Slacklines are here!

We are so excited about this latest edition to Escapade Direct! Slacklines are a blast for kids AND adults! They are also a great way to stay active outdoors, as well as improve your balance and coordination.

Slacklining is the act of balancing along a narrow, flexible piece of webbing – whether low to the ground or anchored higher up.

Because a slackline has “slack” in it, it allows you to bounce and do tricks, as well as walk across it like a “tight” rope. It’s SO much fun – every backyard should have one!

The Funline Slackline contains everything you need to easily set up a slackline virtually anywhere – no additional tools or rigging are needed. Attach your slackline to two trees, a fence, or deck posts and you are up and running (or walking, or bouncing, or doing tricks!)

Click Funline Slackline Set for more information, and to watch a video of kids using this slackline.

Get yours today!

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

Four Square is a game that has been played by generations, all over the world. It’s one of those childhood staple games that every kid should know how to play!

This Four Square Play Set contains everything you need to get a game going in your neighborhood.

Use the chalk to draw four squares on your driveway and gather your friends. The object of four square is to eliminate players in higher squares so you can advance to the highest square yourself.

Click Four Square Play Set for more information, and make sure to click the link at the bottom of the Four Square page for the official rules to this game.

Head outside, get active, and play Four Square! Buy your set today!

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

Anomia – Where Common Knowledge Becomes Uncommonly Fun

Have you ever thought about the fact that our minds are positively brimming with all sorts of random information? Things to eat, pop songs, websites, etc….

Normally, it’s easy to give an example of a frozen food or a dog breed; but can you do it before your opponent has a chance to blurt out their answer? Who knows! Pay attention, it could be your turn at any time!

Anomia will have everyone laughing out loud while they try to beat each other to the punch. Beware! While you may think giving an example for a type of shoe or an ice cream flavor might be easy, you will find that your brain works a little differently under pressure!

Think! Shout! Laugh! Buy Anomia today! Click this link for more information and to preview the game instructions.

Perfect for 3 to 6 players, ages 10 and up (we think younger kids can play, too).

A Mensa Select National Competition Winner

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

Zolo-Blanko!

Let your imagination guide you as you create crazy creatures and wacky gizmos… build anything you can imagine with the way-cool black and white pieces in this Zolo-Blanko set.

You know what the best part is? Once you build your sculpture, you get to add your own color and designs by drawing or painting directly on the pieces! Is that cool, or what?!

The pieces in this set are specially coated in a way that allows you to use paint, markers, crayons, stickers, beads and more to customize the pieces! Want temporary designs? Just use chalk, tempera paint, gouache, washable markers or repositionable stickers. Want something permanent? Use paper, beads, or permanent markers.

We think this set is a very open-ended set with lots of creative possibilities for play. Here are some of our ideas to get you started:

• Easter Egg Hunt – With Easter less than a month away, use the pieces from this set as prizes for your Easter Egg Hunt! Place one Zolo-Blanko piece inside a plastic Easter egg. When all your eggs are full, hide them around your house for your kids to find. When all the eggs have been found and collected, let your kids open their eggs to reveal these unique pieces. Show them how to assemble the pieces to make cool contraptions and how to decorate the pieces with washable markers. What a fun surprise!


• Turn Zolo-Blanko into a game – Place the pieces on a table where all the players can reach them. Set a timer to begin the game. All players reach for pieces and construct a sculpture as quickly as they can before the time runs out. When time is up, players vote on the most creative sculpture, the largest sculpture, the smallest sculpture, and the most unique sculpture. Everyone is a winner! To extend the game, provide washable markers and let the players further customize their pieces before voting begins.


• Describe the Shape – Place all the Zolo-Blanko pieces in a box or large sack. Encourage young children to reach inside the bag, choose a piece, then describe the shape of the piece while touching it inside the box or sack. Is it round, curvey, square, pointy? What does it feel like – for example, a snake, a porcupine? This activity gets kids thinking in creative ways and allows them to experience a variety of shapes and use descriptive words to describe them to others.


• A Creative Writing Exercise – Encourage your kids to create creatures using the Zolo-Blanko pieces. Arrange the creatures on a table, then write a short story about the creatures. Give them names and personalities. Determine the setting and location for your story, then send your creatures off on an adventure. Perhaps the creatures are aliens from a distant planet, or maybe creatures that live at the bottom of the sea. Be creative and have fun!

Go ahead! Invent, construct, design – be creative!

Click Zolo-Blanko for more information and to get your set today!

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms

Nature Detectives Wanted!

With Spring just days away, now is the perfect time to step outside and look around you. You’ll notice many curious things you never knew where happening, no matter where you live.

This unique and interactive nature workbook is FULL of fun ideas for what to look for and what to do every month of the year! It has lots of room for you to record your observations and findings.

Click The Nature Connection for more information, and to preview this book online!

This book encourages children and their families to learn more about nature – whether they live in the country, the city, or somewhere in between. Not only is this a fun activity book, it also serves as a permanent record of a child’s unique sightings and experience with nature.

Get your copy today and head outside on a year-long adventure in nature!

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

Just in time for Spring, the Sonny Angel mini figures are here!

Sonny Angel is the modern version of the retro kewpie doll – and they are all so adorable! Their little round bodies and precious angel faces can’t help but bring a smile to your face!

Each anatomically correct Sonny Angel doll features a different hat and has tiny painted-on wings on his back.

These fun dolls each come in a blind-box so you won’t know which figure you have until you open your box – surprise! Collect them all!

Here are some things you can do with the Sonny Angel dolls:

• Create a collection – Record the date you “adopted” each doll in a small notebook and give each doll a name. Display the dolls on a shelf where they can bring a smile to you everyday. Perfect for a child’s bedroom or playroom.


• Give them as baby gifts – Expecting Mom’s will love the look of these little babies! Use them as a baby shower game prize, or even to decorate the top of a cake.


• Tuck them into an Easter Basket – The mini-figures make a perfect Spring-time gift! All the spring animals, fruits, and vegetables – perfect as an Easter Basket present!


• Decorate your desk – Bring your favorite mini figure to work to sit on your desk. The cute grins and big eyes will relieve stress any day!


• Use them as party favors – The Sonny Angel dolls make perfect party favors! Throw a tea party for your kids and give them each a mini figure to play with.


• Bring them along on your travels – For a fun project, bring your favorite Sonny Angel figures with you wherever you go and take pictures of your doll in various locations. For example, bring a doll to the beach and take a picture of the doll in the sand with the water in the background. Or bring a doll on a walk in the woods and take a picture of the doll sitting in a tree or near flowers. You get the idea! Be creative! This is a fun project that gets kids thinking and exercising their artistic ability with a camera!

Click the links below for more information, and to see pictures of all the Sonny Angel figures available:

Sonny Angel – Animal Series Version 1.5

Sonny Angel – Animal Series Version 2

Sonny Angel – Animal Series Version 3

Sonny Angel – Marine Series

Sonny Angel – Fruits Series

Sonny Angel – Vegetable Series

Start your collection today!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Ji Ga Zo is the most unique puzzle! Just use the shaded pieces in this set to build personalized mosaic-style puzzles – again, and again, and again!

This unique puzzle can be rearranged to create millions of face combinations – including yourself, your friends, and even your pets – everyone you know is in this box!

To start, take a picture of your subject. Any digital image will work. Upload your image to your computer using the Ji Ga Zo software to create a puzzle map, then build your puzzle! Arrange the shaded pieces according to the icon map and see your image magically appear!

The Ji Ga Zo’s pieces have varying levels of Sepia-colored gradations on one side and distinguishing symbols on the other. When the pieces are locked together, any face can be created. The key to this puzzle is the advanced Ji Ga Zo software, which produces a unique symbol map that shows where each of the pieces should be placed on the assembly grid.

This puzzle has endless possibilities and can be used over and over and over again to create as many different puzzles as you can think of!

Click Ji Ga Zo for more information and to see a video of how this puzzle works.

Get yours today!

Check out all the New Arrivals we have in store for you!

Are you just another “slice of cheese”? Or are you the “Big Cheese”? Whether you’re a noob or a genius, we’ve got a cheese challenge for you!

We’re crazy about Crazy Cheese!

Can you solve this puzzle? It’s not as simple as it first appears! Completing the puzzle without the solution key is a phenomenal feat of perserverance and brainpower (and it’s just plain old-fashioned fun)!

There are two levels of difficulty for play, so it’s perfect for the entire family. For the “amateur cheese”, assemble the 9 wooden pieces in a 3 x 3 square. All the holes must be symmetrical, but do not need to be round. For the “genius cheese” (we know that’s you), assemble all the pieces in a 3 x 3 square, but this time all the holes must be perfectly round.

Click Crazy Cheese for more information and to get your slice today!

P.S. The solution key is on the wooden piece attached to the game bag – but no peeking without trying first!

Click New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

When it comes to lightweight avionics, there’s no beating a paper boomerang!

This first-of-its-kind guide shows you how to build, perfect, and troubleshoot your paper boomerangs! It also includes information about the history of the boomerang in a way that is fun for kids.

Learn tricks for throwing a boomerang and more with this cool book – perfect for indoor and outdoor fun.

Why not turn it into a party?! Get your friends together, create boomerangs, and hold competitions! Fun for all ages.

Click The Paper Boomerang Book for more information and to get your copy today!

Check out all our New Arrivals to see all the new things we have in store for you!

What’s a Think Tank, you ask?

It’s an aquarium.
It’s a terrarium.
It’s an insect observatory.
It’s a mini-composter.

There are just so MANY uses for our 1-1/2 Gallon Think Tank! See some of our ideas below.

Our Think Tanks are made of a sturdy, semi-rigid clear plastic that resists cracks and breaking. The air holes in the cover allow living things inside the tank to breathe. The cover keeps critters from escaping while you observe them. The molded feet on the bottom of the tank protect your furniture.

A Think Tank is a great value and an excellent learning tool for all ages – every kid should have at least one Think Tank!

We have three sizes of Think Tanks available:
Think Tank: Small – a 1/2 gallon of fun!
Think Tank: Medium – 1 gallon of useful space
Think Tank: Large – 1-1/2 gallon (our most favorite tank!)

Click the links for more information and for lots of clever ideas for using your Think Tank!

Get yours today and think outside the tank!

Think Tank Uses:

• Raise tadpoles and grow a frog


• Observe frogs and toads


• Observe insects


• Create a small habitat for crickets, grasshoppers, praying mantises, lizards, snakes, and other small backyard beasties


• Make a terrarium full of plants or an indoor fairy garden


• Start flower or vegetable seeds indoors


• Start spring bulbs


• Experiment with objects to see what will sink or float in a Think Tank full of water


• Look at snails up close


• Store craft supplies, art supplies, or science supplies in the tank (they stack really well)


• Raise butterflies from caterpillars and observe them


• Water balloon refill tank – no need to run the hose!


• Fill with dirt, add water and play in the mud


• Mix concoctions, such as slime, putty, bubble solution and more


• Make a water cycle model


• Fill with sand, bury treasures, and use for a party activity to dig for hidden treasures


• Grow heart crystals


• Fill with pond water and observe the microlife that lives in the water


• Make rock candy

We’d LOVE to hear YOUR suggestions for using a Think Tank – post your comments!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.