"With new leadership of our New York City public schools, my office is eager to hear what parents, guardians, students, principals and teachers think should be the top priorities over the next three years for the Department of Education. To get the conversation started, my office has launched a virtual town hall, "Your School, Your Voice."
After clicking the link below, you will be asked to answer four questions and share some basic demographic information. You will have an opportunity to provide additional feedback prior to submitting your responses. All information will be kept anonymous.
Click here to participate in this virtual town hall: “Your School, Your Voice.”
December 17, 2010
Scott Stringer's education survey
Many of my readers are parents, and many of them reside in New York City. If you are in that demographic and have a child in NYC public schools, I urge you to take a quick minute to respond to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's online survey. He wrote:
November 27, 2010
If you thought Black Friday was good....
Cyber Monday: take 20% off these 20 toys. November 29, 2010 only.
November 23, 2010
November 18, 2010
Pearl of Wisdom #44
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."
-Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel
laureate (1861-1941)
-Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel
laureate (1861-1941)
October 30, 2010
Learning to learn
My grandmother seemed to know instinctively, although she wasn't formally educated, that attending classical music concerts when she was carrying my father in utero, was a worthwhile endeavor. It must have been beneficial to his brain development, because although he was the firstborn (which we all know gives a child an edge) he also went on to be the first person in his family to attend college, and the first to earn a PhD.
Tom Limbert wrote an article about what parents can do to prepare their child for the earliest days of school. Beyond color, number and letter recognition, he talks about social skills, knowing how to listen, take turns, be resilient. I hope our government officials read Mr. Limbert's article. I hope that parents read Mr. Limbert's article. Society will soon need to recognize the importance of the very earliest years and the impact that parenting has on the most critical time of a child's development. Moms & Dads, if you're waiting for school to do the teaching, you will have let tens of thousands of hours of teaching moments slip by. We each need to make sure that our homes are loving, nurturing environments, enriched with materials that foster the natural learning that takes place when parents interact with their children.
There are some wonderful Discovery Toys games that can aid in this effort. You'll want to consider games and activities that help your child think and learn how to learn, not just memorize facts. Play games that teach your child to take turns, be patient, follow instructions. Busy Pets and Short Vowel Fun are simple 3-year old beginning games. Zingo and AB Seas are good for 4-year olds. Friendship Island and Flip Flop Faces Emotions in Motion (now in French, too!) are both good for associating feelings with the words that describe them.
Tom Limbert wrote an article about what parents can do to prepare their child for the earliest days of school. Beyond color, number and letter recognition, he talks about social skills, knowing how to listen, take turns, be resilient. I hope our government officials read Mr. Limbert's article. I hope that parents read Mr. Limbert's article. Society will soon need to recognize the importance of the very earliest years and the impact that parenting has on the most critical time of a child's development. Moms & Dads, if you're waiting for school to do the teaching, you will have let tens of thousands of hours of teaching moments slip by. We each need to make sure that our homes are loving, nurturing environments, enriched with materials that foster the natural learning that takes place when parents interact with their children.
There are some wonderful Discovery Toys games that can aid in this effort. You'll want to consider games and activities that help your child think and learn how to learn, not just memorize facts. Play games that teach your child to take turns, be patient, follow instructions. Busy Pets and Short Vowel Fun are simple 3-year old beginning games. Zingo and AB Seas are good for 4-year olds. Friendship Island and Flip Flop Faces Emotions in Motion (now in French, too!) are both good for associating feelings with the words that describe them.
October 25, 2010
Discovery Toys announces Holiday shipping cut-off dates
HOLIDAY ORDERING GUIDELINES
This information is to assist your holiday planning.
Hanukkah Ordering Guidelines
(Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 1)
Orders Shipping Ground must be received in-house by Wednesday, November 17
Christmas Ordering Guidelines
(Christmas is Saturday, December 25)
Orders Shipping Ground must be received in-house by Monday, December 13
- Ground orders placed December 13 shipping to AB, BC, MB, ON, PQ and SK are targeted to arrive on Thursday, December 23.
- Allow additional delivery days for AK, HI, Territories, APO/FPO and P.O. Boxes
- Short term backorder situations can impact arrival dates
October 24, 2010
Discovery Toys October/November specials
Click on each of these specials to enlarge the image.We have something special for our party hostesses, for their guests and for all of our customers!
October 14, 2010
Brain-on Learning (not hands-on)
Discovery Toys has always suggested playing with your children; it's the best investment you can make. But, it's not every high school that will have this kind of investment:
Read the full article on how this community is helping students understand themselves instead of solely memorizing facts, or "brain-on learning."
"After its expected completion in July 2011, students at the renowned
Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy will be able to move from their
cramped 900-square-foot shop into the $6 million, 12,000-square-foot
building."
Read the full article on how this community is helping students understand themselves instead of solely memorizing facts, or "brain-on learning."
October 12, 2010
September 27, 2010
Discovery Toys press release Fall 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DISCOVERY TOYS averts crisis for children to think, learn, and compete today!
Livermore, CA, October 2010 -
One esteemed California company is on a mission to save what they believe is quickly becoming an endangered species – children who can think for themselves!
According to Discovery Toys, LLC, a 32 year old direct sales educational toy company, we are faced with a growing crisis in our children’s ability to THINK and LEARN today. The U.S. high school graduation rate ranks near the BOTTOM of developed nations.(1) On virtually every international assessment of academic proficiency, American secondary school students’ performance varies from mediocre to poor.(1)
The impact is being felt in the economic sector, as concerns continue to mount about global competition. Discovery Toys believes it can help reverse this alarming trend with a renewed focus on how children LEARN through PLAY and how PARENTS can make a difference in reversing this trend.
“Many children today are no longer in charge of their own learning, nor developing their brains for higher learning as they grow,” states Jeremy Hobbs, Chairman of Discovery Toys, LLC. During the highly critical developmental years, a typical child spends a considerable amount of time in front of a television, a computer and playing with video games. While children find these products engaging and fun, the experience they have is guided and controlled, for the most part, by adults who program them! In addition, parents are trained to believe that more structured activities, such as sports , are an ideal way to raise their children. “We are not proposing that parents dispose of their electronic toys or pull their children out of sports,” says Mr. Hobbs. “What we want parents to realize is that unlike the play we experienced as kids, which was driven by our own youthful imaginations in the backyard or on the playground, much of today’s play has evolved into adult-directed play.”
Discovery Toys believes learning through play is the way to change this and save our kids. DT offers hands-on, child-powered learning toys, books and games, including such signature classics as Measure Up!® Cups, Busy Bugs, and Marbleworks®, that allow the child’s brain to be in charge of the play experience. Dr. Jane Healy, Ph.D. and other prominent child psychologists advise that object play is critical for future learning success. With 3-D objects, a child develops a plan for how to use the objects and then executes the plan, developing ideation, creativity, problem-solving and a host of other thinking skills. A child playing with Marbleworks® discovers how the various components fit and function together, dreams up a new tower configuration, and proceeds to build the tower through experimentation and coordination. Kinesthetic, or hands-on play, gives control to the child, who can learn at his or her own pace—thinking, strategizing, and creating on their own, to develop a stronger foundation for future academic success.
“Discovery Toys has a mission to teach, play and inspire children and parents alike,” shares Meryl Holland, Chief Creative Officer. The company’s several thousand independent distributors across the U.S. and Canada offer toys that invite and encourage parents to participate as coaches and guides, but ultimately to encourage the child to take charge of their play. Discovery Toys products are developed for open ended play where children are encouraged to try different things, arrange different shapes, create patterns, share, play games and, ultimately, learn.
“While an array of experts across North America try to address the performance of our young students with standardized testing, more technology, more homework, and more structure,” says Ms. Holland, “Discovery Toys believes a key part of the solution lies in hands-on play, delivered with rich Layers of Learning and parent participation. We need to re-educate parents that child-powered toys, which no one does better than Discovery Toys, is the key to future learning success.” With the minds of our youngest generation at stake, it’s certainly worth a try.
To learn more about Discovery Toys and its line of child-powered learning toys, visit www.toysofdiscovery.com
or contact Billie at billietoy@gmail.com
(1) Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008 Fact Sheet, How Does the United States Stack Up?
DISCOVERY TOYS averts crisis for children to think, learn, and compete today!
Livermore, CA, October 2010 -
One esteemed California company is on a mission to save what they believe is quickly becoming an endangered species – children who can think for themselves!
According to Discovery Toys, LLC, a 32 year old direct sales educational toy company, we are faced with a growing crisis in our children’s ability to THINK and LEARN today. The U.S. high school graduation rate ranks near the BOTTOM of developed nations.(1) On virtually every international assessment of academic proficiency, American secondary school students’ performance varies from mediocre to poor.(1)
The impact is being felt in the economic sector, as concerns continue to mount about global competition. Discovery Toys believes it can help reverse this alarming trend with a renewed focus on how children LEARN through PLAY and how PARENTS can make a difference in reversing this trend.
“Many children today are no longer in charge of their own learning, nor developing their brains for higher learning as they grow,” states Jeremy Hobbs, Chairman of Discovery Toys, LLC. During the highly critical developmental years, a typical child spends a considerable amount of time in front of a television, a computer and playing with video games. While children find these products engaging and fun, the experience they have is guided and controlled, for the most part, by adults who program them! In addition, parents are trained to believe that more structured activities, such as sports , are an ideal way to raise their children. “We are not proposing that parents dispose of their electronic toys or pull their children out of sports,” says Mr. Hobbs. “What we want parents to realize is that unlike the play we experienced as kids, which was driven by our own youthful imaginations in the backyard or on the playground, much of today’s play has evolved into adult-directed play.”
Discovery Toys believes learning through play is the way to change this and save our kids. DT offers hands-on, child-powered learning toys, books and games, including such signature classics as Measure Up!® Cups, Busy Bugs, and Marbleworks®, that allow the child’s brain to be in charge of the play experience. Dr. Jane Healy, Ph.D. and other prominent child psychologists advise that object play is critical for future learning success. With 3-D objects, a child develops a plan for how to use the objects and then executes the plan, developing ideation, creativity, problem-solving and a host of other thinking skills. A child playing with Marbleworks® discovers how the various components fit and function together, dreams up a new tower configuration, and proceeds to build the tower through experimentation and coordination. Kinesthetic, or hands-on play, gives control to the child, who can learn at his or her own pace—thinking, strategizing, and creating on their own, to develop a stronger foundation for future academic success.
“Discovery Toys has a mission to teach, play and inspire children and parents alike,” shares Meryl Holland, Chief Creative Officer. The company’s several thousand independent distributors across the U.S. and Canada offer toys that invite and encourage parents to participate as coaches and guides, but ultimately to encourage the child to take charge of their play. Discovery Toys products are developed for open ended play where children are encouraged to try different things, arrange different shapes, create patterns, share, play games and, ultimately, learn.
“While an array of experts across North America try to address the performance of our young students with standardized testing, more technology, more homework, and more structure,” says Ms. Holland, “Discovery Toys believes a key part of the solution lies in hands-on play, delivered with rich Layers of Learning and parent participation. We need to re-educate parents that child-powered toys, which no one does better than Discovery Toys, is the key to future learning success.” With the minds of our youngest generation at stake, it’s certainly worth a try.
To learn more about Discovery Toys and its line of child-powered learning toys, visit www.toysofdiscovery.com
or contact Billie at billietoy@gmail.com
(1) Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008 Fact Sheet, How Does the United States Stack Up?
September 24, 2010
Dr. Toy chooses Story Stacker in Top 10 Toys in '10
WOW! Discovery Toys’ Story Stacker has just won Dr. Toy’s “Ten Best Toys for 2010” and Dr. Toy’s “100 Best for 2010” awards!!
http://drtoy.com/documents/Dr-Toy-Press-Release-Best-100-2010.doc
Shop for this and other award-winning Discovery Toys at www.discoverytoyslink.com/billieelias
http://drtoy.com/documents/Dr-Toy-Press-Release-Best-100-2010.doc
Shop for this and other award-winning Discovery Toys at www.discoverytoyslink.com/billieelias
August 25, 2010
Out with licensed characters, in with DT
Has your child ever had to endure a play date at a home filled with licensed characters from popular movies or big toy companies, a home full of super heroes or princesses? Have you ever thought about what value is added to their play experience when they're in that environment? Or what they are learning from those toys?
This is exactly the model that Discovery Toys tries to replace, by offering parents opportunities to have award-winning toys, books and games that help children learn while they play. Basic, good toys that usually require no batteries, but do require the child to add his own energy, his own ingenuity.
Wooden building blocks will take your child much further than a pair of flip flops with a popular character on them. Your child can learn to experiment, build, topple, rebuild in a different way, form patterns, and so on.
Board games will teach your child patience, taking turns, following rules and more.
Puzzles teach you child to stay the course until the puzzle is complete, to look for patterns and continuity, visual discrimination.
Imaginary play is important, but the costume doesn't have to be a character. Isn't it more creative to take the boa, take the high heels, take the eye-patch and imagine your own kooky character, that you designed?!?!
Take a look at what's in store for you and your child when you enter the world of Discovery Toys .
This is exactly the model that Discovery Toys tries to replace, by offering parents opportunities to have award-winning toys, books and games that help children learn while they play. Basic, good toys that usually require no batteries, but do require the child to add his own energy, his own ingenuity.
Wooden building blocks will take your child much further than a pair of flip flops with a popular character on them. Your child can learn to experiment, build, topple, rebuild in a different way, form patterns, and so on.
Board games will teach your child patience, taking turns, following rules and more.
Puzzles teach you child to stay the course until the puzzle is complete, to look for patterns and continuity, visual discrimination.
Imaginary play is important, but the costume doesn't have to be a character. Isn't it more creative to take the boa, take the high heels, take the eye-patch and imagine your own kooky character, that you designed?!?!
Take a look at what's in store for you and your child when you enter the world of Discovery Toys .
July 30, 2010
Discovery Toys August 2010 specials
Click on the image to enlarge.August is around the corner and things are happening at Discovery Toys.
Customers can receive a 10% discount on select toys.
Our party hostesses will have an opportunity to purchase $102 dollars of toys for $50 when their party reaches $500. And that's on top of our already RICH hostess plan that gives you $90 in free product!
New consultants can join us for a limited time at $89 for our $400 intro kit. This offers you a home-based business with lots of coaching and support.
Ask me how!
The $320,000 teacher
Do you believe that kindergarten is some of the most important schooling your child will receive? Many experts do, including Nobel Laureate James Heckman. You can read more about what Heckman says in a blog entry on the early learning challenge fund. David Leonhardt, in a recent NY Times article entitled The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers makes the case that teachers, particularly good ones, should be handsomely paid.
I believe that a good teacher makes a difference in the lives of our children. Good toys do, too! Remember, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Now as we are at the midway point of the summer vacation, won't you consider helping your preschooler become better prepared for going back to school with toys that encourage letter recognition and pre-math skills like "bigger", "taller", "heavier?" Look at Discovery Toys Measure Up cups, Measure Up Pots and Spoons, Measure Up Balance, ABSeas, Sounds Like Learning.
I believe that a good teacher makes a difference in the lives of our children. Good toys do, too! Remember, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Now as we are at the midway point of the summer vacation, won't you consider helping your preschooler become better prepared for going back to school with toys that encourage letter recognition and pre-math skills like "bigger", "taller", "heavier?" Look at Discovery Toys Measure Up cups, Measure Up Pots and Spoons, Measure Up Balance, ABSeas, Sounds Like Learning.
June 03, 2010
Use sparingly!
My friends from Brazil came to visit last month. They brought me the most delicious chocolates I have ever tasted from Cacau Show. The bag announced in Portuguese: "Chocolate is magical. It opens smiles, it translates desires, it joins people, it brings the joy of energy." One could say the same things about Discovery Toys!
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