July 2015 Notable Toys — Creative Activities

Whether he's flaked out on a rock or scurrying under one, there's no mistaking the extraordinary Folkmanis® COLLARED LIZARD puppet. Visually stunning and surprisingly soft to the touch, this wonderful North American creature comes to life with movable head, mouth, forelegs and tail!

Yes, you "herd" right; a new BLEATING SHEEP puppet grazes in Folkmanis pastures.  With her sweet, comical face and soft, silvery fleece, this is one puppet "ewe" will surely love.  Animate her mouth as you gently squeeze her body to hear her bleat.

Learn how motors work. Connect a simple circuit to build this amazing Tractor with a lightweight but sturdy body. Have fun exploring basic mechanics. Easy-to-build! No screws are needed! Contains a set of pre-cut colourful foam boards, a set of plastic cases, gears and wheels, a motor, a screw, stickers and detailed instructions. (Also required two 1.5 V AA batteries but not included. The battery cover needs to be fixed with a cross-head screwdriver.)
Awards: 2015 TDmonthly Top Choice Award

Create a super-trendy room décor pillow. It’s “sew easy” – just peel, stick and stitch! Whether you’re paying homage to Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) or enjoying the aesthetics of sugar skulls, this sweet pillow is the perfect handmade project for big and little crafters alike. 11" fleece pillow form, felt stickers, embroidery floss, fiber-fluff and sewing essentials all included.

Point yourself in a crafty direction. Marquees are the hottest room accessory and now you can make your own. Personalize it! Just color in, construct and shine on! Shiny foil interior and 2 AA batteries (not included) will light-up your space. Includes markers, instructions and ideas. Finished marquee measures 5” w x 12” h

IlluStory Junior is the perfect introduction to creative storytelling for younger children. Children write and illustrate their story using the materials provided in the book-making kit and receive a full-color, professionally bound and printed 5.5”x8.5” paperback book. The kit includes 14 book pages, two cover pages, markers, instructions, book redemption form and a prepaid envelope to mail-in completed pages. Additionally, a dedication page and an “About the Author” feature on the back cover help young children transform their first stories into a real book that will be treasured by family members for years to come.
Awards: 2015 TDmonthly Choice Award

Our carefully selected Sound Choice brand products are positioned to be retail and customer-friendly. We focus on providing affordable quality musical instruments for the retail setting to encourage the exploration of music in the home or educational environment. Comes with rack and sign.

No-mess painting for kids! This exciting paint-with-water coloring book includes four reusable pages and a refillable water pen. Simply use the pen to color in each scene--details and vibrant color appear with every stroke! Then let the page dry to erase the pictures and fill it in again and again. This animal-themed book includes four scenes to color, and a search-and-find activity for each scene. The chunky-sized water pen is easy for kids to hold and stores neatly right in the front cover, so Water WOW books make ideal travel activity books and travel toys for kids!
— Joe Novak, owner of Kazoo Toys of Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga., told TDmonthly in an April 2015 survey that Water Wow from Melissa & Doug is one of their store's best-selling travel toys.

Poolside craft! Whether at the beach or pool, sunglasses are a necessity and trendy accessory. Have fun in the sun by decorating 3 pairs of sunglasses.

• Includes resin shapes, rhinestones and gem strips to decorate sunglasses
• Sunglasses available in 1 fun color, 1 glamorous glitter and 1 pair that even changes color in the sun – like magic!
• BONUS-includes 3 sunglass cases
• Sunglasses provide 100% UV protection-UV 400
• Decorate, wear and share sunglasses with your friends

This season’s hottest fashion accessory, Flower Crowns, is perfect for every day "bohemian" style, special occasions and even flower girl gifts! For younger girls, wear this special crown as you are transformed into your own magical environment.

• It’s fun to make: twist realistic paper roses, beautiful berry bunches and charming ribbon ivy around the twig bases
• Add a little bling with the golden shimmer accent paint included
• You decide on the color scheme and how you want to wear it – as a headband, crown or maybe across your forehead for a groovy retro look
• Enough materials to make 4 adjustable crowns

— Two out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly in a May 2015 survey that Creativity for Kids is one of their best-selling activity kit brands.