October 2008 Notable Toys — Educational

This kit includes high-quality ceramic magnets and 26 activities designed to develop a solid foundation for more advanced topics in electricity and magnetism, teaching children the fundamental principles of magnetism while they play. It includes how to build an electromagnet, how to flip the poles of an electromagnet, and how an electric motor works, and allows kids to go iron detecting, visualize the lines of force, craft a compass, and levitate and bounce ring magnets. "ScienceWiz Magnetism is the only product of its kind that teaches the concepts of magnetism through hands-on learning and play. Magnets are more fun when you know how they work!" Rachael Norman, sales manager for Norman & Globus Inc., told TDmonthly. This product has received a Creative Child Magazine Award. Launch date: July 1, 2008.

Author Jane Yolen uses lyrical prose to not only reprise a well-known legend but also to tell the true story of apple tree-planting Johnny Appleseed, rather known as John Chapman, in this book illustrated by award-winning artist Jim Burke. Launch date: August 26, 2008.

Inspired by her beloved King Charles, college student Elizabeth Rives created this fun-filled kit for kids and their pets while she was working part-time at Scientific Explorer. Pamper your Dog will have pets woofing with delight over yummy, nutritious dog cupcakes. Children can give their canine friend a healthy scrub with homemade shampoo, brush those long teeth with special doggie toothpaste, and learn the secrets of a great massage for their furry friend, as well as design a unique "dog tag" for an ID. Insights into canine thinking will turn kids into real dog psychologists. The kit "helps teach social responsibility in a fun way," Scientific Explorer's Vice President Susan Rives told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

Step back into the alluring world of the dinosaurs. The colorful and dramatic illustrations make this felt play board a fun and educational activity that will captivate the attention of young children for hours. This product will encourage expression, exploration and creativity through play. Launch date: November 2008.

Comet® Bible Edition offers an exciting and fun way to learn spelling and amazing facts about characters, angels, events and scripture. This particular version features questions and multiple choice answers such as "Who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds?" and "The spirit of God is described as descending like this." DOVE sparrow eagle raven. Multiple choice answers and an element of risk ensure everyone has a chance to win. Comet® has received awards from The Toy Man Online and Creative Child Magazine. "Spelling is very important, and far too few games offer this concept. Critical skill development is crucial, important and necessary to develop good educational performance," Creator Sandy Evans of Active Minds Inc. told TDmonthly. Launch date: Fall 2008.
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite toy.

Players fill in their safari boards with base ten units and rods to escape the tiger. They'll learn about addition, subtraction and place value while trying to escape the tiger. "Place Value Safari is a great hands-on game for teaching math skills that's beautifully designed and includes materials children will have fun playing with while they're learning," Margo Hanson, marketing manager for Didax Education, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2008 Teacher's Choice Award and was a 2008 AEP(Association of Educational Publishers) Distinguished Award Winner. Launch date: February 2008.

Suede lace has many decorative uses, from American Heritage crafts to key chains, jewelry and more. This decorative leather lace is offered in an assortment of colors, available in spools as well as 6-yd. cards. "Tandy Leather Factory is a trusted brand name in the leather industry. Our products have a reputation for being the best quality products on the market. As well as superior quality, we can offer you our suede lace at a price that will beat any others on the market," Tony Hernandez, national crafts sales manager at Tandy Leather Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Kids can help Dora save the Magic Kingdom by planting their very own colorful cleansing plants in a vibrant underwater world. Rainbow plants grow very quidkly and have fantastic, flowing multi-colored foliage. The “underwater” garden can be completed with the included deep blue gravel, sea shells, a Dora-themed stake and natural beach sand. Rainbow plants are easy to grow and will flourish in the garden on a windowsill for years in bright, indirect light as they clean the air and water. "The Dora Mermaid Adventure Garden is licensed from the top-rated creator of children's shows and exemplifies our mission to ignite an interest in plants and the world around us," Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

The Red Maple is a showstopper through all four seasons and is one of the first trees to bloom, as they gracefully usher into spring. The Red Maple comes complete with everything needed, including seeds, germination mixture, a plant stake and a biodegradable coconut coir pot that the tree can be planted outside in. Five percent of the proceeds from this line will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation. "It is 100-percent natural and easy to grow!" Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

Kids can construct their own mole skeleton with DuneCraft’s new Skeleton Pellets — each contains an entire skeleton. The product is 100-percent synthetic, making it completely safe and sanitary to dissect. Each Skeleton Pellet Bag of Knowledge contains a magnifying glass, a Skeleton Pellet, a bone-sorting chart and more. Launch date: October 2008.

Who will be first to get to Witch's Mountain? Two to four players take turns testing their memory and advancing toward the mountain. Kids roll the dice and find the cards that match what they rolled to win. Little Thunder Witch can be played in three variations. Game play is approximately 15 minutes. "The wooden game pieces are made in Germany using native reforested woods and nontoxic water based stains, not paint," Lisa Orman, president of KidStuff Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Legacy Interactive’s award-winning "Pet Pals: Animal Doctor" is now available for the Nintendo Wii. It gives animal lovers and aspiring animal doctors the chance to assume the role of a veterinarian. The simulation videogame is comprised of 30 true-to-life medical cases where players treat and nurse all the adorable animal patients brought in for minor problems like sunburn, cuts and infections, to more serious ailments, such as diabetes, tumors and snakebites. Launch date: November 11, 2008.

Legacy Interactive’s award-winning "Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals" is also available on Nintendo DS. Kids can test their skills as an animal doctor in this fun and educational vet simulation. Using the stylus, they give check-ups, treat major and minor illnesses, and even perform surgeries. Emergencies sometimes arise and players must act fast or risk losing a life. Zoo Vet will tug on heartstrings, prompt laughter, and challenge the mind. Launch date: November 11, 2008.

The 20 multi-part miniatures included in this kit are made of hard plastic and stand 28 mm tall. They come with full-color shield transfers and are unpainted and unassembled. The pieces feature "the highest quality sculpting and innovative designs," Paul Sawyer, operations manager for Warlord Games Ltd, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

This interactive cloth wall chart helps children learn about a subject that fascinates them — the human body. The hanging activity center comes with 16 soft, stuffed, self-sticking organs, and 15 embroidered labels, for hours of science fun. Children love to play with the beautifully detailed, self-checking pieces as they learn about the organs and where they are located in the body. It includes a giant cloth charge (38.5” x 19.5”) with grommets, 16 self-stick organs, 15 self-stick labels and an activity guide. Launch date: January 31, 2008.

The Fossils Collection includes nine different fossils in a handy storage tray, an informational guide, a four-color insert card of photographed fossils, and a die-cut sheet of circle labels for the fossils. Fossils included are brachiopod, bryozoa, crinoid stem, gastropod, colony coral, ammonite, shark's tooth, fossil fern and petrified wood. Launch date: January 31, 2008.

Classic tales help build reading comprehension skills. Students work at their own pace with literature-based material at an approximate 2nd-grade level. Each story also includes a fun, rockin’ song with read-along words on screen. Launch date: 2006.

Marko the Pencil shows students how easy it can be to understand and remember science concepts. They can learn about the solar system, weather, water cycle, geology, properties of minerals, volcanoes, plate tectonics, weathering, topography, erosion, energy resources and energy conservation. The approximately 58-minute DVD is an excellent preparation tool for any earth science tests and meets National Science Education Standards. Launch date: October 2008.

With this DVD, kids can learn important facts and get ready for any physical science test. Marko the Pencil takes learners on a journey to his Super Science Station where it’s easy to grasp science concepts. This DVD covers lab safety, scientific method, atoms and their parts, molecules, states of matter, physical and chemical changes, mixtures versus pure substances, electricity, magnetism, motion, gravity, light and energy. It meets National Science Education Standards, and is designed for grades 5 and up. Approx. 55 min. Launch date: September 2008.

Players roll the dice and hit a single, double, triple or Home Run and win, just like real baseball. Each time the dice are rolled, the tokens will move according to the outcome of the total on the dice. Depending on the outcome, the tokens will make a move based on the commonly known rules of baseball. The object of the game is to score the highest number or runs possible to beat one or more competitors. It includes instructions, two dice, a baseball diamond, nine playing pieces per player, a scoreboard card, a statistical sheet per team, two dry-erase markers, an official Baseball's Board Game sticker and a Baseball's Board Game Cup. Players "will feel the passion of playing baseball in winter, summer and all the seasons," Aurelio Rodriguez, marketing director for Fun Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2008.

This award-winning chess teaching tool is now in a zippered cloth bag and ready to take along at a moments notice. The board has been redesigned to hold the pieces not in play at either side. This game received a Dr. Toy Top 10 Games Award in 1997 and an EDUSOURCE Top 10 Games Award in 1999, and a National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) in 2003. Launch date: October 2008.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists diving into slime, gel and goop with fabulous experiments. Young Scientists discover oobleck, produce glue from milk, grow jiggly marbles, make snow from super-absorbent crystals, form a bouncy ball, create slime, expand super-absorbent gel crystals, melt fake snow, learn about polymers, and much, much more. This polymeric kit includes extra super-absorbent crystals, gels and marbles to repeat the fun. "This series has won multiple awards, has been on TV shows, and has appeared in many articles. This great exposure makes this series a great addition to any specialty retail store," CEO Esther Novis of The Young Scientists Club told TDmonthly. February 2, 2009.

These blocks, designed in Italy, can be connected in four different ways (vertically, stacked, laterally, perpendicularly and obliquely). "The models that could be made with these building blocks, unlike ... others, are realistic reproductions. For example, the airplane model [looks like] a real airplane; the castle [resembles] a real castle, etc. From the educational point of view, Special Cross develops creativity and imagination in children, as well as precision and patience," Georgiy Saturchenko, president of Bim Bom Trading, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2008.

Couplicoles are designed to entertain children while also serving as a learning tool. They help develop children’s imagination and three-dimensional thinking. While learning to follow simple instructions, children can simultaneously develop their dexterity and creativity. This product received a Dr. Toy 2008 Best Vacation Product Award, and won a grand prize in Quebec's 2006 Grafika contest. "Couplicoles ... are classified according to their degree of difficulty. Beginners start by relying on the help of an adult and progressively learn to be more independent. Couplicoles therefore encourage both cooperation and individual initiative, which makes them particularly suitable for art classes and kindergartens. Moreover, they require only basic tools such as a ruler, scissors and glue. Black and white models can be customized using crayons or highlighters," Maria Valkova, in operations at Hartiatoys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2004.