Life & Family | Toys

At long last, summer has finally arrived. This month, everybody get into the pool with a game of water bocce. Beach-bound Long Islanders can go fly a kite in a galaxy far, far away, or try their hand at winning a sand sculpting contest with all the right tools.
—-

Take the game of bocce off-land with a new waterside version: Water Bocce ($13, riebee.com). Up to 8 players can test their skill by skipping their discs onto a target and scoring points based on where the discs land. This game can be played solo or in teams, and works at the pool or the beach.

Now when someone says “Go fly a kite,” kids can do so with gusto. The new line of Star Wars 3-D Kites ($25 each, jakks.com) highlights the cool vehicles from the Star Wars Mythos. Kite fliers can battle Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter with Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing (pictured here)—an unusual way to “honor” Dad on Father’s Day. Or let Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon swoop in to save the day.

Beat the sandcastle contest completion hands down with the iPlay Beach Builder Sculptor Set ($25, intplay.com). This 10-piece set gives crafty kids all the tools needed to take home that blue ribbon, including five sculpting tools, a wide-mouthed shovel and stone and sea rollers to complete their castle’s look. And when it’s time to clean up and head home, everything—minus the sand—stores neatly in a mesh tote bag.