Educational gifts are my favorite. My kids have way too many toys and they still love the simple things more than anything else. I was in the middle of sorting the toys that I had to review that are brand new and I caught the kids playing with the boxes they came in. So if you have to get them a gift get them something they can learn from, Books, apps, and games!
We took Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus: Oceans for the LeapPad and took it on our two vacations that we just went on. It’s perfect for my five year old daughter as she’s learning how to read. The LeapPad called out a word and she had to choose from three different words as they floated by. It was a bit harder for my son who’s only four. It is designed for 5-8 so I feel that it will last her a while.
With this Explorer game cartridge, children explore the world of science by diving deep into an ocean teeming with underwater life. Kids will have fun sorting animals and learning more than 100 fun facts about them. They will also learn how animals rely on one another to survive in the ocean, with tons of entertaining activities.
Kids will gain valuable skills in observation, sorting, classifying, logic, and reasoning. The LeapFrog system will set children up for a lifelong appreciation of learning and give them a head start in science.
Here is the list of Games that are new from Scholastic across different platforms.
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS®
There are two new titles from Scholastic’s best-selling science series, The Magic School Bus®. With LeapFrog’s Leapster ExplorerTM and the LeapFrog LeapPadTM sure to be two of the hottest toys this holiday season, these Magic School Bus titles are the latest in a long line of Scholastic content available on the platform.
- THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: OCEANS (August 2012 / Leapster ExplorerTM / $25.00). Designed for children ages 5-8, the game teaches kids hundreds of interesting facts about ocean life through fun trivia challenges and seven highly-replayable games. Players earn special badges by performing well in games or trivia challenges, and can redeem them for additional features.
- THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: DINO SHUFFLE (October 2012 / LeapFrog LeapPadTM / $7.50). Children will be able to shuffle through a Dino Deck that beloved science teacher Ms. Frizzle has made to learn hundreds of interesting dino facts, like size, diet, speed, and more. Then, children will be able to test their dino knowledge in two exciting, fast-paced, and highly replayable games.
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG®
Scholastic is kicking off Clifford’s 50th anniversary this month – and there are BIG ways to celebrate with two new game apps:
- For iPadTM, iPhone® and iPod® Touch, there’s CLIFFORD’S BIG BIRTHDAY APP (September 2012 / $0.99). In the game, Emily Elizabeth invites players to join her in Clifford’s BIG doghouse as she works to create a surprise party for his birthday. The app features three highly interactive and replayable birthday-themed games, including a leveled word game that builds literacy skills using augmented reality. Each game reinforces language skills needed for early readers, including spelling, word families, and sight words.
- For LeapFrog’s LeapPadTM, there’s CLIFFORD’S RHYME RACE (October 2012 / $7.50). In this new app, children are asked to work with Clifford to find rhyming word matches and to discover the lost packages of Birdwell Island by racing through 10 levels of twisty town mazes.
I SPY®
The venerable seek-and-find game leader I SPY® is back with two new compilation game packs – the perfect value for the holiday season!
I SPY® TWO GAME PACK for NINTENDO DSTM (September 2012 / $19.99) includes two of the popular franchise’s award-winning titles – I SPY Fun House and I SPY Universe. Together, the games feature more than 50 riddles and over 200 levels of play for seek-and-find fans of all ages. To escape the topsy-turvy world in I SPY Fun House, players must earn tickets by completing games, riddles, and the ultimate Prize Popper challenge. I SPY Universe takes players on a different kind of puzzle-solving adventure – a trip through the cosmos. Players unlock new planets and explore the universe while searching for over 400 objects in 36 I SPY riddles, and playing six brain-teasing games.
- The I SPY® TWO GAME PACK for NINTENDO WIITM (September 2012 / $19.99) includes over 70 unique riddles and more than 60 interactive mini-games in two popular titles from the I SPY interactive collection. Ultimate I SPY, the first game to feature 3D environments, takes players through an eye-popping wonderland where they search above and below objects to solve riddles, puzzles, and mini-games. I SPY Spooky Mansion offers thrills and chills with a trip through a haunted mansion. Led by Skelly, a clever skeleton, players participate in mini-games, brain teasers, scavenger hunts, and 33 I SPY riddles as they try to find their way out.
SMART GAMES FOR KIDS
For children 5-8, Scholastic Media introduces the SMART GAMES FOR KIDS TWO GAME PACK for NINTENDO DSTM (September 2012 / $19.99) – inclusive of two popular Nintendo DSTM titles – My Amusement ParkTM and Digging for Dinosaurs®. In My Amusement ParkTM, kids build and run their own entertainment venue. Players can choose from four different themes to create rides, food venues, and special attractions in their own personal park. Digging for Dinosaurs® challenges players with a variety of distinctive mini-games that range from simulated paleontological digs to dinosaur battles, all while teaching interesting facts about more than 20 prehistoric species.