Scott’s Toy Box: School is Still in Session
Summer has come upon us, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop learning. This month in the Toy Box, I went looking for games and toys that relate to school subjects. For English, I have a card game of letters. For PE, there’s a toy that will get you moving. Finally, for Math, I have a toy that will get you ready for the workforce. So ring the bell, it’s time to dive into the Toy Box.
Cool Cursive
In this card game your goal is to be the player who gathers the most sets of letters. There are two types of sets: complete letter sets and vowel sets. A complete letter set contains four cards of the same letter that is either uppercase or lowercase and script or block. Vowel sets include four of any of the vowel cards. In the set up of the game, you have 7 private cards in your hands, 7 community cards in front of you and a card bank. On your turn, you pull a card from the card bank and then make as many sets as you can, using your private cards and all the cards in everyone’s community cards. The game ends when there are no cards left to play. One really good thing about this game is that the cursive cards also have arrows to show you how to write the cursive letters. You can find Cool Cursive on Amazon for $15.
A•Champs ROXs 2s
This electronic toy is great for getting you up and moving. It’s a plastic block with a top that illuminates and makes a sound when you hit it. It comes with a wireless charger, a strap set, some plastic chips called Pebbs and an app for your phone. The app connects to the ROXs 2s and can be set up to play several different games. Each of these games are detailed in the app. The Pebbs are used in the games, each with an animal on it. The ROXs 2s recognizes each animal and makes its sound. The strap set is used to mount the ROXs 2s. You can mount it on a tree, a chair, or even wear it yourself (for a game of tag). You can buy a ROXs 2s for $80 at playroxs.com/roxss.
Real-Working Cash Register
This toy from Lakeshore is perfect for any kind of pretend store. It has large buttons and a solar powered display that allows you to add, subtract, multiply and divide. It comes with play money and a “credit card” that can be swiped on the register. The register even pops open. You can find it at lakeshorelearning.com for $37.
