June 2011 Notable Toys — Educational

Perplexus Rookie offers newcomers to Perplexus a three-dimensional puzzle challenge, with 75 barriers to success. Users must guide the metal ball through a maze of twists and turns, down dips and around winding spirals toward the maze finish. Players maneuver surprising routes of challenge that test hand-eye coordination, focus and perseverance. 6.5 Inches in Diameter, Perplexus Rookie is a brainteaser puzzle filled with layers of detailed maze structures. A shelter finish keeps the ball in place at the end to secure success.
Awards: 2012 Creative Child Awards – Puzzle of the Year, 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio – Best Toy Award (Gold), 2011 NAPP Gold – Seal of Approval, 2011 Canadian Toy Testing Council – Best Bet, 2011 ASTRA – Best Toys for Kids, Game Play (3-7years)

This game helps children learn which materials are used to make products and what happens to them when we're done with them. Players can win the game by recycling as much as they can. Helps parents to talk to their children about the environment.

Kids and subtract the numbers on the dice to figure out how many spaces their "car" can go. For younger players, play fast and frantically.

In this princess-themed game, players must complete the secret tasks as they race around the 3-D castle in search of the jeweled tiara. This game teaches kids to use their logic-based puzzle solving skills.

In this game, players race around the island, filling their treasure chest with gold coins. Encourages number recognition, counting and first adding skills.

Players become healthy-eating champions as they compete to eat the most nutritious food. Parents and caregivers can playfully reinforce healthy habits, such as exercise and good food choices. Adding and subtracting the points earned or lost throughout the game also helps children with their math skills.

In this Bingo-like game with letters and words, kids practice and learn letters and words as they pick up nuts and race around the 3-D monkey tree. Challenging and easy cards are included, so that parents can match the game to their child's ability. The design of the 3-D-tree and the peanut cards keep children interested as they learn.

Children learn numbers up to three by matching the sleeping and the awake animals. The 3-D sheep counter adds a lot of fun to the game, and your child's counting skills will improve playing this game.
Awards: The TOY Award UK

Kids must discover the hidden fairies and wave the sparkly magic wand to win the game. This counting game helps children start to comprehend numbers and easy additions up to 10.

In this scavenger hunt, kids learn about colors, shapes, letters and numbers. Players can be as young as 4, but it's also great for older children.

Hickory Dickory Dock    Learn about time as your help your mouse climb to the top of the clock. Every time you know the time for an activity displayed on the cards, your mouse can move up. A quick game that'll re-enforce your child's time-telling abilities!

In Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, players create traffic chaos as they race to match the vehicles and their colors. This is a game for young kids similar in concept to Domino or Quirkle.

The Laugh & Learn Learning Puppy from Fisher-Price invites baby to learn through singing and playing; encourages baby to express love and friendship, enhancing a sense of security;
introduces baby to the alphabet, colors and counting; and helps baby understand the connections between words and actions. The puppy teaches parts of the body, ABCs/123s, colors, and features ten sing-along songs.
— As of 05/12/2011 this product had 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 526 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: Too sensitive- slight motion can cause it to switch modes too easily; voice is annoying for parents; parents complained that it turned on by itself at night.

This is a set of 8 interlocking Cubes arranged in a 2x2x2 cube shape. The puzzle challenges the player to transform the arrangement of the 8 cubes from one shape to any other shape, without disengaging any of the Cubes from each other. Cubes must be shifted by sliding along their faces. The Cubes can shift in all three dimensions: X, Y and Z, but each face slides in only one direction. The 8 Cube set introduces the player to this innovative new toy. The ultimate goal is to be able to logically understand how to shift from one shape to another in the fewest number of moves.  Other games can be invented by disengaging the Cubes and re-engaging them with the colors "flipped" on one or some of the Cubes, creating a "marked" Cube. The challenge is then to shift the "marked" Cube or Cubes into a specific position in the arrangement.
Awards: Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product of 2011

With these kits, kids can grow Fly Traps without soil. This complete kit comes with everything kids need to get started. A Hydro-Pump is included, which keeps the water fresh and the nutrients available to the roots of the growing plants. Each Complete Kit Includes: Sprouting and Growing Dome, Hydroponic Rack,Hydro-Pump, 4 Net Pots, 4 Rock-Wool Cubes, Fly Trap Seed Pack: 8mg, 3 Color Decals, 1 Bag Part A Nutrient: 1.5oz, 1 Bag Part B Nutrient: 1.5oz, 1 Nutrient Scoop, and Instructions.

Kbeau Mom has a baby in her womb who is ready to come out and play. Kids must find Kbeu Baby and help her be born. After, they need to cut her umbilical cord. Kbeu Mom can be fed colorful stones from the Silly Creature food bag. After a meal, kids can push the food through her stomach and guts, all the way to the rear end. Kids can help Kbeu Baby nurse from Kbeu Mom's teat. Kbeu Baby can also eat stones.

All the information kids need to solve the mystery is in the puzzle story; everything they need to deduce, reason and organize their thoughts is in the handy grid below. Grid Perplexors: Level A teaches kids a step-by-step process that keeps their thinking linear and focused. Great practice for standardized tests that reward logic skills. Paperback; 50 puzzles on 56 pages.

Children can carry along their own electronic tablet with the ABC WordPad, a compact electronic learning device that looks and feels like a little tablet. It features include five different learning activities: Letter Learning Fun, Word Learning Fun, Find It!, Spelling Practice Fun and Music Fun. This portable playbook requires two “AA” batteries (included). Launch date: May 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award; 2011 Dr Toy 10 Best High Tech Products and 100 Best Children's Products.

Kids love to role-play and the Shop and Learn Cash Register gives them the opportunity to play grown upShoppers. Three play modes encourage kids to shop, count, identify food and determine values. Thiselectronic talking register guides children through learning with encouraging words, amusing sounds and fun games. Kids can scan food, enter coins, slide the credit card and openthe cash drawer. The toy requires two “AA”
batteries (included).

The set comes with 26 capital letters and 2 side bases. The font base has pictures which relate to the alphabet. On the back are directions for writing the alphabet. Children can recite the alphabet, letter-names, and identify letter-sounding relationships, by spelling with words in the vocabulary. Helps children match the alphabet with the animal picture base. Teaches children how to write the alphabet correctly by finding the letters to spell familiar words. For example, How do you spell C A T? This toy is great fun and helps develop letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Awards— A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

This game is set up as a reading race through the southwest. Players pick their cards, gallop around the board to round up all their words, and must giddy up home before the other players to win. Game features the top 25 building block words. Includes game board (16.5"W x 16.5"H), 50 word cards, and 4 game pieces. For 2-4 players.

Kids can grow their own organic vegetables, guaranteed. The pot, soil-less planting mixture, even the seeds- are certified organic. The interest in edibles has been soaring and is only increasing. All the plants are quick to sprout and easy to grow and will produce their harvest early. Sprout inside and plant the whole pot in the ground after a month or two and let the bountiful harvest begin.

The 3-in-1 All Terrain Robot is a multi-function tracked mobile robotic kit. Kids can utilize different track modules to create either a forklift, rover, or gripper. Using the wired controller, kids can command the robot to move forward, backward, turn, grip, and lift. In forklift mode, the ATR can lift up to 100 g in weight. The rover's tank-like treads can traverse all types of surfaces. In gripper mode, the ATR can grab and lift anything up to 100 g and move it to a new location. The kit can be taken apart and put together again many times. Contains 157 pieces; average assembly time of 1.5 hrs.

The Eco-Biker is a wind turbine toy that helps kids understand this form of alternative energy. Kids can clip it to a bike's handlebars or anywhere in the breeze, and watch as the fan powers a LED light. The stronger the wind, the faster the Eco-Biker pedals, and the brighter the LED shines. Eco-friendliness, sustainability, and energy-consciousness are the focus of this toy. Similar kits are purely for experimental purposes; but this small kit with a compact and highly efficient design makes it easy for kids to play and learn at the same time. 45 pieces; takes an average of 20 minutes to assemble.