The Toy Insider Mom has a new buzz word parents are going to love, STEALTH LEARNING.
So what is stealth learning? It is playtime that are is so much fun, children don’t even realize they’re learning.
This week The Toy Insider Mom visited ABC News to talk about some of her favorite fun and educational toys out this year.
About the featured products:
Baby Einstein (Disney)
Discover the joy of classical music, discovering colors, learning about animals, and so much more with your baby. Each kit includes a DVD, a picture book, and a musical CD. For each kit, listen and explore in English, Spanish and French. Three levels of discovery allow your baby to experience music, explore nature and celebrate expression. These are made to be viewed with your baby.
MSRP: $19.99
Ages 0-2
Magnet Zoo Animal Playset (Leapfrog)
Mix and match heads and tails while learning animal facts and more with 25 unique songs Listen to songs to celebrate correct matches or fun songs about silly animal creations. Learn with zoo animal friends about colors, facts and animal sounds. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning. Magnetic and also portable for on the go play.
MSRP: $15.99
Ages: 12 to 36 months
Alphabeasts (Alpha Toys)
Alphabeasts is a brand new line of education plush dolls designed to help children learn while playing. All 26 characters have a different name that stars with their letter of the alphabet along with a different story and personality trait that help define the characters They work together to help teach the alphabet and spelling Beasts come together to spell out words so children can mix and match.
Age 3+
MSRP: $20.00
Books: $16.00
Who’s Riding On The Bus? (Pressman Toy)
This is a fun game for preschoolers that improves upon important everyday learning and development skills including: matching, image recognition, pattern identification, and concentration. Players start by choosing a folded solution card with nine animals riding on the bus – five on top and four on the bottom. The card is placed between them so that both players can see which animals they are looking for and where they are seated.
Players must then race to match the order of the animals on the solution card to their game boards, searching with their bus viewfinder. The first player to correctly match how the animals are sitting on the bus wins that round. Collect five solution cards to win the game!
For 2 players
Ages 4 and up
MSRP: $15.00
SAVINGS GOAL ATM (Summit)
Now you can have your own ATM in your room! The Savings Goal ATM works with real money. Stand it up or hang on a wall with the built-in wall mount. The Savings Goal ATM features a single-screen backlit digital display. Just insert the ATM card to activate the screen and view your savings. The coin slot recognizes the value of each coin and the automatic bill feeder accepts real currency. The secure vault will also keep your money safe – only you have access with your digital access code. Available in two different color combinations: steel/blue and pink/lavender.
MSRP: $29.99
Ages 5+
TI-Nspire CX (Texas Instruments)
The new color-screen TI-Nspire CX graphing calculator is more than just a calculator – it’s a handheld device that helps students explore real-world math & science concepts. Helps students better visualize formulas and scientific equations; interpret data, charts and graphics; and view full-color images and animations to highlight concepts and deepen understanding. The TI-Nspire CX handheld’s ability to show visual representations of a math activity using color enhances students’ connections to key ideas no matter what their learning style. They can view and analyze their work side-by-side as an equation, table, graph or text problem. Students really understand the math and science they’re learning using this so they’re more apt to love math and science and pursue careers where they can use these skills.
Ages: middle school and up (they will take this to college)
MSRP: $165.00
Cabbage CPK Fashionalities (Jakks Pacific)
Fashion dolls meet large dolls with the new Cabbage Patch Kids Fashionalities.
Twelve unique personalities will appeal to kids today from prepsters and skateboarders, to girly girls and artsy girls. There’s a style for every personality just like Mom’s cabbage Patch Kids, each kid comes with a unique one of a kind name, Birth Certificate and a unique code.
MRSP $34.99
Ages: 3+
Girl Scouts 4-
Ever Friends dolls (Adora)
Girl Scouts of the USA is considered one of the world’s premier leadership organizations for girls throughout the world
For generations, Girl Scouts have acquired courage, confidence and character for successes in the real world. For the first time there is a beautiful collection of 5 dolls in a range of diverse ethnicities, each wearing a girl scout outfit
The uniforms represent the Daisy’s, Brownies, and the Girl Scouts.
MSRP: $59.99
Ages 6+
Kindle (Amazon)
As your favorite student heads back to school, lighten their backpack’s load with the Kindle – it’s faster, smaller, smarter, and more affordable than ever..30% lighter than before, less than 6 ounces, and 18% smaller, but same screen size..fits in your pocket. Kindle has features that any student would find helpful, whether it’s looking up words with the built in dictionary, or adding annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. With Kindle Textbook Rentals, students can now save up to 80% off textbook list prices by renting from the Kindle store. Kids have access to rent for periods of 30 to 360 days and they only pay for the amount of time they need a book
There are hundreds of classics (many on required reading lists) that are FREE. Students share their thoughts on book passages with friends and other students and the Kindle community by turning on Public Notes and can even share meaningful passages by postting to social networks like Facebook and Twitter directly from their Kindle. Over 1 million titles, and over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less.
Notes can be added and since it’s digital you can edit, delete and export your notes—even after a rental expires, you can still have full access to your notes.Page numbers now match the paper editions and most advanced e-ink display, reads like paper. Keyword search allows you to search for a word or phrase which helps when studying. Built-in WiFi downloads books in 60 seconds.
Ages: 11+
MSRP: $79

Snap Circuits XP (Elenco)
A great introduction to microcontrollers and how they are used in the world around us. As easy as snapping together the circuits and downloading programs Write your own programs using Basic commands and create your own. No prior understanding of micro-controllers required and has color coded parts. Over 50 projects and over 50 parts with over 40 programs ready for download. Download programs and have fun while Snap CircuitsR XPT does the thinking! Projects include Clap Light, Photon Counter, Dancing Motor, 
 Launch Pad, Counting to the Stars, Flip-Flop, Scratchy Amplifier, Sunrise Alarm, BatteryTester and Data Logger. Includes 64-page manual with easy circuit assembly and programming
 instructions.
MSRP:
Ages: 8+
Dr. Dreadful (SpinMaster)
From the twisted mind of Doctor Dreadful comes heaps of horrifying but delicious treats that you create. It looks gross and tastes great, leaving you completely disgusted that you want more! Each lab truly turns you into a mad scientist as you devour your creations savoring every squiggly slurp! Be your own mad scientist with Dr. Dreadful! Make your kitchen a laboratory! Making Dr. Dreadful creations is like conducting science experiments in your own home, but while having fun at the same time. With Dr. Dreadful, not only do you get to make your own disgusting creations, you get to eat them too – and they taste great! Make slimy spiders, bubbling zombie brains, zombie skin, barf, ear wax snot shots, and more. Measure the ingredients as instructed, or experiment with the amounts of candy and drink mixes to create your own spin on the disgusting treats.
MSRP: $24.99
Ages: 7+
