Nicosia, CYPUS - Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, “Dr. Toy” will be a keynote speaker for the first-ever Conference on Construction Toys, which will take place on Saturday, September 15th at the University of Cyprus, an event spearheaded and sponsored by Engino Toy Systems and the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation in association with The Teacher’s Associations.
In addition to addressing the attendees at the international conference, Dr. Toy is leading the arrangement of the First International Construction Products Exhibition, an interactive area and display of many of the world’s top construction toys, as examples of the tremendous benefits that construction toys offer to children as they learn and grow in the classroom and at home. Costas Sisamos, Chief Executive Officer of ENGINO and lead coordinator of the conference project commented, “This is the first time that all construction toy systems will be displayed under one roof, giving the opportunity to both educators and parents, as well as students learning this important discipline are witness to a demonstration of how quality construction play can inspire innovation and creativity.”
The Official Conference's title is "Towards intergrading construction kits in Design and Technology". The Event is co-funded by the Research Promotion Foundation, a Government independent organization that partially funds research projects of innovative character. The funds come from both Government and European Union and are awarded through competitions. ENGINO.NET LTD has been awarded one such project, which involved the design and development of plastic connectors for creating three dimensional frames in the Design and Technology classroom. The University of Cyprus and the Teacher's Association -as research partners are developing the educational support material. The whole project was based on the patents of Engineer and Educator Sisamos.
As the subject of Design and Technology is taught in all levels of education in Cyprus, all parties involved in the establishment of the conference agreed that there are great advantages when incorporating construction sets in the classroom, regardless of the toy brand or ethnicity. “Quality construction play inspires innovation and creativity,”
The conference is now addressing several topics including the need to communicate effective solutions with teachers in questioning traditional teaching methods and introducing innovative construction sets that are widely available, many of which will be on display as part of the conference’s exhibit. Among the product companyies that are participating in the exhibit all have product that have been recommended by Dr.Toy, including:
1. Astro-logix Design www.astro-
2. b. dazzle, Inc. - www.b-dazzle.com
3. Blue Orange Games www.blueorangegames.com
4. Bridge Street Toys -www.bridgestreettoys.com
5. BRIO - www.brio.com
6. Dr. Drew's Toys www.drdrewsblocks.com
7. Engino Toy System - www.engino.net
8. Fat Brain Toys - www.fatbraintoys.com
9. AirBlox - www.airblox.com
10. HABA - www.HABAusa.com
11. Hands On Toys - www.handsontoys.com
12. Hape International - www.hapetoys.com
13. Hexabits - www.hexabits.com
14. ImagAbili - www.wedgits.com
15. Infinitoy – www.infinitoy.com
16. Jonic Distribution – www.geomag.com
17. Kapla - www.kaplatoys.com
18. KNEX - www.knex.com
19. Learning Materials Workshop – Arcobaleno - www.learningmaterialswork.com
20. Learning Resources - www.learningresources.com
21. LEGO Systems - www.mindstorms.com, www.lego.com
22. Little Tikes/MGA Entertainment - www.litletikes.com
23. Lockmade - www.konstruktubes.com
24. Maple Landmark - www.maplelandmark.com
25. Meccano - www.meccano.com
26. MEGA Brands - www.megabrandsinc.com
27. Mic-O-Mic Americas – www.micamericas.com
28. Mr. McGroovy's - www.mrmcgroovys.com
29. Museum Tour Catalog – www.museumtour.com
30. Origin Toys & Games - askewgames@aol.com
31. OWI - www.owirobot.com
32. Parents® by Battat - www.parents.com
33. Plastic Play - www.i-gami.com
34. Plasticant-
35. Plastwood Industries -www.plastwood.com
36. Playmobil – Zoo - www.playmobil.com
37. Playskool/
38. Polydron - www.polydron.com
39. Poly-M – Starter - www.polym.com
40. Quadro/Phunzone - www.quadro.com www.phunzone.com
41. Quercetti - www.quercetti.com
42. Rokenbok Toy Company - www.rokenbok.com
43. Tangle Toys - www.tangletoys.com
44. Tinker Minds - www.aerobloks.com
45. Tree Blocks - www.treeblocks.com
46. Uncle Goose Toys - www.unclegoose.com
47. WABA Fun - www.wabafun.com
48. Zometool - www.zometool.com
Dr. Toy's complete Construction Toys Report is available for reference and download at www.drtoy.com. The listing report includes every company, product, customer service number, web site link, a full product description of each product with photo, and appropriate age range and MSRP. In addition, Dr. Toy award-winning, on-line magazine, Dr. Toy’s Guide (www.drtoy.com)
ENGINO.NET LTD was established in 2004 in order to commercialize the patented ideas of Costas Sisamos, the designer of ENGINO TOY SYSTEM. After three years of R&D in the field of pedagogical construction play, the basic System was made available in late 2006. The Technology System followed up soon, which incorporates axles, gears, pulleys and other mechanical components. The company is based in Cyprus but it has also set up a UK branch for handling the large UK market directly. Although the product was just recently launched, it already received prestigious awards such as Dr.Toy's 10 BEST and 100 BEST, and is now exported to USA, France, Korea, Norway, UK, Greece and Czech very successfully. The innovation of ENGINO lies in the ability to snap lock at many different positions simultaneously while being able to tackle all dimensions of the 3D space, not being restricted by any angle or length. The System is also fully compatible with wooden dowels of 10x10 mm and is perhaps the first hybrid toy in the world. The patented design of the components leads to very large builds using a very low number of different components and a small quantity of parts.
For additional information about the Conference on Construction Toys, please visit http://www.ucy.ac.cy/
