HELP: Christmas Gift Ideas for 6 and 3 Year Old BOYS :)

One of the best gifts I ever bought my kids was two sets of foam blocks: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=117737...

My youngest two (10 yo daughter and 14 yo son) still pull them out to build. And they are the perfect toy to pull out when friends with little ones come to visit. The shapes and colors make it so they are not only great for building but also for patterns/designs. Over the years we've had castles, houses, roadways, towers (great for towers because they're soft) and so much more.

Wanted to second Hearthsong. Their toys are wonderful. Also check out Lakeshore.com and toystogrowon.com.

You could get them a membership to the zoo or museum, along with cameras so they can take pictures when they go.

This is a great site and they have great cust service and good toys. You can even get a catalog so your kids could circle items they like http://www.hearthsong.com/

Our daughters all time favorite toy was "the Twizzler."

She also had an "Airpogo".. being outside everyday in our location was awesome..

http://www.target.com/p/twizzler-backyard-toy/-/A-10686096

http://www.airpogo.com/

I used to also block the driveway with our car on the street parked in front of the driveway.. Then I would use sidewalk chalk and the neighbor kids would bring over all of their riding toys and play "Traffic" They would make roadways, Make traffic signs, they made orange cones.. They played for hours like this.

My nephews loved their pop up crawling tunnels and tents. they had about 5 of them and they would configure them in all sorts of ways..

We used big appliance boxes. (Ghetto) We attached them with tape.. then gave the kids flashlights to crawl through, we cut eye holes in the sides so they could see out.. Sometimes they used them as Ships, trains, airplanes..

We always had big boxes available to paint, cut up , build with.. Once they were worn out, we cut them up and recycled them.

Usborne has some great books, puzzles, and experiment kits. I don't know if this one is still made, but surely something similar is available now. It is one that my son asked for around age 6 or 7 and loved: http://usborneactivities.blogspot.com/2008/10/pyramid-exc...
Also, both of my boys have been in love with Bionicles/Hero Factories for several years. Having a brother to play with may have something to do with it (they are 2 years apart), but they can play with these things for hours.
How about a rocket launcher? There are several varieties, but the one we have is pretty simple. You stomp on a rubber thing that pushes air through a tube to launch the foam rocket. It has been popular with all the neighborhood kids.

Are you familiar with Melissa & Doug? Our 4-year-old loves their wooden train set. (And we love that it doesn't use batteries but does use his imagination!) He received a starter set -- from his now 18-year-old cousin, so that will show you how durable it is -- and each holiday/birthday he gets a few more pieces. He plays with it for hours, making up stories and creating lots of different layouts.

I wasn't familiar with their web site, but I just found it online: http://www.melissaanddoug.com/

It has *tons* of other items, like puzzles, blocks, art project stuff, etc. And the site has recommendations by age, so you might want to browse through the different categories.

Good luck!

Oh, well, I was going to tell you what my 4, 6 and 7 year olds want, but I'm not sure we fit your category. I'll tell you anyway. My 4 year old wants something 'scary' and has identified a remote controlled snake that fits the bill. My 6 year old definitely wants the Lightning McQueen toy with wings, and my 7 year old wants a remote controlled helicopter.

I see you are in Petaluma, I would highly recommend going to Toy Works in Santa Rosa and asking for their suggestions. They have been a huge help with age-appropriate suggestions to me in the past. The 6 year old might enjoy Playmobil or Lego. Puzzles are also great...

Do your boys enjoy the outdoors? And, do you have some area where you could encourage them to start a small garden? If this fits in with your needs, I'm sure you could find all sorts of neat gardening "toys" and add some special plants, seeds, potting soils and containers. It would be a great family project that you could enjoy all year long.

I am more drawn to Montessori rather than Waldorf, so these websites may not have exactly what you're looking for, but check them out www.forsmallhands.com there is also www.montessoriservices.com

Please visit my Discovery Toys website! The toys are very high quality and they all come with a lifetime warranty, so if anything breaks through normal play, you get a replacement at no cost to you. Plus, the toys are educational, so the kids will learn while playing, but they are so fun that they won't realize they're learning!

Now, for specific recommendations:

Motor Works - this is our #1 seller for boys this age and I LOVE IT! My son is almost 5.5 and has been playing with it for three years. He still loves it. You get a toolbox with a car, a motorcycle, an airplane, and two screwdrivers - one battery powered and one manual. You can build, take apart, and rebuild the vehicles over and over again. The kids build fine motor skills, thinking skills, and problem solving skills. They also enhance their imagination and creative play.

Marble Works - an awesome marble run toy with endless possibilities for creation. The boys can race their marbles down the tracks, predict the outcomes, build their hand-eye coordination, and so much more. Available in starter and deluxe sets. Note: this does use regular marbles, so it isn't recommended if your three year old still puts things in his mouth.

Games on the Go - set of 50 cards, each with a unique game for playing in the car, at restaurants, or anytime you're on the go. Games may be trivia, guessing, memory, thinking, searching, and more!

Race to the Treasure - a fun board game where you lay down track pieces to collect keys and beat the ogre to the buried treasure

Playful Patterns - 132 foam ships and 34 increasingly difficult design cards to create pictures and mosaics. Build math and reading skills, as well as enhancing fine motor and thinking skills. We dub this one "preschool in a box" because it prepares your children so well for the skills they need to learn reading, math and more.

Your six year old will also like Wiz Kidz and Number Rings. You can view these and all of our other toys on my website at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

Please let me know if you'd like info on getting your toys for free!

Hello there! We, too, are Montessori based vs. Waldorf, but there is so much cross-over. One of our favorites is probably already bookmarked on your computer:
http://www.plantoysusa.com/
It's a great resource for sustainably made wooden toys. Lot's of cause and effect that get's their minds going!

We also love the For Small Hands catalog that Joan mentions. I did pretty much all of my Christmas shopping for my kids and their cousins--they loved everything! And the cousins are in a very main-stream house--still big hits! Good luck--I'm sure you'll find too much : - )