Toys in Motion: Science & Nature

Science & Nature

Telescope by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Telescope by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY This compact kid-sized telescope features two eyepieces, a diagonal mirror and a 2X Barlow glass lens that magnifies from 18X to 180X. It also comes with an aluminum tabletop tripod and instructions. Kids can use this durable scope to peer at land- or sky-based objects. Launch date: 2005. ( Watch Video) 2/1/2006 (Age: 8 and Up)

Rep Pals (Red-Eyed Tree Frog) by DARMOS TOYS

This is a cool, squishy, squashy, vibrantly colored replication of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog. It feels clammy, it looks clammy, and it´s altogether gross ... which is the whole point. It´s a fairly accurate reproduction (except that it´s an order of magnitude larger than a real Red-Eyed Tree Frog), and would look quite comfortable out in the wilderness. It´s very fun to play with. ( Watch Video) 9/12/2005 (MSRP: $4.95; Age: 5 and Up)

GoScope 350 by ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS

GoScope 350 by ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS This multipurpose telescope can get up and go, with a handy backpack that makes transportation easy. The 70mm fully coated objective lens has a 350mm focal length (f/5.0) and features one-finger focusing. Everything needed for exploration is included in the kit: the GoScope 350, full-length aluminum tripod with retractable legs and three-way panhead, interchangeable 20mm and 10 mm eyepieces, a Stargazing CD-ROM, two bonus DVDs on North American birds and wildlife, and a rugged backpack. The kit can be used for birding, wildlife spotting and stargazing. ( Watch Video) 5/26/2006

Judaica by KIDKRAFT

Judaica by KIDKRAFT Celebrate the holidays with our wooden Chanuka Set! Kids can role-play safely with our wooden menorah and 9 colorful wooden candles. ( Watch Video) 4/21/2006

BeBop Kidz Sing-Along CD Player by MUSIC FOR LITTLE PEOPLE/MFLP DISTRIBUTION

The all-in-one CD player and karaoke machine duo features twin microphones, headphone jacks, an LED track number display, forward and backward fast track search capability, repeat capability, a wide-band loudspeaker, a DC input jack and a mail-in coupon for a free sing-along "Toddler Twosome" two-CD set. The player measures 9-1/2" x 9-5/8" x 4-1/8" and operates on either six C-size batteries or a 9V AC adapter.
— Frank Meyer, manager of A Child’s Delight in Corte Madera, Calif., finds the BeBoP Kidz a top seller for his store.
— Emily, “She Who Has Been There the Longest,” at Ambassador Toys in San Francisco, finds that “kids like the cheap echo microphones to make up their own stuff.”
— Music for Little People, a Redway, Calif.-based award-winning producer of children’s music, led by Leib Ostrow, CEO and founder, recommends the BeBoP Sing-Along CD Player. 4/21/2006 (MSRP: $59.98; Age: 3 and Up)

Cherry Wood Levitron® by FASCINATIONS

Cherry Wood Levitron® by FASCINATIONS The classiest Levitron® yet! New high-tech design. Adjustable legs for easy leveling with the most powerful rare earth magnets available! The distinctive base design amazes onlookers as the high-flying top levitates mysteriously above the opening in the center. ( Watch Video) 4/21/2006 (MSRP: $39.99; Age: 8 and Up)

Butterfly Garden by INSECT LORE

Butterfly Garden by INSECT LORE This net habitat (almost like a Chinese lantern) encloses caterpillars, food and the setting for a caterpillar’s eventual metamorphosis. It requires mail-sent larvae. “The Butterfly Garden not only shows actual insect metamorphosis, but it does so in just three weeks' time. Many other animal habitats can take up to six months for any changes to occur. This makes it a perfect item for kids who have short attention spans and is an ideal science project for any classroom,” John White, marketing director of Insect Lore, told TDmonthly.
— Fred Rosenberg of On the Park in Kingwood, Texas, named this as his No. 1 seller in May 2008, with sales of 50 to 60 units monthly. “I just can't keep them in stock right now,” he told TDmonthly. “We have a display on our counter with the real butterflies so people can see it go through the process,” said Kim Emigh, VP of e-commerce at Growing Tree Toys in State College, Pa.
— 25% of 64 retailers surveyed in August 2008 named this as their top-selling nature toy, reporting average sales of 12 per month. Five of 38 retailers named Insect Lore’s butterfly habitats as best-selling science and nature products in late summer 2009. In an August 2010 survey, 21 percent of 43 specialty retailers said Insect Lore is a top-selling science and nature brand. Five retailers specifically cited Butterfly Garden as a best seller.
— As of 5/21/2012, the Butterfly Garden had spent more than 1,600 days in the top-100 best-selling toys and games at Amazon.com and has 4.4 out of 5 stars from 461 reviews.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller ( Watch Video) 7/18/2005 (MSRP: $19.99)