November 2010 Notable Toys — Creative Activities

Kidspiration Color Tiles™ is an excellent new software product that can be used to count, compare, and explore number properties and operations and develop computation strategies. Using the tiles, children solve area and perimeter problems and model number patterns and the four basic math operations.  With its expanded library of more than 3,000 symbols, children can use Kidspiration 3 to create graphic organizers including webs, concept maps, and diagrams to clarify thoughts, organize information, use new knowledge, and build critical-thinking skills. 
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

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.

Girls can become chocolatiers with the My Chocolate Boutique Chocolate Workshop. This kit has over 200 pieces for young ladies to design, mold and make their own chocolates for themselves and to share with friends and family. The workshop includes a battery operated melting machine that doesn’t overheat, so there’s no risk for kids to burn themselves or the chocolate. Girls can also use the foil wrappers, boxes and stickers to create customized packaging for their hand made treats. This kit does not include any chocolate or candy, so parents can control what ingredients their kids use. The kit includes a chocolate melting machine, a metal melting bowl, a mixing spoon, a decorating tool and brush, over 50 molds, 25 foil wrappers, 50 candy cups, 25 clear candy wrappers, two gift boxes, over 100 decorative labels, six decorative doilies, and an instruction and design guide.

The Fashion Angels Silk Screen Super Set is lets girls personalize their t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, and more. The silk screen machine make it easy to re-create a wardrobe. This kit includes a silk screen machine and frame, silk screens, five fabric paints, 10 stencil cards, a squeegee, sequins, design planning sketch sheets, and an  instructional design guide.

The Fashion Angels Jewelry Design Super Set is packed with tons of beading goodies to make over 200 pieces of jewelry. This kit contains over 4,000 transparent and iridescent plastic beads, string, embroidery floss, charms, a friendship bracelet wheel, a storage case, instructions and more.
— In fall 2010, five percent of 44 retailers surveyed told TDmonthly that Fashion Angels kits are a jewelry and accessory top seller.

The Fashion Angels Sticker and Badge Factory Super Set is two creative projects in one box. Girls can use the sticker making machine to make hundreds of stickers, then collect them in the included sticker journal. They can then also make trendy button badges for themselves and their friends. Badge and sticker templates are included.

This set is packed with two activities and 200+ pieces for fashion designing fun. Girls can trace an outfit using the fashion films and light box onto the Fashion Angels model sketch sheets for a basic outline, then use the design guide for tips on how to shade, embellish and add details to make the outfit worthy of any runway. They can also create a fabulous wardrobe for the two Fashion Angels paper dolls using the clothing patterns, colored pencils, glitter glue and sequins. The dolls can be dressed again and again with one-of-a-kind creations as a modern twist on paper dolls. The kit includes a portable fashion design light box, fashion films, Tree Free colored pencils, glitter glue, sequins, clothing patterns, two Fashion Angels paper dolls and sketch sheets.

This set features four activities for girls to take their designing skills to their own clothing and accessories. Girls can choose between airbrushing, tie dying, glitter paint and stamping, and gem and stud setting for taking their t-shirts from drab to fab. Awards: Creative Child 2010 Preferred Choice Award

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.

Kids can explore one of the most destructive forces on earth with this kit. Children can paint and display seven different types of volcanoes and a geyse, and create eruptions up to 6' high. The kit also includes a 32-page fact booklet.

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.