Kids love getting wet

An afternoon of playing proves that H2O is the simplest pleasure.
By MARGARET WEBB PRESSLER
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- Put 12 kids on a grassy field on a hot day, let them play with 15 toys of all kinds and the result will always be the same.
Kids will get wet.
KidsPost's annual summer toy test, at Forest Knolls Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., proved once again that squirting your friends with water is top-notch entertainment. This year we added a twist, including Hasbro's new Oozinator blaster, which is a little heavy and hard to hold -- but kids still approved of its ability to shoot both H2O and slimy ooze. "I mostly used the ooze," said Miguel Alfaro, 8.
Of course, the ooze cartridges have to be replaced at $5.95 each, so the hose does have its benefits!
Two Super Soaker styles also were favorites.
"What I really liked about the water guns was all the reaction people have when you get them," said Helen Kalaab, 9.
Other cool toys
Water wasn't the only hit of the toy test. Ten kids named a new game called Cosmic Catch among their three favorite toys. Up to six players wear colored bands and throw the ball to each other.
A minicomputer in the ball keeps track of which color straps players are wearing and calls out which player to throw the ball to next. But pay attention: It gets faster and faster, and if you miss there's an explosion sound (which the kids loved).
Cosmic Catch, which will be available in stores later this month, keeps track of the score and has several games. This is definitely a more-the-merrier game. Get as many friends together as you can.
"I liked it because it was a competitive game, and it was a bit of a challenge," said Geovanni Martinez, 10.
"It's also a mental game because you have to remember what colors people have," said Bryan Chung, 9.
There were a few other standouts. The Fan Yang giant bubble dish made hundreds of bubbles at once and some really cool monster bubbles. No one figured out how to make a bubble within a bubble, but with a little work, it is possible!
The kids who played Nerf Dart Tag loved it. The darts stick to clothes, with often hilarious results.
The game has another winning feature, according to kids: the ultra-cool shades, which provide safety and a really great look. One complaint is that there's only one blaster in a package, so you have to buy two to play with a friend.