November 2010 Notable Toys — Educational

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. Puzzle Doubles Find It! USA teaches children about the United States of America. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. This Find It! version teaches children the ABCs. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. Puzzle Doubles Find It! Friends teaches children about multicultural friends. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two fun-filled playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. The Find It! series teaches children about the USA, dinosaurs, ABCs, 123s, Canada, the solar system, and multicultural friends. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Puzzle Doubles Create A Scene Dollhouse combines a puzzle with additional activities to create a fun and interactive learning experience for your child. After assembling the puzzle, children can create their own scenes and stories by placing the reuseable static stickers on the surface of completed puzzle. Then turn the puzzle over for a big coloring activity! The bright illustrations encourage parent-child conversation. Each 50-piece puzzle measures a giant 3' x 2'.

Build a brain and then pick it apart with this sequel to the Squishy Human Body. This anatomically correct model, complete with moving mandible (jawbone) and squishy plastic brain and eyes, makes for a realistic experience of our body's gray matter. With the included illustrated book, kids go on a tour through the sense, movement, memory, emotion, decision-making, and automatic functions like breathing and digestion. Phenomena like brain freeze and notes on how and when things go wrong are also explored. Includes: 9-piece transparent skill that fits together at the sutures, 8 squishy brain parts, Squishy eyeballs, 4 vertebrae pieces with spinal cord, Skull base, Tools: forceps, scalpel, and tweezers, Skull map, Brain blister with labels, and 32-page, fully illustrated book.
— In a December 2013 survey two out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that skull and brain novelty items were Halloween best-sellers.

With this hands-on kit and tour guide, kids enter the world of the human body — complete with removable squishy vital organs as well as skeletal, vascular, and muscular systems, kids explore the complex inner workings of the human body and see how everything fits together. Research physician Lucille M. Kayes helps examine the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the human body by following a bite of pizza as it travels through the body. Includes: 12" plastic human body model and stand, 12 plastic bones and muscles, 9 removable squishy vital organs, Body parts Organ-izer, Tweezers, Forceps, and 32-page fully illustrated book,
Awards: 2008 NAPPA Honors Award; 2008 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award (Educational/Science Toys Category); 2008 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award

This Brain Quest write and erase format is geared to give the earliest learners a leg up on writing, reading, and using number. Featuring an attached pack of 40 large, write-on, wipe-off cards plus a dry-erase pen, each deck teaches a critical skill to help children learn to read before kindergarten. These are practical lessons that are also fun, entertaining, and informative. Phonics teaches early reading with fill-ins for long and short vowels and basic consonant sounds, letter scrambles, complete-the-words, and more.
— ''We just got [the Phonics write & erase sets] in, and we sold 18 last month,'' said Gwen Bowden, manager of Doodlehopper for Kids in Springfield, Va.
— ''Brainquest work books and cards go the fastest,'' seconded Susan Blanton, owner of Pufferbellies in Staunton, Va.
— In a November 2011 survey 2 out of 12 retailers said that Brainquest was their best selling educational item. “Brain Quest (Workman Publishing) has always done well for us," Chris Lowe, owner of Beanhead Toys in Sandy Springs, Ga., told TDmonthly. Mike DiAndrea, manager of Hardware Toys in Paoli, Pa., told TDmonthly that sell about 30 units of Brain Quest each month.

This jigsaw puzzle features the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Featuring depictions of various stages of his life and the Neverland Ranch, this puzzle measures approximately 19"x27".

Ben KaChoo's story Sink or Swim captures kids attention through the silly humor of sneezing, then offers suspense and intrigue as relationships build. Living in the zoo’s swamp is the last thing a bright-eyed young hippo like Ben KaChoo needs. You see, Ben has allergies. After accidentally sneeze-jetting into a crocodile named Arrow, the two start an unexpected friendship. But will their families be uncomfortable with this as each animal usually stays with their own species? Will the animals adapt? "Characters make the same sounds as children, which engages the kids immediately," Angela Larson, Chief Story Teller of Fierce Fun Toys, LLC, told TDmonthly.

The LaQ Zodiac Collection series are 53-piece kits to complete models representing the various signs of the Zodiac. By collecting all twelve of the Zodiac Collection kits, it is possible to make the model of the Greek Hero Perseus. Instructions to build the Perseus model is available at the LaQ website, Gallery Level 4.

This kit includes 12 27" square washable nylon scarves in white, pink, red, orange, yellow, lime, kelly, medium blue, royal blue, lavender, purple and black. Also included is the IDEAS Primary Music CD, an instructional insert and velcro to hang the scarves. These bright colorful scarves stimulate the senses, encourage movement, teach and reinforce color recognition. Dance to the music, use for dress-up, learn to juggle. These scarves can be used for infinite possibilites limited only by the child's imagination. "Our kit is the only kit on the market that includes 12 bright, colorful, nylon scarves along with an accompanying music CD made exclusively for arts education IDEAS," Cynthia Cavone, Marketing Associate, arts education IDEAS, told TDmonthly.

Shabbat Shalom, Grover! - Grover can’t seem to figure out why everyone is so busy just before a day of rest. Join Grover as he learns all about Shabbat, and sing along to Avigail’s favorite Shabbat song, Bim Bam! Guest appearance by Cedric the Entertainer. R/T: 28 minutes, extras 27 minutes.

Handcrafted in the USA.  Drop a quarter, dime, nickel or penny into the opening of the wooden track and watch the money fall into the Belly.  Constructed of high gloss painted wood - 20 inches tall.  Features a plastic "Belly" that is opened by unscrewing the center bolt. Great gift - makes learning to save fun!

With the help of this contemporary growth chart illustrated with bright, contrasting graphics, kids can measure themselves as often as they like. Parents can’t always pack up a notched doorframe when moving day arrives, but this family-sized wall decal is removable and reusable at every new house. Whether your baby beanstalks aspire to be taller than a horse or a modest 5’2” like Mom, it’ll be easy to keep track as they grow up faster than the sunflowers in the yard

Crystal Growing Trees is a fun educational activity for children of all ages. The kit is very affordable and the experiment is easy enough to complete that even young children can enjoy it. The kit comes with materials for growing five trees full of crystals (the two inch trees are made of paper and the crystals develop from a small liquid substance provided). The crystals start to grow in a few hours and by the next day the tree is full of crystals. The directions are simple and the activity is easy to clean up.
Awards: Parents’ Choice Fun Stuff Award.

This wood clock features colorful shaped numbers, perfect for learning to tell time.  Place the colorful numbered shape pieces in their proper places on the face of the soundly-built clock, and move the hour and minute hands to make learning time fun.  Measures 9" x 5".
—As of 10.25.2010, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 91 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 15 on the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS:  Durable, encourages learning.  CONS:  Some versions have a pentagon with 6 sides, and a hexagon with 5 sides.

A wide variety of horse breeds are carefully sculpted to ensure realistic and accurate depiction of each one. Educational information in five languages is included with each replica. All our products are hand-painted, phthalate-free and thoroughly safety-tested. Replica size: 6" L x 4" H (15.25 x 10 cm). Suggested age 3+.

Easy to follow illustrated instructions show how to create and paint a one-foot-tall volcano. The included dinosaurs and “lava” recipe which shows them how to make it erupt again and again.

Using a steel hammer and chisel, kids dig up replica, snap-together bones of a Triceratops, reassemble the pieces and paint the skeleton for display in their very own dinosaur museum. Paleontologist Field Guide, paints, and digging goggles included. "Our Digstone™ brick is composed of a coarse sand matrix that is dust free and easy to clean up. With the most realistic digging experience, these kits bring the exciting worlds of paleontology and archaeology to life for young explorers," Andrew Tober, Directory of Creative Development of BSW Toy, told TDmonthly.

Using a steel hammer and chisel, kids dig up replica, snap-together bones of a T-Rex, reassemble the pieces and paint the skeleton for display in their very own dinosaur museum. Paleontologist Field Guide, paints, and digging goggles included. Lots of fun and easy clean-up. "Our Digstone™ brick is composed of a coarse sand matrix that is dust free and easy to clean up. With the most realistic digging experience, these kits bring the exciting worlds of paleontology and archaeology to life for young explorers," Andrew Tober, Directory of Creative Development of BSW Toy, told TDmonthly.

The Early Learning & the Arts mats engage young children to learn about shapes, colors, the alphabet, and other basic life skills through lively depictions and areas for practice. These BrainyMats help children gain interest in thinking and learning. Colors and Shapes BrainyMat features six shapes, in six different colors. Shapes include square, oval, triangle, pentagon, rectangle, and circle. Colors include yellow, orange, red, blue, green, and purple.

Here is a fun way to learn the names of the states, the capitals, products and a smattering of history.  This two sides map is an "add-on" to be used with the electronic Tag reading system. You need the sensor stylus to explore, answer questions, and play games on the big 35" X 20" map. Along with the kinds of info and quizzes you would expect, they have also added distances and travel times between places, animals, cardinal directions and other map reading skills.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Platinum, 2010.

This is a new activity toy that provides a variety of activities and sounds to keep baby entertained while on the floor or in the crib. Use on floor, or attach straps for use in crib. Includes multiple activities to develop different motor skills.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010