March 2009 New Specialty Toys — Educational

Designed to develop strong values and teach children and adults about the Bible by instilling in them scripture, this game accommodates two to six players. Questions range from simple to complex, and the goal of the game is to collect the most angels to win. "They're having fun and scriptures are being installed, and that's why kids like it so much," Michael Neely, inventor of Vice Verses, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

The Advanced KidsRuler is an easy to use, colorful and engaging tool for older students who have the basic concepts of measurement. It is sturdy, kid friendly, and simply attaches to another unit with its unique interlocking end cap units, to extend learning measurements to beyond 12 inches. Its four sides feature a standard ruler, quarters, eighths, and the decimal conversion of increments in eighths of an inch.

Open the Sphinx’s secret mummy hiding place with your amulet. Includes two figures, skeleton that glows in the dark, and many other accessories. Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for ages under 3 years.
— Playmobil products continue to be great sellers at Melody’s Choices, as reported by Owner Steve Melody in spring 2009. “Although this line is in the big box, if you support it well, you have something the [big] box does not … selection,” he told TDmonthly.

Students stumped by noble gases, alloys, isotopes and polymers? Chemistry Quizmo will help them gain practice in solving for either the Chemical name or Symbol for elements found in the Periodic Table while also learning trivia. From Hydrogen (H) to Radium (Ra), kids in grades 5 and up can discover fun facts, unusual uses and the stories behind an element’s name. There are two levels of play, and the game is for two to 36 players.

KidsRuler was created by a veteran elementary school teacher, who noticed that students consistently struggled with using the standard ruler to learn the beginning concepts of measurement. KidsRuler was created to help students visualize the increments of measurement, and give them a fun way to practice their skills. The KidsRuler helps students master the NCTM standards of measurement. They also connect together to allow kids to measure real-life objects, such as a desk or chair.
— Mention ToyDirectory and receive 10% off on your first order.

This paperback by Joy Massof and illustrated by Terry Sirrell lets kids indulge their nasty side while getting a bit of education. More than 50 topics are covered, including acne, maggots, halitosis and snot. Cartoons and experiments, such as making fake snot, add to the fun. Paperback, 224 pages. Launch date: January 2000.

The theme of this DVD is about dinosaurs. Your children will be delighted with the dinosaur story and will want to see it over and over and again. Also, you will finds songs that will have your children moving, learning and burning calories. Counting to 100 is also a favorite of many teachers as well as children. This DVD will keep children occupied and delighted as Shawn Brown, the Pied Piper of Early Childhood, strikes it big with this first DVD project.

This CD is loaded with early childhood concepts. Math, Science, Spanish, Cultural diversity, Manners and so much more. This CD will rock your children's world.

Whether you have a large childcare facility or home center this CD will quickly get your children trained to the childcares new pied piper. Parents this one is even good for the ride in the car and the last song of the night. Shawn Brown's personal favorite is "Going Outside".

This CD's music covers States and Capitols, Science, Math, Exercise, Eating Healthy and more.

From basic apples and bananas to exotic kiwi and cherimoya, the cartoon-style illustrations and kid-friendly dialogue promise to make a fruit lover out of the pickiest eater. Kids can join five playful fruit flies for an action-packed picnic as they gather a feast of fruit in all shapes and sizes and learn about the importance of eating a variety of colors.

The genuinely antique-looking Mankala Game Board has to be excavated, painted and polished in order to display the antique look. It includes 50 scarab game pieces, a wooden chisel, brushes, paints and intstructions (as well as the ancient history of the game). Launch date: November 3, 2008.

The wooden Magnetic Number Match Up Puzzle is a great interactive activity that helps children develop math skills. It comes with 30 colorful wooden pieces that fit together to form three-piece number tiles. Children learn to count the number of objects illustrated on one piece of the tile and match it to the correct number and the right number word. Launch date: December 2008.

The MagnaPlay Magnetic Activity Travel Set includes one MagnaKase and one magnetic wooden activity, such as the Alphabet Picture Puzzle or the Number Match Up. Children can use the top of the MagnaKase as a dry-erase magnetic activity board while they're on the go. The MagnaKase also comes with two magnetic strips that secure coloring pages to the activity surface. Launch date: November 2008.

This portable hand-washing station, without plumbing, encourages hand-washing habits to help keep everyone healthy while meeting licensing requirements. The water is heated 20° F by the tankless, on-demand water heater. The water pump has a flow rate of up to one-half gallon per minute. The tank (blue) for the non-potable clean water holds five gallons, and the waste-water tank (gray) holds six gallons. There is a catch tray under the tanks. Mistake-proof connectors mean the clean- and waste-water tanks cannot be inadvertently switched around. Quick-connecting hook ups for the tanks have an internal valve to prevent spills when disconnected, and the faucet is ADA compliant. The sinks are 5" deep and come in stainless steel or FDA approved plastic. There is a storage shelf in the adult height portable sink, and coin-locked doors are in the back for safety. Other safety features include UL and NSF approved components, a power switch inside the cabinet, four heavy duty locking casters, and openings for cord management. Launch date: 2009.

The Eco range is part of Wonderworld's collection of products designed to educate children on the importance of recycling, saving energy, and being friendly to the environment. The Eco House wooden doll house comes complete with room settings and a family. Themes include recycling, planting trees, using solar panels, bicycling and collecting rain water. All accessories are included. "Wonderworld uses only water-based paint for our wooden toys so [as] to minimize child exposure to chemicals," President Jason Cohen of Smart Gear told TDmonthly. "Wonderworld, as a strong advocate of protecting the environment, insists on using only rubber-wood that is of replenishable source and [is] widely accepted throughout the world as the environment-friendly material." Launch date: November 2008.

Keys to Comprehension offers an adventurous way for kids to master six key skills. Players spin to determine which specific reading skill to focus on, draw a card, read its short passage, and then answer the specific skill question. If they get it right, they get a “key” for that skill. Once they collect all six keys they are on their way to unlocking the buried treasure and winning the game. The game for two to six players includes a gameboard, 90 question cards, 36 key cards, six pawns, and one die. "The Keys to Comprehension game is available in two different reading levels - RL 1-3 (REM 6006A) and RL 3-5 (REM 6006B)," Liz Mullen, director of sales for Remedia Publications, told TDmonthly. It received a Learning Magazine 2009 Teachers’ Choice Award. Launch date: 2006.

The Sports of All Sorts Kit optical illusion eye-hand challenges provide hours of independent, brain-powered, sit-down sports fun. Kids find and crayon morphed shapes on distorted coloring pages to make color appear in the right place in the sports cartoon reflections. They complete the morphed picture, create their own morphed drawing, navigate a morphed maze, connect the dots, predict a reflection, and more. The activities help develop logic and perception skills, flex problem-solving mental muscles, exercise fine motor control, test spatial intelligence, and spark imagination and creativity. The kit contains 32 coloring page activities (“Soccer” is shown), two mirror-perfect Morph-O-Scopes (easy assembly), 16 non-toxic crayons, a Sports Kit Enrichment Guide to maximize learning, and instructions in English, Spanish and French — all in a portable “desk” convenient for travel. The activities engage boys and girls, kids, tweens, teens and adults, as they have universal, cross-cultural appeal. The Sports of All Sorts Kit is made in the USA and meets or exceeds all U.S. safety standards. It's the second Morph-O-Scopes Kit offered by OOZ & OZ, whose Circus Kit earned 19 national educational toy awards.
The Sports of All Sorts Kit has received the following awards and honors: 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products,  a “Recommended” endorsement from the National Association for Gifted Children, 2009 The Toy Man Editors Choice Award, 2009 The Toy Man Award of Excellence, and 2009 The Toy Man Seal of Approval.  “No other products on the market use OOZ & OZ's exclusive technology or have earned as many toy honors," Myrna Hoffman, managing director and chief morphologist of OOZ & OZ, told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 13, 2008.

The LaQ Free Style Series includes all seven types of snap-and-click-together blocks in various color themes. LaQ Free Style Colors is a 400-piece kit of blocks in red, blue, yellow and green. "The innovative construction toy block LaQ has been shown to aid the growth of a child's mind. A child's mind shows activity in both the right and left hemisphere of the brain," Mo Saeki, manager of the Overseas Division for YOSHIRITSU CO., LTD., told TDmonthly. "All LaQ blocks materials, assembly and packing are handled in Japan." Launch date: December 2008.

The LaQ Free Style Series includes all seven types of LaQ snap-and-click-together blocks in various color themes. The 400-piece Free Style Pastel kit features the blocks in pink, orange, sky blue and yellow green. "The intellectual construction toy block LaQ makes a fun snap! and click! noise when piecing the parts together. This encourages the child that the pieces are firmly connected. The basic square and triangle parts connect together with angled joint pieces. The joint parts make possible the creation of flat, two-dimensional, three-dimensional and spherical models," Mo Saeki, manager of the Overseas Division for YOSHIRITSU CO., LTD., told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.

The “Writing Made Simple” Kids are part of a larger curriculum that will include a child’s and teacher’s workbooks. This tin product is the fun, manipulative part of the program. The object is to teach the correct letter and numeral formations through play (utilizing a strong emphasis on a multisensory approach) using magnetic caricature puzzle pieces. Through initially forming the letters and numbers with manipulatives, the child will have ingrained the steps that will properly translate when using crayons/pencil and paper. Our four caricatures are performing an action (strong visual) as to how to form the shapes. Launch date: 2009.

"The Riddle in a Bottle," filmed by award-winning wildlife filmmakers Laura Sams and Robert Sams, shows how life on earth is connected through moving water. The Riddle Solvers try to solve a puzzling riddle that mysteriously floats to their inland riddle stand from the far away ocean. Kids can join them as they meet sea turtles, a singing pirate and more. Launch date: October 1, 2008.

AmeriTales uses fantasy-adventure stories to introduce children to American history. In this tale, the legendary story of young Amelia Earhart building her own roller coaster is depicted. The spunky Amelia battles prairie winds and outdated traditions for girls to make her roller coaster dream come true. This childhood misadventure shows kids how Amelia grew up to become a famous aviator. Launch date: July 2008.

Kids can color these 24-piece, two-sided jigsaw puzzles with the five jumbo wipe-off crayons that are included in the sturdy sliding drawer box. Or, they can flip over the pieces over and assemble the pre-colored pieces to see the same scene. Launch date: August 2008.