March 2010 Notable Toys — Science & Nature

The final challenge in becoming a Jedi Knight is to build one’s own lightsaber. With the Remote Controlled Lightsaber Room Light, young Padawans can construct their own Jedi lightsaber and mount their creation as a room light on the wall. Eight color effects let kids personalize their lightsaber, and a wireless remote control turns the light on and off. During construction, kids learn about the electronics that make a lightsaber work.

R/C Snake is more than 20” long and slithers along any hard smooth surface. It has light-up eyes and a segmented body. Launch date: Summer 2010.

The skeleton of an extinct T-Rex has been discovered and kids can carefully remove each bone from the dig site while learning facts about dinosaurs. When users touch the sides of the pit, the T-Rex will roar, forcing the loss of a turn. The goal is to collect the most bones and win. Launch date: Summer 2010.

Star Theater 3 is an updated design of the No. 1 selling home planetarium in the world. Kids watch as hundreds of stars and constellations are projected onto the ceiling and walls. It features a CD with a guided audio tour of the night sky and Stellarium interactive astronomy software. It's designed to feel like being in a real planetarium. Launch date: Summer 2010.

The largest Lab In A Bag ever is available with 30 activities. It contains popular experiments touching on everything from chemistry and physics to biology and geology.

By air, land, and sea, migrating animals are "going home." Salmon, turtles, whales and manatees travel by sea. Hummingbirds, butterflies and geese fly with determination. And caribou thunder across vast plains. Both illustrations and text capture a sense of movement and purpose, plus a sense of mystery and amazement. This is an "educational book about why animals migrate [and] how they find their way home, and lets you discover the journey along the way," Sandy Philpott, Director of Marketing, Dawn Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.

In a unique blend of caricature and realism, five adorable cartoon bluebirds — a band in search of a different song for their upcoming concert — go birdwatching (and bird-listening) across the continent. Along the way they see remarkable (real) birds from the bald eagle in Alaska to mallard ducks in Boston, and discover the joys of birdwatching. The book is full of information about the birds, in the form of “field guide” pages, journal entries by the BLUES, and birding tips. "This book, the first in a series, is not just an imaginative travelogue — it’s also a young person’s primer to birdwatching! The book combines realistic birds with caricature birds. The BLUES offer a delightful way to introduce young children to birds and birding," Sandy Philpott, Director of Marketing, Dawn Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.

Pangaea Mountain comes with a fascinating book about Dr. Geostone and his two students Rocky and Crystal. The students fall asleep in class and wake up on a mysterious mountain in search of the "Living Dinosaur." As the three explore, Dr. Geostone teaches the children about the many fossils and Gems discovered within. In the end they learn a bit about everyday life, geology, geography, biology and earth science. Finally they are amazed that the mountain really does contain living organisms (Triops) they bring back to life by just adding water. This kit keeps you learning and having fun for months. "Most "I dig" kits simply let a kid dig something out and go wow. Activities are lacking and education is not the objective...TOYOPS stands behind its image of Tops in Toys That Teach. The illustrated book which accompanies this kit along with all the tools of a field scientist are fun, and teach while enjoying the excavation. The book is written to permit simple activities to make science hands on and fun. You will learn...My favorite is the story behind the buried hematite and how it defined the auto industry sprouting up in Michigan. It isn't just a mineral - it is part of history," Eugene Hull, Ph.D., President of ToyOps told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2013.

In bed at night, Amy peers from under her covers at the dark shadows on the wall. But what is that flicker of light from the window? As she discovers the source of the mysterious light in her own backyard, she also learns something important about herself. The light, like many things in life, is something to be treasured but not contained, appreciated but always free. Inspiration for the book came to Robert Nutt, author and illustrator, one summer evening when he and his wife were walking and came upon a house with a yard full of dancing, flickering firefly lights. At that moment, he knew he would write about it. The photo illustrations are his own daughter, Amy. Launch date: March 2010.

TDmonthly Review:

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Kids can marvel at the fastest-growing fish in the world, growing from egg to adult in just six weeks. The adult can reach up to 2" (7 cm) in length. The Killifish eggs used in the kit are from the same family of Killifish eggs that were flown and studied by NASA on the space station. These eggs are homegrown in the USA and raised in Toyops labs to preserve their native habitats. Owners just add bottled water and a light source to watch them spring to life. Launch date: March 2010.

These science construction kits are designed to allow young minds to build and understand Solar, Water, Elastic, Dynamo and Wind power sources while building kinetic models and vehicles. They are "well-conceived and comprehensive kits with many variations and high value," a representative of Perisphere & Trylon, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2010.
— John MacDougall, owner of Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., was impressed with the Wind Energy kit with giant turbine blades at Toy Fair 2010. "We love renewable energy education kits," he said.
— ''Science kits do well overall,'' Cheryl Richmond owner Punkin Doodles Havre, Mont., shared with TDmonthly.

This product consists of a toy polariscope and soft flexible models that show beautiful prismatic rainbow colors when touched, bent or stretched and viewed under polarized light. Other contents include a prism, bell, magnifying glass, magnets, origami cellophane and adhesive tape in dispenser for amazing rainbow art, and ambiguous shapes of Black Glossy Cardboard for experiments with Brewster's angle and for stimulating the imagination. Instructions brochures and a Book of Science provide many activities for adventures with light and photoelasticity. "This is the first and only toy polariscope and the first toy based on photoelasticity. The toys are soft and flexible and provide the experience of magically causing brilliant rainbow colors to appear and move around within them with manipulation under polarized light. Other adventures involving origami cellophane and rainbow art with tape are also unique," Pamela Saha, Vice President, Biomedical Research and Services, Inc. (as Glitterins), told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 10, 2010.

Just Look is a palm-sized, glass optics microscope that lets one explore the small details of the world around. This handy little scope has infinite uses in all activities — from looking at freckles on an arm to watching ants in an ant habitat. The microscope is designed to be used in almost any profession, from judging the quality of fabrics to finding inclusions in gemstones. "It is a pocket-sized microscope that children can use to explore the scientific world," Rachel Neuland, Marketing Coordinator, Toyops, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.

These African dwarf frogs are sold individually, to be added to a self-sustaining Wild Creations eco-aquarium.
— The eco-aquariums were top sellers at the end of 2009 at RoundTable Toys in Winterville, N.C., according to David Davis, owner.

This 1,000-piece puzzle features illustrated arachnids from all over the world, from big tarantulas to tiny scorpions. This high-quality puzzle includes educational information to make assembling both fun and fascinating. Launch date: February 2010.

Hugg-A-Planet is a line of soft, squishable, detailed astronomical bodies. Each Hugg-A-Planet features hundreds of geographic features and destinations illustrated and labeled on the planet’s shell. NASA embraced Hugg-A-Planet as a teaching tool and sent the plush Moon, Mars, and Earth into space aboard the International Space Station. This set celebrates that achievement by including Hugg-A-Planet Earth, Moon, and Mars identical to those currently in orbit.
— Online Reviews: Parents attest to the set’s appeal to children of all ages. The youngest of children are drawn to the set’s bright colors and use the planets as pillows or safe balls. Slightly older children like to find where they live on the Earth. Older kids can use the set for a homework aid as they learn geography and astronomy. The Earth includes a pocket that can be used to store the Moon, and enterprising youngsters have turned this pocket into a storage compartment for their favorite possessions. See Potamus Prefers, Sara Plays House, and Night Owl Mama.

Ever wondered if the light in the fridge stays on when you close the door? Fiber optics can light the way. It may sound like some supercomplicated electronic technology, but the basics are quite simple. Author Jim Becker helps kids understand what’s going on as they use the power of light to build 10 high-tech electronic projects, including a burglar alarm, an electronic rooster, and a flexible flashlight. The kit includes two preassembled workbenches (transmitter and receiver), three optical fiber rods and a connector, 26 hookup wires, two LED couplers, 12 activity cards , and a 12-panel fully illustrated booklet. "The retail feedback we have received tells us that there is not a similar product on the market," Darcy Morris, Director of Sales & Marketing, SmartLab Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 30, 2010.

Dinoworks is a fascinating, educational and fun-filled kit that will show you what it is like to be a paleontologist in the field. It goes from casting the bones of the Tyrannosaurus to the complete construction of it. An illustrated educational booklet is included with the kit along with glue and magnets to display one's creation.

This kit includes chemicals needed to grow a Rose Quartz crystal cluster of up to 4" in diameter. It comes with the Space Age Crystal Growing chemical, a stirring rod, a display pedestal and instructions. Within just a few hours of transferring the chemical to hot water, pouring the mixture into the vessel and letting it cool, crystals will begin to form and then continue growing for many days.