Best 25 Toys of 25 Years

“Fantastic toys don’t just captivate. They help shape lifelong interests, lead to careers, focus passions. Have you ever wondered what early mechanical experiences led to Wilbur and Orville Wright’s accomplishments? What hours of play and observation honed Thomas Edison?

It’s the magic that’s the key. All toys worth their salt have it. They strike flint in the child’s mind; they ignite imagination, stimulate creativity, elicit striving, and provoke the desire to make order. They whet and saturate appetites. They push, pull, and comfort. They help a child build a sense of self, a sense of ability to accomplish.

Good toys are not instant gratification. They have staying power; they engage. They help build attention spans, not fragment them. Good toys do not glamorize or reflect the destructive aspects of society. A good toy does not offer answers; it stimulates questions and presents problems for solving- all in good humor.” - Parents’ Choice Founder, Diana Huss Green

Gymini 3-D Activity
Ages: Infant - 10 months

Tiny Love, Ltd.,



Skwish Classic

Ages: 3 months & Up
Manhattan Toy,

Little ones are fascinated with the brightly colored nontoxic beads that slide easily back and forth as the child moves them. In addition, shiny bells provide a pleasant sound in response to baby's touch. Suitably named, this toy "skwishes flat and bounces back."

Spring-a-ling
Ages: 6 months - 3 yrs.
Educo International, Inc.,

A springy, three-dimensional wire and bead maze sends one to ten multicolored wooden beads careening around the continuous length of blue wire, which has been bent in such a complex shape that it seems soft, not rigid.




Hugg-a-Planet: Earth
Ages: 9 months & Up
Hugg-a-Planet,

Hugg-a-Planet is a colorful stuffed globe covered in a soft but sturdy fabric that is patterned with a map of the earth. Children can play with it like a ball, study it like a map, and hug it like a friend. Its message - love our earth - was an early one in the spate of ecological toys.

Jumbo Music Block
Ages: 1 - 4 yrs.
Neurosmith,

Welcome, Toddler, to a world of exploration, discovery and learning. Each side of the 14-inch velour cube presents a different combination of color, shape, music and related activities. For example, when the circle faces up, the music is "Ring Around the Rosy," and a round button opens the round flap, under which is a round pocket containing a ball on a string. Every baby instinctively tugs at the ball, and when (s)he lets go, the string slowly retreats with a clicking sound, pulling the ball back down again. Each time the baby turns the cube to a different side (exercising big arm, leg, and back muscles), there's a new shape with related song, flap closure, and toy or activity inside (for developing the small hand and finger muscles).

Cozy Coupe
Ages: 18 months - 5 yrs.
The Little Tikes Company,




The Original Rollercoaster
Ages: 2 - 5 yrs.
Anatex Enterprises, Inc.,

With its multicolored swoops and dips, this toy inspires the same finger-fiddling that an abacus invites. Each length of colored metal is bent into a different pattern and each is threaded with variously shaped bright beads. Children slide the beads along each wire, following its twists and turns, dips and rises, from end to end. The toy provides absorbing fun at the same time it challenges a child perceptually, physically, and mentally.

Imagibricks Giant Building Blocks 40-Piece Set
Ages: 2 - 6 yrs.
Imagiplay, Inc.,

Constructive play begins with the kind of large corrugated cardboard blocks beloved by generations of children. They are light enough even for toddlers to carry and stack, big enough to show quick results, and strong enough to stand or sit on. Their proportional sizes, based on a 6"x6" square that is 3" high, also include half-squares and double squares; you can easily see how preschoolers will learn the concepts of addition, equality, and fractions even before they can understand numbers.



Groovy Girls- J Series 13"
Ages: 2 & Up
Manhattan Toy,

A bouquet of fun comes with one or all of these groovy girls. Jayna, Jordan, Janisse, Josi, Jada and Jacinda are washable lovable 13" dolls with belly buttons and ears that stick out. The clothes fashion the namesake with textures, colors, patterns and shoes that can't get lost. Great value both for the dollar and the play.


Big Dump Truck; Big Loader
Ages: 3 & Up
The Little Tikes Company,

These two sturdy yellow and black plastic vehicles may take care of a child's sandbox landscaping needs for years to come. About knee-high to a preschooler, the equipment is virtually indestructible, even by the elements. Both feature cabs that turn easily and move on large air-filled treaded tires. The lifting and hauling mechanics are just sophisticated enough to set scientifically inclined minds to wondering.

Chimalong
Ages: 3 & Up
Woodstock Percussion, Inc.,

Eight precision-tuned aluminum pipes are arranged in a foam-rubber holder. Children strike them with two rubber-tipped mallets, either picking out familiar melodies or just improvising. The accompanying songbook encourages players to match the different tubes with colors, numbers, and eventually musical notes. Happily, this instrument combines rich sound, a simple concept, and self-paced learning.

Doorway Puppet Theater
Ages: 3 & Up
HearthSong,

Every doorway becomes a stage for the imagination with this magnificent fabric puppet theater that hangs from its own adjustable rod and fits securely into any doorway. Commendable details include a clear plastic pocket in front to hold a poster announcing the show, storage pockets in back for easy access to puppets and props, and a fold-out ledge to serve as stage.




Storybook Village
Ages: 3 & Up
T.C. Timber,


You've heard of coffee-table books? This is a coffee-table toy, so beautiful that you won't mind if your children leave it there. The houses are chunky wood blocks with cutouts that can be oriented to represent doors, windows, or balconies. Line them up or stack them, and top them off with curved, peaked, angled, or gabled roofs. Add the trees, people, benches, fences, dogs, horses and cart, and you have 105 satiny-smooth red, green, blue, and natural color wood pieces with which to construct a fantasy world.

Groovie Blocks
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Uncle Goose Toys,

These strikingly innovative wood blocks make it possible to combine construction play, mathematical discoveries, and pattern-making. Each block has interlocking grooves on two sides for topple-proof building. For starters, make two towers, or lines, each using blocks with a different color of embossed numerals (0 - 9). Opposite each number you'll see a corresponding embossed shape (one diamond, two circles, etc.). On the blocks of one tower these shapes are the same size, arranged symmetrically; on the other tower they are random in size and arrangement for greater challenge in counting. Each block also displays painted geometric shapes, math symbols, other images and paradigms.

Boomwhackers Tuned Percussion Tubes- C Major Scale

Ages: 4 - 12 yrs.
Whacky Music, Inc.,

Each person holds one or two of these eight perfectly-tuned percussion tubes and whacks them against his or her arm, thigh, or any hard surface to produce the sound. The gradations in length of the tubes help players arrange themselves in sequential notes and to understand the relationship between length and pitch; similarly, the color gradations provide an additional way to visualize the sequence of notes and an understanding of the spectrum. Art and music converge, and groups that cooperate well can make beautiful music together. Tubes are 12" to 24" long.

Can You Dig it Sand Tools
Ages: 4 - 12 yrs.
Days At the Beach,

A talented sand sculptor once said, "There are as many different castles in a pile of sand as there are grains of sand in that same pile." And these are the tools to help you discover them. Conveniently packaged in a mesh-bag, the set contains six easy-to-use tools made of durable ABS plastic, suitable for both right-handed and left-handed sculptors. All surfaces of the tool heads can be used in various combinations to create myriad effects. Basic instructions remind sculptors to: Wet the Sand. Pack the Sand. Take it from the top and work inside out. Be Patient. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Blocks & Marbles Standard Set
Ages: 5 & Up
Tedco, Inc.,


Quarto Classic Board Game
Ages: 5 & Up
Gigamic,

Quarto's wooden pieces are about the size of little wooden saltcellars, and the board is another solid, handsome piece of wood. This is a game of similarity. The factors are tall/short, rounded/square, solid/hollow, light/dark, with each piece containing some combination of those features. Players try to create a line in which the pieces express "family resemblance" in terms of one of those variables. But change-o!, at each turn the player gets to choose the next piece for his opponent to play - with diabolical helpfulness. Its initial simplicity makes it appealing for younger kids to tackle, but the complexities are enticing for older kids.

Neocolor II Painting Crayons
Ages: 6 & Up
Caran d'ache of Switzerland Ind.,

Caran d'ache is a Swiss company that manufactures a beautiful but expensive line of quality art supplies. Their Neocolor II painting crayons are water-soluble and can be applied to any material. They come in 10-to 30-crayon sets, or individually, and feel just great in your hand. Because they're water-soluble, you can paint your face and not show up at school the next day with blue eyebrows.

SET Game
Ages: 6 & Up
SET Enterprises, Inc.,

In this game of logic, perception, concentration and speed, players must form three-card sets from an array of cards showing figures that differ in shape, quantity, color, and shading. To try it out, play a sample game at http://www.setgame.com.

Pictionary Junior
Ages: 7 - 11 yrs.
Hasbro Games/Milton Bradley,

Clues to 480 possible words are given in pictures, and response time is limited, in this "charades on paper" game, which includes two wipe-off drawing boards, nontoxic crayons, and 120 cards.

GeoSafari
Ages: 8 & Up
Educational Insights, Inc.,

A shiver of electronic lights selects a question on your chosen subject. You type in an answer and get a musical pat on the back if you're right. (You get a groaning computer if you're wrong.) Try again. The card for your subject (countries, capitals, the solar system, physical and political maps, bird and animals, world landmarks) remains on GeoSafari's slender console. Fascinating as it all is, the learning still comes through trial, error, thinking, thinking, and repetition. Response time will shorten as you go through the questions again. More and more quickly. But unknowns remain and noodge you to try and find the answers. A sleek, motivating teaching machine, GS electronically delivers lessons about our world and beyond. Reluctant and ravenous scholars - privileged and underprivileged - will stand in line for a chance at it.

Rubik's Cube
Ages: 8 & Up
Hasbro, Inc.,
Winning Moves Games,



Rush Hour
Ages: 8 & Up
ThinkFun Inc.,
Players must time their moves in the right sequence to extricate the red car from a traffic jam. Please see Rush Hour Jr. for a description of the game for younger players.

The A-Maze-Ing Labyrinth
Ages: 8 & Up
Ravensburger,

Players must wend their way through the labyrinth to retrieve treasures assigned at the start of the game. But before each turn, a player shifts part of the maze, opening up some passageways and closing off others. A unique game, it's absolutely intriguing.

Parents' Choice Award Winners - Games

Fall 2008
Parents' Choice Award Winners


Category: Games

• I Spy Memory Game 15th Anniversary Silver Tin Edition - Ages: 4 & Up



• Pirates Undercover - Ages: 5 & Up



• Square Up - Ages: 6 & Up



• Marrakech - Ages: 8 - 14 yrs.



• Pengoloo - Ages: 4 & Up
  


• Double Shutter Junior, Shut The Super Box! - Ages: 6 & Up



• FUNDOMINO - Ages: 6 & Up



• Hyper Jump - Ages: 6 & Up



• Pocket Fundomino - Ages: 6 & Up



• Flibbix - Ages: 7 & Up



• Double Shutter, Shut The Super Box - Ages: 8 & Up



• On the Dot - Ages: 10 & Up



• Animal Scramble - Ages: 3 - 5 yrs.



• Rondo Vario - Ages: 3 & Up



• Cranium Family Edition - Ages: 8 & Up



• Jishaku - Ages: 8 - 99 yrs.



• Link 26 -Ages: 10 & Up



• Ruin Ages: 10 & Up


• Guess What I Am! - Ages: 3 & Up


• Bamboo Kombino - Ages: 4 & Up


• Little Thunder Witch - Ages: 5 & Up



• Buzzword Junior - Ages: 7 & Up


• Rock! - Ages: 7 & Up



• Tiki Topple - Ages: 10 & Up


• Perfect Sense - Ages: 12 & Up


• Go Nuts! - Ages: 8 & Up

Learning Resources Teaching Cash Register

Ring up the fun with the Teaching Cash Register! A perfect addition to any pretend store, this talking cash register helps teach basic math and money skills through creative play. Filled with engaging activities and a drawer stashed with life-size (make-believe) cash, the Teaching Cash Register helps kids make sense of currency with a coin reader that identifies both real and plastic coins. Other features include a generous LCD screen that shows transaction values in large, easy-to-read numbers, a working scale, and a scanner for pretend coupons and credit cards. Four interactive learning games take kids through multiple levels of play, increasing in difficulty as players advance their math skill levels. Large buttons help little fingers total up the orders, while lights and sounds capture the imagination. Winner of numerous awards, including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, the interactive Teaching Cash Register develops logic, reasoning, and coin recognition skills, and helps animate lessons about addition, subtraction, counting money, making change, and decimal usage.

Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! Movin' Monkeys

A variation of the award-winning Gears! Gears! Gears! construction set, Movin’ Monkeys adds a jungle theme to the building fun. Kids can follow the instructions and turn this set into the scene pictured on the box or can use their imaginations to create their own jungle setup. Monkeys hang from their hands or tail on the palm trees, vine, or each other and can even move down the length of a spiral building piece when the gears turn. Newcomers to these gear-shaped blocks may need to refer to instructions the first time they play with this toy—especially for details on how the palm trees fit together. The manufacturer’s targeted beginning age is four years old, but we recommend starting at age five or six after observing younger children having difficulty constructing the palm trees and inadvertently knocking them over. The 136 pieces include the building platform, gears, cranks, palm tree components, vines, and monkeys

This engaging set has tremendous play value, and will engage curious minds and busy hands for many happy hours.

Math Mat Challenge Talking Floor Mat Game

The Math Mat Challenge

Think quick and move fast! This interactive talking floor mat with fast and crazy quiz games makes learning math fun. Kids listen to the equation, do the math and then step on the right answer. The game gets faster as their scores get higher. Features six different games and two skill levels to reinforce numbers, counting, addition and subtraction up to the number 20. Great for classroom use. Mat measures 34 inches in diameter. Requires 3 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included).

Awards:
toytips.com-ToyTip rating of 5 (2002)
Oppenheim Gold Seal of Approval (2002)
Creative Classroom Teacher Tested Tools Award (2002)
Parents Magazine-Named One of the Best Toys of the Year- Smart Toys for Learning Category (Nov.2002)
Parents Choice 2002 Recommended award Winner
Teacher'c Choice Award- Learning magazine (2002)
Silver Award- Practical Preschool magazine-UK (2002)
The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (2002)
Canadian Toy Testing Council Three Star Winner (2002)
Babyzone.com Amazing Toy Award (2002)-Math Category

Scrabble Turns Sixty! - Enjoy Decades of Classic Family Fun

Celebrate 60 years of winning words. This Scrabble game offers special features designed with one idea in mind: to spoil Scrabble players wherever they go. Unfold the premium carrying case to reveal a colorful, rotating game board that allows each player to see the letters upright. The raised-grid style of the board guarantees that your words won't slip or slide out of place. While you're puzzling over how to use a Q without U, you can organize your tiles on a curved tile rack that provides an optimum view of each letter. Are you ready to take your game on the road? Simply store the game pieces in two built-in side trays. There's never been a more convenient or luxurious way to enjoy America's favorite word game.

Kids develop basic math and color and number recognition skills with Hyper Dash

Hyper Dash is an award-winning fast-paced race course game from Wild Planet that encourages kids to be active and think on their feet. Designed to improve listening, coordination and math skills, this exciting game is easy to set up and is an ideal way to help kids aged six and above to practice addition and subtraction while exercising and having fun.

Fast, Easy Set-Up
The only set-up required is to install three AA batteries. Opening the battery compartment requires a small Phillips head screw driver, which means an adult needs to change the batteries. This keeps batteries in the right place during active play, but it also means that changing batteries on the fly requires you to have a screwdriver with you.
The manual is clear and concise, with descriptions of how to play and a list of all the special commands the Hyper Voice issues, so any child can be up and running in just a few minutes. There's no button to turn the unit off, but it quickly shuts itself off when not in use to save battery life.

Getting Moving Quickly
The electronic tagger plays upbeat music and calls out voice commands to control the game, while players following the commands race against the clock to tag targets identified by color and number. Kids can play solo, up to four players can compete head-to-head, or up to eight players can work cooperatively in teams of two. There's even a level where kids need to solve addition and subtraction problems to figure out which target to strike next.
With no complex set-up and no complicated directions to follow, younger children get started playing Hyper Dash quickly. Since players control where the five targets are positioned, there are infinite ways to play Hyper Dash. Combined with the fact that Hyper Dash offers four games to choose from with increasingly difficult levels to master, and it's easy to see why even older, more experienced players (including parents!) stay excited about this game.
Four-Games-in-OneThe original game, Hyper Dash, features the Hyper Voice calling out commands. Four different levels allow the players' skills to progress. Level one includes only colors in the calls. The calls on level two are a little faster and include both colors and numbers, while level three adds special commands like "Double Strike," "Triple Strike," and "Reverse. " Level four features the "CompuStrike" call, which require kids to solve basic math problems, such as "four plus one" or "three minus two. "
In Team Dash, a special command indicates when the Hyper Dash unit should be handed off, turning the race against the clock into a relay. The games Micro Dash and Team Micro Dash set out sequences that get progressively longer and trickier, providing a challenging test of memory.
The Hyper Dash unit keeps track of times and scores, and the Hyper Voice announces the winner at the end of the game, cutting down on arguments. With only one Hyper Dash tagger, kids will have to wait their turn to play in multiple player games. This can be both a lesson in patience and an opportunity to cheer others on.

RFID Technology for a Flexible, Durable Game
Hyper Dash uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to recognize the targets. The same technology is used to track packages and to identify books and DVDs in many libraries. This means that a wireless signal connects the Hyper Dash unit and the targets, so there's no need to strike targets with force.
While the Hyper Dash tagger unit seems incredibly durable, it is made of plastic. Just because RFID technology means kids can tag targets lightly, it doesn't mean they will. Our one concern about the game is the possibility that hard play will damage the tagger over time.
With RFID, there's no limit to how far apart you set the targets. You can set them up at opposite ends of a football field for a serious test of endurance, or close together requiring fancy footwork. You can even them up next to each other to see who has the quickest hands. This flexibility makes Hyper Dash appropriate for both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Award-Winning Educational FunKids have so much fun playing Hyper Dash that they don't realize how much they're learning. Parents will love the way Hyper Dash combines active play with lessons that support color and number recognition, basic math skills. The game's format also inspires better listening and improves kids' coordination. It's no wonder that Hyper Dash has won an iParenting Award and a Seal of Excellence Award from Creative Child Magazine, along with several other honors recognizing it as an innovative, educational toy.

Let your kids explore the world with the LeapFrog Explorer Smart Globe

Explorer Globe
Appropriate For Ages 8 Years and Up

Fasten your seatbelts, put your tray table in the upright position and prepare for take off. Next stop? The world. Touch the interactive pen any place on this interactive, talking atlas and learn thousands of amazing facts. Compare population and land area between say Dundee, Scotland and Oaxaca, Mexico. Find out flying times between Lubbock, Texas and Kyoto, Japan. Learn fascinating facts about continents, countries, capitals, music, currency, highest points and so much more. There is also a "Eureka" game mode that prompts players to find geographic points of interest (giving hints along the way) before time runs out. Up to four players can play six multi-level games with this very chatty, very challenging atlas. And it isn't just for kids either. Everyone will have fun testing their knowledge of geography and exploring the world. This rotating globe and talking atlas features a world clock, interactive pen, volume control, headphone jack and automatic shut-off. Frequent flier miles not included.

What it Teaches:
Names and locations of countries
Population between locations
Distances between locations
Comparison of land area
Bodies of water
Highest point
Population
Continents
Geography
Time zone
Capitals
Currency

Awards
Winner, All Star Software Award, Children's Software Revue, 2000
Winner, Duracell Toy Contest, 2000
Winner, Great American Toy Test, 2000
Winner, Family Life Magazine, 2000
All Star Award, Children's Software Revue, 2002
All Star Award, Children's Software Revue, 2003

Learning toys - Reviewed and Tested

Here’s the list of tested "learning" toys, in order of kids' preference

VTECH V. FLASH CD LEARNING SYSTEM
What it is: Video game system focused on learning. They call it "edutainment"--a claim that an educational curriculum is woven seamlessly into game-play, so that while kids are having fun finishing the race or saving the world, they're also learning. Also plays music CDs.


For ages: 6 and up


What's cool about it: Incorporates video game-style play with many different curriculums in each V. Disc. Each game focuses on a different discipline, such as math, spelling, or encyclopedia knowledge. The games include increasing levels of difficulty, so kids can progress as they learn.

What's not so cool: Most kids didn't play with it for very long.

What the kid testers said: "It's kind of boring and needs better graphics."Other comments: Requires additional remote for two-player action. Additional games sold separately.




LEAPFROG FLY THROUGH ALGEBRA


What it is: A learning accessory for the FLY pen system. Get step-by-step help solving your beginning algebra homework. Includes 50 pages each of plain and graph paper for solving problems.

For ages: 10 to 15

What's cool about it: When used with the FLY pen, it recognizes the math problems you are solving, and works like a math tutor.

What's not so cool: It didn't get much attention from the kids during the toy test. (CR adult testers said they thought the atmosphere wasn't correct for getting the most out of this toy.)

What the kid testers said: Kids liked that the toy knew what you were writing, and that it talked to you.

Other comments: Requires FLY pentop computer, sold separately. It will require additional paper after the included 100 pages are used up.



LEAPFROG LEAPSTER TV LEARNING SYSTEM



What it is: Game console and controller that connects to a TV to give a learning experience. The games feature popular characters and teach essential school skills to kids from preschool through fourth grade.

For ages: 4 to 10

What's cool about it: Controller has large buttons and is colorful. The controller also includes a stylus with a touchpad to help teach kids handwriting skills.

What's not so cool: Some kids found the controller difficult to use, and the stylus did not accurately recognize objects that kids clicked on.

What the kid testers said: The older kids found it to be too childish and the younger kids found it too hard to use.

Other comments: Additional games sold separately (cost $18 to $25). Includes one controller, but two-player games require another controller. See also the Leapster Learning Game System or Leapster L-MAX Hardware they got better reviews and are portable hand-helds.



BRAIN AGE


video game for Nintendo DS and DS Lite game systems

What it is: A game cartridge that claims to train your brain. Contains math and reading challenges designed to improve how quickly you think. It also uses voice recognition for some of the games. However, according to Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a neuroscientist from Japan who specializes in brain imaging, playing typical video/computer games does not engage a large portion of the brain.

For ages: Everyone

What's cool about it: A lot of kids didn't give it a chance, since playing "Super Mario Bros" had more action. Some of the older kids, ages 9 and up, found it exciting to think they were getting smarter by playing this video game.

What's not so cool: The cartridge can only be used with the Nintendo DS or DS Lite player sold separately.

What the kid testers said: Even though it was a low-interest toy, some kids really did like it. Said one tester, "It's so fun to learn how fast your brain goes."

Other comments: It also includes Sudoku, a numerical variation on a crossword puzzle.



Source: ConsumerReports.org - Everything you need to know before you buy.

Give a laptop. Get a laptop. Change the world.

Give One. Get One.

Why give a laptop to a child in the emerging world? If you replace the word "laptop" with "education" the answer becomes clear. You don't wait to educate until all other challenges are resolved. You educate at the same time because it's such an important part of all the other solutions. The XO laptop was designed especially for children. So no matter who they are or where they live, this computer has the perfect features and software to get them excited about learning. Just imagine how the world would change if every child had the tools to unleash their full potential. For more about the project explore the links above or visit laptop.org.

What is the XO Laptop?
The XO is a potent learning tool designed and built especially for children in developing countries, living in some of the most remote environments. As such, it has several features you won’t find on any other laptop. For starters, it’s about the size of a small textbook and made with a rugged plastic exterior. It has built-in wireless and a unique screen that works in full color or black and white to make it readable under direct sunlight for children who go to school outdoors. And finally it’s ultra-low power using only about 4 watts of power (most laptops use about 60 watts). This means, when there’s no electricity, it can be recharged with alternate power sources like solar power.

Why Give a Laptop?
Why give a laptop to a child who has no running water? If you replace the word "laptop" with "education" the answer becomes clear. You don't wait to educate until all other challenges are resolved. You educate at the same time because it's such an important part of all the other solutions.

The Children
Currently, there are XO laptops in over 30 countries from India to Mongolia, and everywhere it goes, the results are the same. The laptops help children build on their active interest in the world around them to engage with powerful ideas. When the laptops arrive school attendance goes up, teachers download lesson plans from the web and kids begin teaching each other how to use the machine. With the XO, kids actually learn how to learn.

Product Specifications
The laptop hardware was designed by experts from both education and industry. This team brought together extraordinary talent and decades of collective field experience to create the perfect machine to help carry out our mission. Built in hardware includes:
Wireless Antennae ears
Microphone
Speakers
Webcam
3 USB memory ports
SD memory slot
Game controller
XO comes pre-loaded with free and open-source software. Our commitment to software freedom gives children the opportunity to use their laptops on their own terms. The children—and their teachers—will have the freedom to reshape, reinvent, and reapply their software, hardware, and content.
Pre installed software activities include:
Music editing
Drawing
Writing
Recoding (includes audio, images and video)
Basic computer programming
A simple web browser
Distance and sound wave measurement

The One Laptop Per Child Organization
Founded in 2001 by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte, the One Laptop Per Child Foundation has a simple mission: to create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each and every one with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.
By giving a laptop, you are helping bring education to children in some of the world's most remote areas.
You are connecting them to each other. To us. To hope. And to a better future.