November 2008 Notable Toys — Educational

Designed for students of all ages who need to develop or review basic Language Arts and Reading Comprehension skills. The course features Sports-inspired “Coach” led tutorials, Learn the Words sessions, and adrenaline-charged, fun-filled games to make learning a true journey. Students will master syllables, spelling, word families, and the entire range of topics. Winner of Computers for Youth Family Learning Software Award 2008.

Beginning reading and math builds the foundation for success with this content-packed interactive program. Includes 11 sing-a-long songs and 15 two-level activities to teach children letter names, numbers, phonics, basic addition and more. The Super Star System gives students an incentive to repeat an activity until a gold star is awarded. Winner of a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval

Zillio has 12 colorful staircases based upon multiplication tables. The visual and tactile relationships between steps enable kids to discover and master difficult math concepts as they learn and play with 10 essential math skills. Mega Zillio is the larger version of the Mini Zillio. It handles numbers up to 60, and measures 27" x 27" x 12". It does everything the Mini does but can have up to 6 players at a time and the same games included require more challenging play and problem solving to come out on top.

Zillio has 12 colorful staircases based upon multiplication tables. The visual and tactile relationships between steps enable kids to discover and master difficult math concepts as they learn and play with 10 essential math skills.  Mini Zillio handles numbers up to 36, and measures 18" x 18" x 8", compared to Mega Zillio's 27" x 27" x 12.5". For up to 4 players at a time.
Awards: 2010 Tillywig Brain Child

Bio-Energy Kit is the world’s first fuel cell kit that runs on a mix of plain water and alcohol. It is a simple educational product used to introduce a new generation of fuel cell technology to students, aspiring scientists, teachers and engineers, investigating new power possibilities for consumer electronics.

This 19-track album is specially created to get kids moving while also aiding the learning process. It features original music by Don and Laurie Monopoli of the Learning Station, both of whom collaborated with Dr. Becky Bailey of Loving Guidance Inc. on the lyrics. Stop-and-go activities boost attention spans, songs for breathing and stretching help relieve stress, and "connecting songs" improve impulse control skills. Tracks include "Itsy Ditsy Spider," "Boogie Rock," "Watch Me Listen" and "It's a Marvelous Day." "Music and movement is part of every young child's life. Why not make those movements into brain-boosting experiences that help those little brains grow?" asked Laurie Monopoli, educational coordinator for The Learning Station. This CD received a 2008 CD of the Year Award from Creative Child Magazine, as well as a 2008 Directors' Choice Award. It was also named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products and 10 Best Audio-Video Products for 2008. The album is available on the company's website in both CD and downloadable formats. Both include a 20-page booklet with lyrics, movements and brain-boosting activities. Launch date: May 15, 2008.

This kit imitates nature to grow crystals within one to two weeks — something that took our planet thousands of years. There other kits available with a broad selection of vibrant colors and intriguing shapes of crystals. An interesting project for kids and parents alike, the kit is designed to help kids learn about geography, gemology and chemical science while having fun with growing crystals and displaying the final piece. The experiment can be re-done with the alredy grown crystal and/or it could be enlarged with an extra kit. Launch date: June 6, 2008.
Display Ideas: Place at eye-height together with a pre-made display sample (free of charge).

Made out of treated rubberwood and MDF, this product is painted with nontoxic, lead-free paints. Launch date: June 24, 2008.

Kids can score a touchdown with the first 100 high-frequency words for sight-word vocabulary. Each player will gain knowledge with high-frequency words as they punt, pass, or run the football-shaped pawn down the field and into the opponent's end zone. The game is for two to four players. Launch date: 2307.

Set imaginative gears in motion with this colorful and durable puzzle. Children can challenge themselves by setting interlocking gears into different logical and creative patterns on the puzzle board. Includes 48 gears and 30 interlocking gear pegs. Helps develop logic and creative thinking skills for 3 dimensional systems and geometric patterns.

This 40 page, full color book with all materials except common items & 1.5 volt battery contains 25 activities for children 6 to 12. Decode words and secret messages with mirror magic. Visit the incredible world of the invisible. Light wands, rainbow glasses, shadow capture paper, spinning and mixing colors, and molding lenses are FUN! Nurtures a love of science with carefully crafted projects that work.

This science book comes with materials included for 24 activities. Through rocketry and a classic set of favorite projects, Motion explores the central concepts of physics. This kit is packed with parts, including a beautiful, precision, brass colored balance scale to measure mass, a hover puck, a jet car that really zooms, the components to make your own spring meter, an accurate to 1/100 of a second stop watch to clock speed, velocity and acceleration and the tubes, stoppers and inflation needle to launch both water rockets and baking soda rockets. Each project has been refined, through years of testing and feedback, into age appropriate fun.

Read and learn a foreign language with Nicholas, the loveable puppy. Inside the Adventures with Nicholas Book & Plush Toy Set, you’ll find the Five Crayons bilingual imaginative storybook, lovable characters and engaging illustrations, along with a read-along, sing-along audio CD and a soft, adorable Nicholas toy doll. Adventures with Nicholas Book & Toy Set is also available in French.

Measuring is more fun than ever with these brightly painted wooden rulers. Six styles available: Monkeys Rule!, Ladybugs Rule!, Poodles Rule!, Dinos Rule!, Kids Rule! and Teachers Rule! "The colors are great and the measurements are easy to see," said John Gallagher, manager of Rich Frog. Launch date: 2007

Safer Me TV presents NOT ME!, a by-kids-for-kids proactive abduction prevention DVD targeted towards school-aged children grades 3 to 9. It’s new, it’s different, it’s fun, and it’s a grass-roots effort with the aim of spreading the knowledge of abduction prevention nationally. "It is by kids for kids with professional advice from field experts," affirmed Tim Reca, co-owner of Safer Me TV. This product won 2008 Parents' Choice Approved, 2008 Telly, 2007 Arora Best of Show and 2007 Accolade Honorable Mention awards. Launch date: 2007

The thumb piano or marimba is easy to play and has a quiet soothing sound. By gently striking the ends of the keys with your thumbs, you can play familiar melodies and rhythms or improvise your own. It is a fun instrument to play since anything you play on it sounds good. "The Schoenhut Thumb Piano has twelve metal tongues or keys," explained Kristy Schaffer, manager of Schoenhut. "It is primarily a percussion rhythm instrument. Simple songs are easily tapped out using only your thumbs. It is tuned to the C key. Each instrument is handcrafted." It won a 2005 Dr. Toy Best Children's Vacation Products. Launch date: 2005

This Metamorphic Rock collection features a variety of colors and textures. Each of 10 rocks comes with an identification card that includes a photo and fun rock facts. Kids can try to identify each rock using the hand magnifier and information cards. For a hint, the name of each rock is beneath the foam padding. Launch date: March 2007.

Kids can discover some of Earth’s most magnificent rocks in this kit that features 15 large igneous rocks — both intrusive and extrusive types. Each rock comes with an identification card that includes a photo and fun rock facts, which can be used with the enclosed hand magnifier to identify the samples. Launch date: March 2007.

Crayola 16 Ct. Triangular crayons combine anti-roll design and a writing grip that is developmentally appropriate for students ages 5 to 7. Launch date: 03/03/2008

Six No. 2 pencils come in a box covered with quotes about art from famous artists. The product is made in the USA. Launch date: 1999.

These 12” wooden rulers have inches on one side and chronologies of famous people on the other. Twenty six styles are available, and all are made in the USA. Launch date: May 1994.

The Crayola Dry-Erase Activity Center is a unique, dry-erase board designed for individual use by students. Students can slide blank or pre-printed template cards underneath the window and practice printing, cursive, math, dot-to-dots, etc., by tracing or following the guides with a Crayola Dry-Erase fine line marker. With one quick wipe, the board is clean to practice on again. "This is the only dry-erase board desingned for individual use by students at their desks that allows them to practice fine motor skills - such as handwritting development - with the ablility to easily erase mistakes and practice again without creating any waste," said Susan Tucker, PR specialist for Crayola. Launch date: 2008

JUMBULAYA is an award-winning, multi-faceted word strategy game in which players rearrange, add, and trade tiles on the board to build and claim longer and longer words each turn. As players build words horizontally, they also look for a Jumbulaya - a word of seven or more tiles that can be seen vertically on the game board. "Jumbulaya is a word strategy game where players need to THINK ON MULTIPLE LEVELS simultaneously," said Karl Archer, CEO and cofounder of Platypus Games. "It incorporates strategy into the game play, as players are able to add, as well as remove, tiles from the board and think many moves ahead in order to try to win." It has won a 2008 Mensa Select Gold Seal and iParenting Media Award. Launch date: 12/15/2007.

Follow Professor Pocket, Desi the Dinosaur and Chico the Chicken on a bilingual musical adventure to visit the very unique and magical farm where Chico was born. Listeners will be delighted to learn that pigs drive tractors, cows make chocolate milk and horses fly at this farm, where nothing is what it seems. A silly bilingual storyline, five original songs and a remake of the popular Latin American folk song, “Los Pollitos”, are sure to get the whole family singing and speaking along in Spanish. It's a Dr. Toy Best Products award winner. "Professor Pocket takes a completely fresh approach to language introduction," said Paula Jorge Guglielmino, co-founder of Professor Pocket. "Instead of bombarding listeners with vocabulary words, we seamlessly weave English and Spanish storytelling throughout our CDs and reinforce key concepts and vocabulary through songs." Launch date: 02/20/2007