October 2011 New Specialty Toys — Educational

Kids add friendly insects from their yard, watch them grow into giant supersized shadows on their ceiling, and move as they crawl about in the magnified-projector dome. The spacious observatory chamber is safe for bugs and kids. The projector’s buggy eyes light up, too.

If you can play business, you can learn business! Kids will have fun earning money while starting their first business with this unique mobile business stand. The Apprentice Kit includes a mobile business office, a fun illustrated activity book to get started, and customizable banner set. The business stand comes with wheels, dry/erase magnetic banner areas, built-in locking money tray, literature storage tray, solar-powered built-in calculator, hooks, keys, magnets, and dry erase marker set. Kids can choose a business from the book or come up with their own business to launch. The book is easy to read and teaches kids how to become young entrepreneurs. Launch date: November 2010.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys; 2011 Oppenheim Toy Award; 2011 NAPPA Gold Award

Kids in Business around the World is an interactive workbook that offers FUN content, ideas, and hands-on learning exercises to give kids, tweens and teens the tools to start and run their own business or fundraiser. Chapters include information on goal setting, money management, and social entrepreneurship, determination and more. "This interactive workbook teaches kids, tweens and teens the foundations of entrepreneurship," Stephanie Lutz Paulauskas, marketing director at Del Visionaries, LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2010.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys; 2011 Oppenheim Toy Award; 2011 NAPPA Gold Award

This book about loss follows beloved cat Tiger Rose as she says goodbye to her family and favorite things for the last time. Written by prolific children's author Jane Yolen and illustrated by Jim LaMarche. 32 pages. Launch date: May 24, 2011.

Kids can make gobs of gum with this bubble gum factory. Create unique recipes by mixing and matching different flavors. Kit Includes citric acid packet, corn syrup, confectioner sugar, gum base, watermelon flavoring, blueberry flavoring, mint flavoring, 2 note cards, activity guide, and a plastic tin with lid.
— Andrea Scartozzi, from Hardware Toys in Paoli, Pa., told TDmonthly in a September 2011 survey that Bubble Gum Factory is their bestselling science toy.
— In a late Summer 2012 survey, Joe Berardoni Sr., owner of Pun's Toys in Bryn Mawr, Penn., told TDmonthly that "a certain few of the kits from Scientific Explorer, mostly any one that has to do with food," are their second-best selling Science & Nature item.
— Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that kits from Scientific Explorer are one of their top-2 bestselling educational products. They sell dozens each month.

uKloo was developed as a reading game with the help of teachers, parents, lids, and special needs family testers. Great for kinesthetic learners. Offers physical exercise, builds confidence, and promotes independent learning and play. Kids search for clues and learn to read in this interactive literacy game.
Awards: Dr. Toy's 10 Best Active Products - 2011

55 piece Jigsaw puzzle. Pieces shaped like the states. Complete children's geography lesson of the USA. Fun for the whole family.

Since the pieces are actually shaped like the Countries of the World, you can't complete this 600-piece puzzle without figuring out where every Country is located. No other puzzle comes with such a superb geography lesson! 600 pieces.

PINKALICIOUS - New York Times Bestselling Hardcover book by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann. Eight 27" square 100% nylon scarves, two of each of the following colors: ballet pink, white frosting, cotton candy pink, and dazzling pink  IDEAS Music CD with lots of dancing, twirling, magically inspired music selections. Instructional/informational insert. Easy to store in our reusable sturdy storage bag with self-closing handles. All scarves are made and all kits constructed in the USA. Launch date: June 2011.

GOLDILICIOUS - Hardcover book by Victoria Kann. Eight-27" square 100% nylon scarves, two of each of the following colors: star bright gold, white frosting, cotton candy pink and perky purple  IDEAS Music CD with lots of dancing, twirling, magically inspired music selection. Instructional/informational insert. Easy to store in our reusable sturdy storage bag with self-closing handles.  Loose scarves are available for purchase. All scarves are made and all kits are constructed in the USA. Launch date: June 2011.

PURPLICIOUS - Hardcover book by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann. Eight-27" square 100% nylon scarves, two of each of the following colors: perky purple, sunset skyblue-pink, boo-hoo blue and cotton candy pink.  IDEAS Music CD with lots of dancing, twirling, magically inspired music selections.  Instructional/informational insert. Easy to store in our reusable sturdy storage bag with self-closing handles.  Loose scarves are available for purchase. All scarves are made and all kits are constructed in the USA. Launch date: June 2011.

These are 36" square scarves that come in the following colors: purple, lavender, royal blue, medium blue, kelly green, lime green, yellow, orange, red, pink, black and white.  These scarves are wonderful for children ages 3-12. They are washable, air dry. Launch date: 1996.

Individual 27" square nylon scarves in a variety of colors: purple, lavender, royal blue, medium blue, kelly green, lime green, yellow, orange, red, pink, black, white, peach, light pink, brown and grey. These scarves are wonderful for children ages 3-12.  They are washable, air dry. Launch date: 1996.

This is a brand new double sided, laminated, educational desk map. Learn A Map is a terrific learning tool for children. It's easy to read and easy to use. It is double sided and laminated so it can be drawn on and easily erased. Learn A Map can be used anywhere, at home, at school, or on the road. Bulk ordering is available and there is free shipping on orders of 100 or more. Launch date: 2011.

lapiluv is the only wearable attachable activity center for parents to play with their children, mixing technology and traditional toys. Launch date: September 2011.
Awards: 2012 PAL AWARD;  2012 Creative Child Top Choice of the Year Award

Standing over two feet tall, the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab has 60 mix-and-match pieces to build an unlimited amount of contraptions.  Kids can dream up crazy courses, then build and test them using this easy-to-construct Velcro-like system.  Instructions offer tips and tricks on how to best manipulate the kit's components.  It guides kids through five sample contraption designs while they learn how to predict the outcome of each. "Contraption Lab offers full-circle skill building from prediction and planning to testing and experimentation," Nancy Storment, marketing & PR rep for SmartLab Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012.
— Why it won: A great product that encourages creativity.

When a storm makes a mess of the neighborhood, everyone lends a helping hand. In the meantime, Grover is invited to a Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem. Come join Matisyahu and Oofnik as they beat box the Hava Nagila. It's "Sesame Street for the Jewish American consumer - The Jewish Version of Sesame street with familiar Sesame Street characters and their Israeli furry friends," Haim Scheininger, president of SISU Home Entertainment, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.
Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Pick Award; 2011 Hugo Television Award (for “It’s Passover. Grover!); 2011 CINE Golden Eagle Award.

PINKALICIOUS & SILVERLICIOUS* (NY Times Bestselling Children's Book List), PURPLICIOUS, AND GOLDILICIOUS Hardcover books by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann - COMPLETE SERIES. Sixteen 27" square 100% nylon scarves, two of each in the following colors: cotton candy pink, dazzling pink, sunset sky-blue pink, perky purple, starbright gold, white frosting, silver, and lively lavender; An IDEAS Music CD with lots of dancing, twirling, magically inspired music selections; Instructional/informational inserts. Easy to store in our reusable sturdy storage bag with self-closing handles.Launch date: May 2011.
Awards: Silverlicious - 2011 Creative Child's Book of the Year and Media of the Year Award.

TRI : 3-Way Thinking Games "TRI your brains, TRI your words, TRI your luck. Multiple Games for Endless Fun." This is a new game set that challenges players' perceptive, tactical and word powers. Instructions include 4 different games, and will be extensible to other new playing methods in the future. Launch date: October 2011.

The Starry Night would have been just another landscape if it were not for van Gogh’s swirling layered brush strokes that make the painting come alive. The Starry Night Master Kitz includes all the tools your child needs to create their own Starry Night masterpiece and learning materials to deepen their understanding of the original painting. Each Starry Night Master Kitz includes:A sturdy, re-usable art tool box with magnetic closures, 3 Custom Acrylic Paints (child friendly), 5 Custom Oil Pastels (child friendly), 1 van Gogh Roller specially designed to , replicate van Gogh’s active stroke, 1 re-usable Starry Night Cyprus Stencil, 1 standard paint roller, 2 pieces deluxe art paper, 1 low tack “Mesmerizing Stars” sticker sheet, Fun, easy-to-understand van Gogh learning materials, Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. The Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt and Water Lilies by Claude Monet kits are also available. Fifteen percent of Kidzaw’s profits are donated to programs that fund art for disadvantaged public schools in urban areas.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012
— Why it won: This fun kit introduces kids to one of the most famous pieces of art in the world. Including educational materials about van Gogh, the kit also provides paint, stickers, and the tools necessary for kids to recreate, or re-imagine, the Starry Night painting.

This NY Times Bestselling Book and Multi-Award Winning Activity Kit is an educational tool with a thousand uses. These bright colorful scarves stimulate the senses, encourage movement and teach and reinforce color recognition. Parents can use this book to encourage imagination and solo and choral reading. Dance to the music or use for dress up. These scarves are an open-ended tool, limited only by the users imagination. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: 2011 Winner of Creative Child's Book of the Year and Media of the Year Awards

Obstacles is a journey along a path of hazards and barriers which are overcome by the collective cleverness of its players. Armed with an unlikely set of tools, imagination, and some silliness, players "cooperate" creatively to innovate solutions that let them get home together. "Obstacles is eeBoo's first "cooperative" game. It teaches the useful skill of creative collaboration and makes for a play experience that is positive and constructive as it promotes good feelings amongst players. It is a perfect game for parents, children, and siblings to be silly and imaginative together," Regina Gelin, sales and marketing associate at eeBoo, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award - Platinum

HEXACUS is an exploration in creativity and fun for the entire family. Just sort by size and color, then stack, nest, and balance to create a wide variety of patterns and shapes. Our Idea Booklet shows over 100 examples of easy to challenging patterns and shapes to build.  Ages: 2+  CONTENTS: 12 Hexagonal Pieces – 3 Red, 3 Orange, 2 Yellow, 2 Green, 1 Light Blue, 1 Dark Blue, Idea Booklet. "Due to it's unique and geometrically accurate shape, children are able to nest and stack HEXACUS pieces in a wide variety of ways using horizontal, vertical and diagonal planes," Jason Cheung, general manager of Huntar Company, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2012.

A fun way to discover 100 everyday sounds. Children will be delighted to hear sounds that come to life when bar codes are scanned by using the Smart Pen.  Crystal clear technology teaches animals, musical instruments, vehicles, machinery and nature sounds. The sounds are recorded in high fidelity and are very realistic. 50 double sided learning cards are included for hours of learning fun. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Toy of the Year