Don’t Want Your Kids To Grow Up Talking Like Elmo? Better Check Out This List of Best Educational Toys from Parenting Expert Sherry Artemenko.

Parenting expert Sherry Younger Artemenko and I bonded over Mattel’s talking-doll-classic, Chatty Cathy, a zillion years ago. Sherry’s Cathy was pristine; its blonde hair curled, coiffed and Christmas-present perfect. (My Cathy’s hair had been ‘re-styled’ by my brothers.) Her Cathy’s outfit was still neat and clean. (No comment.) Her Cathy still had its patent leather shoes. (I was simply glad my Cathy still had a foot.)

So it was no surprise that over the years, Sherry has morphed into a primo parenting expert, with a string of prestigious degrees (M.A., C.C.) and robust experience working with children to improve their speech and language, serving as a speech language pathologist in both the public and private school systems and private practice.

To help parents navigate the chaos known as the holiday shopping season, she’s released this carefully researched list of Best Educational Toys to Build Language. The list is a savvy blend of age-specific new and old favorites accompanied by Sherry’s educational tips.

Here is a sample — visit Sherry’s parent-friendly, content-rich site, Playonwords.com, to read the whole list.

Birth-1 years and up

eebee’s Adventure Play Mat and Play House (6 months to 3 years): Every now and then a toy comes along that I get really excited about. This is one. Maybe because I had an older brother and he was always making forts out of our couch cushions and planting me inside with a bowl of popcorn! This colorful set of foam sections, attachable with Velcro strips, invites your child to make a house and climb right in. Every day he can make a new creation, lift the curtain to peek out the window, catch a glimpse in the mirror, crawl through the circular hole or have a chat with a eebee’s life size face. crawling babies enjoy exploring the vibrant, textured panels even when they are laid out flat.

Language Building Tips: Follow your child’s interest and describe the colors, textures, and features of the panels. Use action verbs to name what your child is doing such as going “in” “out” or “through.” Provide a few additional props for an older toddler such as a play dishes for a picnic or tea party.

Guru’s Note: Pictured above is the toy *I* want. It’s called Chocolate Fix and I need it now. Hear that, Santa?

Sherry says:
Chocolate Fix by ThinkFun Inc (8 and up): This gold award winner from Parents Choice is a feast of fun! Take turns filling your customer’s orders at the chocolate shoppe. Flip to the page of visual clues on where to put your 9 tempting treats in three flavors and three shapes. Let’s see, the pink square chocolate is next to the dark circle chocolate. In the grid of nine positions, the chocolatier has to solve all the clues to place the pieces in just the right spot. With several levels of play, kids and adults are entertained. An added language building value is that kids love to role-play as the chocolatier and the customer.

The OMG! Gift for Holiday 2008: The Keyboard for Blondes

Forget all those bland, boring, brunette-centric keyboards once foisted upon us by bland, boring, brunette manufacturers. Finally, here is the Geek Chic we Blondes deserve.  

European Trends has already released their hot pink Keyboard for Blondes in the U.K. and based on a strange video now available on youtube, it’s also sparking some major Blonde Moments in Russia.

The pink keyboard swaps out standard keys with more blonde-appropriate names. The backspace key now says “Oops!” and the entire row of function keys spells out USELESS KEYS. Hit the “$” sign and you get the sound of a cash register clinking.

The Keyboard even has special keys that type out “OMG,” “ALI” (Absolutely Love It!), or “XOXO.”

The best? The Caps Lock now says: “Warning! size XXL letters.”

At $49.95, it’s compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and Paris Hilton.

Thanks to CNET Crave.