August 2012 New Specialty Toys — Educational

Our top selling Draw-Write-Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills. Each Draw-Write-Now book has 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. In The United States learn about the United States and the fundamental principles for which it stands. In From Sea to Sea discover how the United States grew from 13 colonies to a nation that spans a continent and encompasses 50 states. In Moving Forward kids can float down the Ohio River on a flatboat in the 1700s and then learn about the Internet while traveling through time with famous Americans, their inventions and innovations. Launch date: 1998.

Our top selling Draw-Write-Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills. Each Draw-Write-Now book has 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. The Polar Regions section allows kids to discover the wonders of our planet’s polar regions. Why is it so cold near the poles? The Arctic provides an exploration of “The Land of the Midnight Sun” while learning about polar bears, igloos and more. In The Antarctic kids will experience one of Earth’s most amazing places. How do penguins keep their chicks warm? Why is the southern ocean teeming with life? Launch date: 1997.

Our top selling Draw-Write-Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills. Each Draw-Write-Now book has 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. In the Native Americans section learn about North America’s diverse Native cultures–past and present. North America allows kids to explore the vast North American continent with lessons on the mountainous West, the frozen North and more. The Pilgrims section allows discovery of who they were and why they came to America.

Our top selling Draw-Write-Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills! Each Draw-Write-Now book has 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. Christopher Columbus allows kids to Explore the world while learning about Columbus voyage of 1492. In Autumn Harvest celebrate the wonders of autumn with lessons on pine cones, owls, squirrels and more. The Weather unravels the mysteries of the weather. What makes a cloud? Why does it snow? What is fog? Launch date: 1995.

A fun and easy activity parents and children can do together. Kids will be delighted with colorful cards that promote gross motor development and alphabet recognition. Each card has a lower case letter on one side and adorable animal and action on the other. Players can have fun as they "Crawl like an inchworm" or "Roar like a lion." Children will practice letter recognition while improving flexibility and strengthening muscles. Trace the letter on the back of the card for reinforcement and handwriting practice. Launch date: 2011.

A fun and easy activity parents and children can do together. Kids will love these colorful cards that promote gross motor development and alphabet recognition. Each card has an upper case letter on one side and adorable animal and action on the other. Parents and their kids can have fun as they "Run like a Fox" or "Roll like an Armadillo." They learn to recognize the alphabet, improve flexibility, and strengthen muscles. Trace the letter on the back of the card for reinforcement and handwriting practice. A sturdy ring means they’ll never lose a single card. Launch date: 2011.
Award: 2011 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval award

This giant pad is filled with fun exercises designed to improve visual motor control and endurance, while building confidence. Kids have a great time as they connect the dots, navigate mazes, find hidden objects, and learn how to stay within visual boundaries. A sticker-based reward system will keep kids focused and motivated. Launch date: 2011.

This poster measures 13 3/8" x 19" and is printed on durable, 12pt paper. With beautiful designs that match our Italy line, this poster is sure to stand out in any room. Our colorful poster will light up classrooms, homes or offices and inspire everyone who sees it. Poster Reads "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." Launch date: 2011.

"Difficult Things Take a Long Time, Impossible Things Take a Little Longer." This poster measures 13 3/8" x 19" and is printed on durable, 12pt paper. This colorful dotted poster matches well with our Italy line. Sure to inspire- hang it on a door, cabinet, or wall. Perfect for classrooms or homes for kids of all ages. Launch date: 2011.

Help students learn about grammar by displaying these beautiful grammar posters throughout the classroom. Children will love the eye-catching design and simple explanations of grammar functions. Set includes Collective Noun, Verb/Adverb, Noun, Simile, Prefix/Suffix, Idiom, Compound Word Adjective, and Homophone/Synonym/Antonym. These posters provide an easy way to help students memorize these grammar functions through striking visuals and clear examples. Launch date: 2011.

This award-winning set of magnetic words makes it easy to practice writing complete sentences, master difficult grammar concepts, and enhance creative writing skills. The set includes 205 magnetic words, which are color-coded for grammar, and punctuation marks. By simply replacing a green word with another green word, your students can instantly see what a noun’s job is in a sentence. Repeat the exercise with verbs, adjectives, pronouns, etc. and watch their reading and writing ability soar. The words included in this set are a well-researched mix of the most commonly used words in the English language (from both the Dolch and the Fry word lists), sight words, rhyming words, and nouns that begin with every letter of the alphabet (great for teaching phonics and letter recognition). The individual magnets are large enough to be easy to handle (they measure 1" high and the lengths vary depending on the word but average about 2" wide) but small enough so you can write complete sentences on a 9" x 13" lapboard (see our wonderful magnetic-receptive Kidboards). We offer a complete line of color-coded word sets that can be used in combination with this set making our Learning Magnets line a very powerful, effective, and versatile tool. "Correlates to over 25 Common Core State Standards," Candi Thoresen, customer service rep at Barker Creek Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2012.

Created in response to customer demand, our workbooks give students the opportunity to write and illustrate their own books. Our workbooks are printed on quality, white paper. The horizontal format gives children a long line on which to write and a large drawing area. Each 48-page workbook will hold all of the lessons in one of our Draw Write Now books with a few extra pages for practice. "Perfect for handwriting practice," Candi Thoresen, customer service rep at Barker Creek Publishing told TDmonthly. Launch date: 1994.

Measuring a whopping 11" wide by 18" tall, this tablet includes 50 pages of high-quality matte art paper. Each page has a 10" x 7" area for drawing and five sets of ruled lines for writing. Launch date: 1995.

These exotic Africa Pop-Outs will have children feeling wild. Perfect to create that safari feel in the class room, these Pop-Outs are sure to stand out wherever they are used. The next decorating project will "pop" with these colorful 4" letters from Barker Creek. Super chic and easy to read, they are perfect for your next project, presentation, report, poster, or display. Designed to coordinate with our NEW Africa-themed decor, this set includes 245 zebra, giraffe, leopard and tiger-filled letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and punctuation marks. Launch date: 2010.

Super fun and bright, our Italy Pop-Outs feature a beautiful flowering design. Your next decorating project will "pop" with these colorful 4" letters from Barker Creek. Super chic and easy to read, they are perfect for your next project, presentation, report, poster, or display. Designed to coordinate with our fun and funky Italy decor, this set includes 245 colorful letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and punctuation marks. Launch date: 2010.

Our Neon Pop-Outs are a great way to add some fun, bright, and bold colors to your project or room. This design matches perfectly with our Neon Stripes products. Your next decorating project will "pop" with these colorful 4" letters from Barker Creek. Super chic and easy to read, they are perfect for your next project, presentation, report, poster, or display. Designed to coordinate with our top-selling Neon-themed decor, this set includes 245 neon color-filled letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and punctuation marks. Launch date: 2010.

Our top selling Draw Write Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills. Our Draw Write Now books each have 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. In On the Farm experience life on a farm while drawing and writing about horses, cows, tractors and more.In Kids and Critters learn fun, new ways to draw children and their favorite animal friends. Storybook Characters allow you to practice handwriting and learn how to draw popular storybook characters like The Little Red Hen and The Three Bears. Launch date: 1994.

Our top selling Draw Write Now series is a great way to develop students’ writing, drawing, and reading skills. Our Draw Write Now books each have 21 theme related drawing and writing lessons with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on 64 full color pages. Each drawing lesson has four handwriting practice sentences that relate to the drawing as well as questions that prompt discussion. This set includes all 8 of the books in our Draw Write Now series. "Integrates reading, handwriting and art in a multifunctional and fun way," Candi Thoresen, in customer service at Barker Creek Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2001.

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. This program explains the dangers of unhealthy diets, which can lead to nutritional disorders. It also explores the diversity of diets around the world. When we eat, we eat in the context of our body types, cultures, diets and, believe it or not, our moods. This program explores the many contexts in which we eat and what they mean for nutrition. Light Speed Video Learning is a comprehensive video course designed to teach core curriculum subjects. Our rapid-fire approach keeps students engaged while our cast of young actors, humorous skits, mnemonics, and on-screen graphics present step-by-step examples to teach students the essentials to master a subject.

For many students the study of algebra is similar to learning a new language, it can be very confusing and daunting. Our cast of young actors define those difficult algebra terms and use on-screen graphics to present step-by-step examples. This program puts the FUN into functions and other difficult algebra topics and is a must see for any student who is starting algebra or needs a refresher. Each Standard Deviants - Light Speed Algebra: The Powers and Functions video program includes a digital workbook with an outline, video notes, graphic organizers, games, and quizzes. The subject matter correlates directly to state standards and is produced and designed by an academic team of professors, students, actors, comedians, and teachers. Topics include: What is Algebra, anyway?, Kinds of numbers, Order of Operations – PEMDAS, Rules of exponents, Properties of operations, Cost Functions,Input and Output,Scatter plots, Trend Lines, Graphs, Domain and Range.

Light Speed Video Learning: Multiplying & Dividing is a fun and effective way for students to understand a subject. Lively presentations by actors and comedians combined with colorful graphics teach students skills they use in real-life applications. Each video program includes a digital workbook with an outline, video notes, practice questions, games, and quizzes. The subject matter correlates directly with state standards and is produced and designed by an Academic Team of professional scriptwriters, students, professors, actors, comedians, and teachers. Topics covered include: Multiplication basics, Multiplying bigger numbers, Distributive property, Word problems, Multiplying using a calculator, Problem-solving, Division basics, Long division, Factors.

A fun way to learn step counting, an important stage in learning multiplication. Count by 2s, 5s, 10s and 20s...all the way to 100. Colorful I Spy images make the game even more exciting. Also includes catchy rhymes to say when counting.

Electric motors and generators are in countless devices, appliances, and vehicles we use every day. They are an essential technology in our modern world. With this kit, kids can conduct 25 experiments to learn how an electric motor converts electricity into motion, and how an electric generator does just the opposite, converting motion into electricity. The electric motor is made of transparent plastic to show how the inside components work. Set up the motor to run on battery power and learn how a motor works. Then reconfigure the device to work in reverse as a hand-crank electric generator. Experiment with magnets to learn about the force of magnetism, and how magnetic fields relate to electric current. Build simple circuits consisting of the motor or generator, wires, and a light bulb to learn about the flow of electricity. Learn about gears and drive-trains and how they work to effectively convert kinetic energy into electrical energy and back again. The full-color, 48-page manual guides your experiments with step-by-step instructions.

Includes everything kids need to create an enchanting home for three wee gnomes. This all-inclusive garden craft kit includes a garden dish, potting mix, wheat grass seeds, bark house, leaf-shaped pond, mossy rocks, stepping stones, resin gnomes, toadstools, ladybugs, paint, brush and a mister - just add water and a little sunshine. The garden dish measures 11"w x 2"d. The natural wheat grass seeds are pet friendly and sprout in just a few days.
Awards: Summer 2012 Tillywig Award Winner