SimplyFun, known for award-winning learning products, has won two Mom's Choice Awards for Kilter and Fruit Flies.

The Mom's Choice Awards® has named Kilter and Fruit Flies among the best in family-friendly media, products and services.

SimplyFun offers a broad line of board games, family activities, brainteasers, puzzles, puppets, and even conversation starters, SimplyFun is committed to helping more families use play in their everyday lives to teach and engage with their children and students. Last year, SimplyFun recorded 54 product awards across their product line reinforcing the quality and impact it has on people’s lives.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an international awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services. Parents, educators, librarians and retailers look for the Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality materials for children and families.

MCA judges are bound by a strict code of ethics, which ensures expert and objective analysis, free from any manufacturer association. The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.
The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.

For more information about SimplyFun, call 877-557-7767 or visit Simplyfun.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.

About SimplyFun
Based in Bellevue, Washington, SimplyFun is the parental resource for using play to build smarter kids and stronger families through play. It is our mission to bring more play into family life. SimplyFun is an active member of the Direct Selling Association. For more information on SimplyFun, its products or becoming a consultant, visit simplyfun.com or call 1.877.557.7767.

Erin will be focused on strategic development of SimplyFun’s Fundraising and Institutional sales programs.  Erin will be working closely with our internal sales leaders to build programs for our Playologists that allow them to reach even more people with SimplyFun’s message that we can build smarter kids and stronger families through play.  Erin shares:

“At home, work or the carpool line “play” has always been a major part of my experience. I have enjoyed working with the education system for many years and I have had the pleasure to experience how fundraising can provide the extras that are needed in our education system.

As a parent, consumer and former school volunteer high quality products, great customer service and being able to make a purchase with a purpose that benefits my student’s education are just some of the ideas of what is important to me.

Joining the SimplyFun team to create these programs is a blessing of opportunity for my children and me. Long has the industry needed a product line that will provide the opportunity to earn much needed funds for schools and non-profit programs, while at the same time, providing key educational tools with products that SimplyFun provides. I welcome the chance to build these new programs for SimplyFun and its Playologist sales force.”

Erin has two sons (Nick & Jack) along with one very attached Mini Australian Shepherd named Shadow, that literally “shadows” her whenever she goes at home.  She and her family reside in the North Seattle area and she will be based out of our Bellevue office.

SimplyFun is pleased to welcome Erin Vassar to the Home Office Team!

Congratulations on your hard work and dedication!

Top 3 in 1^st Quarter Sales

• Rachel Kiepe
• Terri Lambing
• Angie Stoeller

Top 3 Sponsoring for the 1^st Quarter

• Megan Swap
• Anissa Hayes
• Heather Ollenberg

3 Months

• Angie Stoller
• Tami Mathis
• Terri Lambing

2 Months

• Holly Walther
• Megan Swap
• Tara Rogness
• Teresa Rosado
• Kim Starcevich
• Ani Janbazian
• Shelley Whitmarsh Beal
• Margaret Sierdsma

1 month

• Asavari Krizenesky
• Carrie Howe
• Charissa Petit
• Jessica Davison
• Rachel Kiepe
• Sylvia Barone
• Amy Olsson
• Sarah Odegaard
• Amber Christianson
• Lorie Cook
• Brianna Highland
• Anissa Hayes
• Heidi Brewster
• Tanya May
• Terri Campbell
• Lindsey Clark
• Megan Lewis
• Meagan Scipioni
• Julie Aldridge
• Rebecca Grabowski
• Sue Pelzer
• Toni Leisenring
• Carrie Balas
• Danica Eyart

Want more information on how to become a Playologist and join the fun? Click here.

Pelican Cove: In Pelican Cove, each of these brightly colored water birds has a unique request for how where they want to roost. Your job each round is to make as many of them happy as possible! Red wants to sit next to yellow, and yellow wants to sit across from white. Think fast before the sand runs out on the timer! This game easily scales up or down in difficulty as there are five difficulties of request cards, or try doubling up requests for the biggest challenge! Ages 8 and up. 1-5 players.

Math Room: In Math Room, you'll do basic addition or subtraction trying to be the first to cover all the windows on your numbered board. Solve the problem on your key that corresponds to the color just rolled on the die. If anyone wants to try a different problem, they race to be first to ring the bell. This lets them flip over their key and do the problem on the back instead. This game is a great way to practice plus and minus with answers ranging from 1 to 10 - perfect for counting on small fingers or toes! Ages 5 and up. 2-4 players.

Katachi: Walk tiles back toward your corner by matching color, shape or size. The first player to stack three shape tiles on top of their corner tile and one on the adjacent tile wins! Ages 8 and up. 2-4 players.

Bypass:  In this game, your challenge is to build or share a roadway built by others to navigate from one side of the board to the other. Drop atraffic cone to protect a route you like, or "Bypass" one you don't. Make sure to watch for other players' roadways to 'break' them up before they have a complete route. Be the first person to complete a route to win. Ages 8 and Up. 2-4 players.

World Bits:  In Word Bits, words begin as one to four letter bits rolled on the letter dice. Pick a category card and make a word using those word bits that fit the category. Everyone plays at once, so be the first to call out your word to win the card. This game promotes quick thinking while building spelling and vocabulary skills. Ages 8 and up. 2-4 players.

For more information on our award-winning learning games, be sure to check out our website at SimplyFun.com!

Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). March also happens to be March MATHness here at SimplyFun so it was a natural fit to celebrate Pi Day with an amazing offer on one of our math games. We’ll be offering the award-winning Sudoku Challenge for just $3.14 with a $25 order.

ABOUT SUDOKU CHALLENGE

Sudoku Challenge is the addictive Sudoku puzzle in a board game format for multi-player fun! There are no predetermined set ups to follow and playing with other people makes each game unique! This game includes Zoodoku – the kid version of Sudoku featuring animals native to Japan. Kids learn logic and reasoning with the animal characters and progress to Sudoku for advanced challenge. This is 2 Games in 1!

More About Pi Day:

• In Math, pi represents the relationship between the distance around a circle and the distance across it.
• The symbol for pi is the 16^th letter of the greek alphabet: π, pronounced like “pie” but it doesn’t taste as sweet
• Since the exact value of pi is a non-repeating decimal, it is typically shortened to 3.14
• March 14^th has been declared as “pi day” since it is also 3/14

*Consultants: Use promo code CP031305 when ordering Sudoku Challenge to get special pricing. Individual order must  total $25 or more to qualify. Offer Valid March 14-March 20, 2013. Orders must be submitted by 11:59pm (Pacific) on March 20, 2013. Limit 1 per qualifying guest order.

Start your day with a hearty southwestern breakfast, and don’t be shy, because you’ll need your energy for the day’s activities! Whether you prefer horseback riding, tennis, swimming, or crafts, you’ll find something for all ages. Maybe you’ll take a guided hike into Saguaro National Park followed by an afternoon cool-down pool side. Then end your day of adventure with a campfire cookout under the night sky and “Starlight Movies” featuring episodes from the long running “Lone Ranger” television serial. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience for your family!

If you want to learn more about this opportunity, just send us an email to: info@simplyfun.com and we will connect you with one of our fabulous Playologists at SimplyFun.  You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

If you're new, not to worry! You still have 5 months to qualify for the trip!

** A qualified personally sponsored Consultant is a new Consultant who has successfully submitted a new SimplyFun Consultant agreement during the qualification period, and completed Fast Start #1 or Fast Start #2. All new sponsored Consultants must be qualified by July, 31 2013.

Terms:
1. Personal retail sales include commissionable sales, but does not include sales tax and shipping and handling charges.
2. The qualification period begins July 1, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. (PST) July 31, 2013.
3. Award includes airfare from the nearest major airport for qualified winners (airfare may include multiple stops),
land transportation to and from airport, accommodations, per-diem food allowance, and meals as provided by Tanque Verde all inclusive package. Qualifiers and guests are responsible for all other incidental charges including but not limited to excursions, alcoholic beverages, phone calls, rental cars, misc resort charges (pool towels, spa services, private lessons, etc.)
4. The program is void where prohibited by law. Fraud constitutes disqualification. The Company reserves the sole right to determine winner(s).
5. Guest inclusion is limited to one (1) adult 18 years or older and up to three minors (a minor guest may be substituted for the adult subject to any level qualification buy-in restrictions noted below.) Guests may not be SimplyFun Independent Consultants.
6. SimplyFun reserves the right to offer a paid guest travel option at its discretion and on a space available basis. Consultants who qualify for Level 1 of the trip may buy in to a higher level of the program. Buy in for Level 2 is
$2000 (for either an adult or child) and buy in for Levels 3-5 (child only) is $1250 for children 5 and up; $400 for
children 2 – 4 years, and free for children under 2 years.
7. Notice and payment for a trip buy-in must be received no later than August 15, 2013. All buy-in requests are
subject to approval by SimplyFun at the time the request is made. Buy-ins will be honored on a first come first
served, space available basis.
8. Qualifiers traveling as a single will be assigned another qualifying Consultant of the same gender as a roommate.
Awards are based on double occupancy. If a Consultant requests to room alone, they will personally incur all additional charges for that room. Single rooms are subject to availability; SimplyFun does not guarantee that a single room will be available to fill a Consultant’s request.
9. Qualifier must be an Active Consultant at the time of the trip.
10. In the event you qualify for the incentive trip but are unable to attend, your rights are forfeited and you will not be
reimbursed in cash, other trip options or considerations. This trip is not transferable.
11. Trip dates and destination are subject to change without notice.
12. Points for promoting to Senior Consultant or leader are awarded one time only per title. Consultants must hold a
Team Leader title or above to qualify for points from promoting a team member to Team Leader within their team.

We are very proud to announce that Pelican Cove is our 100th game, and just look at how far we have come! From the early days of Butterfly puzzles and Squared Ups to today filled with complex and challenging games like Katachi and Triage. Our line up continues to grow as our product team locates and develops even more products that can help make learning fun and keep families engaged in healthy play.

Pelican Cove is another shining example of a simple concept that teaches so much. The first time I played the game I thought to myself that I had never experienced algebra without numbers. But that is exactly what you do in Pelican Cove, you solve for one or more unknowns by trying to make the ‘equation’ work so that all the pelicans find their specific place according to their preferences. It is a wildly deceptive game in that you think more time will create a more accurate result. But usually your first solution is the best solution….my personal rule is “place those pelicans and walk away!” What better way to help kids understand (and like) algebra than to take every number out of the learning process. That is why we are so excited to add Pelican Cove to our line up. It is truly a very special game.

As you might expect from SimplyFun, Pelican Cove lives up to our product promise in ways you might not expect. The game contains a number of different level cards and a 2 sided board to allow players of different skills to all play together and be challenged. The rules are minimal (as the Pelicans do all the rule setting) and plays in rounds that allow you to manage the time. Play longer or shorter…it’s up to you! The components in the game meet our standard quality specifications for durability and are tested to US toy Standards for safety. But most importantly, you won’t find Pelican Cove on the store shelf. It can only be purchased from at SimplyFun making it uniquely ours.

We are proud to put the SimplyFun name on Pelican Cove and add it to our growing product line. We would also like to take a moment to acknowledge our hard working product team who in their history have produced an average of 15 games per year, achieving a record in 2012 creating 20 new games winning 54 individual product awards. Ask yourself how many companies can match that record and you will discover quickly why SimplyFun is simply amazing in everything that we do!

Congratulations Pelican Cove and the SimplyFun product team for bringing us another great example of what makes SimplyFun, simply fun!

Join us this Thursday on March 7th, 2013 for a special Facebook Party hosted on the SimplyFun Facebook Fan Page. We will be walking through the company's greatest achievements, showcasing our newest games: Pelican Cove and Math Room, talking about the business opportunity as well as give you the chance to win some great prizes just for attending!

To attend, just fill out this form and follow the instructions on the confirmation screen!

SimplyFun’s game “Qualities” is a natural language catalyst and a creative way to get to know and be known by friends. Claiming a Platonic heritage, they quote the philosopher’s influence on this game – “you can learn more about a man in one hour of play than in one year of conversation.”

Up to seven players take turns identifying and rating certain qualities in themselves, while game-mates offer up their own perceptions. “Qualities” runs off of a Preference Board which is the dashboard to this adventure in self and others’ assessments. Players accumulate points as they demonstrate the best knowledge of their own personalities, and as they excel at accurately perceiving others’ qualities. Those qualities fall in three categories of ascending indicators of one’s character. Most simply, you are mind-reading what “activities” are of the greatest interest or most desirable, such as camping, watching TV, or taking a class.

Next come “traits,” the habits, dispositions and approaches by which we are known such as aspiring, balanced, or commanding. Then, at the core, is what we “value” most, tied to our beliefs and deep convictions such as peace, self-reliance, or safety. The spark in “Qualities” is the confluence of personalities, self-examination and discernment. Choosing the strongest quality to define us, accurately assessing the degree to which it is important and combining players’ perspectives, creates a winner.

In a world that has come alive to emotional IQ and being self aware, this game invites lots of conversation defending one’s strongest character traits, what gives them energy or what they value in dealing with others. Lively dialogue ensued as players discussed why they felt their friend was more cheerful than forgiving or empathic rather than sympathetic. The trait and value cards were a vocabulary lesson in themselves.

See original review here.

We live in a cookie cutter world where one size tries to fit all. But when it comes to learning there is no one right solution. Children learn in a variety of methods (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.) and at different paces particularly in the early years. It is important for parents to know where their kids are at developmentally and to monitor skills so that any gaps are identified early. I share the following story often with parents as an example of what can happen… A grandmother comes into our booth and sees our sequencing puzzles for abc’s and 123’s displayed on the table. Her 4 year old grandson is with her and starts looking at the puzzle. She announces to our folks that her grandson is way too advanced for a puzzle that only has 26 pieces as he was already working puzzles with 100 pieces. She then says “honey, go ahead and put that together for them.”

I bet you can guess what happens next, the little boy could not work the abc puzzle in front of him because all the pieces are exactly the same shape but each with a different letter. The little boy did not know the sequence of the alphabet, even though he had sight recognition of the letters. His grandmother was stunned! While her grandson had more advanced skills in spatial reasoning (putting puzzle shapes together) he did not have solid skills in the ordering of the alphabet necessary for learning to read and write.

So how do parents know where they kids are at from a skill development perspective? The answer is simple… play with them. You will see quickly how your child thinks, what skills he deploys and where the gaps might be. And that brings me back to the subject at hand…why SimplyFun uses person to person selling. What better way to share what is important and lessons learned than the experience of one parent to another! Our Playologists bring their play experience directly to you and your family. They can recommend products that will best fit the various age and skill levels in the household. They can also match products that help with specific learning topics to reinforce what the child is learning in school. But best of all, our customers get to ‘peek’ inside the box at our events and on our videos to get a preview of what the game is like to play. We use the direct sales channel because it is the best way to serve our customers by helping them make informed choices that will help their children get ahead.

Notes from Patty Pearcy, CEO.

ByPass: In this game, your challenge is to build or share a roadway built by others to navigate from one side of the board to the other. Drop a traffic cone to protect a route you like, or "Bypass" one you don't.

Word Bits: In Word Bits, words begin as one to four letter bits rolled on the letter dice. Pick a category card and make a word using those word bits that fit the category.

Katachi: Walk tiles back toward your corner by matching color, shape or size. The first player to stack three shape tiles on top of their corner tile and one on the adjacent tile wins!

The Tillywig's mission is to provide retail buyers, news media, parents, and consumers with product information and reviews of superior children's products available in today's marketplace. Each year, the Tillywig Toy Awards Prodgram delivers to consumers, retailers, and the media, reviews of the best new toys, games, and other products available in the United States.