Summer’s over, but the fun is just beginning. Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht stopped by Fox 32 in Chicago to talk about the best new toys for the new semester. For more on the products featured in this segment, check out the notes below, and for more on the hottest new toys of the season be sure to view our Spring and Summer Toy Guide.
Crayola Kids@Work 2-in-1 Activity Table (Amloid)
- Get your aspiring artists and budding builders ready for back-to-school with the Crayola Kids@Work 2-in-1 Activity Table from Amloid!
- The multi-functional 2-in-1 design provides reversible activity play with a two-sided tray that features a writing surface on one side and a building-block base on the other.
- Kids can build, color, create and learn with a complete set of essential art supplies including bright Crayola crayons, sturdy building blocks, educational decals, stickers and more.
- Convenient compartments help keep workspaces neat while the folding design makes for easy portability and compact storage
- The 40-piece set includes: 1 four-piece activity table, 20 building blocks, 8 Crayola crayons, 2 ABC and 123 DIY decal sheets, construction paper, 2 triangles, 1 T-square/ruler and stencil accessories
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $69.99
- Available now at ToysRus.com
Kidz Delight Bilingual Farm Stacker (KD Group)
- The fun and colorful Farm Stacker introduces baby to animal names and sounds, shapes, numbers and letters in both English and Spanish. It comes with three stackable colored pieces, each with an instrument and a cut-out shape, plus a windmill top that spins.
- When toddlers stack each piece onto the base, they can choose shape-forward to see an animal friend peek through the shape’s window or instrument-forward to hear music. Each stacked piece triggers sayings and sounds for the pictured animal or instrument.
- In Quiz mode, baby is asked to stack a specific color, shape or instrument. Once all pieces are placed on top of one another, baby can also listen to educational nursery rhymes. Farm Stacker is perfect for developing fine motor skills.
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $17.99
- Available: Toys R Us
Monarch Life Cycle (Folkmanis)
- Experience the beauty of life and the magic of metamorphosis with the Folkmanis Monarch Life Cycle puppet. A wonderful teaching tool with extraordinary design, this unique toy changes from caterpillar to chrysalis to adult monarch butterfly.
- Utilize the zippers to tuck and reveal one stage to the next and watch life unfold before your eyes! Once the transformation is complete, insert your hands into the monarch wings to cause a flutter with your friends.
- Ages 3+
- MSRP $39.99
- Available on Amazon and thru Specialty Retailers
On-The-Go Slime Keychains (WeCool Toys)
- Take your favorite slimey compound wherever you go! This keychain comes with 1 oz (28g) of compound
- It is ready made – so no glue required
- Good for a fidget toy for kids to attach to their backpacks.
- Colors: Yellow, Blue, Green, Pink
- Age: 4+
- MSRP: $1.99
- Available: Michaels
Mayka Toy Block Tape (ZURU)
- Cut, shape, stick and build anywhere with Mayka Tape. Based on the viral sensation and original toy construction brick tape, Nimuno Loops, Mayka Tape instantly transforms virtually any surface into a base for construction toy bricks and figures.
- One side features a bendable, flexible surface with a toy block pattern that is compatible with LEGO toys and other toy construction brands and can be cut to any desired size.
- The other side has a re-usable adhesive backing to allow builders to construct on nearly any object, around corners and on curved surfaces to make 3D creations. Each roll will feature an exciting new way to play with Mayka Tape.
- The product originally launched as Nimuno Loops on Indiegogo, raising over $1.6 Million Dollars in crowd funding in just 30 days and has been billed as one of ‘2017’s greatest inventions,’ revolutionizing the way construction bricks are played with all over the world!
- Ages 3+
- MSRP $6.99 (Small), $9.99 (Medium), $14.99 (Large)
- Available: Walmart, Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us
Smithsonian Diggin’ Up Dinos T-Rex (NSI)
- Excavate and identify with the Smithsonian Diggin’ Up Dinosaurs T-Rex.
- Chip away with the mallet and dowel on the blocks to reveal a T-Rex Skeleton.
- This kit includes one sand block with a T-Rex “fossil,” a mallet, a dowel, a pair of goggles, and a brush.
- Age: 8+
- MSRP: $12.50
- Available: Walmart, Amazon
Dino Tego 20Pc Set (Magformers)
- Using magnetic accessories, your kids can click, connect and create their own Jurassic beast
- This super cool Stegosaurus comes with Magformers squares, rectangles and dinosaur accessories, allowing kids create a moveable dinosaur!
- Ages: 3+
- SRP: $49.99
- Available: Amazon, Walmart, Toys “R”Us, Target, Nordstrom
3Doodler Start Product Design Pen Set (WobbleWorks)
- Let their individual style shine through & get them started in the exciting world of product design. With the 3Doodler Start Product Design Kit you can design and personalize your very own accessories such as watch, clock, phone cases, phone speaker amplifier, headphone wraps, wallets, luggage tags, key holders, coin organizers and picture frames!
- Includes: Special edition 3Doodler Start 3D Printing Pen, an analogue watch face, themed activity guide (with over 12 projects), themed DoodleBlocks, Doodle Sheets and plastic packs.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $69.99 (Themed kit without pen: $24.99)
- Available: Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Toys R Us
