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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Diane Debrovner
Aired December 15, 2002 - 07:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: The cash registers are ringing, the kids are clamoring, the high tech hype is dizzying. They'll ding their ding donglers and bang their bong binglers, but the joy of giving may not have to depend upon bells, whistles, batteries and the like.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no. No, the truest magic just may take place at your child's imagination, as it always does.
Joining us with a preview of the season's choices is Diane Debrovner. And she is live in New York this morning. Welcome.
DIANE DEBROVNER, PARENTS MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol and Charles.
COSTELLO: Lots of cool toys here.
DEBROVNER: Definitely. Our team of parents evaluated over 700 toys this year. And we chose 50 that we thought would be excellent gifts and we have some of our favorites there.
COSTELLO: Now are these considered educational toys?
DEBROVNER: They are. You know, educational, not necessarily always in the academic sense, but when you're talking about young children, who's job is to learn how the world works, and play is really the primary way that they learn, those toys are ones that are going to inspire their curiosity and get them to learn a variety of concepts and skills while they're having fun. And that's really the key is that kids play with toys because they're fun and interesting, not necessarily because they're good for them. And educational toys do the same thing.
MOLINEAUX: Well, let's take a look at something that's really obvious. We have the magnetic assembly kit here, the name of which is not...
DEBROVNER: The Geomag.
MOLINEAUX: The Geomag.
DEBROVNER: Right.
MOLINEAUX: All right, now this is -- it's pretty obvious. I mean, you put the magnets together and you create these geometric shapes. So automatically, you're thinking, oh, Geometry 101, 50 points on the SATs.
DEBROVNER: It seems really obvious...
MOLINEAUX: So...
DEBROVNER: It seems -- sorry. Go ahead.
MOLINEAUX: Yes.
DEBROVNER: Well, it seems really obvious, but what we loved about this toy is that kids will be playing with this for years to come. You can build a really simple triangle and our square but...
MOLINEAUX: That's an advantage.
DEBROVNER: ...as you get older, you can build a pyramid. And you can't put it down.
MOLINEAUX: No.
DEBROVNER: But it teaches fine motor skills. And it teaches spatial skills. And they're actually have been studies that have showed that kids who play with blocks and other construction toys like this actually develop better spatial skills and become stronger math students. So doing this at a young age really does build the brain in a way that fosters those types of skills here on.
COSTELLO: Okay, let's talk more about building the brain, because this little gal, this doll that I'm holding here...
DEBROVNER: Uh-huh.
COSTELLO: There, we'll get a close up of her.
DEBROVNER: Okay.
COSTELLO: This actually teaches children to speak Hebrew.
DEBROVNER: That is Farrah Hebrew. She had friends who speak Spanish and Italian and Chinese and French. And you know, even learning a few phrases at a young age...
MOLINEAUX: There she is.
DEBROVNER: ...makes kids excited about learning another language.
COSTELLO: So the way this works is you squeeze one hand, and she speaks in English. And you squeeze the other hand, and she says the same thing in Hebrew.
DEBROVNER: Right, right. And because they're sort of soft and squishy like a regular doll, kids will use them in pretend play. And that way, they'll really sort of incorporate them into their play and use them in a more active way.
MOLINEAUX: Now this is the one that I demanded dibs on right up.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's true.
MOLINEAUX: It is one of the coolest looking things you've got here, the discover dome.
DEBROVNER: That's right.
MOLINEAUX: Which is one of the expanding domes. Ready? One, two, three, ooh!
DEBROVNER: It's made by -- Chuck Hoberman (ph) is the designer. And those Hoberman domes are so fascinating, kids walk into a room and they just can't put it down.
MOLINEAUX: There's something about this...
DEBROVNER: And that's just the way it opens and closes.
MOLINEAUX: ...thing that attracts -- but it's got dinosaurs on it, too.
DEBROVNER: It has dinosaurs. This is the newest variety. It has a zillion facts on it about dinosaurs and pictures that change when you open and close. And so, kids can really use it in a variety of ways.
COSTELLO: Well, it has "dino info; meaning tyrant lizard; group, Seropod; diet, carnivore." How old are kids supposed to be when they play with this thing?
DEBROVNER: Six and up. When they're younger, they might just enjoy opening and closing it and standing under it, and putting it on their head. But as they get older, they can, you know, look at the pictures and learn the facts. And there's also a variety with space. And there's another one with nature. So it's really cool. And parents...
COSTELLO: This is pretty cool, the crunch art. I really like this one because it really shows creativity. And what you do is you have this little tool. And you have like little pieces of fabric. And what you do is you just put the fabric here, this side, our already made design, and then you just punch it into this stuff.
MOLINEAUX: Instead floral.
COSTELLO: Instant floral. That's cool.
DEBROVNER: No glue, no mess...
COSTELLO: This teaches kids....
DEBROVNER: It's really fun.
MOLINEAUX: Now Diane, a question. Some of these -- what you like about it seems to be pretty esoteric, as in the kid pushes a button and gets a certain sound or a certain effect. Is this a developmental process?
DEBROVNER: Well, kids are learning how the world works. And even babies, when they're learning to push a button, they're learning that they have an effect on the world around them, just like when they learn that they cry and you pick them up. And so, the more that they can interact in a variety of ways with you and with toys, the more motivated they're going to be to continue to be sort of proactive in the world. And that's how they learn.
MOLINEAUX: So if my nephew Nicholas gets one of these things, he's going to get an extra 50 points on the SATS?
DEBROVNER: You know, I can't promise that, but the main goal is that he's going to be an excited learner and a curious person. And that's going to serve him well in the world and in school and in general.
COSTELLO: But Diane, can't kids...
DEBROVNER: Yes?
COSTELLO: ...can't kids just play with any toy? I mean, I played with a Slinky and I had a great time. I don't know what I learned from a slinky, but why can't kids just be kids and have fun?
MOLINEAUX: And you can (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for life.
DEBROVNER: They can. And the point is that we didn't choose toys that are so rigorously educational that they're not having fun. And they may enjoy playing with the box that the toy comes in, just as much as they'll enjoying with the toy, but they will enjoy playing with the toy. And if you're choosing some of the things that you want your child to have, blocks, basic blocks and Slinkys are fabulous, but these are some newer things that may be in the repertoire of things that you might want to consider.
COSTELLO: Diane, thanks.
MOLINEAUX: Thanks a lot, Diane Debrovner.
DEBROVNER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 15, 2002 - 07:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: The cash registers are ringing, the kids are clamoring, the high tech hype is dizzying. They'll ding their ding donglers and bang their bong binglers, but the joy of giving may not have to depend upon bells, whistles, batteries and the like.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no. No, the truest magic just may take place at your child's imagination, as it always does.
Joining us with a preview of the season's choices is Diane Debrovner. And she is live in New York this morning. Welcome.
DIANE DEBROVNER, PARENTS MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol and Charles.
COSTELLO: Lots of cool toys here.
DEBROVNER: Definitely. Our team of parents evaluated over 700 toys this year. And we chose 50 that we thought would be excellent gifts and we have some of our favorites there.
COSTELLO: Now are these considered educational toys?
DEBROVNER: They are. You know, educational, not necessarily always in the academic sense, but when you're talking about young children, who's job is to learn how the world works, and play is really the primary way that they learn, those toys are ones that are going to inspire their curiosity and get them to learn a variety of concepts and skills while they're having fun. And that's really the key is that kids play with toys because they're fun and interesting, not necessarily because they're good for them. And educational toys do the same thing.
MOLINEAUX: Well, let's take a look at something that's really obvious. We have the magnetic assembly kit here, the name of which is not...
DEBROVNER: The Geomag.
MOLINEAUX: The Geomag.
DEBROVNER: Right.
MOLINEAUX: All right, now this is -- it's pretty obvious. I mean, you put the magnets together and you create these geometric shapes. So automatically, you're thinking, oh, Geometry 101, 50 points on the SATs.
DEBROVNER: It seems really obvious...
MOLINEAUX: So...
DEBROVNER: It seems -- sorry. Go ahead.
MOLINEAUX: Yes.
DEBROVNER: Well, it seems really obvious, but what we loved about this toy is that kids will be playing with this for years to come. You can build a really simple triangle and our square but...
MOLINEAUX: That's an advantage.
DEBROVNER: ...as you get older, you can build a pyramid. And you can't put it down.
MOLINEAUX: No.
DEBROVNER: But it teaches fine motor skills. And it teaches spatial skills. And they're actually have been studies that have showed that kids who play with blocks and other construction toys like this actually develop better spatial skills and become stronger math students. So doing this at a young age really does build the brain in a way that fosters those types of skills here on.
COSTELLO: Okay, let's talk more about building the brain, because this little gal, this doll that I'm holding here...
DEBROVNER: Uh-huh.
COSTELLO: There, we'll get a close up of her.
DEBROVNER: Okay.
COSTELLO: This actually teaches children to speak Hebrew.
DEBROVNER: That is Farrah Hebrew. She had friends who speak Spanish and Italian and Chinese and French. And you know, even learning a few phrases at a young age...
MOLINEAUX: There she is.
DEBROVNER: ...makes kids excited about learning another language.
COSTELLO: So the way this works is you squeeze one hand, and she speaks in English. And you squeeze the other hand, and she says the same thing in Hebrew.
DEBROVNER: Right, right. And because they're sort of soft and squishy like a regular doll, kids will use them in pretend play. And that way, they'll really sort of incorporate them into their play and use them in a more active way.
MOLINEAUX: Now this is the one that I demanded dibs on right up.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's true.
MOLINEAUX: It is one of the coolest looking things you've got here, the discover dome.
DEBROVNER: That's right.
MOLINEAUX: Which is one of the expanding domes. Ready? One, two, three, ooh!
DEBROVNER: It's made by -- Chuck Hoberman (ph) is the designer. And those Hoberman domes are so fascinating, kids walk into a room and they just can't put it down.
MOLINEAUX: There's something about this...
DEBROVNER: And that's just the way it opens and closes.
MOLINEAUX: ...thing that attracts -- but it's got dinosaurs on it, too.
DEBROVNER: It has dinosaurs. This is the newest variety. It has a zillion facts on it about dinosaurs and pictures that change when you open and close. And so, kids can really use it in a variety of ways.
COSTELLO: Well, it has "dino info; meaning tyrant lizard; group, Seropod; diet, carnivore." How old are kids supposed to be when they play with this thing?
DEBROVNER: Six and up. When they're younger, they might just enjoy opening and closing it and standing under it, and putting it on their head. But as they get older, they can, you know, look at the pictures and learn the facts. And there's also a variety with space. And there's another one with nature. So it's really cool. And parents...
COSTELLO: This is pretty cool, the crunch art. I really like this one because it really shows creativity. And what you do is you have this little tool. And you have like little pieces of fabric. And what you do is you just put the fabric here, this side, our already made design, and then you just punch it into this stuff.
MOLINEAUX: Instead floral.
COSTELLO: Instant floral. That's cool.
DEBROVNER: No glue, no mess...
COSTELLO: This teaches kids....
DEBROVNER: It's really fun.
MOLINEAUX: Now Diane, a question. Some of these -- what you like about it seems to be pretty esoteric, as in the kid pushes a button and gets a certain sound or a certain effect. Is this a developmental process?
DEBROVNER: Well, kids are learning how the world works. And even babies, when they're learning to push a button, they're learning that they have an effect on the world around them, just like when they learn that they cry and you pick them up. And so, the more that they can interact in a variety of ways with you and with toys, the more motivated they're going to be to continue to be sort of proactive in the world. And that's how they learn.
MOLINEAUX: So if my nephew Nicholas gets one of these things, he's going to get an extra 50 points on the SATS?
DEBROVNER: You know, I can't promise that, but the main goal is that he's going to be an excited learner and a curious person. And that's going to serve him well in the world and in school and in general.
COSTELLO: But Diane, can't kids...
DEBROVNER: Yes?
COSTELLO: ...can't kids just play with any toy? I mean, I played with a Slinky and I had a great time. I don't know what I learned from a slinky, but why can't kids just be kids and have fun?
MOLINEAUX: And you can (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for life.
DEBROVNER: They can. And the point is that we didn't choose toys that are so rigorously educational that they're not having fun. And they may enjoy playing with the box that the toy comes in, just as much as they'll enjoying with the toy, but they will enjoy playing with the toy. And if you're choosing some of the things that you want your child to have, blocks, basic blocks and Slinkys are fabulous, but these are some newer things that may be in the repertoire of things that you might want to consider.
COSTELLO: Diane, thanks.
MOLINEAUX: Thanks a lot, Diane Debrovner.
DEBROVNER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
