Last weekend I attended Edexpo in Atlanta, Ga – a large conference for educators and buyers. It was rows and rows of education based products! I think it’s a safe bet to assume we walked a few miles each day during the conference. It was definitely a lot of fun chatting with vendors, and testing out products from companies such as Crayola, School Zone, and Edupress. While there, myself along with 59 other bloggers had the opportunity to walk the floor and select our collective top 10 products we feel are the best of the best for 2015. Pete the Cat even made an appearance, check out Kim from Educators’ Spin on It and myself getting a selfie with him!
#1 is the award-winning Touchtronics Letters & Numbers from Junior Learning. Let’s face it – technology isn’t going away and younger generations are more than excited to get their hands on tablets, so Junior Learning has created a way to play and learn at the same time. Just download the free app once you’ve purchase Touchtronics and get learning!
#2 is The Reading Game. Using flash cards, this educational game teaches kids 4 and up 5 words at a time. Once the children have mastered those words, they move onto the next 5 and so on. The kids learn how to read in a frustation-free way and use the corresponding books to read on their own. Once the series is completed the child can read 180 words! Look out for an upcoming review and giveaway on The Reading Game!
#3 is Say It! from FeliX Ltd. The concept is laugh out loud learning by using words on the cards to form a story. Multiple students turn over cards one at a time and use that word in the story and so on. We had a chance to try this it out at Edexpo and found it to be quite fun. The company plans to make other versions of the Say It! game, like ones with words and pictures for younger students.
#4 is Fidgets by Endless Possibilities, Inc. Well known for their Boinks products, this new Fidgets line includes a small marble that’s enclosed in woven plastic. It’s a great fidget toy that helps kids with concentration and is especially useful for students with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or Sensory Processing Disorder. While visiting many other booths we found vendors “fidgeting” with Fidgets.
We had a tie for 4th place – the next product is from Goldieblox, the award-winning building products for girls, and is a classroom construction set. This new engineering set includes enough product for 36 students! It’s not available just yet, but will be soon!
#5 is the F.U.N Empty Number Line System by Learning Advantage. It represents the number system while, at the same time, is a manipulative where numbers can be moved, matched and plotted, up and down the entire number line. The possibilities for using the number line to identify equivalent numbers are endless, including whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and negative numbers.
#6 is Math Bands by Learn in Style. Math Bands for Multiplication are designed to help students of all levels learn in a fun way.
#7 is Busy Fingers by Fiddle Focus. The name pretty much says it all. This was another choice by blogger teachers to help keep school-aged children focused on the task at hand. Check out their site to see several patterns available.
#8 is Pencil Grips. The Pencil Grip increases comfort, teaches proper hand positioning, and improves control. Its ergonomic design also provides relief of hand fatigue and pain. Righties and Lefties simply place their thumb on the “R” or “L” on the grip and their fingers naturally fall into place.
#9 is Circuit Sticker Books by Chibitronics. The site offers several How-To videos for this creative learning tool.
Our second tie was for 10th place. Kapla Blocks blew me away at the Edexpo. Their creations were so unique and creative it was hard to miss, and the product got my vote. Kapla Blocks encourages students to use logical thinking, concentration, and teamwork, among other educational values.
Our second #10 product, which I also voted for, is the award-winning Cool Circuits by Science Wiz. Included are 40 puzzle cards to lay over the board and 8 – 3-D puzzle pieces. Once they connect the pieces correctly the board lights up. It was pretty neat to check out in person and I know it’s something my kids would enjoy.
Looking for the best selection of educational products and resources? Check out EDmarketdealer.com!
I was invited to attend this event, expenses were paid, and all opinions are mine alone.
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