due Monday Feb.16

By now you have a good idea of the capabilities of babies during infancy. Now you are going to apply that knowledge to evaluate the age-appropriateness of toys and their likely effect (or lack-there-of) on a baby's development.

1. Spend some time browsing in the toy section of a store or visit a store online. Here are some links.
• Tiny Love http://www.tinylove.com/
• Genius Babies http://www.geniusbabies.com/
• Gummy Lump http://www.gummylump.com/
• Come Play http://www.comeplaytoys.com/
• Imaginarium http://www.imaginarium.com
• Little Wonders http://www.littlewonders.com/

2. Choose a toy that is geared for use by infants (0-2 years). Online, you can use "Shop by age" features included in many sites.

Answer the following questions for your chosen toy:

3. Describe the toy briefly (how it looks, what it does). What is the recommended age range for using that toy? What claims do they make about it? (e.g. "babies will love their bold colors", "will learn to associate sounds with animals", "stimulates exploration", etc.)

4. Is the age range provided by the manufacturer appropriate? Can babies in that age-range use the toy as is intended given their abilities? (at the beginning of the range, at the end of the range)

5. How does the toy change the baby's environment? How does the toy allow babies to practice different skills? Does the toy encourage new abilities?

6. Is the manufacturer's information accurate?

7. How would you change the toy to make it more age-appropriate or stimulating?