November 2010 New Specialty Toys — Creative Activities

This excellent new product, Hexbug Nano Habitat Set, gives the Hexbug Nano owners a chance to put their industrious little micro-robotic critters to the test by creating a customizable playground for them. Since not all Hexbug Nanos are the same, the Habitat Set contains two extremely rare nano mutations, four easy connect curved pieces, three easy connect straight pieces, and three easy connect hexagon pieces, which offer users a multitude of potential configurations.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Zip-ity Princess is a soft new 14” Play & Learn doll complete with six learning activities: Zip, Button, Snap, Buckle, Tie, Fasten, and Reading. She helps to teach young ones basic dressing skills, letter and word recognition, and also helps develop fine and gross motor skills, as well as eye-hand coordination. She stimulates baby’s senses of sight, hearing, and touch, while nurturing their feeling of security.  She is dressed in assorted Princess outfits for imaginative fun. This is an excellent preschool doll to help with skill building.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

A creative project allows your child to make many reusable Fuzzoodle combinations. Choose a Fuzzoodle, then pick some parts, twist it, bend it and build it.  The Fluffy Friends Large Kit includes 6 long Fuzzoodles, 4 short Fuzzoodles, 10 Fuzzoodle parts, and 1 idea booklet. Provides for fun and dexterity activity at the same time.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Kids can grow up to 300 Orbeez at once, and 2,500 total, in this gizmo. While the Orbeez grow, children can shoot them through the hoops. Once grown, they cascade down the spiral ramp into the collection tray and can be used for play with ideas from the included activity booklet.

This portable art set features a plain brown paper exterior that allows users to personalize all sides. The set includes 18 colored pencils, 16 fine-point markers, 18 crayons, 14 pastels, eight watercolor cakes, two paintbrushes, two drawing pencils, a sharpener and an eraser. It measures 14.5" x 10.5" x 2.25" and has a rope handle and closure. "This art set allows ANYONE to personalize their own set!" Xonex Art Director Emily Meluch told TDmonthly.

These cookie cutters are designed for kids and feature Halloween-themed shapes including a cat, leaf, pumpkin and ghost. They offer a soft grip and are oversized for easy use. Curious Chef cookie cutters are made from BPA-free food safe plastic and are dishwasher safe.

Kids can learn anatomy, teach posture, do illustrations or recreate Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man with this articulated stencil. The stencil measures 13.5” tall, is see-through and easy-to-clean, and pivots at 15 different points.

This simple to use, open-ended building set features five colors of 8" flexible straws that can be cut to accommodate different sizes. Users can construct cars, jets, castles and more. The set includes 400 pieces.

The innovative READ workbook series is expertly designed for beginning readers. Each READ grade level offers a Step In workbook with shorter stories and simpler sentences and a Step Up workbook with stories and sentences that are a bit longer. Both options are specifically written to support beginning readers as they read, explore, and discover early reading success. "The Step Up, Gr. K–1 workbook features an exciting combination of learn-to-read stories, engaging questions to build vocabulary and spark discussion, and dynamic story-based activities," Creative Teaching Press Marketing Specialist Lauren Tuculescu told TDmonthly.

An enjoyable craft project/activity for children and adults. Recommended for use with Sandtastik PlasterMix. 18 unique and reusable Molds per pack. Simply choose the preferred color of plaster, mix the colored plaster with water, pour the mixture into Sandtastik Plaster Molds, wait 30 minutes, and then paint and decorate. Plaster Molds can be re-used over and over again.

A castle, pixie, fairy and unicorn are ready to take anyone on a mystical journey. Included in this kit are 8 peel and stick patterns and 9 tubes of vibrant, non-toxic sand.
Awards: Creative Child’s 2010 Seal of Excellence award.

Sandtastik Modeling Clay is a premium quality, natural self-hardening clay. This easy-to-use non-toxic colored modeling clay is available in gold, black, white, green, and terracotta colors. Its exceptional plasticity and ultra fine grade allow for fine detail and versatility. Sandtastik Modeling Clay can be used to create a variety of clay projects, including vases, cups, plates and many other types of clay art.

Girls can create custom interchangeable fabric-covered snaps that mix and match into a closet full of accessories, including rings, bracelets, necklaces, belts, ponytail bands, barrettes, headbands and more. Skills to create printed fabric, such as photo transfers and embroidering, are broken down into easy, step-by-step directions.

Scopey the Dog is a unique character whose adventures are designed to bring environmental awareness to readers. The product line includes a plush toy, microscope toy and multiple activity books. Scopey the Dog has "Scopey Sense" built-in to magnify micro-images in the books, or magnify any object to 50x the original size on a TV or computer screen.

The Handstand Kids Cookbooks are fully-illustrated, international children's cookbooks that introduce children to the language, culture and cuisine of three different countries (Italy, Mexico and China) while encouraging healthy eating, community involvement and helping out in the kitchen. Each kit comes uniquely packaged with a cooking accessory. The Italian Cookbook is packaged in a pizza box with a chef's hat, the Mexican Cookbook comes in a tortilla bag with a child-sized oven mitt and Chinese Cookbook is packaged in a take-out box with a set of chopsticks.

Part of the My Friendship Bracelet Maker line, this clip board is designed to be a smaller, portable, gender- and age- neutral version of the My Friendship Bracelet Maker. The clip board allows users to easily create even the most complicated friendship bracelet patters with the patented designed "peace" sign clip and string holder. The kit comes with 10 pre-cut threads so users can get started right away. The "MY Friendship Bracelet Maker Clip Board allows users to create an unlimited variety of friendship bracelets with ease," David Crorey, Owner and CEO of Crorey Creations told TDmonthly.

Explore a beautiful medieval day with colorful illustrations of enchanting scenery, princes, and princesses. The felt play board can be used to place the various illustrations into the setting for a fun and educational activity.

It's a grand evening at the ball. With this set, choose from different outfits to dress the two main couples on center stage; from elegant pink and blue dresses to a pair of formal attire.

Relive the story of Cinderella with this felt activity set. The set features all the well-known characters of the story, including Cinderella, the prince, the Fairy Godmother, and the three step sisters. Also featured is the stagecoach, the glass slipper, and more.

This advanced-formula, air-drying natural stone clay possesses a fine body, allowing for greater detail, exceptional strength, ultra lightweight pieces and a bright white finish. It can be blended with LaDoll Clay to increase LaDoll’s strength. Premier clay accepts acrylic-, oil- and water-based paints or dry finishing powders, and can be carved, sanded or drilled when dry.

Blackjack Clay is a blend of several natural clays found in Texas. A process of blending, wet screening (slurry mixing), filter pressing and final pug milling results in a plastic and silky smooth-textured clay. This clay can be used for modeling, hand building, wheel throwing and sculpturing, and is designed to be a tool for both beginners and professionals.

This lightweight general purpose dollmaking clay contains highly refined pumice, talc, small amounts of paper pulp and additional binders. It is extremely pliant, allowing for exceptional detail, and has an ultra smooth finish. LaDoll accepts acrylic-, oil- and water-based paints or dry finishing powders, and can be carved, sanded or drilled when dry. LaDoll has the unique ability to be dissolved in water and used as a finish coat or soaked with paper or cloth to be formed into shapes.