With the recent beautiful weather in New York City, our office is gearing up for spring. We’ve been testing out everything from bikes and scooters to bubble toys and R/C vehicles. We’ve been looking at eco-friendly toys to celebrate Earth Day and flying planes and bionic birds. But there are certain toys that have really triggered my own memories of spring as a child and the activities I used to do with my family.

When I was a kid, spring meant trout fishing with my dad. But if you can’t make it to the stream, or if baiting a hook with a live worm is a little too much for you this spring, Small World Toys has got an alternative. Catch of the Day is a battery-powered fish that swims through your pool or, on a rainy day, the bathtub. Just drop the line with the magnetic bait attached to the end and wait for a bite. The Catch of the Day swims around the pool or bathtub until the bait is caught in its mouth, then it fights as it is reeled in.

My brother was (and still is) a big fan of flying kites, and I always loved to fly them with him, which may be why I found the WindNSun Uglydoll SkyPals from Brainstorm Products so appealing. These licensed Uglydoll kites feature the characters Ox, Ice Bat, Uppy, and Wage as durable nylon kites that are easy to fly and fun for everyone in the family.

So save the tech toys for a rainy day, and get outside and play! Make some memories of your own!

For more commentary from Ali, click the Commentary tab on our homepage. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!