March 2009 Notable Toys — Educational

Another colorful character joins Safari’s Pirate Collection. Brandishing his cutlass and ready for action, Calico Jack joins his fellow pirates to bring hours of imaginative play! Replica measures 4.25” W x 4” H. Hand painted, phthalate and lead free. Ages 3+. Includes a 5 language educational hangtag. Safari Ltd. exceeds all safety standards. Safari Ltd's products are 100% guaranteed. See the entire collection at www.safariltd.com.

Safari presents its truly magnificent rendition of our national bird. This large sized, majestic bald eagle is beautifully sculpted and is a must-have for collectors. Replica measures 7” L x 4.25” H. Hand painted, phthalate and lead free. Ages 3+. Includes a 5 language educational hangtag. Safari Ltd. exceeds all safety standards. Safari Ltd's products are 100% guaranteed. See the entire collection at www.safariltd.com.

Put on your western hats and boots for this toe-tappin’, knee-slappin’, sing-a-along collection of dancin' songs, perfect for any shindig.  A delightful mix of original and traditional songs that overflow with country charm, whimsical humor and hootenanny, merry-time fun!  Kick up your country heels with lively dances including, "Scootin’ Dance Boogie", "Knees Up Mother Brown" and "Cadence Square Dance".  Rejoice in unforgettable, heartwarming renditions of "You Are My Sunshine" and "Happy Trails to You".  Explore our beautiful nation with a song that rhymes all 50 states, patriotic favorites and cherished classics like, "Froggy Went a Courtin’", "My Aunt Came Back" and "I Love My Rooster". This is a country assortment of 18 tunes that is certain to become a treasured favorite.  The CD comes with a 24-page booklet with lyrics and dance movements.

Comet® offers an exciting and fun way to learn spelling, based on dictionary meanings, world facts, geography, science, history, health and animals. This expansion deck is designed for children ages 8 to 10 covering the same themes as the Family Edition of Comet.
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite toy.

Seaside Chef Beverage Set is for the water, sand and play kitchen.  The set is educational and collectible.  Each named piece embodies a sea animal and teaches length and volume in both standard and metric units. It includes Welcome the whale teapot, Dash the dolphin creamer, Puff the pufferfish sugarbowl, four Spike seahorse mugs, four coral plates, four Lobby the lobster teaspoons, Welcome Jr. the serving spoon, Wave the sea serving tray, and a free mesh tote for easy-carrying and clean-up.  The Beverage Set is for play only.  It is not intented for actual food preparation or use. The Seaside Chef Beverage Set Plush Animals are soft, friendly, and perfect for cuddling.  The plush toys include Welcome the whale, Dash the dolphin, Puff the pufferfish, Spike the seahorse, Lobby the lobster, and Wave the sea.

From the Survival Kit Series, this kit is designed to help raise children to make healthier eating and snacking choices. Each kit comes with a variety of snack cards, olor-coded to help parents take the guesswork out of healthy snacking, and a refrigerator “snack board” equipped with 3 faux clocks with moveable hands for parents to set the snack time, and corresponding hooks to place the snack card. From a selection of green and yellow snack cards, children choose 3 snacks for the day. Parents set the snack time and hang the cards on the corresponding hooks.

When combined with "Survival Decks" (sold separately), the "Around the Clock" Survival Board allows for parents to set in place for their children certain times of the day for certain activities. Available decks include the Snack Time Survival Deck and the Screen Time Survival Deck. “The Snack Time Survival Deck” presents a variety of snack cards separated into 3 color categories based on their nutritional value. Each card in the “Screen Time Survival Deck” contains pictures of different physical, educational and creative activities, as well as a variety of household responsibilities, or “chores”.

Past Videos: Toy Fair 2009

It's a surprise birthday for Cozmo with visits from Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Cleopatra, Mr. I and Benjamin Franklin. Our story begins on the Planet Dzzt, where Cozmo's friend Nena is telling him all about birthday parties. Cozmo has never had a birthday because his planet takes a very long time to orbit its sun. Determined to help Cozmo find some birthday cheer, Nena, her uncle El Mundo the Great Wizard, and Cozmo's mother Azatara use math to discover that Cozmo will soon be 7 earth years old. Together they decide to follow Cozmo's love of math and create an Addition Celebration!

New MATHeMANIAC Maya joins the Crazy 4 Math Club and finds out that she can combine music and her favorite sport, rope jumping to get back on her math track. The Googols' powers help turn this math club into a real "partay"! MATHeMANIAC includes skip counting forwards and backwards from 2-13 and from 25. Learn about big numbers as you skip count from 1000 to a million and on to a googol! Practice doubling past a million. Listeners of all ages will develop mental math skills to help addition, subtraction, multiplication and division while gaining an appreciation for different music genres.

Offering everything one needs to know to start playing, this kit teaches how to play the chromatic and diatonic harmonica through an easy to understand and enjoyable step-by-step system. It includes licks in the style of favorite performers, plus numerous listening suggestions and musical examples. The CD-ROM is for Windows and Macintosh. "Part of Alfred's legendary 'Teach Yourself to Play' series, this kit comes with a real harmonica, book and enhanced CD," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 1996.

Written for easy recorder, this book and recorder pack gives one everything needed to start playing. The book features big, easy-to-read notes, a beginner's guide to playing the recorder, and a clear, simple introduction to reading music. Seven of the most well-known "Star Wars" themes and melodies are included. Launch date: May 2008.

Children can compose and experience music at the most basic level, before ever picking up an instrument or learning to read. This series of interactive music activities facilitates experimenting with the fundamentals of pitch, rhythm and sounds of various instruments and styles of music. Children can compose their own music using the musical canvas feature, which "lets children experiment with composing music visually — they paint at the top for a high note, bottom for a low note, and use a variety of instruments, including rhythm section," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. The series includes "Making Music," "Making More Music," "Hearing Music," "Playing Music," "World of Music" (beginner) and "World of Music" (intermediate). Launch date: April 2008.

"S.O.S. Songs of the Sea" combines music, creativity and fun for music teachers, classroom teachers, child care providers and kids. Students will enjoy learning about the sea and its creatures through the engaging songs and activities.  "This is an all-in-one activity kit for home or classroom use, with suggestions for ocean-themed decorations, songs, art activities and food. It can be easily implemented by non-musically-trained instructors, and the accompaniment CD lets the children sing along to each song. S.O.S. is created with the Orf philosophy of musical teaching," Marina Terteryan, marketing coordinator for Alfred Publishing, told TDmonthly. The product received a 2008 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. Launch date: April 2008.

This bright and colorful chart helps children of all ages recognize and share their feelings. Through a colorful and vividly illustrated marine life scene, children and their parents can identify a wide range of feelings. These 11" x 17" charts are double-sided with one side in black and white for coloring over and over again using washable crayons. It was a 2008 Dr. Toy Best Products Winner. Launch date: 2008.

This bright and colorful chart helps children of all ages recognize and share their feelings. Through a colorful and vividly illustrated flower garden scene, children and their parents can identify a wide range of feelings. These 11" x 17" charts are double sided with one side in black and white for coloring over and over again with washable crayons. "The Flower Garden Feeling Chart is a terrific way to help children identify feelings, develop emotional intelligence, and open up to engaging discussions. It's a fun and straightforward way to lead productive discussion of feelings at home, school, or while traveling," Lisa-Marie Arneson, owner and creator of Bright Spots, told TDmonthly. The chart was named a 2008 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products Winner. Launch date: 2008.

Designed to develop strong values and teach children and adults about the Bible by instilling in them scripture, this game accommodates two to six players. Questions range from simple to complex, and the goal of the game is to collect the most angels to win. "They're having fun and scriptures are being installed, and that's why kids like it so much," Michael Neely, inventor of Vice Verses, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

This student activity fun book CD includes a comprehensive teacher's guide and engaging activities which provides incremental instruction in using the KidsRuler, from inches, to half-inches, to quarters. Additionally, it includes a fraction review, and covers feet and yards, and perimeter and diameter.

This student activity fun book includes a comprehensive teacher's guide and engaging workbook pages which provides incremental instruction in using the KidsRuler, from inches, to half-inches, to quarters. Additionally, it includes a fraction review, and covers feet and yards, and perimeter and diameter. It features reproducible pages and is also available on CD

Webkinz Jr. features its own website where smaller boys and girls can play age-appropriate games chosen by their parents. This 12", super-soft Kitty comes with her own secret code that little tots can use to access the online play space.  Launch date: Spring 2009.

The Advanced KidsRuler is an easy to use, colorful and engaging tool for older students who have the basic concepts of measurement. It is sturdy, kid friendly, and simply attaches to another unit with its unique interlocking end cap units, to extend learning measurements to beyond 12 inches. Its four sides feature a standard ruler, quarters, eighths, and the decimal conversion of increments in eighths of an inch.

Open the Sphinx’s secret mummy hiding place with your amulet. Includes two figures, skeleton that glows in the dark, and many other accessories. Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for ages under 3 years.
— Playmobil products continue to be great sellers at Melody’s Choices, as reported by Owner Steve Melody in spring 2009. “Although this line is in the big box, if you support it well, you have something the [big] box does not … selection,” he told TDmonthly.

Students stumped by noble gases, alloys, isotopes and polymers? Chemistry Quizmo will help them gain practice in solving for either the Chemical name or Symbol for elements found in the Periodic Table while also learning trivia. From Hydrogen (H) to Radium (Ra), kids in grades 5 and up can discover fun facts, unusual uses and the stories behind an element’s name. There are two levels of play, and the game is for two to 36 players.

KidsRuler was created by a veteran elementary school teacher, who noticed that students consistently struggled with using the standard ruler to learn the beginning concepts of measurement. KidsRuler was created to help students visualize the increments of measurement, and give them a fun way to practice their skills. The KidsRuler helps students master the NCTM standards of measurement. They also connect together to allow kids to measure real-life objects, such as a desk or chair.
— Mention ToyDirectory and receive 10% off on your first order.

This paperback by Joy Massof and illustrated by Terry Sirrell lets kids indulge their nasty side while getting a bit of education. More than 50 topics are covered, including acne, maggots, halitosis and snot. Cartoons and experiments, such as making fake snot, add to the fun. Paperback, 224 pages. Launch date: January 2000.