Sneak in Summer Learning


By: Amy Carney Bevins

How do you avoid summer learning losswhile still keeping summer relaxing and fun? Try out these great toysand games. Each one slips learning into a fun package, reinforcing orteaching skills in a way that appeals to kids.

Sumoku

5 games-in-one travel-friendly pouch.Whether you play solo, multiplayer or teams, Sumoku draws you in withits finger-friendly tiles and crossword-style format, making mathcreative and fun. Perfect for the beginner or math master, Sumoku islike a spoonful of sugar for math and problem solving.

Ages – 9+ Approximate Cost -$15.99

www.blueorangegames.com

The Puzzle Pod

All of the parts and pieces in oneplace. The Puzzle Pod is perfect for puzzles, crafts, drawingsupplies, scrapbooking, bill paying, stamping, games – reallyanything with lots of separate pieces. Teach kids to keep things fromgetting scattered, spread and lost at home or on the go and makeclean up and finding everything later a breeze.

Approximate Cost – $14.95/4 pack

www.thepuzzlepod.com

Math Gear

Looking to avoid summer learning loss?Math Gear books are portable skill reinforcers with interactive liftand spin pages that let kids practice math facts in an engaging way.Titles include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Ages – 4+ Approximate Cost – $7.99

www.innovativekids.com

Word on the Street/Word on theStreet Jr.

This furiously fast word war challengesthe vocabulary might of two teams as they tangle for turf in Word onthe Street. Grab a category, brainstorm a word, capture a letter andsee who can rule the street in the regular or junior editions.

Ages – 8+ Approximate Cost -$22.99+

www.otb-games.com

My Favorite Travel Kit

An on-the-go gotta have. This compactfolding easel/lap desk features a chalk board, dry erase board, paperholders, storage compartments, crayons, markers and more. Everythingyou need to make anywhere a creation opportunity from the car and thebeach to the porch and the playroom.

Ages – 3+ Approximate Cost -$29.99

www.funandfunction.com

Eeboo Learning Puzzles

Beautifully illustrated high-qualitypuzzles teach on many levels from spatial relations and language tomath and science. Eeboo Learning Puzzles are the perfect earlyteaching and play format for your preschooler.

Ages – 3+ Approximate Cost – $9.95

www.eeboo.com

Sid the Science Kid Kits

Slip in summer science for yourpreschooler. Sid the Science Kid kits introduce children to scienceconcepts and methodology through engaging, age-appropriate, hands-onexperiments about motion, weather and plants.

Ages – 3+ Approximate Cost – $9.99

www.patchproducts.com

Rokenbok

Rok your summer! Engineering, physics,problem solving, counting, cause and effect and more. With Rokenbokbuilding systems, kids can design static and moving creations thatinteract with RC vehicles. Sets interconnect to add new dimensions,opening the doors to play/learn exploration.

Ages – 3+ Approximate Cost -$19.99+

www.rokenbok.com

AmyCarney Bevins (www.amycarneybevins.com) is a freelance writer,Assistant Editor and Toy Expert for FAMILY Magazine, an educator, andfounder/owner of Chantilly Chefs cooking classes for children andadults. She has been featured on WUSA9, NBC, MonkeySee.com, AOL Videoand RobustCooking.com.

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