July 2010 Notable Toys — Educational

The Periodic Table introduces budding chemists to the world of the elements as it's never been seen before. Designed to resemble popular networking Web sites, the pages of this book feature "homepages" for each of the chemical elements – complete with witty and informative profiles written by the elements themselves, plus a personally chosen picture.

Designed to allow practice and improvement for spelling skills, this 2- to 6-player game comes with a colorful game board, a tri-colored die, six bee playing pieces, 300 Buzzleword cards and 50 Buzzlebee cards. The spelling words are taken from actual school lists, and the adult version is ideal for family game night or play with friends. The game includes spelling words at three levels of difficulty.

This portable learning device offers a high- resolution touchscreen, click-in camera accessory and Flash and 3-D graphics. 40 different play experiences are available, including 12 cartridge games and 18 Leaplet Learning Applications.
Awards:  2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Platinum.

Kids can learn to multiply numbers 0 to 12 with these 55 pocket-sized flash cards.

Based on resilience theory research, the songs from this album are specifically designed to help children build creativity, independence, planning, people skills, optimism, confidence and problem-solving skills. "Our music is research-based. We take the latest findings on child development and translate this research into practical and entertaining products for teachers and parents," Growing Sound Sales and Marketing Director Emily Sandul told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product Award

Snoots Toots! A Kids Game of Empathy and Manners is a therapeutic board game from Dr. Poppy Moon’s Imagucation Creation Workshop. Kids will role-play their way through a variety of situations requiring manners and empathy skills. This game is designed to help kids learn skills that are critical to social and emotional development. "The use of role playing during the game makes it unique, as does fact that it can be used in a therapeutic, educational, or home setting," YouthLight Inc. Creative Director Amy Rule told TDmonthly. Awards: Dr. Toy 2010 Best Children's Vacation Products

Created to entertain and educate preschool children through colorful and lovable live-action puppet characters and animation, the DVD teaches fundamentals such as colors, sizes and shapes with the help of its distinctive characters.
Awards: 2010 Dove Foundation; 2009 KIDS FIRST! Coalition For Quality Children's Media

This easy to use three-in-one (Microscope, Telescope, and Magnifier) is ideal for the budding Spy or Scientist. Get bright, sharp images without blurry edges around the viewing area with these high quality optical lenses. This unique, slick, lightweight multi-use instrument is also great for sports fans, spy enthusiasts, or bird and animal watchers.

Features:

Packed in a full color box, this kit is ideal for budding scientists, homeschoolers, hobbyists and school projects. Includes an experiment book and supplies to perform these and many more experiments in Temperature, Osmosis, Sound, Light, Gravity, Density, and more:

View bugs up close with this device. The viewer allows you to observe your bug from the top or from the bottom.

Kids can step into the kitchen for some child-friendly fun with food. The 40 recipes in this colorful, large deck are based around the five main food groups, and offer a healthy and exciting way to learn about cooking. Kids' Kitchen is written by Fiona Bird and illustrated by Roberta Arenson.

Funtime Activity Friends will provide early learners with lots of educational fun.  These cute and fun friends feature flashing lights, rotating gears and beads, fun sound effects, and large buttons.  Toddlers can pull Funtime Activity Friends with them for hours of mobile entertainment.  Requires 2 “AA” batteries (included).  Ages 12+ months.

Young children will enjoy learning as they play with Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald’s Farm.  A large handle makes it easy for little hands to hold these portable units, which feature fun sound effects, blinking lights, four interactive buttons and the familiar melodies Wheels on the Bus or Old MacDonald’s Farm.  Requires 2 “AA” batteries (included).  Ages 12+ months.

All aboard the Alphabet Express! This interactive train features a friendly voice that teaches youngsters all about the English alphabet. Sing along with the ABC Song or press the alphabet buttons to hear the letters. Kids can use the infrared remote control (which works from up to 12 feet away) to conduct Alphabet Express forward and backwards. Colors may vary.  Requires five “AA” batteries. Ages 2+ years.

This glow-in-the-dark set of Techno Gears Marble Mania has over 375 pieces, including an automatic marble launcher, 3-D connectors and a variety of channels. Colors may vary. Requires 2 “AA” batteries. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts and marbles. Not for children under 3 years.

Shells crack open to reveal six "egg-stra" special colorful chicks. Press down gently on their heads to hear them peep. Take the eggs out of the carton for "egg-ceptional" shape sorting fun.

Ideal for the budding scientist, this slime lab allows kids to make some of the strangest, most anomalous slime they have ever encountered - weird slime that changes color with body heat, magnetic slime that slithers towards magnets, and even slime that glows eerily in the dark. Kids can learn the science behind these amazing hydrophilic polymers while mixing up gobs and gobs of slime.
— As of 05/12/2012 this product had 4.3 out of 5 stars from 15 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: Too messy; supplies run out too quickly; does not come with containers for the slime.
— John Blair, owner of Science Safari in Cary, N.C., told TDmonthly in late Spring 2011 that he sells 3-4 kits from Scientific Explorer each month.

AquaPlay is a Swedish line of educational water products for indoors and outdoors that allows all children, young and old, to find joy in playing with water. The system is modular and provides endless opportunities for expansion and rebuilding. It stimulates imagination and role-play.

Lock & Harbour World includes:

• 1 lock (including 3 lock gates & 1 water pump)
• 1 paddlewheel
• 1 harbor world (including 1 water gate, 1 crane with bucket & 2 stickers)
• 1 barge
• 2 fasteners with sealing strips

Same or Different offers funny, full-color illustrations, predictable formats, and easy-to-follow directions to ensure success. To compare and contrast the items in these exercises, your child must look for significant details, a critical reading readiness skill.

Fun activities and helpful tips make learning division easier. Great for test prep and review. Cards are self-checking, colorful, durable, and feature rounded corners for quick sorting. 99 cards.

Discover a world of fascinating award winning miniature collectibles in a myriad of popular themes. Each collection is professionally sculpted and finely hand painted. Great for school projects or it's just fun to display near your computer. Excellent "carry-along" for any excursion since the figures are neatly packed in a reusable acetate tube. Choose from over 45 different themes! All our products are phthalate-free and thoroughly safety tested to safeguard your child's health. Safari Ltd.® takes pride in providing breathtaking, innovative and value priced figures for now over 3 generations. Featured is our Rainforest Toob®. Replica Size: 1.5" to 3" H (4 to 7.5 cm). Suggested age 3+ Toob® includes: Caiman, Red Eye Tree Frog, Emerald Tree Boa, Iguana, Poison Dart Frog, Human, Tapirs, Toco Toucan, Jaguar, Anteater, Spider Monkey and Red & Blue Macaw. Awards: Parent's Choice Award 2010
— This product is a best seller at Neely's in South L.A.

Teacher-created, child-tested cards are ideal for reinforcing basic skills at home or school. Handy 3 1/8" x 5 1/4" size makes these 56 cards great for travel. Set includes activity ideas to challenge growing skill levels. Cards feature rounded corners for quick sorting.
— This product is a best seller at Neely's in South L.A.
— In a November 2011 survey about educational items, Stephanie Dupuy of Playville in Covington, La., told TDmonthly that "For general parents," their best selling item "would be flashcards by Trend," which they sell 48 units of each month.

Teaching the parts of an animal cell to your child is easy, thanks to this hands-on model! The soft foam cell splits in half to show the key parts of an animal cell, including the nucleus, nucleolus, vacuole, centrioles, cell membrane and more. One hemisphere is labeled with the parts of the cell; the other features only letters next to each cell part, making it a natural tool for your child to practice for his next test at home. A Reference Guide is included, providing activity ideas and facts about animal cells.
— This product is a best seller at Neely's in South L.A.

They had no pens. They had no paper. It didn't matter. They could neither read nor write, but slaves had plenty to say and share - their stories, their sufferings, their wisdom, their wit. Kids will learn that nothing is more powerful than oral history. Words spoken and tales told completely unfiltered by others can teach young people not only the facts, but the very soul of what happened in the past. Hear the people of the past in their own words through diaries, interviews, quotations, poetry, and songs.
— This product is a best seller at Neely's in South L.A.