Step2

Play on Words, led by highly respected speech-language pathologist Sherry Artemenko, listed the Step2 Sand and Water Fun Farm as a Top 10 Play Advances Language (PAL) Award winner. This award recognizes products that encourages fun and creative play and children’s language development.

Sherry reviewed and testing the product with kids in July of this year. She also reviewed the Sizzlin’ Shape Kitchen and listed the product among the 2011 Top 100 winners.

You can read the full press release here.

The Push Around Taxi has won the 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, joining the Pin Pals Bowling Set and Grill & Play Patio Cafe. Stephanie Oppenheim, co-founder of the independent consumer organization, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, who has been reviewing children’s media since 1989, reviewed the Step2 Push Around Taxi and loved the product. She officially announced the Toy Portfolio Awards and featured few of the winners from each category on the TODAY show.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s Platinum is the highest level Stephanie gives out, and this award honors companies that are dedicated in producing engaging and educational toys for kids of all ages. Each toy is put through a testing process. Once the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio deems the toy is developmentally appropriate, fun and new, it is then sent to qualified family testers who provide honest feedback.

For a complete list of 2011 winners, click here.

AblePlay.org, an independent toy rating program developed by the National Lekotek Center, has recently rated five Step2 toys as appropriate for children with Special Needs. These toys are judged in four categories of strengths, including Physical, Sensory, Communicative, and Cognitive, making it easy for parents to identify toys that will help their child develop in the area of greatest need.

What is truly unique about these Step2 toys is their strength across multiple categories. According to AblePlay.org, it is quite common for a toy to be strong only in one category on which it focuses. Four out of the five toys recently reviewed by AblePlay from Step2 have acheived ratings of 4 (Very Good) or higher in three out of the four rating categories!

Star rankings as explained by AblePlay are as follows:

• 5-star: Exceptional
• 4-Star: Very Good
• 3-Star: Good
• 2-Star: Adequate
• 1-Star: Not suitable

Special Needs Rated toys:

• Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table
• WaterWheel Play Table
• Doorway Playhouse
• Soft & Sturdy Giant Blocks
• Soft & Sturdy Timber Blocks