1. Alphabet Match Game

This puzzle game will help children learn alphabet concepts while promoting the development of early literacy skills. Each alphabet puzzle includes four wooden pieces–the lowercase and uppercase letters, a word that starts with the letter, and a picture of the word. It also comes with an activity guide that will give you new, fun ideas of how to use the game! (Item #70454, $69.95 55.95 SALE)

2. Syllabification Vocabulary Building Game 

Spark your child’s interest in writing and spelling activities with this fun game that provides over 100 plastic tiles with root words (and derivatives of root words), prefixes, and suffixes! It will show them how words are made of chunks! (Item #82668, $34.95)

3. Rhyming Sounds Game 

Children will learn 32 different rhyming sounds with this fun game, which provides the players with a storage tray, 56 sorting tiles, and four category cards! To play, the children match the ending sound of the pictures with the corresponding rhyming object on the tiles. (Item #36318, $10.95)

4. Froggy Phonics Game

Hop from lily pad to lily pad in this fun game to learn phonics! Players will use a phonics spinner and try to be the first to find matching words, and the first player to get to four matching words wins! Each board is double-sided for twice the fun! This will help build and reinforce reading skills. (Item #62049, $21.95)

5. You’ve Been Sentenced 

For your older readers, You’ve Been Sentenced is a great sentence-building game using five-sided card with multiple versions of a base word. Players get 10 cards in a hand and try to score the most points by creating the longest grammatically-correct and sensible sentence! Any player can object to another players sentence, on either grammatical grounds, or if a sentence just doesn’t make sense. The defending player and the objecting player get to argue their points to the rest of the players, who form a jury. Half the fun is trying to defend, explain, and justify a completely ridiculous sentence to the other players. First player to reach 200 points wins.

All of these great toys are available through our website! Do you know any other great language and literacy skill-building games? Let us know in the comments!

1. Root Vue Farm Set

This farm set is a wonderful way to observe the way plants grow! It comes with an acrylic viewing window that allows you to see the roots as they grow, a light shield to keep them growing healthily, a water basin and drainage reservoir, 3 packets of seeds, 8 grow-mix wafers, and a 16-page booklet with instructions and experiments! (Item #31325, $34.95)

2. Farmer’s Garden

You can use this micro-farm to grow your own crops! Watch fruits and vegetables grow as you cultivate them–tasty treats like green and red peppers, green beans, strawberries, or lettuce! (Item #141179, $24.95)

3. Strange Plant Collection

This collection of plants your children can grow is certainly out of the ordinary! Four seed packs come with this kit–seeds for space plants, eyeball plants, brain plants, and pitcher plants!–to provide your children with fun botanical oddities. (Item #00367, $24.95)

4. Sprout and Grow Window

This planter comes with see-through paneling, soil, pea and bean seeds, and a step-by-step guide, all allowing your children to watch the pea and bean seeds as they grow into something we can eat! Yum! (Item #24260, $19.95)

5. Insect Lore Ladybug Land

This fun habitat for ladybugs will allow your children to watch as ladybugs go through their life cycle! It comes with built in magnifying lenses to help children see the ladybugs better and an instruction guide! (Item #86390, $19.95)

6. Butterfly Glamour Garden

Set your dome terrarium up and plant your seeds, and then decorate it with stickers, jewels, marbles, pink gravel, and more! The plants that will grow will attract butterflies and hummingbirds with their rainbow-colored foliage and sweet scents, and comes complete with a butterfly that will call your garden home! (Item #141178, $24.95)

7. Butterfly Garden Set

For something a little more simple, try this butterfly garden set to observe 5 caterpillars transform into five butterflies! Included is a mesh habitat, feeding kit, care instructions, butterfly facts, and a coupon for live butterfly culture. (Item #17142, $19.95)

8. Antworks

A new twist on the old ant habitat! Antworks has been tested in zero gravity–how cool! It comes with the container and a non-toxic blue gel that will make it easy for children to observe ants digging a network of tunnels. (Item #22081, $19.95)

Making music gives children an opportunity to be creative, whether it involves shaking maracas while another friend is playing with a drum, or simply pecking the keys on their first piano. Here are some great toys children can use to create their own music!

1. Rainbomaker (8″)

The Rainbomaker creates a combination of sound and color that children will love! ($11.95, Item#94453 )

2. Learn to Play Piano

The Learn to Play Piano from Melissa & Doug features 25 keys and spans two octaves! It’s a great first piano for little Mozarts. It comes with a songbook and a color-coded key chart to help children learn the keys. (On sale! $55.96, Item #00967)

3. Band in a Box 

This kit includes maracas, a triangle, a set of hand cymbals, a tambourine, a clapper, and rhythm sticks to help your children create their very own band! ($24.95, Item #12774)

4. Zoo Rhythm Instruments (set of 7) 

This fun rhythm instrument set includes seven animals that your children might see on a zoo trip—in wooden form! It includes an elephant drum, crocodile guiro, shark bells, whale jingle, cow tone blocks, and more! ($79.95, Item #60721)

5. Ukulele (stripe design) 

Use this fun Hawaiian instrument to teach children the basics of playing a stringed instrument! It comes with a pick to enhance playing! ($29.95, Item #141280)

6. Chimalong Jr.

This 8-note metallophone from Woodstock Percussion helps children learn about tone and pitch! ($39.95, Item #18004)

7. Wrist Bells 

Wrist bells are a great addition to any band set your children might have! They can strap it on to their wrist with the easy Velcro closure and shake away! ($3.95, Item #1131)

8. Wave Drum

Create fun water sounds with the wave drum, like ocean waves, waterfalls, or rolls of thunder! ($21.95, Item #40791)

MyPlate Felt Set – This fun felt set shows realistic depictions of food that promotes healthy eating habits and aligns with the USDA’s MyPlate model.

Item#: 62573  Price: $19.95

Healthy Gourmet Salad - This fun salad set comes with a great variety of vegetables, along with salad tongs, olive oil and vinegar, and pepper to help make a great salad for play time!

Item#: 30330 Price:  $24.95

Food Groups - Arrange these fun foods from the four food groups to make a well-balanced meal!

Item#: 46892 Price: $19.95

Mighty Mixer - The knob on top of the mixer turns so the beaters rotate! Lift the beaters up to set up the mixing bowl (or remove it when everything is all mixed up).

Item#: 30704 Price: $24.95

Play-Time Produce Farm Fresh Fruit - These fabulous fruits are realistically sized, adding more fun to your child’s grocery and kitchen play time!

Item#: 18594 Price: $19.95

Play-Time Produce Farm Fresh Vegetables - The vegetable counterpart of the Farm Fresh Fruits, these realistically sized vegetables will give more dimension to kitchen and grocery play, as well, and maybe even encourage your little ones to try these veggies!

Item#: 18595 Price: $19.95

Eco-Friendly Salad Set - Great for pretend play! Toss the lettuce and veggies together to make a healthy salad.

Item#: 141192 Price: $19.95

Check out more great play time food on our website at KaplanToys.com!

I Love Guinea Pigs

This affectionate guide  answers all the questions anyone’s ever had about guinea pigs!

Item #: 84379   Price: $6.99  Sale Price: $5.00

I Love My Mommy

Animals in the wild love their mommies dearly and depend on them for many of the same things young children do. This adorable padded board book is the perfect addition to any toddler’s library!

Item #: 85075            Price: $6.95

I Love You the Purplest

This touching story will help children to understand the importance of friendship, the strength in a family, and how to deal with the feelings that they must face each day. This hardback book is a wonderful present for a young child!

Item #: 97682           Price: $16.99

I Love You

Curious babies will love to touch and tug on the TAGGIES™ fleece blanket that covers this special book. This soon-to-be favorite also features eight colorful tags made for small fingers.

Item #: 88268           Price: $12.99

I Love Our Earth

This book helps young children appreciate the earth and understand how to preserve it for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Item #: 86808                 Price: $14.95

Guess How Much I Love You

Guess how much kids will love this! This board book is a wonderful expression of love between a parent and child.

Item #: 93904                Price: $7.99

Full, Full, Full of Love

For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner at Grannie’s can be full indeed – full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and full, full, full of love.

Item #: 50370               Price: $3.99

Andy Shane Is NOT in Love

In his fourth engaging adventure, Andy Shane learns about the delicate balance of old friends and new, and the special joy of bringing home a dog of his own.

Item #: 19870       Price: $4.99   Sale Price: $3.00

I Love You, Sun I Love You, Moon

Teach your children how to love the world around them with this beautiful board book. The simple text and illustrations honor the little things in life!

Item #: 12258             Price: $7.99

Nail Art Fashion Effects

Toy Expert Susan says, “This easy-to-use set of press-on nails feature a trendy crackle design and use a water-based polish that’s easy to clean up!”

Wobble Deck Extreme

A lover of all things “toy,” Connie says, “This fun, interactive balance game keeps kids engaged, entertained, and even helps them develop balance and coordination skills!”

Candy Construction Building Kit

Our digital guru Chelsi loves playing with the Candy Construction Building Kit alongside her niece and nephew. She says, “It gives them the opportunity to build ‘sweet’ designs using just their imaginations or by making the ideas from the included booklet into reality!”

Squishy Science

Jon, our webmaster and dad of two, loves that the Squishy Science kit is equal parts gross and great for learning. The cool, squishy organs even help kids study the human body.

Light-Up Air Power Soccer Disk

Toy Expert Susan says, “This super-awesome hovering ‘soccer’ disk features colorful LED lights and is perfect for encouraging active play indoors and out!”

Stick & Stack Zoo Animals

According to new mother, Laura, these soft, engaging animals stick together with Velcro and even include chimes and rattles to engage her adorable little son.

Eco-Friendly Pink Dump Truck

Toy Expert Connie, says “This truck is tough and pretty all in one! It’s even earth-friendly, since it’s made from recycled milk cartons.”

Zoo Kids Owl Rolling Luggage

The loving father of 5-year-old Zoey, our designer, Van, says, “My daughter loves this suitcase. It’s easy for her to roll along, and even easy for me to carry, because it comes with an adjustable strap for me to use when she gets too tired to keep pulling.”

Lay N Go

Jennifer, the loving mom to one messy boy, says, “This solution is such a lifesaver when it comes to easy LEGO clean-up! All I have to do is ‘cinch’ it all up when my son is done playing.”

Jungle Head Lamps Monkey & Frog

Toy Expert Susan says, “These cute, stylish, and fun-to-wear head lamps will certainly brighten things up this year!”

Felt Mosaic

Toy Expert Susan also loves this beautifully crafted mosaic building set and how it all stores in one box for easy clean up!

Rody Horse

(Available in both red and pink)

Experienced mother of two, Rosanna, says “This classic toy will entertain children for hours while also helping them to learn balance and coordination.”

Lacing Pony

Toy Expert Connie says, “Colorful and creative, this wood-and-felt lacing toy helps children develop fine motor skills and let’s them customize their pony with colors.”

Check out what else is new to our extensive toy collection at http://www.kaplantoys.com!

]]> http://blog.kaplantoys.com/2013/01/02/13-toys-we-love-for-2013/feed/ 0 kaplantoys Nail Art Fashion Effects Wobble Deck Extreme Candy Construction Squishy Science Air Power Soccer Disk Stick and Stack Zoo Animals Eco Friendly Pink Dump Truck Zoo Kids Owl Rolling Luggage Lay N Go Lay N Go 2 Jungle Head Lamps Felt Mosaic Rody Horse Red Rody Horse Pink Lacing Pony http://blog.kaplantoys.com/2012/12/13/more-holiday-hits-for-kids/ http://blog.kaplantoys.com/2012/12/13/more-holiday-hits-for-kids/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:38:32 +0000 Jennifer L. http://blog.kaplantoys.com/?p=1006 ]]> Have you checked your shopping list twice?

Plump up those holiday stockings with a few of these fabulous favorites from Kaplan Toys!

Wahoo Puppies™

This puppy never sheds and never gets tired! This toy promotes balance and coodination while providing hours of giggles and fun! Includes pump.

LEGO Tipper Truck

Help the LEGO workers load the rugged Tipper Truck with rocks and haul to the construction site! This truck features a 3-way lifting function and tons of accessories.

And STAR WARS® LEGO!

Help Anakin Skywalker defend against the evil Sith on board the Sith Nightspeeder. Watch out for their flick-missiles! Set includes 3 minifigures: Anakin Skywalker, Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress, 4 lightsabers and weapon. Twin pods are detachable.

Wobble Deck Extreme

Wobble Deck Extreme features four fun balance games that challenge the mind and body! Games include: musical statues, coordination and reaction, and memory match. Helps to develop cognitive skills.

Madame Alexander Dolls

Madame Alexander’s Favorite Friends wear the trendiest outfits and love to play and pretend. Body is crafted from child-safe vinyl with full articulation at the neck, shoulders and hips for posing.

Owl Luggage

Zoo friends roll along for travel fun! Little kids will love rolling through the airport or to Grandma’s with their own Zoo Owl luggage. Sized perfectly for carry-ons and overnight trips, Zoo luggage is sturdy enough for everyday use or distant journeys.

Ladybug Neckrest

Tiny travelers rest easy with cozy Zoo pals. Featuring our signature Zoo animals in plush velour, our neckrest is sized perfectly for young travelers, easy to tote along for family trips or quick jaunts. Little ones will feel at home no matter the destination, with their own Zoo pal along for the ride!

Turbo Twist Car

Remote control car features bright flashing lights as it flips, twists, and spins! Contains a patented technology with 360 degree rotating front axle that allows your car flip, tumble, roll, dance & do wheelies. Each car contains 6 LED lights that change color with translucent tires/wheels that light up. Tires are made of durable translucent rubber and can be used indoor and outdoor.

Mini Golf Course

Introduce children to an exciting new game as they learn cooperative play, increase eye-hand coordination and muscle skill. Snap-together course can be easily designed to create a variety of setups. Track walls guide the oversized ball straight to the green. Each green includes a unique slanted action for easy putting.

Y-Ball®

This ball is unlike any other! You must first put it together, and then take it apart and design something else! The inspiration for the Y-Ball® is the skeletal truncated icosahedron, an orb-like geometric figure long admired for its beauty, more commonly referred to as a soccer ball. Here are a few popular ways to use it: Use it in a creativity workshop, Use it as a meditation aid to free your mind or just PLAY with it!

Happy Holidays!

Why not take a look at our greatest hits?

This popular collection of gadgets, gizmos, and whozawhatsits from Kaplan Toys is sure to cause children everywhere to jump for joy! (And parents may even feel the urge to dance a little jig, because these toys are educational, too!)

#1 : LEGO®

#2: Calico Critters™

#3: ZOOB®

ZOOB® toys allow children to build open-ended, imaginative creations!

#4: Corolle Dolls

#5: Elf on the Shelf

#6: Crayola®

#7: Little People

#8: Madame Alexander

Farm Animal Stacking Blocks

Children will love to stack and create their favorite farm animal or create a new one! (Item # 30539)

Sand Blocks

This set of 8 wood-framed blocks add a new look to block play! Set includes four square and four half circle blocks with sand-filled centers. (Item #46574)

Tobbles

Tobbles is made up of six uniquely weighted spheres which nest inside each other. The spheres wobble, spin, wiggle and stack. Excellent for teaching balance, proportion, color, structure while encouraging sensory exploration, hand-eye coordination, and visual-spatial awareness. (Item #30572)

Wedgits™

This building set is a perfect way to introduce children to the spatial world of angles, color matching and creative, free-play designing! The perfectly nestable design of these blocks assures that there is no wrong way to build. The easy-to-grasp form of the blocks are built out of geometric shapes that nest, stack and come to life with every colorful design created. (Item #00419)

Build a Drop

These unique circular Edu-Foam puzzle pieces with printed surfaces stir the imagination in a new, abstract way! Set contains 27 pieces. (Item #141129)

K’Nex Discovery Set

Introduce children to the K’Nex spatial building system with this set of 259 K’Nex Rods and Connectors. Students can build 20 different models from color-coded building instructions or create models from their own imaginations!

Enviro Battery

Use household materials like mud, lemons, and water to light a bulb, power a watch, and activate a music chip!

Potato Clock

Generate enough electricity to run a digital clock powered by potatoes with this fun kit!

K’Nex Intro to Simple Machines: Gears

Build crank fans, egg beaters and more, while learning simple engineering concepts such as gearing up/down and increasing speed/force!

ZOOB-BOT

Now you can build your very own robot with a pull-back motor and eyes that light up as it rolls! Build four different designs of ZOOB-BOTS or create your own! Ideal for children 6 years and up.

]]> http://blog.kaplantoys.com/2012/10/19/engineering-some-technology-fun/feed/ 0 kaplantoys 20774 Enviro Battery Potato Clock KnexEducation ZOOBBOT