April 2011 New Specialty Toys — Science & Nature

Polish real amber to reveal the hidden treasures that may be trapped within. Just like the paleontologists in the movie Jurassic Park, kids will create a window back in time. Follow the simple instructions and peer into the real amber pieces in search of ancient bugs and plants that were alive during the time of the dinosaurs. This fun activity kit contains 5 real pieces of amber, 6 special grades of gemstone quality sandpaper, magnifying glass, adventure booklet, and an amber-colored key chain with a genuine scorpion inside. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2012 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval; 2012 Product of the Year - Informal Education Products

Music, mishap and adventure guides kids on an animated and live action journey exploring the great outdoors. Join Chipper the squirrel as he meets creatures big and small and learns the importance of respecting the environment. Camping, hiking, and outdoor fun - Chipper teaches young children good character and a love for the environment in this award winning, animated children's DVD. Originally launched with limited release in 2009, Let's Go Chipper! Into The Great Outdoors will be available everywhere in March 2011. "Chipper appeals to a young audience (ages 2-6) and starts kids off with enthusiasm for and appreciation of nature. Age appropriate lessons and storytelling, plus wonderful imagery and music, make this an unparalled treat," Kate Dockins of Music For Little People told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2009 iParenting "Hot Product" Award; 2009 "Top Ten Video" on Family Fun/Disney.com

In this simulation of a real paleontology fossil dig, children dig for a fossilized shark tooth, brachiopod shell, gastropod shell, and “squid” shell. These real, millions of years old fossils are enclosed in a “brick” and are revealed by using the supplied scraping and brush tools (similar to what real paleontologists use). Young paleontologists then take a closer look at these fossils with the enclosed magnifying glass and learn about each fossil using the provided fun fact cards. "This is a unique fossil dig in that there are 4 real fossils embedded in each brick," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the world around them with a microscope. Young Scientists learn about the history of the microscope, explore the different parts of a microscope, and discover how to use a microscope. Young Scientists make slides of water droplets, plant parts, textile fibers, all kinds of paper, crystals, and more. This investigative bus-shaped kit comes with a microscope, blank slides, cover slips, tweezers, collecting vial, 20 colorful experiment cards, prepared slides of fungi and algae, and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This microscope kit uses the characters from the popular books to get the kids excited about the microscopic world around them," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the field of chemistry. Young Scientists make sticky ice, use litmus paper, measure pH, perform chromatography, make bubble sculptures, wake-up fungus, create slime, form a bouncy ball, learn about density, produce a milk rainbow, plate copper, explode a volcano, and more. This bus-shaped kit comes packed with science components, 51 colorful experiment cards and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This bus-shaped kit is unique in that it is a lab in a bus! It comes with 51 instructions cards which provides hours of science fun," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride while blasting off with erupting volcanoes. Young Scientists learn about the layers of the Earth, study tectonic plate movement, explore different volcanic shapes and eruptions, make real pumice float, create the ultimate “lava” mixture, paint and explode a volcano, and more. This kit includes a colorful poster with volcanic facts, pictures, and stickers. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Our Magic School Bus kits takes Young Scientists on a great journey that includes a poster, stickers, volcano mold, test tubes, and lots more. The manual in the kit is colorful and designed in a similar fashion as the books that are so popular," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride by jumping into electricity. Young Scientists generate lightning bolts, use anti-static sheets, make cereal dance, bend a water stream, create static hair, construct an electric circuit, build a light switch, experiment with insulators and conductors, design electric games, and more. This kit comes with a colorful circuit board holder. "The Magic School Bus brand is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Our Magic School Bus line has great manuals that engage Young Scientists into the exciting science experiments that are explored in each kit," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Celestial Buddies, an original line of educational plush characters, is inspired by planets and other celestial bodies. Each plush planetary pal is designed to capture the unique variations of the actual object it represents through fabric, color, size and shape. "Celestial Buddies is a unique, innovative plush toy series not replicated in today’s market. While most Solar System toys are for school children interested in science, Celestial Buddies has a much wider age appeal from babies all the way up to adults," Jessica Silbert, owner and president of Celestial Buddies, told TDmonthly.