Tagged with 'Educational Insights'

To enter our giveaway, click either one of the entry buttons below. We’ll add you to our random drawing and include you in our mailing list!a Rafflecopter giveawayDid you know that today is Learn About Composting Day? Composting is an eco-friendly and budget-friendly alternative to fertilize your garden. This is the perfect day to introduce your child to the world of composting. To make this fun, we are giving away five Now You See It, Now You Don't See-Through Compost Containers. Watch banana peels, orange peels, apple cores, and more breakdown before your eyes!Three separate, aerated compartments enable kids to view the entire decomposition process clearly and make side-by-side comparisons between different materials. Included thermometers demonstrate temperature changes during decomposition process.If you'd like to order a Now You See It, Now You Don't See-Through Compost Container, visit our online store, here. Shipping is always free on orders of $50 or more.Giveaway ends Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. PST.

For the kids at heart, remember this: keep playing! “We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.”

In honor of National Chocolate Chip Day! Our resident chef, Chet the Cat, wants you to check out his Pinterest board for Chocolate Chip inspired recipes and more! Please share your tasty Chocolate Chip recipes below. Yum!

To enter our giveaway, click either one of the entry buttons below. We’ll add you to our random drawing and include you in our mailing list!a Rafflecopter giveawayWe are still celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week here at Educational Insights, and we're kicking off another giveaway! We are giving away 3 sets of Good for Me!™ Classroom Achievement Badges.Get ten wipe-clean vinyl reward badges to celebrate and motivate student achievement in reading, math, writing, and more. Includes four teacher-customizable badges. Use them year after year!If you’d like to order a Good for Me!™ Classroom Achievement Badges, visit our online store, here. Shipping is always free on orders of $50 or more.Giveaway ends Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Who doesn’t love to stare at the stars? With the right kind of telescope, amateur astronomers both young and old can take their stargazing experience to new levels. Stargazing is a wonderful way to spend time together outside while also teaching children about the solar system and outer space.When buying your child his or her first telescope, you’ll want to choose an age-appropriate model. Simpler, more basic telescopes will suffice for younger children, while older children will enjoy one that allows for a more detailed glimpse into the night sky. Some telescopes also include moon maps, star guides, software, and astronomy books, which enhance the learning experience. GeoSafari® Vega 360 Telescope This sturdy telescope is well-suited for older children who want a bit more of an intense exploration, and its durable, lightweight construction makes it perfect for learning on-the-go. Take it out while camping, traveling, or just spending a quiet night in the backyard! Priced at $39.99Nancy B’s Science Club MoonScope™ and Star Gazer's Activity Journal The Nancy B’s Science Club MoonScope™ is a great way to introduce your child to the stars. As the name suggests, this telescope is perfect for viewing the moon’s mountain ranges and craters, though it’ll work for the rest of the nighttime sky too! The included Star Gazer’s Activity Journal features information and activities for hands-on learning. Priced at $49.99GeoSafari® Omega Reflector Telescope:This awesome telescope from educational insights is a great gift for the aspiring astronomer. Kids can gaze up at the crazy colors of Jupiter or study the rings of Saturn, all from their own backyard! The telescope offers all-glass optics, intense magnification, and rack-and-pinion focusing to allow for picture-perfect visuals. This is a great way to get kids and parents to bond, as well as serving as an educational playtime activity. Get the kids outside with this amazing telescope! Priced at $199.99GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Telescope If you’ve got a tiny astronomer, complex and intricate telescopes may be a little bit too mature. Luckily, Educational Insights has you covered! With the GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Telescope, younger children are able to get the fun and educational benefits from using a scientific telescope. Children learn super cool facts about various planets and stars, as well as mammals and reptiles. These facts are accompanied with colorful, close-up images that kids can see just by peering through the comfort-modified lens. This toy transports well, and provides easy cleanup and storage. And with over 200 facts, you can guarantee hours of fun and educational playtime! Get your child on the road to success with his or her first telescope. Priced at $39.99The answer is crystal clear: telescopes make great gifts for kids! For more telescopes for kids or other fun science toys, visit Educational Insights. We make learning fun!

Ice your opponents in this chilly, pass-around word game! We can’t help but love the fast-paced action of Freeze Up!® A whole new look with the same amazing game play! Challenge your friends with over 170 categories and millions of letter combinations that make for a fast-action ch-ch-challenge! Now it's your turn - name a US President starting with the letter 'H'! We'll choose one lucky respondent to win a Freeze Up of their own! Ready ... Go!

How long have you worked at Educational Insights?I've worked here for 2 years.How do you like it?I hate it. [Laughs]. No, I’m just joking. It’s wonderful. Incredible. It’s a dream job in many ways. I get to make toys, make games, and play games with the kids. It’s awesome. I love it.What drew you to working here?I was attracted to being able to develop something that would enrich kids. Its fun, but there’s also enrichment and educational value. There’s something about just building toys and games that are educational and all that that’s exciting to me.I have a little background in this but I am not, by trade, a product manager. I’ve done marketing and whole slew of different types of things. So, this is a very new thing for me. I don’t come from a huge background of developing toys and games, but I had a lot of experience as a kid.When I was a teenager I had my own skateboard company. I’ve always had a creative flair. My dad was an incredible craftsman and woodworker. He could make anything out of anything! He would make suits of armor out of cardboard, he would do spaceships and swords, and I just watched him!So what was amazing was that when I got this job, it all just came out and I was able to do just all this... All these great things.I’m an artist too, I can paint, I can do so many things, and it all just came together in this job.So you invented the EI Puppets. Tell me about that.I love puppets, I grew up watching the Muppets and with my boys... I’ll put a sock on my hand, and boom, instant puppet! Anything can be a puppet! A dinner roll can be a puppet. A pillow. Anything. That’s what I would do with my kids… have fun little puppet shows. All kids love puppets.Somehow I realized, hey, puppets are great. How about come up with a new kind of puppet? Something that kids could use…something that’s easy. Something that’s fun, that’s imaginative.What was your favorite toy growing up?It was called Fisher Techniques. It was this building set from Germany. We played with Fisher Techniques for hours and hours. All the different combinations of pieces. They’re very durable. Once you put something together, you were able to play with it.What’s your favorite toy here?Well I am partial to the puppets, but I love play foam! It never gets old.What was your most unconventional inspiration?Well, I came up with the talking bug net. So, I love bugs. I am always looking at bugs. If I see a bug, I’ll stop and I’ll look at it. I’ll try to pick it up as long as it doesn’t have a stinger.My sixth grade teacher had a praying mantis in the room, and it was just the coolest looking thing. We went away on a weekend and the mantis layed an eggsack and it had hatched, and there were baby praying mantises all over the room! So that was really cool to me!So a couple years ago, I bought my own praying mantis at a gardening supply store. I got one, hatched it myself, and I just watched them! So that was where I thought it would be cool to have an electronic praying mantis!There are more bugs on the planet than humans by far. They’ve been here forever, and they probably will be until the Earth blows up! You know, roaches have been here since dinosaurs and they’ll stay here.Bugs are fascinating to me, so I took that inspiration from  my excitement from bugs and made the talking bug net.What’s your favorite animal?I think most animals are really fascinating. But I think I’m fascinated by… well here’s another inspiration. You know the fish puppets? The deep sea angler?Deep sea creatures are really fascinating to me. For one, they’re weird, and for 2 they’re just unbelievable that they can survive at the depths of the ocean. So, I’d say deep sea angler if I had to pick one.What’s a day in the life of Brent outside of work?Well I’m a father on two very active young boys who are constantly moving and wanting to interact with me whether it’s playing a video game, basketball, or wrestling.How old are your boys?6 and 8. So, I do a lot of that. [laughs] I also love surfing, and I brew beer!List of Favorites: Favorite color?BlueFavorite season?SummerFavorite team?LakersFavorite movie?I’m a world war history enthusiast…Saving Private Ryan (Drama) and Forest Gump (feel good)Favorite food?Carne Asada Burritos!

Kai and Lex are ready for their close-up! Check out our adorable Puppet-On-A-Stick™ feature in the February issue of Parent's Magazine. Puppet-On-A-Stick™ is a great way to pass the time when that winter chill keeps you indoors. Get your own at: http://www.educationalinsights.com/product/puppet-on-a-stick--8482-+(set+of+3).do