Archive for October, 2009

The grocery store, the coffee shop, the toy store. Kids, from an early age, start visiting these places and watching their parents shop, and ultimately, buy from an associate at the checkout register. And once they get to that magical early pre-school age, they want to start imitating mom and dad’s daily tasks, including the all important job of shopping. And no toy is more perfect to help them with their shopping lists than the Teaching Cash Register Toy from Learning Resources – a great pretend play toy that also teaches children important skills and educational lessons.

The first function that this Teaching Cash Register Toy serves is as a pretend play toy for the youngest of preschoolers – allowing them to press buttons, “ring” up customers, play with money, and swipe credit cards. And while they may have no idea how to count change or do simple math, the joy of the noises and sounds will keep them more than entertained. And, this provides parents the opportunity to be “customers” in their child’s world, all while helping to teach them about how shopping works and the concept of paying for items that they need. These lessons can even be reinforced – and we see this all the time at our store – by encouraging young ones to provide money with an item they want to purchase to an associate at the cash register. While they don’t know the math behind the transaction, this step helps them understand the process!

While this Teaching Cash Register Toy still offers amazing pretend play opportunities for growing children, once preschoolers start understanding basic math, counting, and money skills, this toy provides a whole new level of play value. Parents can then throw different mathematical elements into their pretend shopping, by associating costs to different items, and asking children to “ring them up” for an order total. This game can start simply, with parents providing the exact money amount and teaching children how the money adds up to reach their total. And, as math skills improve, this game can incorporate children providing change to adults based on the money amount provided. While kids are learning to do some of this math in their heads, the Teaching Cash Register also helps to reinforce those math skills with noises and words, which encourages kids to keep playing with this math machine.

And, when parents are not playing with children and helping them with their math, the cash register includes 4 different games that help improve math and money skills in a fun and interactive way. Once kids master the money counting tasks of this toy, all that remains is for parents to put these skills to the test. We know that the first time children go to the counter and pay for an item – and completely understand the costs, the money needed, and the change issued – is a very proud moment in their lives. And, playing with the Teaching Cash Register not only prepares them for the task, but gives them the confidence to know that they can do it right.

Best of all, the lessons learned with this toy are something that a parent can share with children, teaching them not only the etiquette involved with shopping, but the money component of this daily task as well. And, since the Teaching Cash Register Toy is a toy that grows with children from the early pretend play stage to the learning and math stage, it makes this toy more than worth the investment.

We think you will agree that the Teaching Cash Register Toy from Learning Resources fits the bill for educational fun, for young kids and adults alike, while also serving as a great tool to introduce kids to the real world experience of shopping!

Kids can join the ranks of famous adventurers, including Columbus and Magellan as they sail the ocean, circle the globe, and – most importantly – build their very own “world” to explore! Globe trotters, high-sea adventurers, and puzzle enthusiasts can all claim a piece of The Earth Puzzleball from Ravensburger – the real-to-life mini-globe with a hands-on learning appeal that will prepare kids for their next grand adventure!

What’s to like?

The Earth Puzzleball combines two common favorite children’s toys into one complete package

– a challenging 3D puzzle (a perfect puzzling experience) and a real-to-life globe (which is fantastically functional). Unlike common puzzles, The Earth Puzzleball is the 3D puzzle with 540 curved durable plastic pieces that fit snuggly together to form a sturdy globe. My favorite part about this Earth Puzzleball is that the underside of each piece is numbered so that when kids stare at those seemingly impossible blue ocean pieces, frustration doesn’t deter this puzzling fun.

Plus, when the final puzzle piece is placed, kids will have their very own true-to-life globe that they can use as a decorative room element, a geography learning tool, and so much more. This Earth Puzzleball measures approximately 6” in diameter, making it the perfect size for kids to view all of the intricate details of the continents, countries, and cities – perfect for all those learning possibilities.

And thanks to the included metal rotation stand, kids have a wonderful 360 degree view of The Earth Puzzleball that also allows them to peruse land and sea at their leisure. So, whether kids sail the seven seas of fun and adventure or puzzle their way through the expansive blue ocean, The Earth Puzzleball from Ravensburger will have imaginations circling the globe.

At the end of the day

For $44.95, The Earth Puzzleball for kids, 12 years and older, provides the perfect tool to create endless adventurous possibilities and a renewed motivation to explore every “corner” of the world!

This staff review was brought to you by me, Kendra, Copywriter at Growing Tree Toys. Here’s a little more info (in my own words) about my time with the company:
I have worked at Growing Tree Toys for 3 years as a copywriter for our store’s website, where I get to play with demo toys to learn the “in’s” and “out’s” of all our products. Since I can’t really justify buying endless amounts of toys for myself, my family and friends are pretty much guaranteed to get presents from Growing Tree Toys – and no one is happier about that than my little 9-year-old sister! When I’m not tinkering with toys, I read every book I can find – and currently I own approximately 200 books!

You may love the Pogo Stick, but were you ever brave (or crazy) enough to do more than jump up and down? For those us, who played it safe when it came to Pogo Sticks, take a good look at the Guinness World Record holder who took jumping sky high to new heights!

Jumping enthusiast Fred Grzybowski shattered the previous Pogo Stick jumping record of 6 feet by bouncing over 7 feet, 6 inches on a Flybar 1200 at Pogopalooza IV. Here’s a video of his amazing record breaking jump:

But if, like me, you lacked the coordination or the courage to test the limits of such a bouncy toy, let me introduce you to a whole new world of extreme Pogo Stick stunts – because when it comes to extreme stunts, flying sky high takes on a whole new meaning!

What do you get when you combine a traditional Pogo Stick and a dedicated and slightly reckless kid? Why, you ask? Here’s why … Drum roll, please!

(We don’t recommend trying this at home – ever).

Can you believe this amazing kid just completed a backflip? On a Pogo Stick?! I’ve never seen anything so unexpected in my life, so I have to ask: how does one decide to attempt flipping through the air and landing on a 2-inch metal pole? Regardless of his motivation, Conor – this young daredevil – joins an elite list of people (3 to be exact that we were able to research) who have successfully completed such a dangerous stunt!

I treasure the day that I passed down my beautiful bouncing Pogo Stick to my little sister because (I admit) it gave me the smallest glint of pleasure watching her fail bounce – at all! My sweet little sister fell like a rock every time she hopped on those pastel footpads (oops!). This isn’t to say I was a jumping champion but it was comforting to discover I wasn’t the only uncoordinated Pogo Stick enthusiast.

It’s hard to believe that such a simple toy has survived for so many years with a constantly budding fan base. Here is some history of the Pogo Stick from Pogostickusa.com:

     The legend behind the inspired design of the Pogo Stick goes like this – American George Hansburg, while on holiday, came across a poor Burmese farmer with a very devout daughter who couldn’t attend temple each day because she had no shoes and the road to temple was long and rocky. The farmer decided to build a wooden jumping stick so that she could hop to temple without ever touching the ground. Hansburg, inspired by the farmer, crafted his own jumping stick when he returned home, but with an addition of a spring. He named his creation the “Pogo Stick.”

     Regardless of his true inspiration, Hansburg patented his “Pogo Stick” in 1919. Shortly after production began, Pogo Sticks were promptly imported by the Gimble Brothers Department Store. Unfortunately, the wooden sticks rotted on the “wet ship ride,” prompting the Gimble Brothers to ask Hansburg to produce a more resilient Pogo Stick. The upgraded version of the stick was called the “Master Pogo,” the very version we know and love to this day. (The Pogo Stick has also expanded to include a junior version for younger jump enthusiasts).

     Pogo Stick business boomed in the 1920s because if you couldn’t dance the jitterbug, you could at least jump on a stick with both feet (though it’s still easier said than done). The popularity of this classic toy expanded even further to include “the New York Hippodrome chorus girls [performing] entire shows in them, marriage vows exchanged on them, [holding] jumping competitions, and [setting] and re-setting world records for most consecutive jumps.”

While the record for the most consecutive jumps on a Pogo Stick is probably the best known Pogo Stick-related World Record, my favorite is a little lesser known – the longest distance jumped on a Pogo Stick. According to the Guinness World Record website, “Ashrita Furman of Jamaica, New York, USA set a distance record of 37.18 km (23.11 miles) in 12 hours 27 min on June 22, 1997 at Queensborough Community College Track, New York, USA.” And here I thought the most exciting thing to do on a track was run – I was clearly mistaken!

Source Citation:
“Pogo Stick History.” Pogostickusa.com. September 25, 2009. http://www.pogostickusa.com/history.htm
“Pogo Stick Jumping Distance.” Guinness World Records. September 25, 2009. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/amazing_feats/marathon_efforts/pogo_stick_jumping_-_distance.aspx

My little granddaughter, Desi, is a rambunctious bundle of joy whose little hands love to explore and play. Whether she’s turning locks or opening cupboards, this tiny tot never slows down – so neither can I! For weary parents, and grandparents, the Wooden Latches Board from Melissa and Doug combines every aspect of unlatching and unlocking typical locks found in the home to develop motor skills, hand-eye coordination and reasoning. Best of all, this attention-grabbing toy will have kids … sitting still!

What’s to like?

The Wooden Latches Board is entirely self-contained – no complicated instructions, no loose pieces to misplace, and a million different ways to play! This brightly colored board features shiny brass hinges, latches, chains, and snaps that are securely attached to the board for little ones to puzzle out how to open so they can explore inside each “house.”

Plus, as young ones unlock the doors and windows of this colorful Latches Board and look inside, they are introduced to six different colors – each of which are associated with a specific animal and number. For instance, when little ones look inside the purple house, they will find a picture one purple pony, which is reiterated with text as well.

The Wooden Latches Board is one of my favorite educational toys because it builds deductive reasoning skills and patience, which enhance kids’ learning experience, but it’s perfect for improvisational play as well! With this multi-faceted toy, kids can create great learning opportunities, including memory games and speed contests, which little ones can play by themselves or with an adult.

Not to be picky…

While I think that the Wooden Latches Board is an excellent way to stimulate the minds and fingers of young ones, I found that my granddaughter had difficulty opening one of the doors and one of the windows once the latches were undone because the holes were too tiny for her adorably chubby fingers. However, I also noticed that though she was frustrated that she couldn’t open the doors at first, she soon found inventive ways to work the problem out. She loves a challenge!

At the end of the day

A fun-loving learning favorite, the Wooden Latches Board is the perfect toy for children ages 3 years and up and retails for $24.95!

This staff review was brought to you by Darla, a Warehouse Shipping Associate. Here’s a little more info (in her own words) about this dedicated Growing Tree Toys team member:
I have worked at the Growing Tree warehouse since November 2008 assembling, wrapping and shipping toys to our customers. When I’m not sending toys across the country, I enjoy busying myself with all my hobbies: counted cross-stitch, Sudoku, bird watching (Cornell winter bird counts), collecting Wade porcelain, 2 pet society finches, the Bible, and traveling to East Africa. I live outside of State College, PA with my husband, a retired fisheries biologist, and we have 4 children (and 4 precious grandchildren).

When I was a kid, one of my favorite days was garbage day! Yes, I would sit in the front yard and wait for the garbage man to come so I could watch him use – what I considered – the coolest truck in the world and take away all our trash. The garbage man was well aware that I was waiting for him (the jumping and clapping may have given me away) and he would even let me come close to the truck to watch it in action. The only problem was that as children we love to take real world applications and apply them to play – but in this instance I didn’t have a toy garbage truck. I would’ve loved the Bruder Garbage Truck from Bruder Toys!

What’s to like?

Bruder Trucks are primarily manufactured in Germany and are crafted out of high-quality plastic, which makes them perfect for the roughest play kids (and adults) have to offer! And for young kids who really like to go “out and about” with their trucks, this Bruder Garbage Truck features a higher end rubber tire that is a perfect match for its durable structure – unlike the standard plastic tire that has a tendency to wear more easily. These enhanced tires make it a breeze to maneuver the truck over all sorts of surfaces – even extra rough terrain such as rocks! I love that for the size of the Garbage Truck, it’s simple to push, which makes it even more fun to play with.

When it comes down to the nuts and bolts of playing, the Bruder Garbage Truck features some awesome pretend play enhancements! For starters, the rear of the truck includes a trash can attachment where kids can mount their garbage cans and then dump it into the truck. My favorite part is the clever knob on the side of the truck that allows you to process your trash and move it to the back of the truck – just like the real thing!

The back portion of the truck also flips open and you are able to get to the main “garbage” area of the truck. I found that sometimes the flip-up portion can be a little sensitive and get stuck in the “up” position and may require an adult to get it back down – but after a few tries the child will be able to work it on their own. This section of the truck is cool because it acts like a secret compartment where you can store more trash, and it’s large enough to store some other toys to play with along your garbage route.

Plus, the cab of the Bruder Garbage Truck flips open so you can see the engine and “work on it.” It reminds me a bit of a semi-trailer, but it is a nice feature that extends the play value beyond the dumping and collecting of trash!

At the end of the day

Priced at a reasonable $63.95, the Bruder Garbage Truck is a rough and tumble toy that will take plenty of play punishment while providing a ton of pretend play opportunities. And don’t let the fact that this truck is made of plastic make you “trash” it – this hard core Garbage truck will last you a long time. But, I have to run – the garbage man is almost here!