Smart Gifts for Learning and Fun
By Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D (Dr. Toy)
Looking for unique gifts anytime, especially for use in classroom
or home, or for the holidays, is easier with this guide to
products offering fun and extra value. These carefully selected
gifts offer diversity and skill building plus plenty of playtime
for the young at heart to last well into New Year.
Manatees Scramble Squares® helps player learn about endangered,
highly social warm water sea mammals with colorful, easy to
play, hard to solve nine 4”x4” piece brainteaser.
Puzzles teach patience, perseverance plus thinking while keeping
everyone entertained. 100 different styles of art work available.
Ages 4 and up. $7.95 b.dazzle 800-809-4242 www.b-dazzle.com
Teddy, an innovative toy, helps child learn colors, shapes,
visual discrimination and counting. Teddy is a teaching bear
with 24 two-sided game cards that fit on Activity Pad. Place
card on Activity Pad and turn color-coded dial to match the
card. Look at question then place Teddy on answer square. If
you are correct, Teddy lifts his flag. Complete with 200 questions
and card inside card storage. Ages three to ten. $19.99.Educational
Insights 800-995-4436 www.edin.com
Sequoia Tree Wildlife
a colorful plush tree stands 17 inches tall with six realistic
wildlife finger puppets who make it their home. Included
are an owl, bear, blue jay, squirrel, hare, and fox that
can be poked in and out of a variety of holes throughout
the branches and around the tree’s base.
This unique Sierra Club sponsored interactive play set will
expand communication skills while learning about nature and
conservation. Ages three to adult. $40.00 Folkmanis 800-654-8922
www.folkmanis.com
Reading Roadway USA™ is
an excellent board game to strengthen reading and geography.
Travel around the USA discovering fascinating facts while
building reading comprehension skills. Players take turns
spinning and moving their cars across the country reading
aloud fun-filled facts based on state they land on. The first
person to comprehend and correctly answer trivia question
collects a souvenir. Watch out for the tornado; if that is
what you spin, or you could go whirling! The first player
back to their home state with 4 souvenirs wins the game.
This colorful board game of the United States includes spinner,
trivia cards and car pieces. Ages eight to adult. $19.95 Learning
Resources 800-222-3909 www.learningresources.com
Lil’ Copter Enhance children’s problem solving
and motor skills while having fun learning and building. Brightly
colored helicopter with real working propeller enriches children’s
imagination while allowing them to become an imaginary pilot.
This set includes 15 Maxi Mega Bloks® pieces to build a
heliport and one articulated Block BuddiesT figurine. Ages
one to five years. $9.99 Mega Bloks 1800-465-MEGA (1800-465-6342)
www.megabloks.com
Rescue Pets are battery-operated
pets waiting to be adopted and nurtured. Children safely
can play and take their new pets along wherever they go.
Rescue Pets feature sounds and movement activated by motion
sensor, so they respond when anyone is around. Each interactive
pet comes with a collar, tag and adoption certificate. This
dog is huggable with soulful eyes, wagging tail and moving
head. Requires three “AA” batteries
(not included). Ages three to adult. $19.99 MGA Entertainment
800-222-4685 www.rescue-pets.com
Toy Creator - Real
Toy Maker is an innovative new product to encourage creativity
as child makes their very own toy that really works. Invent
new toys or modify existing toys with Flip Faze™ technology
that allows the flexible materials to change shape and color
by using warm tap water as child is amazed at magical transformations.
Product comes with five ColorTwist strips and connectors,
changing molding material in three colors, plastic mold for
spinning tops, plastic mold for wheels, wooden rods, felt-tip
marker and step-by-step workbook Ages six to twelve. $12.98.
University Games 800-347-4818 www.ugames.com
V.Smile Pocket Learning
System is a new learning system for language, math, vocabulary
and problem solving skills. Hand-held video game system teaches
skills like telling time and much more. It provides wireless
play on a LCD screen. Game time turns into brain time with
multi-curricular activities with exchangeable ‘Smartridges™’ with
three to four Learning Zone activities. Navigate each game
by using a hand-held joystick with oversized buttons easily
adapted for right and left handed players. The pocket sized
toy is easy to take along for on-the-go fun. Ages five to
twelve. $89.99 VTech Electronics 800-521-2010 www.vtechkids.com#
Stevanne Auerbach,
PhD/Dr. Toy is author of Dr. Toy’s
Guide (www.drtoy.com) and Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart
Toys (www.educationalinsights.com).
