Yes it's even a corded phoned!  So cute!

Any toy that requires pennies. :)

When we went to Ottawa a few years back, we went to the Diefenbunker which, among other things, is a nice museum of 60s and 70s era tech. I'm not sure what blew Little M's mind more - the room-sized computer that was less powerful than current smartphones or the rotary dial telephones.  (yes, I showed him how to use one).

Mendalla

Rotary dial - I still remember the crank on the wall - and the party line  (something like listening in on the extension - but it was a neighbour down the road).

Do kids even play with toys now?   Past their pre-school days, I mean.

I belong to a group on facebook - we post pictures and memories of growing up in Napadogan.  There is a picture of my sister at 11, holding her baby doll.  And I remember knitting clothes for my doll at that age.  But Granddaughter who moved out of our home at age five didn't take her favourite doll with her - nor her play kitchen, or dishes.  Within a few years she gave up her Barbies.  (My daughter played Barbies until about 12.)

My grandson is nine.  I asked about getting him Lego for Christmas and was told that while he still plays with lego, he wouldn't be thrilled wth it.  I got him a science kit.

So what do kids play with now?

My grands play with the games on electronic devices.

Two are in organised hockey and ball.  Two are in speed based things (racing machines such as dirt bikes, Go Karts, snowmobiles etc).  One spends a lot of time sewing and belongs to an adult group for that.  One is a book worm, another reads sometimes.  

I get hope from those wonderful times when we get to take them camping and they play together and have what we old fogies consider fun!

I wonder if they still make toy cameras with flim: ha ha.

Mostly computer games as far as I can tell. The hot one in Little M's circle right now is League of Legends but Minecraft is still big, too, or so I hear. These are multiplayer online games so he plays with friends in the game while talking on Skype. So much for going over to a friend's house to play.

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Actually, there are some really nice digicams for kids. Makes more sense than film for someone who is mostly just fooling around with it.

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I understand lego is a big thing.  But, I think computer or handheld games are more the norm for most of the kids.

I am not overly fond of the current generation of Lego. Too many of the sets are geared to building one or a few specific things. I just had a few generic sets of blocks in a nice compartmentalized chest that Dad built (so we could sort the pieces by size, shape, etc.) and could build whatever I wanted. While I realize that a lot of kids probably do just build what they want, I dislike the idea that some designer somewhere is trying to steer the play of kids he/she has never met.

Mendalla

We have a BIG tote full of Lego in the basement but the grands aren't interested in playing with it.  They each did until about age ten.  Will wait and see what use it gets from the younger ones who are still at the eat everything stage of development. 

I didn't mention earlier  the one grandkid who has a DSLR (Pentax K5) that gives lots of pleasure and is used to record some of the camping fun.  Also birds, animals, occasionally flowers, and lots of siblings and cousins acting 'silly'. It is used manually much of the time showing a good understanding of the process of photography - the interest started at age nine.