It’s tempting to get your kid every shiny new toy they ask for. But some toys are better than others when it comes to actually stimulating your child’s brain while also keeping them entertained. The parents on the Engadget staff know this well, and we’ve tried out a bunch of educational toys with our kids, with various results. These are some of the ones that have had staying power with our children — and even we adults have to admit we found them pretty fun, too.Magna-TilesEngadgetThere are tons of building toys out there, from LEGO, to Tegu, to the classic wooden block. But one of my favorites (and my kid’s) are Magna-Tiles. These large, colorful construction toys come in a variety of sizes and shapes and click together, or to other surfaces, with the aid of powerful magnets. They can be combined to form simple shapes like cubes and pyramids, or arranged to make magnetic art on a garage door. Plus there are themed packs that can add windows, staircases or even functional cranes to the playsets.These are open-ended building toys that don’t have set instructions for making a particular scene or item. They’re safe for a three-year-old, and fun for much older kids, too. Honestly, as a nearly 40-year-old man, even I have a blast finding new and interesting ways to create ever more elaborate structures with my son. We’ve built castles, spaceships, racecars and even a ferry terminal complete with a moveable boarding ramp.At $120 for a 100 piece set, Magna-Tiles certainly... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2022-07-20 13:30:09 UTC ]
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In Cynthia L. Copeland’s graphic memoir “Cub,” an awkward seventh grader finds deliverance as a reporter for her local newspaper. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-02-28 21:03:07 UTC ]
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Kids go head to head in a competition inspired by the Texas Lone Star Reading List. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-28 13:00:55 UTC ]
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A report from this year’s New York Toy Fair, and why one retailer finds this show so valuable. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-24 13:00:00 UTC ]
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The coronavirus is one of the main topics of conversation at the 117th edition of Toy Fair New York, which began on Saturday and runs through Tuesday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Savannah College of Art and Design’s sequential-art program keeps doing what it’s been doing for more than a quarter century: teaching its students how to break into the graphic novel and comics market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How a career in libraries is paying dividends for PW columnist Sari Feldman in her new role—grandmother. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Meet Miniware, the eco-friendly (and sharply designed) alternative to plastic cups and dishes. My mother’s set of Corelle dishes has lasted her more than 22 years. We have a china set that’s been passed down generation by generation in my family. So why do we treat kids’ dinnerware like a... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-02-17 07:00:30 UTC ]
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From about 1890 to 1940, a half century of ultra-cheap editions of Jane Austen’s novels aimed explicitly at educating the working poor. Because these ill-printed and shabby versions of her stories never made it into the scholarly libraries that safeguard “important” editions, the hardscrabble... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-04 09:49:29 UTC ]
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Diane Ravitch offers disturbing and inspiring tales from the battle over public schools. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-01-31 04:41:30 UTC ]
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Jerry Craft’s story exploring ‘friendship, race, class and bullying in a fresh manner’ is the first graphic novel to win the long-running American children’s awardFor the first time, a graphic novel has won the Newbery Medal, the oldest and most prestigious children’s book award in the US. The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-01-28 16:03:46 UTC ]
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The best-selling author and public interest lawyer comes from a family in which words mattered. A lot. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-01-23 10:00:04 UTC ]
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The unfinished illustrations in the book are themselves an act of optimism, encouraging children to imagine a world without lines others create for them. “Children teach us,” writes Ai-Jen Poo, cofounder of Families Belong Together, a coalition of close to 250 organizations working to end family... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-12-17 12:30:49 UTC ]
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A debut YA novel looks to help readers curb online abuse and sexism, better understand the effects of cyberbullying, and reflect on their own behavior—both online and off. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarians share their takeaways from the American Association of School Librarians National Conference, which wrapped up November 16 in Louisville, Ky. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Sora, OverDrive Education’s K–12 student reading app, is marking its first birthday with some impressive stats, as well as ed tech honors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Picture book biographies of Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Johnson, Jimmy Carter and more introduce people who just kept going, until they changed the world. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-12-05 15:19:04 UTC ]
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Author Alistair Humphreys and illustrator Kevin Ward have won the 2019 Educational Writers’ Award for Great Adventurers (Big Picture Press). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-05 10:42:56 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Education's board has approved the hiring of a financial advisor to help the company review its strategic options as it continues look for ways to keep pace with a rapidly changing market for college materials. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The country's largest educational publishers have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop pirate sites from illegally selling their e-books and have won a temporary restraining order. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Educational Writers' Award 2019 shortlist has been revealed, with titles from David Hockney, Martin Gayford and Alastair Humphreys in the running. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-17 19:17:20 UTC ]
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