SmartLab Toys Aims to Empower Girls with Toys Focused on STEM
BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, SmartLab Toys is releasing three new toys focused on creating playful STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) experiences for girls ages 8-12.
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"It's not enough to make the packaging pink and call it a girls' toy," says Jim Becker, founder and creative director of SmartLab Toys. "At SmartLab, we focus on using girls' natural play patterns to create learning opportunities. Our goal is to make engaging, hands-on toys that empower girls to ask questions and have their own moments of discovery."
In an educators' guide published by the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute for Education Sciences found that girls are more likely to continue taking courses in math and science if they are exposed to these fields of study at a young age, and in ways that interest them.
The first product to release is All-Natural Spa Soaps (available February 2015, $19.99), a spa-tacular extension of SmartLab's bestselling All-Natural Spa Lab line. The kit includes all the materials needed to make up to 25 soaps, and teaches girls about molecules, emulsifiers and botanicals as they make melt-and-pour soaps. The booklet included in the package is filled with recipes using common all-natural ingredients, like flower-shaped "Fresh as a Daisy" soap using chamomile and vanilla, seashell-shaped "Island Dream Bars" using coconut oil, and many more.
Get Growing! Greenhouse (available February 2015, $14.99) helps girls discover the science of plants using a self-watering greenhouse to grow three different types of plants—a sunflower, a bean, and a light-sensitive plant. As the plants grow, girls fill in their observations using the Seed Growth Chart and have questions answered such as how plants defend themselves and why people need plants to live.
Girls Only! Secret Message Lab (available Fall 2015) comes with two kits that include everything girls need to know to create codes and write secret messages, including message masks, an invisible ink/UV reveal pen, code wheels, and more. In addition to the materials, the Secret Message Lab booklet includes activities that teach girls about chemistry and coding, such as how to make invisible ink and how to write and decipher custom secret codes.
About SmartLab Toys
A leading creator of educational toys for children, SmartLab's toys teach the science and creative thinking behind the fun. Our products are where toys and books collide! SmartLab Toys is committed to helping young minds experience wonder, test the unknown, and increase their understanding through hands-on exploration using innovative toys and informative editorial content. SmartLab's unique products earn some of the most prestigious awards in the toy industry year after year, and have collectively won over 50 awards including multiple Oppenheim Platinum Awards and the Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award. For more information, please visit http://www.smartlabtoys.com. Founded in 2004, SmartLab Toys is a division of becker&mayer!, LLC., one of the foremost book producers in the United States.
Contact Lisa Richter, Marketing & PR Coordinator
425-629-6173 | [email protected]
SOURCE SmartLab Toys
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