February 2010 Notable Toys — Educational

In this gravity-defying, 3-D word-building game, two to four players are challenged to add stacking letters to a tower to form words up, down or sideways to earn points. They must be careful, though, as any new letter could send the Konexi into a full collapse. The game comes with 26 red letters, a die, a mover, a pad and pencil, and a rules manual. Launch date: Fall 2010 (specialty and mass retailers).

Written by Keltie Thomas and illustrated by Stephen MacEachern, this book delves into the history of science of figure skating as a sport, a lineup of the most creative moves, info about partnerships and rivalries, and much more.

TDmonthly Review:

Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.

Written by Mary Wallace, this tale of Alaska's Inuit people illustrates each letter of "Inuksuk" in acrostic poem, connecting the meaning of each word to the people and their surroundings. Launch date: September 2009.

These jaguars are part of a plush collection featuring stuffed animals and puppets that share characteristics of their real animal in the wild. A hangtag explains each animal's distinctive qualities. Retail price ranges from $16 to $36, depending on size. Launch date: January 2010.
— Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop in Scottsdale, Ariz., was impressed with this plush line at Toy Fair 2010.

Complete with an illustrated guidebook, this developmental kit comes with 10 multi-sensory games and craft activities to let preschoolers practice early cutting and fine motor skills.

The sixth illustrated book of the series follows Mandy, an adopted Chinese girl, and Pandy the Panda, her best friend. Mandy and Pandy Visit the Zoo is an exciting story journey through the local zoo, with Mandy and Pandy stopping by different exhibits and greeting the animals.  Children can learn the Chinese and English names for exciting wild creatures such as tigers, hippos and flamingos. An audio CD is included with each book to help reinforce what is being read and for English-speaking children to hear the proper pronunciation of the Chinese translation. Each CD includes the entire story read aloud by the author in both English and Chinese. Launch date: Spring 2010

The fifth illustrated book of the series follows Mandy, an adopted Chinese girl, and Pandy the Panda, her best friend. In this version of the classic “I Spy” game played by kids everywhere, Mandy and Pandy visit the lake and ask each other about the colors of the objects around them.  All the colors of the rainbow are named, along with brown, white and black. An audio CD is included with each book to help reinforce what is being read and for English-speaking children to hear the proper pronunciation of the Chinese translation. Each CD includes the entire story read aloud by the author in both English and Chinese. Launch date: Spring 2010

The Touch Learning System comes with a side QWERTY keyboard. It is based on self-education mostly, with Mom and Dad interface that puts the kids in these roles as they go through specially designed educational applications. The screen lets them tap, flick, pat or drag and drop. According to the apps' requirements, children will be using the MobiGo through the QWERTY keyboard, just like their parents. These should also check online on the official website as VTech offers progress reports and reading certificates.

This game for two to six players pairs the concept of four suits with the letters of the alphabet, challenging each player to create one or more words using all of his cards. A hand can require from 1 to 10 minutes.

With the EQUALS game, kids can practice their basic math facts while they play a challenging game with their friends. Every child can be a winner. It does not matter if they are fast or slow with their facts, every child will have a chance to win. Kids can play addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The game adjusts to fit each child. As they play EQUALS, kids will practice over 280 basic facts.
— "Great game for promoting logical thinking and spacial relations," Jennifer Shuman, owner of 1SmartNoodle, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

VTECH’s Submarine Learning Boat offers a boat load of fun and learning inside and outside the bath. This bright yellow submarine holds an exploration craft and playful otter and dolphin figures. The Submarine Learning Boat plays several electronic games that teach numbers, colors, and animals via a squirt reward system. Launch date: 2010.

The DVD contains five-minute shorts starring a lovable, animated panda named Little Pim who, along with live-action kids, teaches very young kids themed vocabulary in a foreign language. Little Pim the Panda is now joined by Lola the Elephant and Bob the Bobcat in Disc 6: I Can Count! The DVD is specially designed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and is available in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. Launch date: early 2010

The DVD contains five-minute shorts starring a lovable, animated panda named Little Pim who, along with live-action kids, teaches very young kids themed vocabulary in a foreign language. Little Pim the Panda is now joined by Lola the Elephant and Bob the Bobcat in Disc 4: In My Home. The DVD is specially designed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and is available in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. Launch date: early 2010

The Little Pim: Fun with Language series has added another 3-pak of DVDs to its line. Little Pim the Panda is now joined by Lola the Elephant and Bob the Bobcat in Disc 4: In My Home; Disc 5: Happy, Sad and Silly; and Disc 6: I Can Count! The Little Pim series uses a combination of live-action segments showing real children eating, playing and engaging in everyday activities, as well as animated segments of Little Pim and friends, to create an engaging and fun-to-watch language learning experience. Available in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. Launch date: early 2010

Move over Kindle, there is a new e-reader in town. VTech’s FLiP is billed as an animated e-reader for children. Unlike other e-readers, the FLiP’s features were designed with kids in mind. The unit itself features bright colors and large buttons. Like other e-readers, FLiP can download books, but FLiP’s library includes kid friendly titles like Shrek and Dora the Explorer. The stories include animation, interactive games, and definitions of words, features intended to make reading fun and educational. Launch date: 2010.

More than 30 years after his original introduction, Alphie robot is making a comeback. The educational robot has been updated with an LCD screen face and childlike voice to give Alphie more personality. With 350 questions and challenges included on 30 cards, Alphie teaches children counting, matching, rhyming and more. Launch date: Fall 2010.
—As of 10.25.2010, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 25 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 6 on the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Fun and educational. CONS: Cards can be bent and become unusable.

Sid the Science Kid, from PBS Kids and the Jim Henson Company, focuses on the inquisitive Sid as he explores the world and learns basic science concepts. The travel ready Super Fab Lab Science Kit to ask questions about the natural world, just like Sid. A real microscope, a scale, and sample specimens provide everything a child needs to start their own exploration. Launch date: Fall 2010.

In this two-player game, each participant starts with 12 cubes and proceeds to make a crossword. The first to finish with no cubes remaining yells "Zip!" and, on the bag that holds the pieces, moves his zipper to indicate a point. Players exchange six cubes at the end of each round, to keep their letter hands unpredictable. It can be played in as little as 20 seconds and is designed for take-along play on a plane. The game comes with the Weords mini dictionary. Launch date: spring/summer 2010.

Using the two captivating books included in CHESS: Once A Pawn A Time, this kit is designed to help children enjoy learning and playing chess. The endearing chess characters and story-book style are created to engage them in the game. "This imaginative approach to teaching chess was developed by author Patzi Stewart over her 20 years as a chess teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. The box opens so that customers can examine the books and understand the uniqueness of this chess product prior to purchase," Rachael Norman, Sales, Norman & Globus, Inc., told TDmonthly. Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Toys Award. Launch date: February 15, 2010.

TimeBuddy is designed as a fun, interactive toy that teaches children the concept of time and time management. It connects children’s activities to specific times during the day, helping them develop routines and the understanding that activities are done during certain intervals. Fully customizable, TimeBuddy helps parents tackle the challenging task of managing their children's daily activities against their own. "There are no other products on the market that teach the skill of time management. This unique approach at teaching children schedules and routines will help them become successful adults in a busy society driven by time," Amanda Vasil, Account Executive, AKHIA, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.
— As of 05/13/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 3 reviews on Amazon.com.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Individuals can stomp this rocket up to 400' high and, in some cases, out of sight. It's available in a new color with flame decals. "We're the original creator of Stomp Rockets. We started the stompin' revolution. We are known for our name, quality, and excellent customer service. We ARE the one the customer asks for," Cynthia Peeks, Marketing Manager, D&L Company, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2010.
— “Stomp Rockets are still a huge seller,” Marc Slotin, owner of Imagination Station in Spartanburg, S.C., told TDmonthly in June 2010. The same month, Sherry Phipps, owner of School Crossing in Williamsburg, Va., cited sales of 40 Stomp Rockets per month.
—  Eighteen percent of 40 retailers named Stomp Rockets a best-selling toy for boys in early summer 2010.

Jonti-Craft, Inc.® is pleased to announce the addition of the color orange to its Rainbow Accents® furniture line. There are now nine color options to add flair, personality and vivacity to any room. The Rainbow Accents® furniture features thermo-fused edgebanding to create a durable and moisture-resistant product. Edgebanding is stronger than t-molding and prevents the edging from being picked away, Nick Schwarz, VP Marketing, Jonti-Craft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

Part of the hands-on line of Silly Sam & Friends talking role-play toys, this is a shape sorter with personality. Kids press on his nose or push the front door to insert something and let him talk. There are four shapes, each with a different color and representing a different material to recycle. There are two modes of play. This product is not in the mass market, according to Kelly Christensen, Director of Sales, Kidz Delight. Launch date: May 15, 2010.