Ask The Toy Man™

I wanted to get the word out to our bloggers that one of the very best products in regard to teaching children Spanish has recently gained induction into The Toy Man™ Product Guide. I am not one to focus on any one single product when it comes to recommending products but Kids Love Spanish™ brings children learning Spanish into and entirely new realm of learning, (or should I say more realistic realm of learning).

In my own personal evaluation of the 7 DVD set they have, it was most interesting to see how the learning process is not like most where it is a more sterile, memory intensive method of learning. Kids Love Spanish™ takes real life use of the Spanish language beginning with words and phrases. Kids can SEE, not just hear what they are learning, thus the brain is more cohesive to retention of what they learn. When a child sees a similar scenario in their own life as they may have seen in the DVD example, their brains automatically are stimulated to call upon what they have learned and put it into actual use.

The learning method with Kids Love Spanish™ proved itself more than enough in our actual hands-on random consumer evaluation as well as application in a class room. Children not only are eager to learn but at the same time gain a stronger sense of self worth and accomplishment.

For further information on Kids Love Spanish™, you can get it at: http://www.kidslovespanish.com.
If you haver used this product yourself or may have just seen it and have any comments in regard to it, I invite you to share your thoughts in a reply to this blog entry.

Vancouver, BC – (May 23, 2008) - Griddly Games, Inc. today announced the 2008 launch of its Kids Playing for Kids, an international children’s charity program of game play tournaments held throughout Canada and the United States.

Starting locally for the game company’s 2008 charitable program, Griddly Games has arranged for the Vancouver Talmud Torah to play host for the Kids Playing for Kids kick-off event on June 1st during the school’s annual Spring Fair. The funds raised at this Kids Playing for Kids tournament will go to Canuck Place, a children’s hospice that provides specialized pediatric care for children living with life-threatening illnesses.

Currently, Griddly Games is taking applications from organizations, sites or events anywhere in the U.S. and Canada that would be willing to play host to a Kids Playing for Kids tournament.

Reisa Schwartzman, president of Griddly Games and founder of the company’s Kids Playing for Kids program, said, “It is very exciting. The program is getting bigger and better all of the time. We are seeking to expand to more tournament sites so that kids will be helping local kids’ charities in many different areas throughout Canada and the U.S. If there is a willing host in an area somewhere in the U.S. or Canada, Griddly Games is willing to talk to them about becoming a host for the Kids Playing for Kids program.”

Kids Playing for Kids program is based on children and adults, ages 7 and up, who pledge to play Griddly Games and other non-electronic, socially interactive and mentally stimulating games, for a specified amount of time at an organized event center. Each participant is encouraged to collect pledges based on their participation of playing the games with all proceeds to go to a local children’s cause.

“The premise of Kids Playing for Kids is a learning experience for children to give back to their community, and they will know that their time, whether it is scheduled to be spent playing a game and volunteering their time, can be a way to help other children,” Schwartzman explained.

In addition to running its Kids Playing for Kids tournament for the Vancouver Spring Fair, Griddly Games is also an official sponsor of Canuck Place. “The lesson of charity is something we all want to teach our children. At our initial tournament this year, the children will learn about the blessings of Canuck Place, while they are playing the games.”

If anyone is interested in participating in the Vancouver Kids Playing for Kids tournament to help raise funds for Canuck Place, please contact Griddly Games at 604-249-5020.

Bisphenol-A is a common concern now on a global scale. The issue of Bisphenol-A is a matter which needs constant attention and our staff is on the crest of the wave as new information develops on this topic.

We recently discovered a very informative article by Greenmom which we wanted to bring to your attention. It is shown below. Greenmom is a very excellent news source from Canada which mothers can depend upon who are looking for products that are “going green“.

CHEMICAL-FREE KIDS’ SLEEPWEAR by Greenmom
As parents, we constantly hear about the importance of dressing our babies and young kids in flame-retardant or flame-resistant sleepers and pajamas to keep them safe…but what exactly do they mean by this? Does this mean dressing our babes in pj’s that contain flame retardants and chemicals? Yes, some kids’ sleepwear do contain chemicals and fire retardants in them. But there are also safer choices — garments which are free of such additives.

Certain synthetic fabrics are indeed treated with fire retardant when used in sleepwear: acetate, nylon, and triacetate. While the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that the chemical off-gassing from these fabrics are reltively harmless, the fact that petrochemicals were injected into something that my child will be sleeping in for about 12 hours a day makes me want to stay away from such garments. Additionally, the non-breathable polyesters cause many children to sweat buckets while sleeping, which later leads to rashes. So what are the choices in terms of safer kids’ sleepwear?

• Snug-fitting organic cotton sleepwear - I list this as my first choice because organic cotton contains no chemicals, and if we choose snug-fitting garments with “Wear snug-fitting. Not flame resistant.” on its label for our kids, we know that they are in pjs or long johns that are not loosely hanging on them (thus increasing the risk of their clothing catching fire) and will never off-gas. Then there is the added bonus of organic cotton saving the environment from fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals that harm our ecosystems and water.

• Snug-fitting untreated and unbleached cotton sleepwear - If organic cotton isn’t viable, this counterpart is a good alternative. As long as it’s snug-fitting. The process of dyeing fabric creates a lot of waste, and uses chemicals in the process too. And of course, it must be labelled with the “Wear snug-fitting. Not flame resistant.” tag.

•Snug-fitting cotton sleepwear - if the choice was only between a polyester fire-retardant pj and a regular cotton one, then I think the cotton pj would be the better alternative.

What it comes down to is our choice of what is safe as far as our kids’ sleepwear is concerned. Some parents believe that fire-retardant snug-fit garments offer the best protection, while some like myself, believe that chemical-free sleepwear that fit snugly are the way to go.

For more information, we recommend these resources:
Healthy Children Project
Toxics Information Project

Dobbs Ferry, NY - (May 12, 2008) – Summertime is the best time to be Good To Go. Yamodo! Good To Go!™ is the new take-along item for good times anywhere, at any time.

Bill Phelps, Chief Imaginator of Idea Storm Products and marketer of Yamodo!, said, “Yamodo! Good To Go! arrives just in time to make the family road trip a little more enjoyable and peaceful.”

Like its parent product Yamodo! Volume 1, Yamodo! Good To Go!, has participants thinking, drawing, and writing out their own interpretations of inspired, made-up Yamodo! words. From kids to adults, Yamodo! helps pass the time away while inspiring creativity and collaboration in a win-win context.

“As Yamodo! gains more and more awareness, we are finding that Yamodo players are really anyone, anywhere,” Phelps said. “We’ve created Good To Go! to be available at all types of retail outlets, from travel stores and convenience stores to newsstands and variety stores. Yamodo! Good To Go! is ideal for families taking long car trips, while waiting for a flight, or any situation for a un and inspiring creative distraction.”

Yamodo! Good To Go! (MSRP $9.95) and Yamodo! Volume 1 (MSRP $14.95) are designed for any number of players ages 8 and up. “The imaginative premise eliminates age and creativity barriers, giving everyone the chance to create together,” Phelps explained. To play Yamodo, each person selects a card and then uses their imagination to draw and define the made-up word written at the top of each card. To help spark the creative process and take the intimidation out of drawing, each card has the start of an existing doodle for players to add too. The card is then passed to the next player to add to the drawing and definitiion. The cards become increasingly outrageous as players pass the card around for others to build on. As a result, Yamodo’s creative collaborations have people uploading their creations on yamodo.com for all to see. “We call it upload your best and see the rest,” Phelps said. Right now, there are over 1000 uploaded “yamodos” on the company website at

Phelps and fellow artist, Steve Wright, created Yamodo after deciding that their constant napkin doodling was a great way to spark unique ideas and great conversation. For more information about Yamodo, visit www.yamodo.com.

Upper Deck was rock’n the house with their presentation of the exciting new products which will be introduced during 2008. A brief glimpse of these new products are World of Warcraft TCG and Call of Duty TCG. These products will bring an entirely new dimension to the video version of these games as both an extension and stand-alone option to be sold at retailers.

I invite attendees from GTS ‘08 and our readers to speak your minds on this topic here. How do you see this will impact retailers and what are your feelings with these new products?

Dear Toy Man, I don’t want to seem dumb, but may I ask why it is so important that I get my products independent lab tested? - Debbie

Although the evidence that is currently available reflects a serious potential concern for BPA causing a disruption of genetic systems in animals and human beings, it continues to be used in everything from baby bottles to toys. Could bisphenol A (BPA) become the catalyst to the next major product recall?