EdExpo 2015 New Products!

Through a series of fortunate events and the gracious hospitality of Meghan Harris @ Keeping Up with Mrs. Harris, I was able to attend the EDexpo 2015. What is the Edexpo? It's the annual educational products marketplace...where all the teacher stores and companies buy the cool stuff in their stores. There were over 150 companies exhibiting the latest and greatest products for educating kids. Now why would this crazy bunch of teacher bloggers meet up for that? We each got to vote on our 10 favorite finds. Yeah. Turns out teachers' opinions count! The results were tallied and here is what we loved. Because I was focused on early childhood materials, I didn't see everything on this list, but I'm sure if our group voted the items in, they are HOT NOW! Please PIN these items so other teachers know they are available!

#1 Touchtronic Letters from Junior Learning

Lucky me...I got a free set! My kinders have already enjoyed using these letters with the iPads. The activities app is free. At less than $30, I think you'll want to try them out.

#2 The Reading Game

This is Meghan and Bonnie Kathryn from Bonnie Kathryn Kinders and Beyond learning about this award winning reading game that teaches Dolch and High Frequency Sight words. Watch the video to learn how it works!

#3 Say It! Game

The essence of Say It! is turning a card to reveal a word or phrase, which is then used in a sentence or to continue a thought. Aloud. Say It! should be played by 3 or more people.

#4 There was a tie...

 Fidgets by Boinks

Here's why the teachers loved this product: They are a great sensory therapy toy. Due to their texture and spring-like action, they help develop fine-motor skills and help kids with ADD, Autism and sensory challenges calm their fidgety fingers.

#4 Goldiblox

Girls, start your engines! Here are award-winning books and toys for the young female engineer.

#5 The F.U.N. Empty Number Line System from Learning Advantage

F.U.N. stands for Fluency and Understanding Numbers. This number line is a visual representation for sharing students' thinking and developing number sense. There are different grade level boxes available. I looked at the K-1 kit shown here.

#6 Math Bands

Kids who wear these bands can practice skip counting and multiplication facts wherever they go! No need to keep up with cards. The sets of bands come with an activity guide. 

#7 Busy Fingers by Fiddle Focus

I'm gonna just go ahead and admit I couldn't keep my hands off of these. They have a foam insert for pushing and different textures. They were designed to assist children with social and emotional regulation. (Guess I needed that!) They can be attached (with Velcro) to learning areas where the child works.

#8 Pinch Grip, Pencil Grip and Crossover Grip 

by The Pencil Grip, Inc.

If you've got kids that need help with holding a pencil, then this company has options! Just head over to their website to see the right choices for your students.

#9 Circuit Sticker Books by Chibitronics

I can't say I saw this one...but when I watched the videos I could see why kids would have fun. It's crafting and coding in a really creative way! Here's an introduction...

#10 Kapla Blocks

I love to find new building products! The Kapla concept is simple. No glue, no screws and no clips are needed with the simple pine blocks. Each block is simply placed one on top of the other. The blocks are held in place by gravity and balance alone. A great way to allow children to build, create and use their imaginations!

#10 There was another tie...

Cool Circuits

I missed these as well, but the science teachers loved them. So you lay down a card, solve the puzzle and it lights up. This builds spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

WHEW! That's only the beginning. In addition to the top products, I found a few of my own that got my votes because they were perfect for our youngest smart kids. I'll share those with you in another post SOON! Remember, pin the items you liked so other teachers can find them.