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The Best Products for Teaching at We Connect
After a year-and-a-half of mostly Zoom encounters, professionals in the instructional materials industry met to conduct business in person at We Connect in November. The invitation-only school supply conference is the only traditional tradeshow focused on classroom resources for grades pre-K through 12. Hosted by Catalog Solutions, it provides a rare opportunity each year to meet, learn, network and re-establish friendships.
The conference was held at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando and featured nearly 75 manufacturer booths showcasing new and best-selling products. The three “best” products, based on dealers’ votes, were honored with a Top Pick award. Here are the first-, second-, and third-place winners.
First Place: The Fidget Box from Teacher Created Resources
Tactile tools that facilitate fidgeting – squeezing, stretching, spinning, pushing – have taken the toy and school supply market by storm in the past few years. It’s no wonder – research shows that fidgets not only help reduce stress, they also build fine-motor skills, coordination and dexterity. Students, especially those with extra energy and hyperactivity, report that fidgets help them focus and give them a sense of calm. That’s why TCR created the Fidget Box, effective for children, teens and adults in the classroom, at home, or in the office. The colorful box offers a diverse selection of fun but quiet devices, include two spiky rings, two stretchy noodles, a ball with cylinder bumps, a ball with round bumps, a cube snake, a marble in mesh, a finger stretcher, a round snake, two squishies, one wrist lanyard, one flip chain, and four pencil toppers – a total of 18 fidgets. Teachers can also use the items as student incentives, rewards, and classroom prizes.
tcrdealer.com
Second Place: Lite Blox from E-Blox
Lite Blox is a new invention for building awesome lightup pictures and patterns. It stimulates creativity and builds fine motor skills, and is the perfect toy to support STEAM. The set includes a power board, battery module, a removal tool, three AAA batteries and 30 colorful LED Blox. Some of the Blox even flash and change colors! For the classroom, multiple sets can be put together to create large displays. Designed for kids ages 5 to 14.
myeblox.com
Third Place: Earth by Plus-Plus
This 800-piece puzzle is a new Plus-Plus concept that combines the satisfaction of puzzle building and the creativity of mosaic making in a unique “puzzle by number” activity. Just match colors with numbers. As a creative construction toy, it provides hours of play. Designed and made in Denmark, the pieces are BPA- and phthalate-free.
