January 2011 Notable Toys — Educational

Developed by award-winning artist David Kisor, the songs on this CD help children develop focused attention on experiences in the present moment and focused intention on positive self-talk and self-image. Developing mindfulness helps a child control their reactions to stress, develop self-awareness, and be ready to respond optimally to learning opportunities. "The Here Now Know-How songs promote mindfulness in several ways. First they guide children’s self-talk to positive affirmations about themselves, others and the world. Secondly, they give children the experience of control over their sensations, thoughts and feelings. And thirdly, they help children deal with negative feelings and experiences," Emily Sandul, director of sales & marketing for Growing Sound, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Imagination Generation sings fun songs that build imagination and creativity in children. Developed by award-winning composer and performer David Kisor, the songs from this album are designed to help young children realize that the mind is both a toy and a tool. "The music from this album is based on the latest research from the field of Positive Psychology. In these songs, we strive to achieve three creative thinking skills. First, we want to increase the fluency of children’s associations. That is, we want to increase the sheer number of associations they can generate to any given situation or stimulus. Secondly, we want to increase the originality of these associations. We want children to generate associations that typically children would not think of. And finally, we want to increase the adaptability of these associations. We want these associations to lead directly to creative solutions to both every day problems, what we call ingenuity; as well as visions of true artistic masterpieces. Music is a natural vehicle for promoting imagination and creativity in young children. The combination of lyrics and music in self-talk, experiential and story songs provide unique strategies for building the creative mind," Emily Sandul, director of sales & marketing for Growing Sound, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2010.

12 full-color double sided activity work cards provide individual and group practice at 4 levels of difficulty. The Work Cards help students transition their understanding of halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, and ninths into Real World Applications. Comes in a folder that opens to a series of Fraction Number Lines. Self-checking for use at a center. "The focus is on Real World Application and helps students transition from concept to daily life," Bruce Brown, president of World Class Learning Materials, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

In this simulation of a real paleontology fossil dig, children dig for a fossilized shark tooth, brachiopod shell, gastropod shell, and “squid” shell. These real, millions of years old fossils are enclosed in a “brick” and are revealed by using the supplied scraping and brush tools (similar to what real paleontologists use). Young paleontologists then take a closer look at these fossils with the enclosed magnifying glass and learn about each fossil using the provided fun fact cards. "This is a unique fossil dig in that there are 4 real fossils embedded in each brick," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the world around them with a microscope. Young Scientists learn about the history of the microscope, explore the different parts of a microscope, and discover how to use a microscope. Young Scientists make slides of water droplets, plant parts, textile fibers, all kinds of paper, crystals, and more. This investigative bus-shaped kit comes with a microscope, blank slides, cover slips, tweezers, collecting vial, 20 colorful experiment cards, prepared slides of fungi and algae, and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This microscope kit uses the characters from the popular books to get the kids excited about the microscopic world around them," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the field of chemistry. Young Scientists make sticky ice, use litmus paper, measure pH, perform chromatography, make bubble sculptures, wake-up fungus, create slime, form a bouncy ball, learn about density, produce a milk rainbow, plate copper, explode a volcano, and more. This bus-shaped kit comes packed with science components, 51 colorful experiment cards and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This bus-shaped kit is unique in that it is a lab in a bus! It comes with 51 instructions cards which provides hours of science fun," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride while blasting off with erupting volcanoes. Young Scientists learn about the layers of the Earth, study tectonic plate movement, explore different volcanic shapes and eruptions, make real pumice float, create the ultimate “lava” mixture, paint and explode a volcano, and more. This kit includes a colorful poster with volcanic facts, pictures, and stickers. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Our Magic School Bus kits takes Young Scientists on a great journey that includes a poster, stickers, volcano mold, test tubes, and lots more. The manual in the kit is colorful and designed in a similar fashion as the books that are so popular," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride by jumping into electricity. Young Scientists generate lightning bolts, use anti-static sheets, make cereal dance, bend a water stream, create static hair, construct an electric circuit, build a light switch, experiment with insulators and conductors, design electric games, and more. This kit comes with a colorful circuit board holder. "The Magic School Bus brand is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Our Magic School Bus line has great manuals that engage Young Scientists into the exciting science experiments that are explored in each kit," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Let's get ready to read with I Spy! Players read the riddle on their gameboard, find the objects the riddle refers to, and punch them out. The game can be played in reverse by reading the riddles, naming the objects, and placing them back into your board. The game develops necessary pre-reading, verbal, and visual skills. "I Spy Ready To Read uses unique I Spy imagery and riddles to encourage kids into learning to read," Carol Comes, senior product manager at Briarpatch Inc., told TDmonthly.

With the help of WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face, kids twist the rings to learn how to use consonants and vowels to build new words. Line up a letter on the left, and twist the next ring to find letters that make words from two to six letters long. Rings can be removed and rearranged. In addition, letters have numerical values, so kids can work on their math skills as they find words with bigger scores.

With the help of Clifford and his Friends, kids can twist the rings and match everyday items with their proper category. For example, line up the word "winter," and twist the rings to line up earmuffs, warm hat, scarf, gloves and snow boots. Helps develop logical thinking as well as motor skills.

DoodleMark™ allows children and parents to interact with books together. Whether practicing sight words, working on vocabulary, learning to write letters, bookmarking their progress or just doodling a funny picture, this product is designed to help build a child's confidence in their reading and writing. It can be used as a classroom tool, at home to reinforce what's being taught in school, and as an incentive for reluctant readers. "DoodleMark is the world's only bookmark and drawing pad that clips to a book," Jennifer Kendra, VP sales and marketing at ReMarkable Reading Concepts, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2010.

The Storymatic is a writing prompt, a teaching tool, a parlor game, and a toy, all in one little box. Combine a few of the 500+ cards, and watch a story take shape. Six trillion story combinations are possible. "I made the first one while teaching creative writing at a small Vermont college...my students kept asking me to make more than one so they could buy it and play with it outside of class with their family and friends. Finally, I took their advice," Brian Mooney, president of The Storymatic, told TDmonthly. Additionally, "The Storymatic is made here in the U.S., in a printing plant and box factory that have both been in continuous operation for more than 100 years." Launch date: March 2009.

Celestial Buddies, an original line of educational plush characters, is inspired by planets and other celestial bodies. Each plush planetary pal is designed to capture the unique variations of the actual object it represents through fabric, color, size and shape. "Celestial Buddies is a unique, innovative plush toy series not replicated in today’s market. While most Solar System toys are for school children interested in science, Celestial Buddies has a much wider age appeal from babies all the way up to adults," Jessica Silbert, owner and president of Celestial Buddies, told TDmonthly.

SCRUBLE Cube is a fusion of the classic Rubik's Cube and SCRABBLE games. To play, you twist and turn the sides of the cube or rotate the individual squares to spell words. Earn extra points for spelling a word across multiple surfaces using bonus squares and building new words off ones that have already been created. SCRUBLE Cube can promote the development and exercise of key brain functions- logical deduction, analytical processing and word development skills. 1-4 players.

In the third book in the popular Blues Go Birding series, the adventurous Blues are filled with amazement as they discover the world’s most extreme birds—the fastest-diving, deepest-diving, highest-flying, keenest-hearing—and many more. It’s a fast-paced romp around the world with solid information about birds to inspire a future generation of birders. Written by Carol L. Malnor and Sandy F. Fuller, illustrated by Louise Schroeder. 36 pages. Also available in hardback ($16.95).

Kimochis are small pillows with a feeling (happy, sad, silly, brave) printed on one side and a corresponding facial expression on the other. Each Kimochis plush character comes with a set of three feelings and a how-to Kimochis Feel Guide. The characters — Clover, Cat, Huggtopus, Cloud, Bella Rose, Bug and Lovey Dove — have a special pocket where kids can store their "Kimochis" or feelings. Using the characters and their Kimochis, kids can get in touch with their emotions through puppetry and play. “Getting back to the basics by playing and communicating with Kimochis™ is a simple, yet powerful way to teach children how to: be aware of feelings, choose how to communicate in emotional moments, and redo mistakes. Children will be drawn to the fun, adorable, accessible characters. Parents will be drawn to the high-quality craftsmanship and the valuable educational content," Susan Schroeder, director of marketing and communications for Plushy Feely Corp., told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2009 Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence; Best Vacation Products by Dr. Toy; Kaboose.com's Top 13 Amazing Toys for Preschoolers; TDmonthly Top Toy Award, June 2011
— Why it won: The latest line of Kimochis are cuter than ever and just as good at helping children articulate some of their more troubling emotions. Bella Rose is pretty and soft and works just as well as a traditional stuffed animal as she does as a teaching tool.

Kimochis are small pillows with a feeling (happy, sad, silly, brave) printed on one side and a corresponding facial expression on the other. Each Kimochis plush character comes with a set of three feelings and a how-to Kimochis Feel Guide. The characters — Clover, Cat, Huggtopus, Cloud, Bella Rose, Bug and Lovey Dove — have a special pocket where kids can store their "Kimochis" or feelings. Using the characters and their Kimochis, kids can get in touch with their emotions through puppetry and play. “Getting back to the basics by playing and communicating with Kimochis™ is a simple, yet powerful way to teach children how to: be aware of feelings, choose how to communicate in emotional moments, and redo mistakes. Children will be drawn to the fun, adorable, accessible characters. Parents will be drawn to the high-quality craftsmanship and the valuable educational content," Susan Schroeder, director of marketing and communications for Plushy Feely Corp., told TDmonthly. —  Awards: 2009 Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence, Best Vacation Products by Dr. Toy, and Kaboose.com's Top 13 Amazing Toys for Preschoolers.

Story Speller is a beginning storytelling game that everyone can play. Fill a storyboard with the favorite story element cards, choose a hero or heroine, and learn to tell and spell storybook tales. The story element card categories include: Friends and Foes, Locations, Treasures, Objects and Obstacles, Vehicles, and Actions. Will an asteroid hit Earth causing tarantulas to run wild? Will the Pirate go diving in the moonlight to find the hidden egg? Each story is different and encourages children to develop their imaginations and creativity as well as sequential thinking and language skills. Launch date: February 2011.

The KWID Learning Watch teaches kids to read digital and analog time by displaying them together so kids can connect the two. The KWID also teaches time management skills, thanks to a digital hourglass timer that is great for tracking privileges, chores, tooth brushing time and more. When the digital hourglass empties, a song plays and a cute animation pops up. In addition, kids can control the playing of five different entertaining animations when they push the “kid” button that is just for them. Launch date: September 2012.

The Kid’Sleep My First Alarm Clock teaches young children how to tell time and gives them the independence of their own alarm clock. My First Alarm Clock shows the time in both digital and analog. The hour and minute hand colors match the hour and minute numbers. The alarm arm is inverted so that children can see how long it is until they have to wake up. There are three possible alarm sounds; chirping birds, a cuckoo or a train sound. The alarm sounds progressively louder until the child turns the alarm off or pushes the top button to snooze for another two minutes. Pushing the top button also provides a short glowing light so that the child can see the time during the night. There is also a small Kid’Sleep feature – when the sleeping child is lit, kids know to stay in bed and sleep a while longer. When the awake child is lit, kids know it is time to wake up. The mini night light emits a reassuring glow. My First Alarm Clock comes in blue or pink. Launch date: September 2011.

The Kid’Sleep Classic has many benefits, as a night light and sleep teacher for young children and an alarm clock for older children. It helps young children have an understanding of when it is time to get out of bed and when it is not. It is a great tool for nighttime self regulation, and the result is that both parents and children get more sleep. The Kid’Sleep Classic helps kids stay in bed until it is time to get up. If the sleeping animal is lit, kids know to stay in bed. When the awake animal is illuminated, it is okay to get out of bed and start the day. Kids naturally relate to the sleeping or awake animal. Color recognition is not required. The Kid’Sleep Classic has dual nighttime/naptime settings and an optional alarm (which is a very sweet bird chirping sound followed by a rooster crowing), in addition to three levels of brightness. The Kid’Sleep Classic comes in blue (bunny) or pink (cow). Launch date: September 2009.
Awards: 2011 Parent Tested Parent Approved

The Little Pim Spanish Intro Gift Set includes Spanish DVD eating and drinking (Disc 1), Spanish Bop music CD, Little Pim trilingual board book- Colors or Feelings, and an adorable 9” plush panda, packaged in a handy, reusable Little Pim tote. The DVD introduces 60 Spanish words and phrases for mealtime, and the music CD features songs by Milkshake and Dan Zanes & Friends, stars of the children's music circuit. "Little Pim is the first language immersion product that specializes in introducing foreign languages to babies, toddlers and preschoolers," Ashely Hernandez, Little Pim sales associate, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2012.
Awards: 2012 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval; Dr. Toy 100 Best Toys for 2012; Dr. Toy 10 Best Audio-Visual Toys for 2012; 2012 Tillywig Brain Child Award; 2010 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval; 2008 iParenting Media Award; 2010 Dr. Toy Best Audio Visual Award; 2007 Parent-to-Parent Adding Wisdom Award; 2010 Creative Child Media of the Year Award; 2009 AEP Award.

This 19 x 13" 100 pieces Sharks jigsaw puzzle features over 20 shark species. Made of strong, easy-fit puzzle pieces, grained paper for a glare-free picture, recycled board, recycled paper, and vegetable based ink. "Beautiful illustrations make your child aware of the diversity in shark species. Your child will learn important characteristics of individual shark family members," Erich Fellinger, Eurographics sales manager, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.