indoor environment.

Many studies have shown that houseplants fight pollution indoors. Our space program has been researching methods of cleansing the atmosphere in future space stations to keep them fit for human habitations over extended periods of time. Many common houseplants and blooming potted plants are reportedly able to absorb significant amounts of harmful gases out of the air through what they do naturally, photosynthesis.

We all know that not only do plants absorb carbon dioxide and release clean oxygen into the air but research has shown that they also absorb benzene, formaildehyde and trichloroethylene.
Some houseplants are better at removing certain than others. Unfortunately they don’t take care of tobacco smoke. But there are enough known plants that do a good job of removing pollutants from the air we breath to cause us to view houseplants as more than just an attractive feature in decorating the interior environment. Think of how this could be beneficial to stuffy offices and schools etc.

So it’s definitely worth giving real houseplants a try. The following plants are ideal for the home or office.

Hedera helix English ivy

Chlorophytum comosum spider plant

Epipiremnum aureum golden pothos

Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’ peace lily

Aglaonema modestum Chinese evergreen

Chamaedorea sefritzii bamboo or reed palm

Sansevieria trifasciata snake plant

Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’ heartleaf philodendron

Philodendron selloum selloum philodendron

Philodendron domesticum elephant ear philodendron

Dracaena marginata red-edged dracaena

Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’ cornstalk dracaena

Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’ Janet Craig dracaena

Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii’ Warneck dracaena

Ficus benjamina weeping fig

Any of these plants are hearty year round and remember the bigger they get the better they work. To get them big don’t forget to water them. If this is something that’s easier said than done there are many watering systems out in the market that can help keep you and your family surrounded by plants.
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The Rocket Stop » Space Stations

Doll Houses Aren’t Just For Girls

Interesting Facts About Plants