Toys that inspire learning

Solar System Puzzle

The sun brings light to all the planets around it. Learn more about our solar system with this out-of-this-world puzzle featuring solid-wood planet pieces, a glowing LED sun and a poster with all the planet names. For ages 5 and up. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Classic Toys, or for additional retailers, visit hape.com.

Beaker Creatures Bubbling Volcano Reactor

For exciting seismic science adventures, place your Reactor Pod within the volcano, then add in water to trigger the bubbling eruption! Includes one volcano playset, one Reactor Pod with mystery creature, one mini-poster with amazing science facts, and experiment guide full of hands-on science fun! For ages 5 and up. For a list of local retailers, visit learningresources.com.

Uh-Oh Hippo

Uh-oh! Can you remember what Hugo ate? To win, place the munchies inside Hugo’s mouth and see what goes missing, then press his tail to see what comes out! A fun family memory game. For ages 3+. For a list of local retailers, visit educationalinsights.com.

Design & Drill Space Circuits

3, 2, 1… Blast off to STEM learning and fun! Astronauts-in-training use a real, kid-safe power drill to complete 20 space-themed, circuit-building challenges. Kids build early engineering and problem-solving skills as they spin simple motors, and more on their mission control boards. For ages 5 and up. For a list of local retailers, visit educationalinsights.com.

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl

Prepare for preschool success! Help little hands build strength, coordination and scissor skills through five busy activities. Drop the coins, rotate Hoot’s eyes, poke his squeaky nose, or flap his wings with the sliding front buttons! For ages 18 months+. For a list of local retailers, visit learningresources.com.

My Robotic Pet

With 172 building pieces in this kit, you can assemble a real robot that looks like a cute hedgehog. This unique pet has a built-in sound sensor and is programmed to react to your claps. Watch how different patterns of claps instruct your hedgehog to do different tricks – make it bristle its spines, scurry around, spin and more! Winner of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association 2019 Best Toy award. For ages 7+ with help from an adult; Ages 10+ for independent play. Available locally at Classic Toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.

Magna Tiles House

Let your child be the architect of their own world with the house set. With reusable silicon stickers, stairs and a door, there are endless opportunities as your children build a world for their dolls, action figures and cars. This is the set to add to your collection to watch skills develop for young architects! Includes 28 colorful shapes: two rectangles, six squares, 13 triangles, two “C” shapes, two “T” shapes, two staircases and one door. Winner of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association 2019 Best Toy award. For ages 3 and up. Available locally at Classic Toys, Over the Rainbow Toys or visit magnatiles.com.

Kanoodle Gravity

The brain-bending fun really stacks up with this vertical take on Kanoodle! Players challenge themselves to complete 40 gravity-defying puzzles. Simply select a challenge from the guide, place the pieces as shown, then use the remaining pieces to complete the puzzle – or take turns placing the pieces. If a player’s piece doesn’t fit, they lose the round! Set includes a vertical puzzle board, 10 colorful puzzle pieces, booklet with puzzle challenges and carrying case. For solo play or 2-player challenge. Ages 7 and up. For a list of local retailers, visit educationalinsights.com.

Escape Puzzle Space Observatory

The Exit Room idea – but in puzzle form! Imagine that a huge fireball is racing towards the Earth! Only you can save our planet, by assembling and firing a powerful laser hidden within this space observatory. This is extra-challenging because the boxtop image isn’t the same as the puzzle picture – you’ll have to decipher the clues on the in-box leaflet and the laser is in pieces! Assemble the 759 pieces and solve the hidden riddles to save the planet! Winner of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association 2019 Best Toy award. For ages 12 years and up. Available locally at Barnes & Noble or visit ravensburger.org.

Block Science

Block Science takes a design-based approach to block play by encouraging kids to experience authentic design challenges, test out multiple solution pathways, and work collaboratively with others. Great for developing fine motor skills, early engineering concepts, spatial thinking, problem solving and STEM concepts. For ages 2-12. Available locally at Just Imagine Toys or visit guidecraft.com.

MORE TOYS THAT INSPIRE LEARNING...

Friendship Activity Cube $59.99
Seven fun activity sides including a ball maze, shape puzzle, and turning gears help build fine motor skills and an understanding of animals, colors and shapes. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Classic Toys, or for additional retailers, visit hape.com.

Whimsy City Fabric Book $28.99
This fabric book is like none other, unfolding into a small town with optic, sensory and acoustic surprises like the finger puppet Froggy, who tours the town in his car. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit habausa.com.

Planet Blocks $20
Learn the planets in a fun, new way. Each block has pictorial information on a different planet, and they give kids the chance to learn about the solar system. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Classic Toys, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit unclegoose.com.

Guidecraft Grippies Builders $59.99
These smooth, bumpy and wavy magnetic pieces come together to give toddlers a safe way to explore geometry and basic engineering concepts. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit guidecraft.com.

Seek-a-Boo $19.95
This matching game builds kids’ vocabulary and memory. Space out the tiles and also exercise kids’ gross motor skills. Available at the Juneau Imagination Station, or visit mindware.com.

Rainbow Fish Shimmers Mosaics $29.99
Learn about mosaics and exercise counting skills on the numbered templates, or use a blank background for free creativity. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Learning Essentials, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit mindware.com.

Q-bitz Jr. $19.95
Match the card’s pattern with designed blocks to foster the development of visual intelligence, which is necessary for math and STEM success. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Learning Essentials, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit mindware.com.

Think & Learn Code-a-pillar $50
Take apart the Code-a-Pillar’s segments and put him back together in different orders to make him travel in new ways, developing problem-solving, planning and sequencing skills every time. For local retailers, visit fisher-price.mattel.com.

Robot Engineer $49.95
Large, colorful pieces make this kit easy for small hands to handle, and its moving parts teach them about simple machines and gear trains. Available locally at Classic toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.

Micro Robots $19.99
This quick, engaging game challenges as many players as you can fit around the table to determine a robot’s movement from one spot to another. Be the first to determine how to move the robot to a target space and how many steps this process will take. Available at Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit zmangames.com.

Bug Discovery Lab & Incredible Insects Journal $21.99
Send explorers out to collect bugs and learn all about them by observing them in the terrarium. Set the bug free and start again to fill the journal. Available locally at Classic Toys, Learning Essentials, and Juneau’s Imagination Station, or visit educationalinsights.com.

Bloxels: Build your own video game $34.99
Capture your arrangement of blocks with the mobile device app and turn it into a video game playable on tablets and computers. Available at bloxelsbuilder.com.

Roller Coaster Challenge $29.99
Follow the challenge cards or create a roller coaster on your own, free form. Watch how the car interacts with dips, curves and loops. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Color Cube Sudoku $19.99
Flip and rearrange the color cubes to form a pattern where all colors appear once in every row and column. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Gizmos & Gadgets Kit $199.95
This app-enabled toolbox transforms passive screen time into a passion for hands-on inventing, problem solving and creativity with 13 bits and 56 accessories. For local retailers, visit littlebits.com.

Glowing Chemistry $39.95
Includes 22 experiments for your kids to conduct their own glowing chemical reactions and become fascinated with the world’s luminous mysteries. Available locally at Classic toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.

Circuit Maze $29.99
Replicate the circuit on 60 challenge cards and get an introductory lesson to electrical engineering by bringing light to each beacon. Available at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Amalgam $32
Move your pawn around the cauldron and collect as many points as you can. With numerous possible moves each turn, this unique card game helps develop strategic thinking. Available at simplyfun.com.

Snippets $25
Take the three-letter “snippet” from the card and make any word you can: proper nouns, slang, abbreviations, or foreign languages. Anything goes, making it anyone’s game. Available at snippetsgame.com.

Imagine $14.99
Take dozens of transparent cards and overlap them to communicate clues that need to be solved – all with no miming or drawing needed. This great guessing game encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Available at gamewright.com.

Metal Earth 3D Metal Model DIY Kits $7+
Transform sheets of intricately detailed metal into an amazing 3D model. Each model increases attention to detail. Bonus: Look into the history of the model for continued learning. Available at Just Imagine Toys, and Barnes & Noble, or visit fascinations.com.

Nanotechnology $124.95
Get a feel for how small the nanometer is and experiment with different properties of surfaces and make mixtures to gain an understanding of nanoscopic particles and their properties. Available at Classic Toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.