PROJECT: Education Outreach - Chicago rings the bells of celebration with the completion of the first run of the historical Christmas event, "Merry Christmas Chicago!™". This was an event that puts a whole new spin on Christmas giving.

Rev. James G.W. Fisher and Mr. Joseph Balcuk were recently in Chicago for the historical start of PROJECT: Education Outreach - Chicago, at Jesse Sherwood Elementary and Madero Middle Schools, part of the Chicago Public Schools system. With an abundant level of product contributions from other companies, these two men were back yet again to make a difference and bring kids even more reasons to cheer this holiday Season.

Upon completion of the first effort with the Chicago Public Schools, PROJECT: Education Outreach - Chicago is now seen by many as a diamond in the rough, such an incredible concept fir schools in Chicago, just needing some refinement create a polished gem.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Chicago Public School system, the staff at both of the Chicago Public Schools where our program began, the sponsors of PROJECT: Education Outreach - Chicago, and the unfailing efforts of our contributors for "Merry Christmas Chicago!™", our dream became a historical reality; just one more of many to come!

@ The Rauner Family YMCA in Chicago

"Merry Christmas Chicago™"! was held in conjunction the Rauner Family YMCA in Chicago to create a historic 2009 Christmas event. The products listed below which were a part of the Merry "Christmas Chicago™!" project effort. There were multiple copies of the majority of the products with which the families who attended, had an opportunity to get a hands-on experience with.

Several of the products were donated specifically for continued use by the Rauner Family YMCA, while others were to be raffled off to the families, each matched to the age group of the recipients of them. These products will help to have a long lasting benefit to families and help make this Christmas Season more special.

There were so many families, laughing, jumping, and having such an abundant level of fun. Best of all was when the family members began to receive the products which were being raffled off to the family members at the end of the event.

"Merry Christmas Chicago™!" was a time of social interaction and joy which gave every last person an opportunity to have fun and feel appreciated with nothing expected of them in return. It was truly a new spin on giving for everyone.

Our sponsors were instrumental in bringing this effort to a reality. Each sponsor / contributor has provided product(s) for us to give to the YMCA for their active use every day with their members, and/or for gifting to others as part of "Merry Christmas Chicago"Some of these sponsors / contributors were also participants in our efforts for the launch of the historical event PROJECT: Education Outreach Chicago which was recently held at Jesse Sherwood Elementary in Chicago Heights.

We ask that you as our readers reciprocate the support our sponsors / contributors provided as a group effort without selfish gain, by visiting their web sites and buying their products this Christmas and Holiday Season.

A directory of the products submitted by our contributors is listed below;

* Listings which have an induction certificate number are products which have passed the strict evaluation standards of The Toy Man® Product Guide and have been inducted into our database of "products which have what it takes!™"

Special thanks to Mr. Joseph Balcuk for not only his donation of his educational games, "The Merbs" to "Merry Christmas Chicago", but also for his assistance at the historical launch of PROJECT: Education Outreach™ Chicago and our "Merry Christmas Chicago" events. Additional thanks are in order to the folks at Time4Learning, http://www.time4learning.com and http://www.spellingcity.com for their donation of an excellent online learning experience for the kids at our event, and Street Surfing, LLC for their donation of two "Whiplash Scooters" for hands-on experience for the students at these same events as well.

WebSite - http://www.mathtutordvd.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091026-372

MathTutorDVD.com has created the Young Minds series of DVD's to introduce young children to the joys of learning Math at a young age. This DVD in Numbers and Counting teaches young children to count from 1 to 10 by way of engaging classical music, photographs, and video.

WebSite - http://www.inthearthouse.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091221-373

Art House-Volume 1: Basic Shapes and Animals is the first DVD in a planned series of children’s instructional DVD’s that teaches kids how to draw their favorite animals using basic shapes.  Step by step instruction as well as entertaining music videos and animation help guide the kids through the fun of creating art!

WebSite - http://www.rocknlearn.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091221-367

Telling Time starts off easy and gives clear examples along with lots of humor and musical entertainment. Kids learn to tell time to the half hour, quarter hour, five minutes, and eventually to the minute. We’ve provided plenty of practice so that students build their skills every time this program is used. As a bonus, we’ve included days of the week, months of the year, and how calendars work.

WebSite - http://www.rocknlearn.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091221-363

Students love learning basic addition and subtraction facts by rapping along. Positive lyrics, super-cool rap music, and high-energy action make this educational video irresistible for mastering math facts. Sums up to 18 and differences from 18 are easy to learn and remember.

WebSite - http://www.rocknlearn.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091221-387

Explore the systems of the human body—skeletal, nervous, muscular, circulatory, urinary, respiratory, and digestive systems. Also learn about the five senses and view the bonus segment on healthy nutrition, exercise, and MyPyramid. Meets National Science Education Standards..

WebSite - http://www.bellasara.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020081020-284

Bella Sara is a unique combination of collectable horse-themed trading cards and a magical online world for kids at BellaSara. Each Bella Sara trading card features a fairytale-like illustration of a horse along with a positive message such as "Beauty comes from within..." They are designed to stimulate pro-social dialogue among kids, and between kids, their parents and educators.

WebSite - http://www.precisionmath.com [ The Merbs ]

Induction Certificate Number: 74020090720-330

The Spoils of Civilization is a motivational tool used to increase the interest in school work. The game uses a storyline of characters called MERBS which is an acronym for Mathematically Educated Randomized Buyers. The game is played by having students earn money for tasks (homework, class work, test, quizzes) and then investing that money in a stock market that is used to build an economy in the game.

WebSite - http://www.chess3.net

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-380

Chess is already a game which has been a classic game for generations; a game which stimulates the mind and influences strategic developmental skills. Chess3 takes this game of strategy and focus, magically infuses fun into the game Play and transforms the normal 2 player Chess challenge. It transforms it into an even greater level of challenge as a 3 player Chess game...Chess 3™.

WebSite - http://www.activemindsonline.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020080614-243

Comet, The Fast Path to Learning, is an engaging way to learn and spell. The foundation of the game is built using dictionary meanings, world facts and legends; the best in knowledge about science, geography, history, art and literature. Comet, The Fast Path to Learning is a fun and stimulating game which turns learning into a fun adventure.

WebSite - http://www.dreamgreen.org

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-376

1-2-3 OY! dramatically improves fast mental arithmetic, quickly builds confidence and encourages teamwork. The instructions include comprehensive information for educators. The cards range from zero to sixteen and include five wild OY! cards. The faces of the 90 cards include drawings representing their numbers to assist parents in the introduction of numbers to very young children.

Participating in our eco-Recognition™ Project to encourage greenBusiness™

WebSite - http://www.dreamgreen.org

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-375

A-B-C OY! contains eight surprisingly adaptable, fun games for any age or ability level, only these games are word, spelling and alphabet based. Learn your letters backwards and forwards with ZOOM OY! or speed spell with SLAPSPELL OY! You can even learn languages using the blank cards included to make your own foreign alphabet. Suitable for preschool through adult, the games are easily adjusted to suit the needs of any player.

Participating in our eco-Recognition™ Project to encourage greenBusiness™

WebSite - http://www.dreamgreen.org

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-378

This game combines the strategy and piece moves of chess with the play action of tic tac toe to provide a wonderful way to help teach the basics of chess and  a tricky little game for novice and experienced players alike. The object of the game is to get your four pieces, a Knight, a Rook, a Bishop and a Pawn in a row before your opponent does. Captured pieces are returned and can be played again.

WebSite - http://www.thesandsac.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091221-312

The SandSac is a Arts & Craft project, customize it with fabric markers & paints, iron on patches, or be creative and glue on almost anything, then the fun really starts. Fold it up for travel, pack it away and take it with you or fill it with your cell phone, ipod, or a Nintendo DS and use it like a tote.

Participating in our eco-Recognition™ Project to encourage greenBusiness™

WebSite - http://www.roundhousedc.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-377

Oh Plah!™, (French for “Here you go), bracelets are free of paints, lead, latex, PVC, BPA and phthalates and are made in the USA.   In addition, Roundhouse Design practices a closed loop cycle with its Full Circle Recycling program:  When it's time, Roundhouse will even pay to have your Oh Plah!™ shipped back to have it recycled into new products.

Participating in our eco-Recognition™ Project to encourage greenBusiness™

WebSite - http://www.marshfunco.com

[ Currently under evaluation for induction ]

The Marshmallow Fun Company is proving that you can have fun with your food, especially when you can shoot marshmallows up to forty feet at unsuspecting targets. The company’s fun products are putting new meaning to the concept of "fast food." The award-winning marshmallow shooters have been seen on Hannah Montana, Rachael Ray, Good Morning America, The Jay Leno Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

WebSite - http://www.citiblocs.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020090817-353

CitiBlocs raise the bar when it comes to quality and greenBusiness™. They are precision cut blocks of wood which are 100% ChildSafe™, green, crafted from renewable pine forests in Vietnam and provide an outstanding skill development medium. From pre-school to elementary school and even architecture professionals, CitiBlocs are an ideal educational toy, which is so simple in design yet is limited only by the imagination.

Participating in our eco-Recognition™ Project to encourage greenBusiness™

WebSite - http://www.whiplashscooter.com

Induction Certificate Number: 74020091214-379

The Scooter With a Twist - The Whiplash™ is a self-propelling, revolutionary new ride. It is part scooter, part Wave board (caster board) and totally fun. The Whiplash Scooter’s flexing deck and handlebar fuse together to provide riders with a cool, side to side, whip-like ride. Riders can self-propel the scooter so that their feet never touch the ground or ride it like a traditional scooter.