March 2011 Notable Toys — Educational

Arrange colorful cubes in different designs with Pixy Cubes. Each cube is colored green, red, yellow and blue- either as solids, halves or in two variations of crescent shapes. Players can race for speed, challenge their memory, or simply create pictures and designs as a pastime. "With so many options and travel-friendly packaging, Pixy Cubes is perfect for an afternoon of fun and mental stimulation," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.

Dragon Face is perfect for the chess and checker enthusiast and ideal for those with a penchant for fantasy and strategy games. Each side has an Emperor, 6 Ambassadors and 7 Governors. Each piece can move in different ways. Players capture an opponent's piece by jumping over it; that piece is then turned upside down and becomes the players own. The end goal is to capture the Emperor by locking it in. "Dragon Face is a great strategy game and a perfect way to develop critical thinking skills and concentration," Nicole Britton at Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.

At the core of this game lies a fast paced word game that will help children develop many useful skills including improving their spelling and vocabulary and the ability to think quickly under pressure. The rules of the game are simple. Each player selects 20 lettered tiles and must be the first person to spell 5 different words (a 2 letter, 3 letter, 4 letter, 5 letter and 6 letter word) within a five minute time frame. The first player to do this will score points for tiles left unused by his/her opponents. The first player to score 100 points wins the game. To make the game a little easier for new spellers, simply remove or extend the timer or omit the 5 and 6 letter word requirement.

The Digi-Piggy® is a great way for children to learn the concept and benefits of saving their money. The best part of saving with the Digi-Piggy® is that the user can see the progress of their savings with every deposit made. The Digi-Piggy can be a fun and useful tool to encourage thrift and economic awareness for children of all ages.

Spanish for Kids is an award-winning Spanish immersion DVD series featuring the adorable Fritzi, an animated mouse who interacts with live-action adults and children to help teach Spanish.  In Las Estaciones (The Seasons), Fritzi wants to celebrate his birthday, which comes in the Fall.  With the help of his friend Maria, young viewers learn about the many joys associated with all four seasons, from sledding and snowball fights in winter (el invierno), to trick-or-treating in autumn (el otoño). 

The Zazoo Photo Clock is a multi-media photo alarm clock that visually shows children when they should stay in bed or when it is time to get up and start the day. The photo clock comes pre-programmed with two sets of awake and asleep images.  The photo clock can be personalized by parents so that the awake and asleep images feature digital photos of their own children. Can also be used by older children, offering rotating photo frame, alarm clock, video, MP3 and calendar features. The photo frame supports SD, MMC, xD and MS cards and also features a built-in speaker, headphone jack, and USB port.

Capture photos and video with this 500x digital power microscope. Five specimen samples Included: rock, fabric, color wheel, feather, and circuit board. Software works with PCs. For Mac users the MicroViewer works with Photo Booth.

This easy to use microscope hooks up to a computer to show magnified images. Five specimen samples Included: rock, fabric, color wheel, feather, circuit board. Included software works with PCs. Takes Photos (up to 3200 x 2400) and Video (up to 1600 x 1200). For Mac users works easily with Photo Booth.

This telescope comes as a kit so users can learn how a telescope works as they build
this easy-to-assemble, portable refractor telescope. It features a 1.57-inch (40mm) glass objective lens and a 20mm high-quality Kellner eyepiece, which provides a magnification of 25x, delivering clear views to budding astronomists. Includes three telescope jackets so users can decorate their 'scope.

This telescope comes as a kit so users can learn how a telescope works as they build
this easy-to-assemble, portable refractor telescope. Equipped with a precision ground and coated glass objective lens, the scope delivers clear views to budding astronomists.Features 50mm F/10 Refractor Kit, 20mm Eyepiece (can be swapped with any standard size eyepiece), premium double objective lenses made from custom-ground optical glass, and three lens configurations.

Kloo has taken the proven five principles of language learning and embedded them in a game system. These principles of language learning are independently corroborated by language experts. It means you can just play and learn a language at least 200% faster and much more easily. There is no work, writing or study – just playing, learning naturally and having fun. Comes in French or Spanish.
Awards— Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys for 2011

The Language Mechanic is an effective, comprehensive program that uses fun examples and logical reasons to eliminate the confusion students often feel while learning the rules of language mechanics. Each activity demonstrates and reinforces why following the logical rule is important. Lessons begin with a "grabber”—a humorous miscommunication that results when a rule is broken. Examples are followed by an explanation of the specific rule, the logic behind it, then guided and independent practice exercises. Includes presentation and reinforcement suggestions, answers, a glossary, and a compare/contrast organizer.
Awards— Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys for 2011

The Steps4Kids multiplication DVD provides engaging graphics and animation to help children memorize their math facts. Practice tests, memorization strategies, and parent/teacher section included. "The Steps4Kids multiplication DVD teaches math concepts, properties, single digit by double digit math and self help strategies to help children memorize their math facts of numbers 0 through 12," Nancy Holt from Steps4Kids told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2011.

Funky Shape Sorter with Five Chunky Blocks. Kids learn about shapes and colors with the funky shape sorter. Rotate the gears, line up the shapes then slide the blocks through. Blocks drop inside the jet pack back with a funny clunky sound then slide out the side to keep the play going. Helps to improve fine motor skills and develop shape and color recognition. Launch date: April 2011.

Children will have a blast building and racing on this fast and fun Techno Gears Marble Mania Twin Turbo Trax. After completing the build kids can compete against each other as they race their marbles through this exciting turbo marble speedway. Fun sound effects add to the excitement and the winning time shown on an LED display. Colors may vary. Requires two "AA" batteries and two button cell batteries. "We manufacture the longest running marble run on the market, " Sherri Borrelli, Sales Administrator for The Learning Journey International, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2011.

The Make It! series are fun construction games that will challenge problem solving and memorization, and will develop fine motor skills of young children as they build their favorite creatures. Featuring Dinosaurs, Zoo Animals, Farm Animals and Animal Babies. Make It! is a multi-player game that teaches cooperation skills and animal recognition. Simply take turns selecting game cards and try to collect the pieces necessary to complete your animal.

Tegu's patent-pending blocks cleverly incorporate magnets inside sustainably harvested wood, offering gravity-defying blocks that show no visible point of connectivity and enable multi-dimensional building experiences. Available in the following honduran hardwood finishes: natural, mahogany, tints and jungle. "We utilize eco-friendly hardwoods, making them both durable and friendly to the forest," a rep for Tegu Inc told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Parent’s Choice Award, 2010 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys and Children’s Products, 2010 Oppenheim Gold
— David Stelzer, owner of Shananigans in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly in a March 2015 survey that Tegu blocks were one of his store's best-selling eco-friendly toys.

Exercise your mind and outwit your opponents with Mosaic 4, the new fast paced 4 in a row abstract strategy game! Mosaic 4 is set up on a board of movable squares. Two to four players compete to be the first to get 4 tokens in a row. On their turn, each player can either place a token on the board, or shift an entire row or column of movable squares over by one space. The rules are simple but the game gets increasingly challenging. Mosaic 4 comes with instructions in English, Spanish, German and French. "The movable board squares add an extra challenge," Mary Lin from Gridly Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2011.

Kids writing their first letters will get helpful up, down and sideways instructions via easy-to-follow arrows. A magnetic stylus pulls beads up to create solid lines. Erases with the tip of a finger. Comes in lower case, upper case, and numbers.
— Mike McCollum, owner of Learning Express in Hoover, Ala., told TDmonthly in a November 2011 survey that their best selling educational product is the Magnatab. "Parents like the way children have fun pulling the magnet around," he said.
Watch Video from Toy Fair 2011

This Toob® contains highly detailed, hand-painted landmarks from cities around the world. An educational insert gives fun facts about the landmarks. Includes Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pyramids of Giza, and more.

Contains 18 hand painted glow-in-the-dark pieces. Includes insert with educational facts abut the bugs.

Polish real amber to reveal the hidden treasures that may be trapped within. Just like the paleontologists in the movie Jurassic Park, kids will create a window back in time. Follow the simple instructions and peer into the real amber pieces in search of ancient bugs and plants that were alive during the time of the dinosaurs. This fun activity kit contains 5 real pieces of amber, 6 special grades of gemstone quality sandpaper, magnifying glass, adventure booklet, and an amber-colored key chain with a genuine scorpion inside. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2012 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval; 2012 Product of the Year - Informal Education Products

This habitat for ants and fighter fish allows children to examine the natural world. Including “swimming pools” and “food bars,” this habitat might be a little fancier than what its inhabitants are used to.

This small salt water fuel cell car lets children lean about new forms of clean energy and engineering. After activating the fuel cell module with a saltwater mixture, the magnesium metal sheet (3 sheets included) can operate the car for about 5-7 hours continuously. If you want to park the vehicle, simply take out the fuel cell module and rinse with tap water and dry.