Fisher-Price’s big entry in the STEM-toy era was the Code-a-Pillar, released in
- This hit toy taught the basic concept of programming by having kids add
links to the Code-a-Pillar’s body to create a sequence of movements. Putting
steps in the correct sequence let the toy caterpillar accomplish a goal.
It wasn’t enough for Fisher-Price to
put Code-a-Pillar on the market and
hope kids learned from it. The company
partnered with the Bay Area Science
Museum in San Francisco to create
lesson plans for teachers and a related
curriculum to help bring the toy into
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to parents.
A few years later, Fisher-Price had another hit
with Rocktopus, a friendly octopus that
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instruments and shows how to create a
rhythm. It also includes a math mode that
teaches addition and subtraction. Rocktopus
is a fun toy (even for adults), but how can
parents be sure this or any other STEM toy actually
teaches STEM concepts?
“I think that the true test is if children can articulate back to the parents how to
use the toy and what the toy is all about,” Weber says. Is your child getting
something from the toy or simply having a good time with shapes and sounds?
Parents just need to ask.
TEACH THE CHILDREN WELL
Selling learning toys to today’s parents is a no-brainer. What parent doesn’t
want to give their kids an edge, especially in science and engineering? Consider
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toddlers a decade ago. The product line became a multimillion-dollar business
virtually overnight—but then a 2010 study showed the videos didn’t actually
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parents a refund.