August 2010 Notable Toys — School Supplies

View bugs up close with this device. The viewer allows you to observe your bug from the top or from the bottom.

Chalk boards convey a classic look at home or school and have many modern applications. They are great classroom learning tools, and have many business and recreational uses as well.
— This product is a best seller at Neely's in South L.A.

The Little D backpack is made of 100-percent polyester, with mesh lining and a PU black accent piece on the front flap. It includes an iPod holder, bottle holder and cell phone holder, along with two zipper pockets and one Velcro pocket. The backpack can also be used as a tote. It is "light weight, but still stylish and functional," Diaper Dude Administrative Assistant Stephanie Moore told TDmonthly.

The Little D backpack is made of 100-percent polyester, with mesh lining and a PU black accent piece on the front flap. It includes an iPod holder, bottle holder and cell phone holder, along with two zipper pockets and one Velcro pocket. The backpack can also be used as a tote. It is "light weight, but still stylish and functional," Diaper Dude Administrative Assistant Stephanie Moore told TDmonthly.

The Hydroponics Lab gives a 360 degree view of growing plants, revealing the hidden magic of plant roots with no soil required. This set of three growing tubes is a mess-free way to explore hydroponics. Transparent seed baskets provide a few seedlings growing both up and down.

These pens are carved from wood and painted in vibrant colors to depict a wide variety of fun animals.
— “We carry a ton of different animals to choose from. It’s not your typical ink pen!” said Manager Katie Harris of Key West Toy Factory in Key West, Fla., of these best sellers in May 2010.

The fronts of the 26 colorful cards from the Under the Sea set feature marine life illustrations from Janell Genovese. The backs of the cards include facts about the animals so kids can learn on the go.
— Laurie of Double Bugs liked that the flash cards encourage thinking and imagination. She said, “My boys have a blast with these and even made the animal noises to match.”
— Dee from Two of a kind, working on a full house found that within a week her son was remembering what he learned from the flash cards. She felt this would give him an advantage when he started preschool.

Developed by an occupational therapist, Pathquest aims to strengthen eye-hand coordination and visual perception through four different quests, with a total of 12 adventures.

Developed by an occupational therapist to improve hand strength and coordination, these stenciling activities are designed to teach the young learner to find the proper shape among similar shapes to develop visual discrimination and visual form constancy. Children will also learn to place the shapes in the correct orientation in order to strengthen visual spatial relationship and closure skills. Working with the stencil encourages good hand strength and bilateral coordination.

Snip It! is designed to help young children learn proper scissor skills. Snipping and cutting activities can help develop a child’s eye-hand coordination, adherence to visual boundaries and paper stabilization skills. Awards: 2010 NAPPA Gold.

The pencil grasp trainer is designed to target and activate the proper muscles for writing. It's created for both left- and right-handed writers to improve handwriting and decrease hand fatigue. The patented ergonomic grip was designed and tested by an occupational therapist with finger guard and unique angles to place and hold fingers in the proper position. It is non toxic and latex free.

Fun and practical, Tee Juice Broad Line markers let users make broad, bold strokes yet are soft to the touch. Kids can paint on fabric without the mess and hassle of paintbrushes and open bottles of paint.  Teens can use these markers to express themselves by writing messages or drawing images on t-shirts.  They are great for coloring in large blocks of color when using Fineliner or Medium Point Tee Juice Fabric Marking Pens. The markers come in eight colors, open stock and two boxed sets.

$3.99 (individual markers) and $14.99 (4 marker boxed set)