Items tagged “Education & Development”

Where should you manufacture? And how does a factory’s location affect doing business? When it comes to manufacturing a product, it’s a safe bet that finding and choosing a supplier that meets your needs will be one of your greatest challenges. When importers are selecting among an endless list of possibilities, factory location can often take a back seat to factors like price, product quality and shipping deadline. But what if we told you that factory location can, and almost always does, greatly impact all of those factors and more?

K’NEX Brands, the US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love®, is excited to introduce Mighty Makers; a line of construction toys designed to empower girls through creative and stimulating building ideas! Created by an all-female marketing and design team, the Mighty Makers building set line encourages girls ages 7+ to build BIG ideas. Each Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (“STEM”) based set features colorful rods, connectors, panels, engaging story-based instructions that follow the life of the included female figure.

Shoppers looking to help develop kids’ creativity will relish ecologically sound, techy coloring books from Painting Lulu. The system bridges the gap between traditional coloring books — always a kid fave — and contemporary technology. The technology is simple: kids color in the book and then, with a little adult assistance, scan the QR code on the page using a free app on a smart device — it doesn’t even require a download. Presto, the coloring page appears on the device and kids can continue coloring where they left off using the special Painting Lulu Digital Crayon that has a host of unique coloring tools and features.

eeBoo is a woman owned, innovative toy company from NYC celebrating its 20th anniversary of making uniquely beautiful toys and intelligent gifts for children. Twenty years ago eeBoo’s founder Mia Galison was unwilling to choose between work and family; integrating the two, she forged an original path for herself, her husband and three children. Mia and her husband put in long hours and depended on the help of neighbors, friends, families, and babysitters, and they never separated their life from work. They wanted to encourage creative thinking, open-ended play, and meaningful communication in the products developed.

With more and more families becoming ecologically aware and moving toward sustainable living, wooden toys are experiencing a renaissance. Karl Oppen, founder of Tree Blocks, is a business owner who has put responsible forestry practices to work in his company. After overseeing factories in Europe and Vietnam, and becoming familiar with the high demands those locations place on the forestry industry, Oppen opened his first U.S. factory in Wisconsin. The off-the-grid operation uses sustainable forestry, reclaimed wood, and off-cut wood to create a fun and unique line of toys.

What’s better than a jigsaw puzzle with the design on one side? When the other side reveals a second part of the fun. That’s the idea behind Flipzles, award-winning puzzles made of thick, durable wood with vibrant images on all three layers, each a unique piece of art created by Vicki Lewis. Flipzles help kids discover spatial relationships and build hand-eye coordination, yet are compact, easy to store and a snap to take anywhere.

Maple Landmark has been making eco-friendly, educational wooden toys, games and gifts since 1979 in Middlebury, Vermont. Many people know them for their NameTrains, but they craft a wide array of children’s products including heirloom wooden baby toys, toddler toys, board games and gifts. The Giggle Guide® recently caught up with Maple Landmark for a look behind the scenes of this topnotch brand:

English has become a global language that’s the lingua franca of business, science, and education, so when an author who has previously written in their native language has a book published in English, he or she can feel as though it’s one of their breaks into the big leagues. German author Frank Schmeißer’s children’s book, The Incredible Three and a Half Super Heroes, was recently made available in English through Little Gestalten. The book is a humorous look at the life of three young superheroes — and one imaginary friend — who set out to solve mysteries and save the world, but often end up getting into trouble of their own making.

In 1986, a Wisconsin-based company called Patch Products, Inc. began producing puzzles for preschool age children. Inspired by the growing trend toward boisterous board games made just for kids, they jumped on the band wagon and brought some of their own great game ideas to life. Their leap of faith paid off, and over the years the company grew to include a huge variety of board games and puzzles for kids, including Buzzword, 5 Second Rule, and 100 Wacky Things. Eventually, Patch Products branched out away from just puzzles and games to offer an even bigger line of products, including licensed products featuring popular children’s characters.

All Baby & Child Spring Educational Conference - Las Vegas, Nevada (4/29/15 - 5/1/15)

The All Baby and Child Conference and Trade Show is an opportunity for those in the children’s product industry to not only display their wares, but also to participate in seminars that are designed to expand their knowledge of the industry and keep up to date on the latest trends. The show took place April 29-May 7 at the Rio All-suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nikiani, Mixed Pears, Oribel and MüV Baby were all present at this exciting event. It was a wonderful opportunity for all involved to gain exposure, learn new ways to make their businesses more profitable, and make valuable professional connections.

There’s a reason role playing is part of developmental questionnaires once kids exit toddler parallel play and start getting into true socializing. It’s a true indicator of the child’s ability to understand and mimic the adult world around them. And it doesn’t hurt that the pretend play can turn into real helping down the line. Casdon has a reputation for innovation and has been renowned for toy innovation for over 65 years. Casdon relies on reputable domestic brand licenses like Dyson to create truly life-like experiences for children of all ages.

Funnybone Toys® is proud to announce receiving several National awards including The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval, The Tillywig Toy Award, and the Academics’ Choice Award. “I am thrilled that our games won these prestigious awards. When I speak with store buyers and parents, awards are considered one of the most important factors in deciding what to buy,” shares Julien Sharp, President of Funnybone Toys.

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