Is it nearly back-to-school time already? Toy Insider Senior Editor Marissa DiBartolo stopped by Fox 40 in Sacramento to show off the best toys for back-to-school season. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product information below, and for our complete rundown of the best gifts for the season, check out our Spring and Summer gift guide.
BEAKER CREATURES (LEARNING RESOURCES)
- Beaker Creatures is a new line of science-themed collectibles from Learning Resources that combines the thrill of collecting with hands-on science experiments that build skills and spark curiosity.
- Includes 35 collectible characters from five different families for children to discover, classify, and explore.
- Beaker Creatures is founded in real science, from the fizzing Reactor Pods that reveal the creatures to the classification cards that help children identify their creatures.
- Beaker Creatures sets also double as working lab sets, complete with included science experiments that encourage hands-on learning.
- Each Beaker Creature also comes with facts and quizzes about real- world creatures and phenomena that sparks curiosity in the world around us.
- Age: 5+
- MSRP: $24.99 for the complete Science Lab which includes two dissolvable collectible eggs / $4.99 for individual eggs
- Available: Amazon
LEAPSTART LEARNING SYSTEM (LEAPFROG)
- LeapStart activity books and leveled library will grow with kids and also get them excited about concepts such as math, reading, and writing as well as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and creative expression.
- The magic behind the updated LeapStart system is a stylus that reads invisible dots on every page, triggering engaging audio like questions, challenges, songs, jokes, and more to teach school and life skills.
- The newly designed ergonomic stylus was created to be comfortable for kids of all ages and promote proper pen grip.
- There are tons of fun touch-and-talk games, creative challenges, problem-solving puzzles, math mazes and more await kids from ages 2 to 7 with 30+ activities in every activity book. Each activity is designed to be played again and again for endless learning, discovery, storytelling, music making, fun facts, jokes, and more.
- Age: 2-7
- MSRP: $39.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart
COLOR WONDER LIGHT-UP STAMPER (CRAYOLA)
- The Crayola Color Wonder Light-Up Stamper lets kids explore the fun of stamping–without making a mess.
- Like magic, the stamper handle lights up to indicate which color is being used.
- Includes three scented Color Wonder inks in red, blue, and purple. The inks are clear and make marks only on the special Color Wonder paper, so clothes and hands stay mess-free.
- The stamper can also be used with other items from the Color Wonder line for more creative possibilities.
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Amazon, Crayola.com
KIDO GLOW IN THE DARK MAGNATAB (PLAYMONSTER)
- Let the magnetic stylus be your pen and the bead board be your paper. Use your imagination to draw shapes, letters, and pictures, popping individual beads to the surface for a sensory–based play experience.
- Erases with the tip of your finger, or by swiping across the beads with the side of the stylus.
- The Glow-in-the-Dark Jumbo board and stylus brings an exciting new dimension to nighttime play!
- The jumbo glow-in-the-dark board and stylus brings an exciting new dimension to nighttime play. Erases with the tip of your finger, or by swiping across the beads with the side of the stylus.
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $34.99
- Available: Amazon, Bed Bath Beyond, Target, playmonster.com
