We have to admit when we first saw this collection, we thought it was the product of young toy designers having their way with making an edgy line of dolls that would really appeal to the older doll collector. We were wrong. The line has captured the attention of older school aged/tweens. It makes sense given the "twilightization" of america's pop culture at the moment. The dolls are all related to monsters we know and love.  There is Frankie Stein, Holt Hyde, Ghoulia Yelps, Abbey Bominable, Clawdeen Wolf, Cleo de Nile (you know the daughter of the Mummy). You get the idea. Each doll has a backstory and there own issues in high school. For example, Cleo de Nile is described as: "a princess but she's not a mean ghoul. This has allowed her to establish genuine relationships with fellow students who can 'Let Cleo be Cleo' even when 'her imperial bossiness' forgets that at Monster High she's just one of the ghouls." 

Our toy testers really loved the Hydration Bed set that comes with Lagoona.  Some will find this line ridiculous, after listening to our testers we know that they like the silliness of it all. While each of the dolls are dressed in over-the-top outfits, the focus is not on their sexuality but on their character. We like that! We also were thrilled that there were boy dolls in this collection as well.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Fans of Chuggington will enjoy playing with the small train playing pieces on the long game board that is set up with three color coded tracks. Without looking at the picture, one mystery animal card is put into the safari park at the far end of the track. Each player is also given a "guessing" disk that will be used at the end of the line. Now, players take turns hitting the spinner and moving whatever train the spinner is pointing at. If the train lands in a station along the way the player gets to pick up an animal to put into their freight car. There is no race between the trains and no one moves just one train. When all the trains reach the safari park players put their special guessing disks on the animal that they think is the mystery animal. Now the mystery animal is revealed. If you guess the animal you win the round. There's a good chance that no one will guess. But this is not a game so much about winning as it is about playing. They say 3 and up, we think 3's will need a partner to handle the tiny playing pieces. It's a good cooperative kind of game that we think kids of 4 and 5 will like best.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Lift the gaily-painted wooden letters to uncover a surprise object that begins with the sound of each letter. Under the A is an airplane. Under the B a ball, etc. Favorite Dr. Suess characters are painted on the wooden frame, as well. Best of all, the raised letters are chunky enough for little hands to lift out and hold with ease. 3 & up.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

We'll admit it, one of us is obsessed with glow in the dark toys. So when anything arrives that promises to work in the dark, we're all in for checking it out. Glow Crazy comes with two big cling surfaces that you can put up on your wall easily (and without mess), and a big "magic" stylus that allows you to "draw" on the surface in the dark from a far. It's really a flashlight, not a laser - so it does not present the safety issues that laser pointers do--although we don't suggest looking into the flashlight either! The set comes with stencils, but our testers most enjoyed the open-endedness of this product. Fun!

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

We would consider this the uber business stand for kids. While there is a pretty hefty price tag, this is the type of table that will probably find most use from student groups that raises money on a regular basis. The table is well-constructed. We loved that the wipe board allowed kids to personalize the use of the table for any particular function. It also comes with a lock box for money collected and a solar powered calculator...also useful.  The stand comes on wheels (that lock) - ideal for moving from location to location.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens, Teens. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

This is a matching game with jumbo dice and reversible playing boards, so you can play two different games. There's a shape matching game on one side and building matching game on the reverse. First person to win four in a row gets to take a piece of an four-part intergalactic figure to match his space card. Winner is the player who collects all four pieces. Or, play the harder game. Flip the cards and the die with playing pieces that look like part of the intergalactic building pieces. This second game is harder, calls for looking closer at the shapes and details. But we think kids will like the novelty of building these little figures as they play a game of chance. There is no strategy or reading required.  The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011.

Players use their word skills and a bit of geography to make their way cross-country from the West coast to the East. Players roll the multi-faceted die and craw a challenge card. The player must complete the challenge card by filling in the missing words using the letter that comes up on the die. The missing words have to make sense, although they can be silly. There are rest stop cards and other challenge cards--some that require the player to come up with lists of words starting with the letter rolled. Handsomely packaged in metal container shaped like an old style camper. 2-4 players. 8 & up.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2011.

A fun beginning build with a lot of pretend play possibilities on the other side. We recommend that if your child is new to LEGO--this will make a great parent/child build. While there are lots of pieces- there are really several smaller builds here- making it a little less overwhelming.  And if you haven't played with LEGO in a while--you'll find that the builds are put in separate clear plastic bags...so there isn't that same frustrating "I can't find it" feeling. 

Our testers liked that there was a two part structure that connects with a walk way. There is also a boat (that floats) and a little yellow dune buggy type vehicle. We love the little details on this set. The surf board, the windsailer, the lifeguard, the binoculars, the buoy..you get the idea.  There's even a harpoon in case you want to fish for your dinner.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A seven-piece set of dollhouse sized play figures. Dressed in soft fabric clothes and yarn hair, these little figures are bendable and can actually stand on their own feet (not the baby, of course.) There are mom and dad, gram and gramps, brother and sister and baby. Perfect props for dramatic play in doll houses or block props. Sets are available in both African American and Caucasian finish. 

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Children love multiple piece games and this has 20 playing boards and 20 matching shapes. This will give kids a chance to name and know the shapes they are going to use. Once they can identify the puzzle pieces (a moon, rabbit, fish, leaf, bird, person, etc. you can use this for a more challenging game. Put several tiles on the table. Have children take turns reaching into the bag to find the shape that matches the tiles in front of them. This is a good game for solo play or with friends and family. It comes with a small activity booklet with good ideas for introducing the colors and concepts. The set comes in a drawstring canvas bag for gameplay and storage.

SNAP: This kind of game that gives children a chance to hone their sense of touch. For kids with visual disabilities, this plays on an important skill they need to develop. For starters put most of the playing pieces away. Take time to develop the names of the items and play some initial games with a few puzzles. Gradually add more as they gain mastery of the first ones.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.