Toys Free Shipping - Can you suggest a fun and educational toy for a three year old boy?

Can you suggest a fun and educational toy for a three year old boy?

my friend's son is turning three years old next month and when I asked her what type of present he might like, she requested educational toys my son is only 2 months old so I don't have much experience with three year olds and I don't really know what they enjoy so any suggestions greatly appreciated thank you

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I got my friends three year old a toy instrument. They have colours on the keys and things and are good for brain development, recognising colours and pattern recognition and also are just fun for any kid...if your friend can cope with the noise lol.
We bought my son the Diego Laptop. It teaches him about animals and counting. We got it for him for Christmas and he was 2 1/2. He will be 3 in a month and loves it more now than he did when he first got it. It is a great toy for travel.
books and puzzles
Fatbraintoys.com fantastic ideas!
My nephew will be 3 in sept. and his mom said the same thing so this is what i got him - Hooked on Pre-K Activity Pack ( but only get if adult can help) http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9713293 Other gifts from family he will get are VTech Little Einsteins Learn & Go Laptop http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9864573 Numbers Jumbo Puzzle http://www.sensationalbeginnings.com/itemdy00.asp?CATEGORY=&ITN=P+3+832&T1=P+3+832&QTY=1&PageNo=5&GEN1=&SKW=C_E@%2BEDUCATIONAL+TOYS&product.x=66&product.y=73
Three year olds love "real life" stuff. And it's educational for them to learn self help skills. In my exprience they enjoy items from the tools, kitchen, and music areas a lot. A lot of Montessori products are educational and fun for kids...you could check some of the Montessori supply websites for ideas. Another good place to check is Lakeshore Learning. All kinds of cool stuff there! I don't know if your friend considers art materials to be educational...I do. They are wonderful gifts for toddlers & preschoolers. High quality stuff though...a lot of the stuff geared towards kids doesn't work very well. My three year old spends most of her playtime with art projects and doing imaginative play with figurines (she loves Playmobil and also those tubes of plastic animals you can get at toy stores).