January 2009 New Specialty Toys — Educational

This set, developed alongside a language educator, includes 110 double-sided magnets. One side features Hebrew consonants, vowels and examples using the vowels; the other includes the name of the letter or Hebrew pronunciation. Launch date: Early 2009.

The flowers are in full bloom, and it’s a lovely day for a tea party in the garden. This set, with over 30 moveable pre-cut felt figures, will captivate a young girl’s attention for hours of imaginative play.

Explore the vastness of space in this pre-cut felt board play set. Watch as children's imagination comes to life as they get lost in the solar system with this interactive play board, which allows them to arrange and re-arrange the pieces all day long.

Enjoy a fun filled trip to the Animal Park to see the cheerful elephants, silly swinging monkeys and many more playful animals. With over 20 brightly colored pre-cut felt pieces, children can enjoy their favorite friendly animals time and time again.

MagnaColeraze™ is a reusable “Color and Erase” coloring activity that helps children develop their creativity while they're having fun. These sheets let children color the pictures and solve the puzzle over and over again until they get them right.  The sheets are water proof, and have magnetic strips on them enabling their use with the MagnaKase while on the go.

The MagnaKase™ Wooden Magnetic Activity Box is a sturdy wooden box with magnetic dry erase surfaces, and serves both as an activity board and storage case. The 11-3/4" x 9-1/4"x 2" box is made of renewable wood and has brass hinges and clasp. This MagnaKase has two magnetic surfaces and comes with two magnetic strips to secure the coloring pages. Activities sold separately.

This MagnaKase suits coloring activities while kids are on the go. Children can use the case top as a dry erase activity board. The set includes one MagnaKase, four double-sided Reusable Color and Erase coloring puzzle, two Magnet strips to secure coloring pages to the activity surface, six Foohy Washable dry erase markers six (Sanford Corp) and one sponge eraser.

The MagnaKase™ Magnetic Activity Case is a sturdy plastic case with a magnetic dry erase surface and serves both as an activity board and storage case. The MagnaKase is an open-ended toy that, when combined with other MagnaPlay activities, allows children to engage in multiple activities in a short period of time.  Activities sold separately.

Kids can celebrate the magic of music with this handcrafted guitar that can be used for guitar classes, private lessons and study, or for play in a child's first “amateur band.”  A quality instrument is always beneficial when beginning the study of music, especially when the student is young. "This guitar is easy to play, tunable, and will help to keep a child pursuing one of the most rewarding pastimes in history: making music," Manager Kristy Schaffer of Schoenhut told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.

This kit includes high-quality ceramic magnets and 26 activities designed to develop a solid foundation for more advanced topics in electricity and magnetism, teaching children the fundamental principles of magnetism while they play. It includes how to build an electromagnet, how to flip the poles of an electromagnet, and how an electric motor works, and allows kids to go iron detecting, visualize the lines of force, craft a compass, and levitate and bounce ring magnets. "ScienceWiz Magnetism is the only product of its kind that teaches the concepts of magnetism through hands-on learning and play. Magnets are more fun when you know how they work!" Rachael Norman, sales manager for Norman & Globus Inc., told TDmonthly. This product has received a Creative Child Magazine Award. Launch date: July 1, 2008.

Author Jane Yolen uses lyrical prose to not only reprise a well-known legend but also to tell the true story of apple tree-planting Johnny Appleseed, rather known as John Chapman, in this book illustrated by award-winning artist Jim Burke. Launch date: August 26, 2008.

Inspired by her beloved King Charles, college student Elizabeth Rives created this fun-filled kit for kids and their pets while she was working part-time at Scientific Explorer. Pamper your Dog will have pets woofing with delight over yummy, nutritious dog cupcakes. Children can give their canine friend a healthy scrub with homemade shampoo, brush those long teeth with special doggie toothpaste, and learn the secrets of a great massage for their furry friend, as well as design a unique "dog tag" for an ID. Insights into canine thinking will turn kids into real dog psychologists. The kit "helps teach social responsibility in a fun way," Scientific Explorer's Vice President Susan Rives told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

Step back into the alluring world of the dinosaurs. The colorful and dramatic illustrations make this felt play board a fun and educational activity that will captivate the attention of young children for hours. This product will encourage expression, exploration and creativity through play. Launch date: November 2008.

Comet® Bible Edition offers an exciting and fun way to learn spelling and amazing facts about characters, angels, events and scripture. This particular version features questions and multiple choice answers such as "Who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds?" and "The spirit of God is described as descending like this." DOVE sparrow eagle raven. Multiple choice answers and an element of risk ensure everyone has a chance to win. Comet® has received awards from The Toy Man Online and Creative Child Magazine. "Spelling is very important, and far too few games offer this concept. Critical skill development is crucial, important and necessary to develop good educational performance," Creator Sandy Evans of Active Minds Inc. told TDmonthly. Launch date: Fall 2008.
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite toy.

Players fill in their safari boards with base ten units and rods to escape the tiger. They'll learn about addition, subtraction and place value while trying to escape the tiger. "Place Value Safari is a great hands-on game for teaching math skills that's beautifully designed and includes materials children will have fun playing with while they're learning," Margo Hanson, marketing manager for Didax Education, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2008 Teacher's Choice Award and was a 2008 AEP(Association of Educational Publishers) Distinguished Award Winner. Launch date: February 2008.

The Red Maple is a showstopper through all four seasons and is one of the first trees to bloom, as they gracefully usher into spring. The Red Maple comes complete with everything needed, including seeds, germination mixture, a plant stake and a biodegradable coconut coir pot that the tree can be planted outside in. Five percent of the proceeds from this line will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation. "It is 100-percent natural and easy to grow!" Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

Kids can construct their own mole skeleton with DuneCraft’s new Skeleton Pellets — each contains an entire skeleton. The product is 100-percent synthetic, making it completely safe and sanitary to dissect. Each Skeleton Pellet Bag of Knowledge contains a magnifying glass, a Skeleton Pellet, a bone-sorting chart and more. Launch date: October 2008.

Who will be first to get to Witch's Mountain? Two to four players take turns testing their memory and advancing toward the mountain. Kids roll the dice and find the cards that match what they rolled to win. Little Thunder Witch can be played in three variations. Game play is approximately 15 minutes. "The wooden game pieces are made in Germany using native reforested woods and nontoxic water based stains, not paint," Lisa Orman, president of KidStuff Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Legacy Interactive’s award-winning "Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals" is also available on Nintendo DS. Kids can test their skills as an animal doctor in this fun and educational vet simulation. Using the stylus, they give check-ups, treat major and minor illnesses, and even perform surgeries. Emergencies sometimes arise and players must act fast or risk losing a life. Zoo Vet will tug on heartstrings, prompt laughter, and challenge the mind. Launch date: November 11, 2008.

The 20 multi-part miniatures included in this kit are made of hard plastic and stand 28 mm tall. They come with full-color shield transfers and are unpainted and unassembled. The pieces feature "the highest quality sculpting and innovative designs," Paul Sawyer, operations manager for Warlord Games Ltd, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

This interactive cloth wall chart helps children learn about a subject that fascinates them — the human body. The hanging activity center comes with 16 soft, stuffed, self-sticking organs, and 15 embroidered labels, for hours of science fun. Children love to play with the beautifully detailed, self-checking pieces as they learn about the organs and where they are located in the body. It includes a giant cloth charge (38.5” x 19.5”) with grommets, 16 self-stick organs, 15 self-stick labels and an activity guide. Launch date: January 31, 2008.

The Fossils Collection includes nine different fossils in a handy storage tray, an informational guide, a four-color insert card of photographed fossils, and a die-cut sheet of circle labels for the fossils. Fossils included are brachiopod, bryozoa, crinoid stem, gastropod, colony coral, ammonite, shark's tooth, fossil fern and petrified wood. Launch date: January 31, 2008.

Marko the Pencil shows students how easy it can be to understand and remember science concepts. They can learn about the solar system, weather, water cycle, geology, properties of minerals, volcanoes, plate tectonics, weathering, topography, erosion, energy resources and energy conservation. The approximately 58-minute DVD is an excellent preparation tool for any earth science tests and meets National Science Education Standards. Launch date: October 2008.

With this DVD, kids can learn important facts and get ready for any physical science test. Marko the Pencil takes learners on a journey to his Super Science Station where it’s easy to grasp science concepts. This DVD covers lab safety, scientific method, atoms and their parts, molecules, states of matter, physical and chemical changes, mixtures versus pure substances, electricity, magnetism, motion, gravity, light and energy. It meets National Science Education Standards, and is designed for grades 5 and up. Approx. 55 min. Launch date: September 2008.