I'm not sure how "educational" they are, but of all the toys our grandchildren got, they like the Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys the best. Also the Legos.

They've had the Legos for about four years, the Tinkertoys for two, and last year they got lots of Lincoln Logs. They still play with all three. Meanwhile, most of their other toys have gone to Unused Toy Heaven.

Lego's are great for hand coordination and of course any of the Jump Starts are great and they start at Jump Start Toddler which gets them understanding things on the computer.

Leap Pad would be great learning for the 3 yr old, they have all kinds of games that make them think they are playing while they are learning to read, count and so forth.

Any of the alphabet building blocks for the little one as well as anything from Sesame Street usually has learning behind it.a

Our grandson's favorite toy at that age was a kiddie tape recorder and books on tape. It went everywhere with him. As he got older, we graduated to listening to tapes in the car and added some of the classics. On road trips, we listened to mysteries. I believe it solidified his interest in reading. We still read to him every night but then he would listen by himself until he fell asleep. btw, by second grade, he was reading at the 5th grade level, had an "exceptional" vocabulary and by 5th grade was reading Shakespeare. I really believe the exposure to books of all kinds contributed to that.

Oh...the library carries tapes and cd's also so you don't have to buy them all.

My almost-4 yr old granddaughter enjoys any kind of toy that sparks the imagination--kitchen play sets, dress-up costumes (Lillian Vernon catalog has some great stuff). She also seems to enjoy her subscription to Turtle magazine for preschoolers even though some of it is a little advanced for her. She also loves puzzles & simple games (they make a preschool version of "concentration" that seems to be a big hit with her). She also loves the lift-the-flap or pop-up story books.

Vermont Country Store also has a lot of "old-fashioned" toys, from potholder looms to kaleidoscopes and Colorforms. Many of their toys are inexpensive but well-made. Great for stocking stuffers!

I'm a mail order catalog junkie--thought I'd share another one--its all educational toys. Young Explorers Creative Educational Products website is youngexplorers.com