August 2010 Notable Toys — Educational

Lightning Bug Literacy Kit Kindergarten Edition is designed to teach children essential skills that build a strong foundation for reading and writing. This program aims to help kids gain confidence while mastering grade level phonics, reading and writing skills. "This comprehensive, teacher-designed kit builds a foundation for literacy: reading, writing, reading comprehension and handwriting," Lightning Bug Learning President Julie Rebboah told TDmonthly.
— The mom blogger at Welcome to Our Wonderland read both Magic Letters and Magic Words from the kit. She stated that the “text is predictable so your child can learn the story and participate,” leading to “the clicking moment” when letter sounds and words are associated in the child’s mind. The reviewer and her daughter enjoyed the books “more then most other word family books.”
— Jenny Thompson of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine reviewed Magic Letter, Magic Words and the audio CD from the kit. Jenny exclaimed “I am not exaggerating when I say that these books changed our lives! These were the first books my daughter was enthusiastic about reading. She could not wait to read each story.”

Stroller time is much more fun when these flash cards come along for the ride. This bright, graphic set includes five touch-and-feel cards in five different shapes with engaging textures and pictures. Easy to attach to a stroller, backpack, or diaper bag, these cards are visually stimulating in the box as well as in baby's hand.

With eye-catching interiors and playful activities, this open-ended sketchbook encourages would-be artists of all ages to look at the world around them and take chances expressing what they see.

In this DVD, beloved children’s books are brought to life with voice, sign language, and beautiful music scores. Designed for preschoolers.

In this game, gardeners work hard to grow beautiful, fresh, organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. But sometimes garden pests eat those good things before people can. Players must keep the garden safe by catching all six pests and taking them to the forest where they belong. The game includes a 12 x 12" board, two dice, seven pest movers, one "havahart" trap, one electric fence chart and rules. "Play as friends, not as enemies! Our games foster the spirit of cooperation," Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Seal of Excellence, CREATIVE CHILD MAGAZINE.

This 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle illustrates over 15 species of beloved penguins. It measures 13" x 19," and features durable easy-fit puzzle pieces made from recycled board and vegetable-based ink. "Assembling puzzles improves fine motor skill, picture recognition abilities and task completion," Erich Fellinger, EuroGraphics sales manager, told TDmonthly.

This 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle illustrates the various life forms that make up the complex tropical rain forest ecosystem. It measures 19.25" x 26.5," and features durable easy-fit puzzle pieces made from recycled board and vegetable-based ink. "Assembling puzzles improves fine motor skill, picture recognition abilities and task completion," Erich Fellinger, EuroGraphics sales manager, told TDmonthly.

With the LeapFrog Chat & Count Phone, children can sing along to songs about counting and phone routines, explore more than 15 phone activities and call on Scout for learning fun as they trade calls and voicemails. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning.
  — As of 8.16.10, this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 9 reviews on ToysRUs.com and was listed No. 33 in best-selling toys and games. PROS: Interactive, educational, engaging. CONS: Some parents felt the product features too few activities.

The Safari Friends Pedestal Pets collection includes a gorilla, lion, hippo, and elephant. Pedestal Pets are sets of pencil toppers featuring a variety of animal figures. Each package comes with 4 animal pencil toppers, 4 matching pencils and 4 fun fact trading cards. Children can also go to the Pedestal Pets website and "adopt" their pets and print out coloring pages of all the animals.

The Barnyard Friends Pedestal Pets collection includes a horse, pig, sheep, and duck. Pedestal Pets are sets of pencil toppers featuring a variety of animal figures. Each package comes with 4 animal pencil toppers, 4 matching pencils and 4 fun fact trading cards. Children can also go to the Pedestal Pets website and "adopt" their pets and print out coloring pages of all the animals.

The Neighborhood Friends Pedestal Pets collection includes a cat, turtle, frog, and dog. Pedestal Pets are sets of pencil toppers featuring a variety of animal figures. Each package comes with 4 animal pencil toppers, 4 matching pencils and 4 fun fact trading cards. Children can also go to the Pedestal Pets website and "adopt" their pets and print out coloring pages of all the animals.

This album features 20 original songs that aim to help children build vocabulary in both English and Spanish through active multisensory participation. The songs are a combination of new compositions and updated versions of early Hap Palmer favorites along with new translations into Spanish. The lyrics and activities were developed in conjunction with Spanish language educational expert Laura Radchik, PhD.
Awards: Parent's Choice Foundation Audio Award Fall 2010, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Science Putty can be molded into a multitude of shapes, then it melts and forms a pool over a long period of time. With its range of unique properties, this product is designed for stress relief and educational play.

This set is designed to entertain children while they learn about the endangered species of the world. The set and its packaging are made from 100-percent eco-friendly materials. Included are five bath crayons, six bath coloring scenes and an animal sponge eraser.

This mat is designed to entertain children while they learn about the endangered species of the world. The set and its packaging are made from 100-percent eco-friendly materials. Included are an activity placemat, four crayons and a 3-D animal eraser.

For 2 to 6 players, or up to 3 individual players, Sequence Numbers is similar to the original Sequence game, except the cards are a mathematical equation, whose answer is a number found on the game board. First player or team to achieve the required amount of Sequences wins the game.

The Merbs™ Motivational Game System is an incentive-based program with a twist. This tool provides a game-based storyline that motivates kids to complete schoolwork. Students are challenged to help a populations of creatures, The Merbs™, build a civilization. They earn cash to buy game properties, creating an economy. The competition of the system encourages increased homework completion and class participation. This allows the instructor to evaluate students daily through simple game play. Parents can also use the System at home to motivate children to complete homework. For 2 or more players.

Lockrobots are brightly hued interlocking plastic robot-shaped blocks designed for building, stacking, balancing and creating puzzles. Made in the USA, the Lockrobot 30-Piece Medium Bucket includes six each of green, red, yellow, blue and orange Lockrobots.
— Brandi of Living Solo Gratia tried Lockrobots with her kids, who “had a ball playing with these little guys,” stacking the Lockrobots and making pyramids. However, Brandi recommended buying a larger Lockrobots set: “The 15-piece set is fun but we would have been able to be more creative with a larger set.”

This chart provides hands-on environmental education by introducing six key recyclable material categories and teaching how to sort 48 “recyclable” cards into the right bins. The cards are made of 65-percent recycled card stock and the chart is made from 80-percent recycled plastic. Awards: Dr. Toy Best Green Toy Award 2010

The Hydro-Dome is a hydroponic system that features a Hydro-Pump, offering true hydroponic gardening on a small scale with a flood plain and bubbler system. The Hydro-Dome includes a greenhouse with a hydroponic tray, two-part nutrients, net pots, rock-wool seeds and comprehensive instructions. Awards: Dr. Toy Best Green Toy Award 2010

Bug takes children on a lively, animated, educational journey, encouraging them to try hard to work through the games and puzzles at hand. Awards: Dr. Toy Best Green Toy Award 2010

Designed for viewing solid or three dimensional objects rather than glass slides at 20X magnification. Binocular head allows comfortable viewing with both eyes (no more squinting) and built in light illuminates all specimens for premium viewing every time. Real glass optics provide high quality images and battery power makes it portable for outdoor use to explore nature. Also ideal for collectors: view stamps, coins, gems & rocks, etc. Uses 2 AA Batteries (not included).

Designed to help kids understand the concept of behavior and rewards, this magnetic activities board features a combination of magnets and wood. The set includes a 16" x 12" dry-erase board and 134 magnets depicting behaviors and rewards. The set measures 16" x 24" when opened.
— As of 8.03.2010, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 97 reviews on Amazon.com and was #38 in the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Helpful, educational, entertaining and well-priced. CONS: Magnets can fall off; can easily become messy.

Packed in a gift box, the model is approximately 3" and consist of 25 pieces. Museum quality, finely detailed sculpturing and hand painted.