Great Learning Gifts

As Parents' Choice Foundation explains it, "If you're looking for a list of 'hot toys,' you won't find them here. Parents' Choice recommends toys with staying power, books with honesty and integrity of characters, illustration of elegance and imagination, music that families can sing together, storytelling that teaches us lessons from lands and cultures close and far away, magazines that do not mask editorial content in advertising, television that teaches with civility and not chaos, and software and video games that encourage sharpening skills not leveling landscapes."

Here's what they suggested for great learning gifts:

Yoga for Teens Card Deck
Ages: 12 - 17 yrs.
Author: Mary Kaye Chryssicas
Publisher: DK Publishing
Hardcover Price: $15.99

Teens who practice yoga will find this an invaluable resource for continuing their practice at home or on the go. The pack includes 50 cards that show 40 different poses and "yoga to go" cards illustrating different sequences of poses that can be done for different moods. The yoga poses are divided into Warm Up, Work In and Wind Down sections, making it easy for yogis to pick and choose their own routines. Most important, each pose card offers detailed instructions about performing the pose, including the steps for proper positioning; a photograph of a teen yogi in the pose; "pose check" points and arrows pointing to key body positions to assure that everything is aligned correctly; pose benefits; counter poses; best transitions; and ways to modify the pose or make it more challenging. Poses are also ranked from easiest to hardest so that those new to yoga will know to start with the easy poses first. Additionally, each card includes inspirational quotes and lifestyle tips.

The opening cards explain how to use the poses to build a series, breathing and meditation techniques and a glossary of yoga terms, making this an ideal resource for anyone interested in practicing yoga. Although the set is designed for teens, younger children and adults alike could certainly benefit from the Yoga to Go series including "Perk Me Up," "Bendy Back Relief," and "Anxiety Buster." As an experienced yogi, I even picked up a few tips and tricks about improving my own practice and found the lifestyle tips a pleasant reminder about how to live a calmer, less stressful life.