December 2012 New Specialty Toys — Educational

First Grade Activities Homework Helper provides children in first grade with extra help in learning important skills. Packed full of fun-to-do activities and appealing art, children will have fun completing the reproducible pages while learning first grade skills at the same time. Answer keys are also included where needed. These workbooks provide help for students who need extra practice with basic skills, for the accelerated student who enjoys an extra challenge, and for the young learner who is developing basic concepts and readiness skills. They also help boost self-confidence and reinforce basic skills with activities that are geared to the specific grade level.
— Gregory Sahagian, owner of Learning Express of Beverly in Beverly, Mass., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that they sell 4-5 dozen Kumon Homework Helpers each month, making them a top-2 best selling educational products.

A rich vocabulary is critical for successful test-taking, particularly in reading comprehension. Hot Dots Laugh It Up! Vocabulary Card sets are a fun and interactive way to grow kids’ vocabularies. Includes 6 Interactive vocabulary card sets in all, including synonyms (2730), antonyms (2731), multiple-meaning words (shown here), prefixes and suffixes (2735), context clues (2733), and homophones (2732). 50 double-sided, illustrated cards per set (100 questions), featuring jokes, riddles, cartoons, and kid-friendly questions.
— In a Fall 2012 survey, two out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that Hot Dots were their best selling educational toy.

The littleBits Extended Kit is the third and biggest kit by littleBits. We hand picked all of the most fun, mechanical Bits and crammed them into one double-decker kit. This kit contains all the Bits one needs to make littleBits creations. It features a dc motor, motion trigger, buzzer, 2 wires, and more.

The Classic set consists of 36 varieties of maple blocks. Painted with non-toxic water based acrylic paints and sealed with organic beewax.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

This handcrafted wood set includes seven pieces: A bucket drum with a natural skin head, a pair of drum sticks, a single jingle stick, a handled castanet and a pair of mini maracas. Fun for the whole family or class! Includes a parent/teacher friendly activity guide for ideas on using the items to encourage child development.
— As of 10/30/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 26 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: The drum makes a nice noise; fun for kids on their own or in groups.
Awards: 2015 TDmonthly Top Toy Award

Yuko-chan and the Daruma Doll, a gorgeous book by author/illustrator Sunny Seki, takes readers on a journey into ancient Japan and the story behind the famous Daruma Doll. Yuko-chan, an adventurous blind orphan, is able to do amazing things. She confronts a temple burglar in the dead of night, and crosses treacherous mountain passes to deliver food to hungry people. During her travels, Yuko-chan trips and tumbles down a snowy cliff. She discovers a strange thing as she waits for help: her tea gourd, regardless of how she drops it, always lands right-side-up. The tea has frozen in the bottom of the gourd. Inspired by this, she creates the famous Daruma doll toy, which rights itself when tipped—a true symbol of resilience. Thanks to Yuko-chan's invention, the villagers are able to earn a living and feed themselves by selling the dolls. Yuko-chan never gave up, no matter the obstacles she faced, and the Daruma doll is a charming reminder of the power of perseverance.

Peek into the underground world of earthworms and discover their earth-saving secrets. See how they turn waste into soil and dig tunnels to create drainage for plants. Perform experiments to demonstrate how worms live and work underground. Have fun with the "Super Squirmin" character cutouts. Made in the USA and Safety Approved. Double-sided viewing, Worm Facts and Anatomy Poster, experiment booklet, and 2 foot Super Squirmin worm cut-out with Superhero hats. Mail-in certificate (send $12.95) for live worms, soil wafers and starter food shipped Priority Mail year-round in the USA, excluding Hawaii.

Triple Talk is a fast-paced card game for improving vocabulary, comprehension, and reasoning skills by presenting students with words that may have different meanings based on their context. For example, one can swim in a pool, play a game of pool, or pool one's resources. Each of the 60 Word Cards in Triple Talk has three different corresponding Photo-Definition Cards (180 Cards). There are three levels of Photo-Definition Cards. Level 1 Cards have a definition most familiar to students. Levels 2 and 3 gradually increase in difficulty by using the words in contexts that may not be as familiar to students. The definitions present the words as simple nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Pair game develops memory/concentration skills and visual discrimination in a fun way. The 24 activity cards include: Early Learning, the Body, and the Animal World (6 cards for each area); It includes recognition of Shapes and letters; It encourages recognition of objects; It helps in teaching how to follow rules and respect others; It can be played individually or in a group; Big pieces for small hands. Launch date: January 2011.

Fun way to learn essential math skills about money. Each set includes 3 game series - total of 18 full color activity cards to reinforce visual recognition and discrimination, and actual size plastic bills and coins (14 bills and 24 coins).  Activity Dollar includes actual size and accurately designed play money, as well as 3 matching games to: - reinforce recognition of each coin and bill (dollar bingo), - market games to support the values of each bill and coin to arrive at the correct price and - comparison game to introduce the concept of greater and less than. Launch date: January 2012.

It’s time to catch some Butterflies. These beautiful creatures are spreading their stunning wings and flitting from flower to flower. Follow a simple legend and add sparkling jewels and foam tiles to decorate these special oversized mosaics. Hang these magical Butterflies on your walls for some whimsical décor. Launch date: October 2012.

A high-energy educational Spanish & English class in DVD that will stimulate kid's musical & language development and captivate their imaginations. We believe that children's interest will peak after watching this special video. Children from 3 years old and up learn the name of many farm animals in the "Repeat After Me" segment. Includes "Numbers 1-30", "Sentences", "Opposites", "What Color It Is?", "Insects", "Puzzle Time" and "Time To Eat". The show ends in a fancy gelato shop learning the ice cream flavors. Songs, music, illustrations, and real farm animals are part of this wonderful video. Launch date: January 2012.
Awards: 2012 Best of Show Dealer Favorites; A “must have” item from the 2012 NSSEA Organization Ed Expo recently held on March 23rd in Baltimore, MD

Discover with Dr. Cool turned this classic science experiment into the ultimate hands-on volcano experience. First you'll decorate the 7" ceramic volcano with the brush and paints included in the kit. Then kids'll make the volcano erupt over and over with the eruption powder and red lava coloring also included. Plus they'll get to examine 3 genuine volcanic specimens including: a real geode, an obsidian arrowhead, and a floating piece of volcanic rock called pumice. The information guide will teach kids all about their specimens as well as how volcanoes form and why they erupt. Also included is an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. Because everything is included in the kit, kids won't need to run to the store for additional supplies. If they're doing this project for the science fair, they'll love how nice the ceramic volcano looks-it's way better than the paper mache volcanoes. This is the perfect science kit for anyone interested in geology, earth science, or volcanoes. Launch date: August 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval, 2012 Kids Product of the Year,  Creative Child Magazine; 2012 Gold Award, Family Review Center;2012 Seal of Approval, Family Review Center.

Excavate 3 genuine fossil specimens just like a real paleontologist. Buried inside the ammonite-shaped digging brick young paleontologists will uncover a real sliced and polished ammonite, a clam fossil and a gastropod specimen. This hands-on kit includes an excavation tool, brush, magnifying glass, full-color information guide, and an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. These 3 genuine specimens are each millions of years old. The info guide was written by teachers so that kids will improve their knowledge of science. Plus, there's an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. Launch date: September 2012.
Awards: 2012 Seal of Excellence - Creative Child Magazine; 2012 Preferred Choice Award - Creative Child Magazine

Ready to strike it rich? This hands-on science kit will teach kids how to pan for gold just like a real gold miner. This exciting treasure hunter's kit includes a 10" prospector's pan, 2 bags of pay dirt with pyrite (also known as fool's gold) nuggets inside, mining tools, and much more. Kids will learn all of the secrets to panning in the full-color adventure guide. Plus there's an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to solve. Launch date: September 2012.
Awards: Dr. Toy 2012 Best Picks Winner, 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20

In this game, players take turns placing randomly drawn location cards in the correct position, around a given starting point. Is Bangkok north or south of Cancùn? What about Mount Everest? Is it east or west of St.-Petersburg? If a player isn't a geography wiz, they bluff. Their opponents might just believe them…Launch date: 2012.

Winner of Dr. Toys 100 Best Childrens Products of 2012 and 10 Best High-Tech Products of 2012, as well as a Preferred Choice Award by Creative Child Magazine, this new children's book is built around The Global Game Changers, a fictional team of superheroes whose leader, Global Girl, and her sidekick, Little Big-Heart, and their trust dog Pixel, recruit real-life kids to help change the world for the better by doing good things for others without expecting anything in return. At the end of The Global Game Changers book there is a call to action for the reader to be inspired to join the Alliance by visiting The Global Game Changers interactive web community where they can share their Ignite Good! stories, learn how to utilize their talents to affect things they are passionate about, have fun, and be empowered to help make a difference in the world. Launch date: July 15, 2012.

In celebration of our tenth anniversary, Moonjar has created a brand new Moneybox with a global twist. Each metallic section is wrapped in the words, "Save, Spend and Share" in languages from around the world. The boxes are gold, silver and copper colors to appeal to the tween set as well as their parents.

Potty Training Little Ones is geared towards making potty time fun for children. The book walks through each step of potty training. From the time the child is introduced to the potty to the time he or she is ready to go and make it part of their routine. This fun and colorful book also motivates kids by providing coloring pages for each activity - choosing a potty, going for the first time and washing hands.
Awards: National Parenting Seal of Approval 2012

Play along with UG™ of HOMEVESTORS of America, rescuing "Ugly" Properties and rehabilitaing them to make them "Luvly" for resale.  Get started learning to Rescue, Rehab, and Resell Houses, just like on ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" or A&E's "Flip This House". Learn the game and sign up online and on a mobile device to play in HOMEVESTING tournaments. Prizes galore, including flat screen TVs, XBoxes, Cash. Come learn what Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Carlton Sheets and Armando Montelongo charge thousands of dollars for. Learn the trials and tribulations that come along with the adventure of real estate investment, and have fun doing it.

In a time of post-Revolutionary fervor in Richmond, Virginia, an imposing twenty-four-year-old slave named Gabriel, known for his courage and intellect, plotted a rebellion involving thousands of African- American freedom seekers armed with refashioned pitchforks and other implements of Gabriel’s blacksmith trade. The revolt would be thwarted by a confluence of fierce weather and human betrayal, but Gabriel retained his dignity to the end. History knows little of Gabriel’s early life. But here, author Gigi Amateau imagines a childhood shaped by a mother’s devotion, a father’s passion for liberation, and a friendship with a white master’s son who later proved cowardly and cruel. She gives vibrant life to Gabriel’s love for his wife-to-be, Nanny, a slave woman whose freedom he worked tirelessly, and futilely, to buy. Interwoven with original documents, this poignant, illuminating novel gives a personal face to a remarkable moment in history. Launch date: September 2012.

This engaging boxed set contains: Ten short, funny, full-color books about Sesame Street, featuring Big Bird, Grover, Elmo, Abby, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and more; a fold-out poster with full-color stickers for tracking books as they’re read; a Brand New Readers certificate of achievement to build children’s confidence; a make-your-own Brand New Reader book - just right for brand-new writers; and a parent/teacher guide to make reading a success the very first time. Launch date: September 2012.

Traveling to Dublin? Just returned? Wish you could go? Discover a dozen popular spots, from Dublin Castle (now a convention center) to the lofty St. Patrick’s Cathedral, from the handsome brick townhouses of Merrion Square to Gaiety Theatre, the city’s longest-running theatrical stage. Launch date: September 2012.

Welcome to the Met. Boasting more than two million works, it’s one of the world’s largest art museums. Learn about twelve top attractions, including the lovely Charles Engelhard Court, the formidable Arms and Armor Court, and the Modern Art Gallery showcasing works from Monet to the artists of today. Launch date: September 2012.