January 2009 New Specialty Toys — Educational

It's a surprise birthday for Cozmo with visits from Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Cleopatra, Mr. I and Benjamin Franklin. Our story begins on the Planet Dzzt, where Cozmo's friend Nena is telling him all about birthday parties. Cozmo has never had a birthday because his planet takes a very long time to orbit its sun. Determined to help Cozmo find some birthday cheer, Nena, her uncle El Mundo the Great Wizard, and Cozmo's mother Azatara use math to discover that Cozmo will soon be 7 earth years old. Together they decide to follow Cozmo's love of math and create an Addition Celebration!

New MATHeMANIAC Maya joins the Crazy 4 Math Club and finds out that she can combine music and her favorite sport, rope jumping to get back on her math track. The Googols' powers help turn this math club into a real "partay"! MATHeMANIAC includes skip counting forwards and backwards from 2-13 and from 25. Learn about big numbers as you skip count from 1000 to a million and on to a googol! Practice doubling past a million. Listeners of all ages will develop mental math skills to help addition, subtraction, multiplication and division while gaining an appreciation for different music genres.

Offering everything one needs to know to start playing, this kit teaches how to play the chromatic and diatonic harmonica through an easy to understand and enjoyable step-by-step system. It includes licks in the style of favorite performers, plus numerous listening suggestions and musical examples. The CD-ROM is for Windows and Macintosh. "Part of Alfred's legendary 'Teach Yourself to Play' series, this kit comes with a real harmonica, book and enhanced CD," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 1996.

Written for easy recorder, this book and recorder pack gives one everything needed to start playing. The book features big, easy-to-read notes, a beginner's guide to playing the recorder, and a clear, simple introduction to reading music. Seven of the most well-known "Star Wars" themes and melodies are included. Launch date: May 2008.

Children can compose and experience music at the most basic level, before ever picking up an instrument or learning to read. This series of interactive music activities facilitates experimenting with the fundamentals of pitch, rhythm and sounds of various instruments and styles of music. Children can compose their own music using the musical canvas feature, which "lets children experiment with composing music visually — they paint at the top for a high note, bottom for a low note, and use a variety of instruments, including rhythm section," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. The series includes "Making Music," "Making More Music," "Hearing Music," "Playing Music," "World of Music" (beginner) and "World of Music" (intermediate). Launch date: April 2008.

"S.O.S. Songs of the Sea" combines music, creativity and fun for music teachers, classroom teachers, child care providers and kids. Students will enjoy learning about the sea and its creatures through the engaging songs and activities.  "This is an all-in-one activity kit for home or classroom use, with suggestions for ocean-themed decorations, songs, art activities and food. It can be easily implemented by non-musically-trained instructors, and the accompaniment CD lets the children sing along to each song. S.O.S. is created with the Orf philosophy of musical teaching," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. The product received a 2008 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. Launch date: April 2008.

This bright and colorful chart helps children of all ages recognize and share their feelings. Through a colorful and vividly illustrated marine life scene, children and their parents can identify a wide range of feelings. These 11" x 17" charts are double-sided with one side in black and white for coloring over and over again using washable crayons. It was a 2008 Dr. Toy Best Products Winner. Launch date: 2008.

This bright and colorful chart helps children of all ages recognize and share their feelings. Through a colorful and vividly illustrated flower garden scene, children and their parents can identify a wide range of feelings. These 11" x 17" charts are double sided with one side in black and white for coloring over and over again with washable crayons. "The Flower Garden Feeling Chart is a terrific way to help children identify feelings, develop emotional intelligence, and open up to engaging discussions. It's a fun and straightforward way to lead productive discussion of feelings at home, school, or while traveling," Lisa-Marie Arneson, owner and creator of Bright Spots, told TDmonthly. The chart was named a 2008 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products Winner. Launch date: 2008.

Designed to develop strong values and teach children and adults about the Bible by instilling in them scripture, this game accommodates two to six players. Questions range from simple to complex, and the goal of the game is to collect the most angels to win. "They're having fun and scriptures are being installed, and that's why kids like it so much," Michael Neely, inventor of Vice Verses, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

The Advanced KidsRuler is an easy to use, colorful and engaging tool for older students who have the basic concepts of measurement. It is sturdy, kid friendly, and simply attaches to another unit with its unique interlocking end cap units, to extend learning measurements to beyond 12 inches. Its four sides feature a standard ruler, quarters, eighths, and the decimal conversion of increments in eighths of an inch.

Open the Sphinx’s secret mummy hiding place with your amulet. Includes two figures, skeleton that glows in the dark, and many other accessories. Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for ages under 3 years.
— Playmobil products continue to be great sellers at Melody’s Choices, as reported by Owner Steve Melody in spring 2009. “Although this line is in the big box, if you support it well, you have something the [big] box does not … selection,” he told TDmonthly.

Students stumped by noble gases, alloys, isotopes and polymers? Chemistry Quizmo will help them gain practice in solving for either the Chemical name or Symbol for elements found in the Periodic Table while also learning trivia. From Hydrogen (H) to Radium (Ra), kids in grades 5 and up can discover fun facts, unusual uses and the stories behind an element’s name. There are two levels of play, and the game is for two to 36 players.

KidsRuler was created by a veteran elementary school teacher, who noticed that students consistently struggled with using the standard ruler to learn the beginning concepts of measurement. KidsRuler was created to help students visualize the increments of measurement, and give them a fun way to practice their skills. The KidsRuler helps students master the NCTM standards of measurement. They also connect together to allow kids to measure real-life objects, such as a desk or chair.
— Mention ToyDirectory and receive 10% off on your first order.

This paperback by Joy Massof and illustrated by Terry Sirrell lets kids indulge their nasty side while getting a bit of education. More than 50 topics are covered, including acne, maggots, halitosis and snot. Cartoons and experiments, such as making fake snot, add to the fun. Paperback, 224 pages. Launch date: January 2000.

The theme of this DVD is about dinosaurs. Your children will be delighted with the dinosaur story and will want to see it over and over and again. Also, you will finds songs that will have your children moving, learning and burning calories. Counting to 100 is also a favorite of many teachers as well as children. This DVD will keep children occupied and delighted as Shawn Brown, the Pied Piper of Early Childhood, strikes it big with this first DVD project.

This CD is loaded with early childhood concepts. Math, Science, Spanish, Cultural diversity, Manners and so much more. This CD will rock your children's world.

Whether you have a large childcare facility or home center this CD will quickly get your children trained to the childcares new pied piper. Parents this one is even good for the ride in the car and the last song of the night. Shawn Brown's personal favorite is "Going Outside".

This CD's music covers States and Capitols, Science, Math, Exercise, Eating Healthy and more.

From basic apples and bananas to exotic kiwi and cherimoya, the cartoon-style illustrations and kid-friendly dialogue promise to make a fruit lover out of the pickiest eater. Kids can join five playful fruit flies for an action-packed picnic as they gather a feast of fruit in all shapes and sizes and learn about the importance of eating a variety of colors.

The genuinely antique-looking Mankala Game Board has to be excavated, painted and polished in order to display the antique look. It includes 50 scarab game pieces, a wooden chisel, brushes, paints and intstructions (as well as the ancient history of the game). Launch date: November 3, 2008.

The wooden Magnetic Number Match Up Puzzle is a great interactive activity that helps children develop math skills. It comes with 30 colorful wooden pieces that fit together to form three-piece number tiles. Children learn to count the number of objects illustrated on one piece of the tile and match it to the correct number and the right number word. Launch date: December 2008.

The MagnaPlay Magnetic Activity Travel Set includes one MagnaKase and one magnetic wooden activity, such as the Alphabet Picture Puzzle or the Number Match Up. Children can use the top of the MagnaKase as a dry-erase magnetic activity board while they're on the go. The MagnaKase also comes with two magnetic strips that secure coloring pages to the activity surface. Launch date: November 2008.

This portable hand-washing station, without plumbing, encourages hand-washing habits to help keep everyone healthy while meeting licensing requirements. The water is heated 20° F by the tankless, on-demand water heater. The water pump has a flow rate of up to one-half gallon per minute. The tank (blue) for the non-potable clean water holds five gallons, and the waste-water tank (gray) holds six gallons. There is a catch tray under the tanks. Mistake-proof connectors mean the clean- and waste-water tanks cannot be inadvertently switched around. Quick-connecting hook ups for the tanks have an internal valve to prevent spills when disconnected, and the faucet is ADA compliant. The sinks are 5" deep and come in stainless steel or FDA approved plastic. There is a storage shelf in the adult height portable sink, and coin-locked doors are in the back for safety. Other safety features include UL and NSF approved components, a power switch inside the cabinet, four heavy duty locking casters, and openings for cord management. Launch date: 2009.

The Eco range is part of Wonderworld's collection of products designed to educate children on the importance of recycling, saving energy, and being friendly to the environment. The Eco House wooden doll house comes complete with room settings and a family. Themes include recycling, planting trees, using solar panels, bicycling and collecting rain water. All accessories are included. "Wonderworld uses only water-based paint for our wooden toys so [as] to minimize child exposure to chemicals," President Jason Cohen of Smart Gear told TDmonthly. "Wonderworld, as a strong advocate of protecting the environment, insists on using only rubber-wood that is of replenishable source and [is] widely accepted throughout the world as the environment-friendly material." Launch date: November 2008.