PRESS RELEASE
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Dr. Toy Announces 2009 Best Vacation Products Winners SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (June 22, 2009) - The report of winning toys for Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products for Summer 2009 is now available to parents, teachers and others on Dr. Toy’s Guide at www.drtoy.com. The information is designed to assist children to play and learn at home and while on vacation. Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products Awards were developed by noted child development authority, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Toy), as a service to consumers who desire to purchase safe, affordable, educationally-oriented, and stimulating toys and play products for children for vacation time at home or on the road. “As a childhood specialist for 40 years,” says Dr. Toy. “I have seen the continuous, essential need for more year-round resources for consumers to identify and choose the most appropriate products for all children.” Dr. Toy reports that in the years the innovative on-line magazine, Dr. Toy’s Guide, has been available, “thousands of visitors daily from around the world have accessed its information.” It was the first web site to evaluate toys and children’s products. The report is being released, according to Dr. Toy, to “encourage parents and teachers to focus on the value of play during the summer as essential to the overall learning process.” She adds, “The Best Vacation Products a balanced selection from large and small, new and established, companies across the U.S.A., Canada, and overseas will provide children with exciting new learning tools that will help them not only do better in school, but also will provide more constructive activities while traveling or at vacation destinations.” The award winning products include innovative toys, books, CDs, crafts, DVDs, games, puzzles, and many other play products for children of all ages and interests. Dr. Toy believes “parents need help to get a head start locating new, diversified products that children will enjoy as they increase learning skills and expand creativity.” The products range from low to high tech for “hours of constructive, educational, and stimulating fun.” “Children learn best through play,” says Dr. Auerbach, “and these Best Products encourage children to maximize their potential and make the most of Smart Play. By making a renewed focus on summertime as a special time for choosing new products for children, parents improve their children’s development. This is a perfect time for parents to ‘take stock’ and do an inventory of what their children are playing with, what is not used, and what they need next in their development.” Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products are carefully chosen, using extensive criteria she has developed over many years, from among hundreds she has reviewed at toy fairs, in catalogs, and through many other sources. The criteria she uses includes: safety, age-appropriateness, design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and ethnic diversity, good transition from home to school, educational value, learning skills, creativity, improvement in the understanding of the community and the world, good value for price, and, naturally, fun. These are products suitable for babies to older children, include products from handcrafted to hi-tech, and range in price on the average from $8 to $50. The winning products are affordable, well designed, and reflect the wide range of children’s interests. Complete information about these and other products are included in the full report. Dr. Toy’s report includes company customer service numbers, web site addresses, age range, price, and a full description of each product. The award-winning, on-line magazine, Dr. Toy’s Guide, features full color photos of each product, links to companies to learn more, interviews with and articles by Dr. Toy, plus hundreds of other Best Products for all reasons and seasons. At this time over 4000 products are included in the Dr. Toy’s Guide with direct links to companies and toy stores on line, plus toy history, parent resources, and much more. Dr. Auerbach, a long-time resident of San Francisco, originally from New York City, lived in Washington, DC, while working for the Department of Education where she approved the first proposal for “ Sesame Street” and established the first day care center for children of federal employees. In San Francisco, she established the San Francisco International Toy Museum, the world’s first “hands-on” toy museum visited by over 50,000 children. She is the author of 15 books and hundreds of articles on toys and play, and is the only Ph.D. in Child Development evaluating toys and children’s products with extensive training, background, and over 37 years of experience evaluating, writing and speaking about toys and children’s products. Dr. Auerbach is trained in child development, education, child psychology and special education. She is an educator, consultant, parent, and playful grandparent. Her book, Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys: How To Raise a Child with a High P. Q. (Play Quotient) may be obtained through www.barnesandnoble.com and at many fine toy and bookstores. Additional Points:
Interviews regarding the recommended best smart toys and play products can be arranged through Walsh Public Relations at 203-292-6280 or by e-mail to greg@walshpr.com.
Alphabetical Listing of Award Winning Companies
*Product information updated regularly on www.drtoy.com Interviews for Dr. Toy can be arranged with |