How many of you remember visiting the dentist and sensing the excitement of being able to pick a toy from the treasure chest post cleaning? When it comes to taking the kids in for their semi annual checkup, I think I am more eager to go than the kids. I'm always hovering over them when it's time to pick a special toy because, you know what... I want one, too! I don't know what it is about a bin full of little toys but it sure gets kids (and kids at heart) excited. And, as a teacher, it is so worth having little prizes to give away just to see the smiles on my students' faces. But with over 200 students, I find it hard to collect enough prizes to ensure each of my students gets one. Luckily, I have recently discovered a site that makes me grin a goofy grin from ear to ear - SmileMakers!

This treasure chest is listed under Value Treasure Chests because it comes with 500 toys along with the plastic chest, which measures 18 x 12 x 14 inches. The current list price is $149.99 on the Canadian site but the super size treasure chest is also available on the US site for $99.99. 

The selection of toys is pretty impressive, from sunglasses, airplanes, bouncy balls and toy figures...

... to bracelets, rings, spinning tops, creepy crawlers and vampire teeth. Please note that, due to small parts, these toys are not suitable for children under age 3. I always remind my students to show their prizes to their mom or dad when they get home so they can determine whether it is a suitable toy to have in the home.

Update: I recently brought my new boîte aux trésors into my two grade 8 classes since we were playing a game to review vocabulary words. I suggested if they felt the toys were too childish, they could pass them on to a younger brother or sister. Ahem,... well, they were like kiddies in a candy store. Many of them opted for the disk launcher, ball, spiders and lizards. We're talking teenagers here, people! So glad they loved them.