February 2010 New Specialty Toys — Educational

ThinkFun a-ha! Brainteasers are designed to inspire special a-ha! moments for novice and seasoned problem solvers alike. Can you “shoot” the arrow out of the front of the tray without removing the three planks? Hard, Level 3. "[It's] another brainteaser to add to ThinkFun's collection of best-selling brainteasers, which teach pattern recognition, abstract thinking and problem solving," Edoardo Kulp, Marketing Manager, ThinkFun Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

For novice and seasoned problem solvers alike, the object of the Star Burst is simple, the solution is elusive. Just take the Star Burst apart and put it back together again. Simple. Or is it? Medium, Level 2. Launch date: 2010.
— Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va, told TDmonthly in a July 2013 survey that ThinkFun Brainteaser Puzzles were among her store's best-selling puzzles.

This “cousin” of the best-selling Gordian’s Knot is designed to be elegant but cunning. Untangling Zig-Zag Knot is not as easy as it looks. The player slides each piece in the correct sequence of 37 moves to take the Zig-Zag Knot apart. With every move made, one or more pieces will move easily, but there’s only one right answer. The included guide shows the complete solution as well as full instructions for putting Zig-Zag Knot back to its original form. Launch date: April 2010.

This new and improved version of What’s GNU? may serve as a fun confidence-builder as it allows early readers to build their vocabularies. Two or more players slide the “Letter Getter” to reveal two letter tiles at a time, then use those tiles to create three-letter combinations on their Word Starter cards. The player who spells the greatest number of words wins. It now includes beginner and advanced Word Starter Cards and highlighted vowels for added learning. "ThinkFun has taken a best seller and improved it by including both beginner and advanced cards. Now the entire family can play!" Edoardo Kulp, Marketing Manager, ThinkFun Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: Jan. 15, 2010.

Two or more players race to be the first to get the animals into the barnyard in this matching game. Focusing on image completion, players search their cards to complete a barnyard animal, then use the fun Barnyard Flipper to turn over the card and reveal the next image to be matched. Images help children match, while the writing on each card will help early readers make associations between the words and the image. Launch date: March 2010.

Zingo! now comes in a fun, portable package. Just shake the Zingo! Zoomer car to expose the two dice. Got a match? Turn over the corresponding traffic light on your game board. The first player that turns over a completed traffic light wins. With no loose pieces and a snap-together game board, this Zingo! is designed for family fun on the go. Launch date: April 2010.

With Zingo! 1-2-3, players must match their numbered tiles with the corresponding display on their challenge board. The first player with a full card wins the game by yelling “Zingo!” In this fast-paced game, two levels of play focus on image recognition and addition. "This is a line extension of the best-selling Zingo! game by ThinkFun. It now uses numbers and math skills as compared to of pictures and image recognition skills used in original Zingo!" Edoardo Kulp, Marketing Manager, ThinkFun Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: Jan. 15, 2010.
— Angie Knutson from My Four Monkeys:  the “easy to use” number dispensing Zinger was “the funnest part of the game” for her kids. “As with most ThinkFun games,” said Angie, “Zingo! 1-2-3 would also make a great preschool and kindergarten resource!”
— Ruth B. Roufberg and Parents’ Choice applauded the successful blending of number education and bingo as well as the game components and packaging for being “functionally designed.” Zingo 1-2-3 Number Bingo received the Spring 2010 Parents’ Choice Gold Award.
— Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award Winner, 2010

MAGNETIC PALS Alphabet blocks show capital and lower case letters with images that match, helping preschoolers learn what picture begins with what letter as they play. "All MAGNETIC PAL items are made in Oregon with USA manufactured products that meet the toy safety standards," Janice Gardner, Partner, Gardners Gatherings, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 15, 2009.

This interactive, web-enabled, financial education game is developed to help children learn what they should know about money. It includes fun and educational games for kids 6 to 12 years old to learn about saving, mathematics, foreign cultures, ecology and more. "This is the first interactive moneybox connected to an Internet gaming platform. This is also one of the best educational games that will make your kids money savvy," Jerome Bousquet, online sales and development, Ekomini Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2009.

The CROCODILE STAGE PUPPET features an easily animated mouth and operable arms. Design details include soft-sculpted plush with molded claws and teeth that are lots of fun to snap. Awards: 2007 iPARENTING MEDIA Best Products Award, NAPPA 2007 Gold Award, 2007 CREATIVE CHILD AWARDS Preferred Choice - Puppets for Kids, CTTC BEST BET AWARD for TOY REPORT 2008. Launch date: 2007.

The award-winning Joe Rock and Friends interactive stories are now available on iPhone and iPod Touch. Featuring two languages (English and Spanish), original fun songs, 3D graphics, instant switching between languages, optional narration, and word tracking, these stories can provide a great reading experience for emerging readers (ages 3-8) and a great tool for language learners. "The multi-language features ... allow instant switching of any page between the two languages," Allan Crossley, CEO, BoggleNoggin Media Inc., told TDmonthly. Awards: 2008 Outstanding Product - iParenting Media Awards, Preferred Choice Award - Creative Child Magazine, June 2008, Editor's Choice Award - Children's Technology Review, June 2008 & Dec 2006, Recommended - Parent's Choice FOundation, March 2008. Launch date: September 2009.

The VirtueGame is a card game designed to bring out the best in people. It's a lighthearted, fun way for kids to learn about and practice virtues such as responsibility, compassion, thankfulness and trust. Can you be trusted with a treasured pet fish? Or name five things you have in common with the person next to you? Players should be prepared for silly fun. "The VirtueGame is the first Character Education game on the market. It coincides perfectly with our cultural trend towards things that matter and the renewed interest in family time and personal values," Anne Brunell, Founder, Virtue Toys, told TDmonthly. Awards: 2009 Best Practice Award, Character Education Partnership. Launch date: March 2009.

Ideal for decorating a large space on a budget, these 26, 5" x 7" cards give an individual freedom to space them as they'd like. "Our products introduce global exploration and environmental stewardship with stylish, eco-friendly and culturally diverse images full of whimsy. Each product is lovingly created with recycled papers, scraps and earth-friendly inks," Rebecca Peragine, Owner, Children Inspire Design, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 15, 2010.

Zatswho® is a set of six differently colored, sensory flashcards that work like flexible photo frames. The cards are soft, easy to hold, pliable, tactile and wipe clean, great for babies, toddlers and special needs children. Slip in a photo of your child’s faraway Grandma and they'll learn her face in minutes, keeping family connected. This interactive learning tool also helps to teach colors, shapes and more as the child goes from one developmental stage to the next. Zatswho® soft photo flashcards come in a little carrying tote, so it also makes a cute travel game.

This toy looks like the real thing and is designed to be very sturdy. It is also lightweight, compact and portable. There are eight early learning activities in English and Spanish. The interactive bilingual toy teaches the alphabet, words, numbers, shapes and colors. Includes 3 AAA batteries. "The Ingenio line is affordable and innovative, making it attractive for the specialty market," Ilango Sankaralingam, President, Smart Play, LLC, told TDmonthly. Awards: 2009 Creative Child Toy of The Year. Launch date: October 2009.

This bilingual puzzle game is designed to help players learn the alphabet and spell three-letter words. It has bright colored letters and picture cards to captivate a child’s attention, and it grows with the child by starting with the alphabet and continuing on to spelling simple words. Children can play a self-checking spelling game and learn to spell three-letter words in both English and Spanish. It includes 22 spelling cards and 68 letters. "Ingenio is the first educational bilingual toy brand committed to bilingual learning. All Ingenio products are bilingual — product, packaging and website. This line offers parents a great opportunity to teach a second language to their child at an early age," Ilango Sankaralingam, president of Smart Play, LLC, told TDmonthly. Award: Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Products 2009. Launch date: September 2009.

Disc 1 provides fun baby activities on a yoga ball to enhance motor development for 0- to 6-month-olds. Disc 2 provides 19 core exercises for new moms using a yoga ball. In some of the mommy exercises, the baby is also working on tummy time and trunk stability, balance and sitting. "Moms can exercise and engage their new babies all at the same time. They can workout without ignoring their babies or leaving them at home while mom is at the gym. Both discs benefit baby development and bonding to moms," Judy Kang, president of spotlightbaby, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010. Watch DVD Preview

The Daisy Fold & Go goes with any Easy Daysies Magnetic Kit. It is a magnetic board that kids can take anywhere. Grandparents and babysitters can easily know a child's daily routine. It can be personalized with a dry erase marker. Users can place magnets down the middle or use the "To Do" and "Done" columns for a reward system. The back stores unused magnets.

Fair Share Chore Cards eliminates dreaded arguments among who does what chores and takes the phrase "that’s not fair" out of the housework equation by leaving chore assignments to the luck of the draw. The chore cards have helpful directions printed on each card on how to accomplish each chore safely and efficiently. The only Ace in the deck serves as a "get out of a chore free" card, giving one a lucky break from a chore.

The first member of the Perplexus family, this see-through sphere houses a 3-D labyrinth game with 100 barriers, turns, twists and cliffhangers that serve as obstacles to getting a small steel ball to the end. Invented in 1970 by Michael McGinnis, a design teacher, Perplexus helps develop motor and dexterity skills, along with hand-eye coordination.
― As of 12/17/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 393 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 12 on the top 100 bestselling toys and games.
— At Izilla Toys in Seattle, "Perplexus is selling really, really well for us," Co-owner Jude Larene told TDmonthly in late fall 2009.
— In summer 2010 this game was a top-10 best seller at Dancing Bear Toys in Asheville and Hendersonville, N.C..
Awards: 2012 Parents’ Choice Awards - Silver, 2011 Time Magazine – 15 Smartest Toys for Young Geniuses, 2011 Parent Tested Parent Approved – Seal of Approval, 2011 Grand Prix Kidexpo – Elu par les Parents (Parents’Choice), 2011 Children of Museum of Indianapolis – Top 10 Toys of 2011, 2011 Canadian Toy Testing Council – Children’s Choice, 2011 Babble List – Best Kids Toys, 2010 Toy Insider – Hot 20, 2010 The National Parenting Center – Seal of Approval, 2010 Prémio Brazil – Award of Excellence, 2010 Parents’ Magazine – Top Toys, 2010 NAPPA – Gold, 2010 ASTRA – Best Toy for Kids

This colorful DVD featuring real-life nature scenes explains about summer solstice, pollination and various insects, summer safety and seasonal foods. Bonus features include sign language, a game, a quiz, a slideshow of images, and a Spanish vocabulary slideshow. A corresponding Activity Book is also available.

This kit includes chemicals needed to grow a Rose Quartz crystal cluster of up to 4" in diameter. It comes with the Space Age Crystal Growing chemical, a stirring rod, a display pedestal and instructions. Within just a few hours of transferring the chemical to hot water, pouring the mixture into the vessel and letting it cool, crystals will begin to form and then continue growing for many days.

The battle lines are drawn both at home and abroad, as bestselling author Dianne Ebertt Beeaff's gripping first novel unfolds. Framed in a rich historical backdrop, "Power's Garden" is the masterfully woven tale of two southeastern Arizona families — one Texan, one Mormon — whose cultures collide during trying economic times. As World War I rages in Europe, a crippling drought engulfs the Gila Valley desert, the hope of the area's ranchers wasting away with their livestock. With candor and courage, the Brennick and Beecham families develop an embattled but gripping relationship, navigating uncertainties, challenging traditions and learning to love. "It's a novel of two different cultures and the Morman religion," pointed out Five Star's Lisa Goldman. Launch date: June 15, 2009.

Rattlesnakes are much maligned primarily because they are much misunderstood. In Rattlesnake Rules, award-winning children’s author and science editor Conrad J. Storad, of Arizona, removes the veil of mystery from these fascinating creatures and imparts to young readers valuable information that will help them better understand rattlesnakes and keep both the children and the snakes safe. Delightfully illustrated by Conrad’s long-time collaborator, artist Nathaniel P. Jensen, The Rattlesnake Rules is yet another in their popular series that includes Desert Night Shift (A Pack Rat Story) and Don’t Ever Cross that Road! (An Armadillo Story), among others. Launch date: October 15, 2009.