Learning Expressions

Blog: Putting the Zing in ZING TOYS | Vendor Spotlight

Zyclones, and Z-Curves, and Zartz, oh my!

AmaZed by my Zealous use of Z-words? These are some of the bestselling products from one of our favorite vendors here at Learning Express—Zing Toys. With the school year finally coming to an end, and kids gearing up to spend more time in the great outdoors, this week’s blog will go behind the scenes at an innovative company, which puts a new and unique spin on outdoor (and often airborne) fun. Check it out!

Company History

Zing Toys (based in Portland, Oregon) was officially incorporated in 2006. The company is dedicated to creating new and innovative products, which will inspire kids to get off the couch, turn off the television, and get outside to play. You can see how perfectly this fits in with the Learning Express philosophy. How do we get kids to lead healthy, active lifestyles? We make it more fun than the alternative.

The genius of the Zing products is that they completely satisfy the boyhood desire to shoot stuff, but the engineering and design make them safe both indoors and out. Kids won’t get hurt and windows won’t get broken. I don’t think it can get much better than that.

While Zing toys are primarily sold by specialty retailers in the USA (like Learning Express), the market is constantly expanding and evolving. They’ve had a whole bunch of great publicity in major media outlets. The Zyclone was featured on The Letterman Show, the Z-Curve Bow was on Live with Regis and Kelly, and the Zing Shot was written up in the Wall Street Journal.

Zing toys really speak for themselves, so check out these Rapid Reviews of our favorites!

Our Favorite Zing Toys

Zartz
This is one of the staples of the Zing Toys line—a suction-cup arrow made of SOFTECH tough foam that sticks to any surface for 15-30 seconds before releasing. You can literally play with these anywhere. The Zartz Funpack comes with one Zartz arrow and two target shields to take the game of tag to a whole new level.

 

 

Zyclone
This toy is a feat of physics and aerodynamic engineering. Zing uses something called “Z-Spin technology” to launch a soft foam Zing-Ring from the hand-held canon. The ring then glides through the air. You really have to see it in action to get the full effect, but this is great for playing catch in the park.

 

 

Z-Curve Bow
I’m a big fan of this one in particular. For someone who is hand-eye-coordination challenged, the design of this bow makes it very straightforward to launch the arrows. Then the challenge is all about actually hitting your target (and not about how many times you can poke yourself in the eye in the process). The Z-Curve Bow can send missiles soaring over 100 feet, and I’ve seen it done. The two foam ones have great bounce-back action and won’t damage any walls if you’re playing indoors. The set also comes with one suction-tipped Zartz arrow (mentioned above). Way fun! Even Regis and Kelly think so (see below).

 

My conclusion? Zing Toys produces high quality products that get kids moving. I simply can’t think of a better way to start the summer.

Thanks for reading!

Toy Review: Hot Dots® Jr. and “Ace” the Talking, Teaching Dog by Educational Insights

This week on the blog we’re putting the spotlight on the Hot Dots Jr. product line from Educational Insights. And better yet, we’re giving away a set for FREE! (See below for details.) Hot Dots Jr. harnesses the power of easy-to-use technology to engage kids in independent learning. Keep reading to find out how it shakes out in my 3F’s of toy quality—form, function and fun!

Form

Hot Dots Jr. has two essential components—“Ace,” the talking, teaching dog, and the individual activity card sets. Ace is a chunky, 6" long electronic pen (3 AAA batteries required, not included), which is designed for little hands. He doubles as part learning companion and part magic wand, as I’ll explain in the “function” section. The Hot Dots Jr. activity cards come in sets of 36. They are double-sided with bright illustrations, which provide 72 early learning activities suitable for preschoolers, and come in a cute little box with a convenient handle for carrying. The different card set themes are The Alphabet, Patterns & Sequencing, Beginning Phonics, Colors, Shapes, and Numbers.

 

As with all of Educational Insights’ specialty products, Hot Dots Jr. is made with high quality materials and sturdy construction. This toy, including the heavy-stock cards, is designed to hold up to wear and tear. Ace and the card sets are packaged individually so more than one child can play at once.

Here are some early sketches by Riley Wilkinson, the Creative Director at Educational Insights, showing how Ace was developed!

 

 

 

Function

The magic behind Hot Dots Jr. is that when Ace is pressed to an answer dot on the card, he gives immediate feedback. Ace laughs, lights up, buzzes with excitement, and either cheers for a correct answer or gently redirects an incorrect answer. It’s interactive, self-paced, and allows for independent discovery. The activities reinforce essential early learning topics and are great for helping kids get ready for school or catch up where they need support. Here are some examples of the activity cards: 

You can also watch Ace in action in this video!

 

Fun

Hot Dots Jr. is completely addictive, and that’s because it’s just plain old fun. I think we often associate electronic technology with screen time, but this is a perfect example of how technology can be applied in a way that is both engaging and active. It’s the perfect balance between learning and play, which “aces” (see what I did there?) the Learning Express challenge.

Thanks for reading, and don’t miss the chance to win a free Hot Dots Jr. giveaway below!

 

Thanks to Educational Insights, we have a FREE “Ace” (the talking, teaching dog pen) and Hot Dots Jr. card set to give away this week! Leave a comment on this post with your first name, your email address (so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner), and the name of your favorite school subject. Entries will be accepted now through Wednesday, June 1. A random winner will be selected and announced Thursday, June 2. Thanks for playing along!

Toy Review: Blurt!® Game by Educational Insights

Rapid word recall! This week we’re testing out a great family game called Blurt!, which challenges your vocabulary and cognitive reflexes. And better yet, we’re giving one away for FREE! (See below for details.) Keep reading to find out how Blurt! was invented, and how it shakes out in my 3F’s of toy quality—form, function and fun!

Form

The game of Blurt! was spontaneously invented by a man named Tim Walsh. One day, Tim needed to entertain a group of restless students. He opened up a dictionary and started calling out definitions. The kids enthusiastically “blurted” out their guesses for the matching word, and a new game was born.

Blurt! comes in a classic, sturdy box and includes a colorful jumbo game board, 6 game pieces, die, 300 playing cards, and instructions. The playing cards are kept in a box, which is labeled “Draw” and “Discard.” I found this very helpful (having gotten my Trivial Pursuit cards completely mixed up on more than one occasion).

There are three definitions (“clues”) and their corresponding words on each side of the playing card. The side with the stars has an easier set of words, so you can decide how much of a challenge you’re up for. All of these game pieces are made from high quality materials and will stand the test of time.

Function

Blurt! game play is very straightforward. Here are the basic rules:

1. One player begins as the Reader. The Reader rolls the die and reads the corresponding clue on the card.

2. All the other players blurt out word guesses.

3. The first player to blurt the correct word moves ahead on the game board.

4. The card box is passed clockwise to the next player (the Reader for the next round).

5. First player to return to start, wins!

Pretty simple, huh? I love games that are easy to understand so you can start playing right away. The beauty of Blurt! is that it’s pretty flexible as well. You can play individually, or as teams, and there are “Bonus,” “Advanced,” and “Junior” play options described in the instructions.

The play is pretty fast-paced and entertaining, so even little ones will like being involved. Those of you who have played Balderdash will recognize that Blurt! focuses on a similar word/definition concept, but makes it infinitely more kid-friendly. This is a fantastic way to build cognitive recall reflexes and develop vocabulary.

Fun

Blurt! will have you laughing in no time. It’s amazing how quickly your tongue gets tied as you try to spit out the right word. Within the first couple minutes of playing it, we had a pretty funny moment. A player was trying to answer the “kitchen in a ship or plane” clue and ended up very enthusiastically shouting “poopdeck!” instead of “galley.” Priceless. Watch this video to see Blurt! in action.

 

Thanks for reading, and don’t miss your chance to win the free Blurt! giveaway below!

 

 

 

  Thanks to Educational Insights, we have a FREE Blurt! game to give away this week! Leave a comment on this post with your first name, your email address (so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner), and the name of your favorite childhood game. Entries will be accepted now through Wednesday, May 25. A random winner will be selected and announced Thursday, May 26. Thanks for playing along!

Toy Review: Playfoam® by Educational Insights

Squish, squash, and sculpt! This week we’re pulling apart a unique “creativity substance” called Playfoam. And better yet, we’re giving one Playfoam 8-Pack away for FREE! (See below for details.) Playfoam was created by Educational Insights, the sponsor of the first-ever Teachers Tournament on Jeopardy!® which aired earlier this month. Keep reading to see how it shakes out in my 3F’s of toy quality—form, function and fun!

Form

Playfoam is an interactive modeling compound made from a top secret recipe. Under close examination it looks like a whole bunch of little pellets, which are magically held together by something that sticks to itself but not to you. (I was almost reminded of Dippin’ Dots ice cream, especially since each pack comes with different colored scoops of the Playfoam.) It’s surprisingly light in terms of weight, but can be tightly compacted in terms of volume.

The whole line of Playfoam was recently repackaged and the result is very attractive and inviting. I for one couldn’t wait to open it up and start playing, especially when I realized there was a sparkle pack!

Here are some sketches by the Riley Wilkinson, the Creative Director at Educational Insights, showing the development of the repackaging.

 

 

Function

In my day, the go-to modeling compound was Play-Doh, but oh my, how the times have changed! There has been a HUGE amount of innovation and expansion in this particular market. Playfoam is part of this new generation of creativity substances, and when it comes to its functionality there are two major perks:

1. Playfoam has zero mess. You can play with this stuff on carpet and it won’t leave anything behind. You can feel the stickyness that keeps it all together while you’re playing with, but it doesn’t leave any trace on your hands when you put it down.

2. It’s infinitely reusable. Playfoam will never dry out. Ever.

Now that’s what I call mom-friendly magic! This is perfect for preschoolers who are developing their creativity and fine motor skills. It’s malleable and easy to shape, but there’s nothing delicate about it. It’s robust and substantive, so kids can really roll up their sleeves and go to town.

Fun

Playfoam taps into both the creativity and construction play patterns. It’s completely open-ended, which means the possibilities for fun are limitless. Check out this video to see it in action!

  

Thanks for reading, and don’t miss your chance to win the free Playfoam giveaway below!

 

  Thanks to Educational Insights, we have a FREE Playfoam 8-Pack to give away this week! Leave a comment on this post with your first name, your email address (so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner), and the name of your favorite artist. Entries will be accepted now through Wednesday, May 18. A random winner will be selected and announced Thursday, May 19. Thanks for playing along!

Toy Review: Design & Drill® by Educational Insights

Radical rotation! This week we’re diving into the details with the Design & Drill line of toys. And better yet, we’re giving one Design & Drill Take-Along Tool Kit away for FREE! (See below for details.) Design & Drill was created by Educational Insights, the sponsor of this week’s first-ever Teachers Tournament on Jeopardy!® (watch the show on weeknights from now until May 13). Keep reading to see how the Design & Drill products shake out in my 3F’s of toy quality—form, function and fun!

Form

There are currently three different tool sets in the Design & Drill line, which vary in size and number of parts. We’ll be focusing on the Take-Along Tool Kit and the Power Tool Workshop, which are most commonly carried at Learning Express toy stores. Both of these kits come in fabulous cases. They’re sturdy, travel-friendly, and store all of the individual pieces. A convenient handle makes it even more fun to carry around.

At the heart of the Design & Drill action is the activity board—a white platform with a grid of holes. This acts as the blank canvas for our budding engineers. Each set also comes with chunky, colorful bolts (most are “classic” style, but some kits also have the “zany fun” style), which fit into the holes on the board. Add a real working power tool and interchangeable drill bits into the mix and you’ve got yourself a drilling dervish!

Each power tool requires three AA batteries and (rather ironically) a screwdriver to open the battery compartment. Parents will have to help with that part, but then the kids can take over, drilling the bolts into the activity board to follow the patterns in the Activity Book or creating their own designs.

Here are some sketches by the Riley Wilkinson, the Creative Director at Educational Insights, showing the development of the concept!

 

 

Function

Design & Drill is best suited to preschoolers, starting at age 3. I can attest to the fact that the drilling action is very real, including the great sound the power tool makes. And there is NO doubt about when the bolt is locked into place, thanks to the delightful “cha-chunk” you hear when it can’t go in any farther. I found that even if I held the power tool at a slightly skewed angle the bolt still went it just fine, and the tools all have forward and reverse settings so removing the bolts was also very straightforward.

This is a great way for kids to practice counting, and sorting colors and shapes. Fine motor skills will also get a workout. Open-ended play with the Design & Drill is great, and there’s also the option of following the patterns in the Activity Book. The book suggests that some kids might find it helpful to say the pictured pattern aloud as they work. (“Green, green, orange. Yellow, green, green,” etc.)

I think that when kids have completed a Design & Drill design there will probably be an excited “Hey Mom, look what I did!” moment. I admit that I was quite pleased with myself after completing a flower design, and was quite disappointed that no one was home to show off to.

Overall, this is an incredibly well made line of toys with no flaws in functionality. Watch the video to see it in action!

 

Fun

This is one of those unique toys that feels “real.” You can’t get much more fun than that. Just think about the popularity of products like the Easy Bake Oven. Why did everyone have one? Because it really worked! And the same goes for the Design & Drill. You really are drilling. And better yet, it combines the mechanical with the creative. Experimenting with all the different patterns, shapes, and colors is a great outlet for the future architects and engineers of the world.

I think this is a product that most people will think of for a boy, especially one who likes to be a good helper with home improvement projects, but I think you’ll find that the sisters won’t sit by and watch. The more the merrier I say!

Thanks for reading, and don’t miss your chance to win the free Design & Drill Take-Along Tool Kit giveaway below!

 

Thanks to Educational Insights, we have a FREE Design & Drill Take-Along Tool Kit to give away this week! Leave a comment on this post with your first name, your email address (so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner), and the job you wanted as a kid. Entries will be accepted now through Wednesday, May 11. A random winner will be selected and announced Thursday, May 12. Thanks for playing along!
Giveaway not available in stores. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO WIN. A $29.99 value.