Pre-K graduation decorations

Q: What decorations can I use as centerpieces for my child's pre-k graduation?

A: Purchase an age-appropriate educational toy from www.toysofdiscovery.com and use the toy as the centerpiece.

Our toys are really colorful and fun and make darling centerpieces. You could arrange them in a basket or simply add a balloon.

Consider raffling the toys off to cover your cost,  have a drawing with all the families entered, or you could even donate the toys to the school.

Social Skills for kids on the spectrum

An interesting article on autism by Moira Lewis, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, is worth a read.  She discusses how children with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) can be helped to develop social skills through therapy, peer mentors and social stories.

Please know that Discovery Toys is very interested in children on the spectrum, as you can see by the codes a - f on the toys listed in our catalog.  The 6 skills generally lacking in children with autism are shown here.  Once you identify the child's areas of weakness, you can use that code to find toys that will be helpful.  For example, a child who has difficulty talking about their play experiences, code "d," may benefit from Item #2240, Flip Flop Faces- Emotions in Motion. Playing with Flip Flop Faces, children begin to understand facial expressions while they develop gross motor skills and coordination. The game encourages cooperative play, color and word recognition, and social awareness. Includes 6 target bowls and 6 bean bags labeled with emotions that add up to one great party game. The DT Activity Guide is in English & French.  For French speakers, #2185 is the French version of the same game.

Billie talks toys with James Piecowye

Take a listen to my radio interview with James Piecowye, professor of communication and media sciences at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. He hosts a popular talk radio show called Nightline in Dubai.

Free drawing for free shipping

You will be entered into my drawing for free shipping on your Discovery Toys order if you go to my website, look around at the toys and comment here about a toy you find interesting.  If your child has a favorite, you can write about what makes it so.

Sir David Frost on making a difference

"My father often used to talk about that old proverb, 'Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.'  In other words, everybody you meet has something to teach you - if you take the trouble to find it.  The most unlikely person can enlighter your life.  That's tremendously important for the self-worth of the people you meet, as well as your own.

There are all sorts of ways in which we're not equal, but we are all equal in what we can strive for.  When I interviewed Senator Robert Kennedy back in 1968 - the last interview he gave before his assassination - I asked him how he would like to be remembered.  He replied, "Well, there is a line of Albert Camus that says, 'This is a world in which children suffer."  I'd like to have made a contribution to lessening that suffering.'  Kennedy spoke a lot about making a contribution.  He used to say, "For if we do not do this, then who will do this?" It's so simple: if you have a talent, you have a duty to use it to the full.

Making a contribution and making a difference - they should be linked - is not only something that famous people can do, or that dead politicians can be quoted on.  It is something that everyone can do in their own lives...."

"King" Colin & stuttering

I'm a huge movie fan, and the Academy Awards ceremony is a must-see for me every year.   Many seem to feel that The King's Speech has a good chance of garnering many of the 12 awards for which it's been nominated.  But the folks at the Stuttering Foundation are so enamored of it that they want the film to be used as a teaching tool for those working in the speech-language pathology realm.  Read this charming interview with Jane Fraser, the president of the Stuttering Foundation.  If you're a Colin Firth fan, you'll find some great pics of him there, too.  Good luck on Sunday night, "King" Colin!

discovery toys Mystery Hostess Party--you're invited

Discovery Toys Star Explorer Kit

February school break is coming soon and some families will be hitting the road and heading to camp sites in warmer climes.  If you'll be under the stars, you'll want to check out Star Explorer Kit to pinpoint and identify popular seasonal constellations. The portable light-up device with compass comes complete with 15 constellation transparencies for convenient night-time use. Additional constellation fun fact cards and seasonal star charts promote interest in science, nature, and astronomy.

"Race to Nowhere"

Last night my son's school had a screening of a most disturbing film: Vicki Abeles' "Race to Nowhere."  The documentary contains interviews with students, teachers, a dean of education at Stanford University, parents and psychologists...all addressing the current state of affairs in the education system from the earliest years through the teens.  In case you hadn't noticed, more and more our children are being taught to be good (or excellent) test-takers, as opposed to good thinkers.  There are the ERBs, the PSATs, the SATs the ACTs, the 4th grade and 8th grade standardized tests, admissions tests for specialized schools, the tests that prepare kids to take these tests and in states like New York, the Regents Exams.  Stress-levels are high, even at the pre-kindergarten level, for if you don't go to the right pre-K, you might not get into the right elementary school that will set you up for someday attending Harvard; cheating is commonplace;  teen suicides are no longer rare.  Excessive homework keeps kids up so late that many of them are sleep deprived, on top of being stressed and depressed.

One teen interviewed remarked that his life from school to tests to college and onto the workplace just seems like a "race to nowhere."  What's the point, if you're unprepared and uninspired?

There is a grassroots effort afoot to reduce homework and adjust our system to reward better teaching. The film mentions a study that demonstrated that a no-homework policy actually led students to better scores.  (Do you think less homework meant less stress?  more sleep? better conditions for test-taking?)   I think it would be great if the quality of teaching nationwide was such that a lot of learning could take place right in the classroom and aside from team projects or other long-range assignments, little or no homework be assigned.  I also feel that slower learners be separated from quick studies, so that teachers aren't forced to "teach to the middle," as one of my son's teachers in elementary school told me she did.  This would help everyone learn at their own pace, and then truly, no child would be left behind.

After our screening, we were treated to a panel discussion with a group of child psychiatrists from the NYU Child Study Center, who offered that public policy ignores well-known scientific findings....simple things like starting school later than 7 or 8 am, so that kids can get the extra sleep they need.

The film's website has a page that will help you find a screening near you.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

The 10th anniversary of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is on February 24, 2011. Can you help?

And don't forget, budding young engineers would love the Discovery Toys Qubits construction set.

Two models of Parenting

"I got two A's," the small boy said.
His voice was filled with glee.
His father rather bluntly asked,
"Why didn't you get three?"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,
the girl called from the door.
Her mother rather calmly said,
"And did you sweep the floor?"

"I mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father asked him with a shrug,
"And did you clean off the clay?"

The children in the house next door
Seemed happy and content.
The same things happened over there,
But this is how it went:

"I got two A's," the small boy said.
His voice was filled with glee.
His father proudly said, "That's great;
I'm glad you belong to me."

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,"
the girl called from the door.
Her mother smiled and softly said,
"Each day I love you more.

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father answered with much joy,
"Thanks so much, that makes my day."

Children deserve a little praise
For tasks they're asked to do.
If they're to lead a happy life,
A lot depends on you.

~ unknown

Were Dean Kamen & Obama comparing notes?

President Obama, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, took a page right out of Dean Kamen's playbook when he said:

The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us –- as citizens, and as parents –- are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.

That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. It’s family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair. (Applause.) We need to teach them that success is not a function of fame or PR, but of hard work and discipline.

Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST Robotics and inventor of the Segway and dozens of other cool things, has said we elevate sports stars to the level of hero, but why not scientists who make significant contributions to society? "You have teenagers thinking they're going to make millions as NBA stars when that's not realistic for even 1 percent of them. Becoming a scientist or engineer is."

In November 2009, the President remarked in a speech that "scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House we’re going to lead by example. We’re going to show young people how cool science can be."

I'm all in favor of encouraging kids in math and science. If we don't, our economy is likely to slip even further. I'm not talking about cockeyed schemes of financial engineering. I'm talking about encouraging our kids to pursue careers in science and technology that can find a cure for cancer, make us less dependent on fossil fuels, free us up to invent useful services, or create machines that enrich our lives. In order to design and build those machines, a child first needs to have built things like Marbleworks, needs to have learned to think logically and strategically by playing games like Tactico, to be able to put the left half of a puzzle together with the right half, to have put red ball in the red hole of Hammer Away, to be able to match one pattern to another in Think-it-Through Tiles, to follow schematics like those in Motor Works. It all begins in the earliest days of life when the learning process is set in motion and the connections in the brain are rapidly developing. Parents begin by introducing stories, songs, toys that stimulate the senses and eventually get down on the floor to play with their kids. Every family should be encouraged to have the kinds of toys that foster that kind of interaction: low-tech, high kid-involvement, healthy playthings, such as those offered by Discovery Toys. If you wait until your child is school-age, you will have missed the boat. Won't you instill the love of learning in your child today?

Additional 15% off Discovery Toys Winter Sale

That's right! Discovery Toys is offering, in addition to our Winter Sale, TODAY ONLY, an extra 15% off the 26 items in our sale. Email me to order billietoy@gmail.com or visit my e-commerce site Discovery Toys page before midnight tonight!

Discovery Toys $75 kit -- join today

There's never been a better time to join us in our mission to teach.play.inspire. every child.

Visit me at www.discoverytoyslink.com/billieelias
and click on Enroll Now.


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Discovery Toys on sale in January 2011, part 2

See next entry for more on sale!
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