November Newsletter 2006
The countdown to the end of the year has begun. I saw a chalkboard sign up at a preschool the other day. It said “40 Sleeps to Christmas”!!! As I am not going away until January I still feel like I have some of the year left, but for those of you who are off in early December, the pressure to get everything done before departure is on. This newsletter is full of news of the winners of the Toy of the Year Awards which took place at a gala banquet on 9 November, as well as some more hints and tips for busy parents.
TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
Toy Season has been busy with all Toy Talk workshops being oversubscribed. The last one takes place tomorrow. Thank you to the sponsors of our spotty goodie bags which have gone down a treat with delegates:
- Chart Studio
- Smile Education
- Zoob
- Scoubidou
- Crazy Clay (Bostik)
- Your Child magazine
- Energizer
- Toys R Us
My presentation, Connecting with Children through the Noise & Clutter, takes place on Friday 24 November, and the Nuts & Bolts workshop for parents with pre-schoolers takes place on 4 December. Open the attached invitations for details.
YOUR CHILD MAGAZINE
See the November issue. Dr Graeme Codrington and I co-authored an article on Digital Childhood. This info will form a small part of a very exciting book we are writing on 21st century parenting.
TOY OF THE YEAR AWARDS
230 products were entered this year in 13 categories and judged by 25 judges including representatives from the retail sector, celebrities and professionals (teachers, occupational therapists, child psychologists, speech therapists, paediatricians etc). The retail panel is quite honest about the fact that they vote for what they think is going to sell best, while the professional panel is very clear that it looks for the educational value in toys first and foremost.
l found the final results quite interesting this year. While the brand of the year (voted only by the retail judges) was Bratz (to be expected when there is no expense spared on marketing this product), none of the Bratz products featured in the top three in any award categories! Most interesting was that the winner of the Max Energizer toy award (voted for by parents and children) was for the hand held electronic Sudoku, a sophisticated thinking, problem solving game suitable for all ages right through to adults. This pattern continued throughout the awards with 8 out of 13 category awards going to construction, thinking, problem solving or strategy type toys / games. I, for one, was thrilled to see “real toys” being acknowledged.
For a full list of category winners and runners up visit my website by clicking on Toy Award Winners 2006. To see all toys entered into the Toy Awards go to www.energizer.co.za.
First place in each of the 13 categories went to:
Baby Toy Just Fun Piano (personally, I preferred the Just Baby 3 in 1 Gym)
Toddler Toy Mega Blocks Fill and Dump wagon (this is a 10/10 product for me, based on price, educational value, open-endedness, creativity etc)
Preschool Toy Leap Pad Junior Explorer Globe (stunning but my winner would have been Thomas Post Office Loader or Leap Pad Learning System)
Girls Toy Baby Amore Ninna Nanna (Polly Pocket Dress ‘n Drive Lounge for me – she has click on clothes pre-schoolers can actually manage!)
Boys Toy Mecanno Tuning Racer (One of my favourites although expensive at R700.00. My alternative would be the Zoob Car Designer set.)
Outdoor Toy Lego Outdoor Challenger (super toy, very expensive at R1 499.99 – for R99.00 you can get the fabulous Whizz Ball suitable from age 6 and up, from Smile Education)
Electronic Game Soduko hand held
Traditional Game Monopoly Here and Now (cutting edge combined with tradition, as mentioned in my September newsletter, a noteworthy winner for older children. Look at Hide & Seek and Go Getters for younger children)
Creative Toy Wild Science Assorted Scientific Kits (nice choice, add Scoubidou, Polydough and Moon Sand to your list too)
Cutting Edge Toy Lego Mindstorms (brilliant toy, combines construction with cutting edge technology, but exceptionally expensive at R2 800.00, and inaccessible to the majority of the public)
Construction Toy Lego Tow Truck (on the expensive side at R1 199.99 but very nice, however I would still recommend Zoob, you can do more with it)
Best Generic Toy 3D Dino Adventure C.N.A (I preferred the Woodman Build & Paint Set available from Makro – real tools for real boys at a great price R149.00)
Brand of the Year Bratz (There’s not much I like about Bratz!)
Max Energizer Award Soduko hand held (voted by kids and parents)
Overall Toy of the Year Lego Mindstorms (first place) Mecanno Tuning Street Racer and Monopoly Here & Now (joint second place) Robosapien (third place)
Note: The toy of the year and its runner ups all incorporated technology. Two were construction toys, one was a traditional family board game and the third place went to a robotic type remote control toy. In my September Newsletter 2006 I mentioned that the construction toy and traditional game categories were experiencing a boost, and I was right! I would like to see a specific category introduced for educational toys in 2007.
KIDZONE TOY SHOP
A gem of a toy shop tucked away in the Top Crop Centre on Beyers Naude Drive in Randpark Ridge, Gauteng. Well worth a visit with a well thought out selection of stock. Michelle and Jennifer offer really sound advice regarding age appropriate toys and their educational benefits. Spend R350 or more before 20 December and you will be entered in to a lucky draw for a fully furnished dolls house worth R3 800.00.
Kidzone carries the Brio compatible Eichhorn wooden train sets which are a fraction of the price of Brio. Look out for their Viking range of vehicles which make great stocking fillers for little boys. I recommend the wooden Vunkids range of educational toys (from R58 to approx R150). Check out their range of Tolo toys including my favourite First Friends, and the Alex range which I mentioned in the October Newsletter. They are also stockists of the Think Fun range of brain teasing, problem solving games such as Rush Hour, Tip Over and River Crossing.
Telephone: 011 795-3881
NEXT NEWSLETTER
The next issue of my newsletter will feature my thoughts on some of the questions / issues raised when I was interviewed on Afternoon Live on SAFM last week, including licensed character toys, and whether or not toy stores are doing a good job in educating parents on choosing the right toys for their child.
Keep on playing!
NIKKI BUSH
The Bright Ideas Outfit
083 265 5754
www.brightideasoutfit.com
