Interactive educational toy

The present invention comprises a teaching toy that invites a child's interaction using an attractive play figure, for example a stuffed animal, to present more than one instructional modality in mixed formats. The child is presented with a declarative instruction, quizzing, and logical connections are induced in the child's mind via problem solving games, songs, and visual stimuli. Particularly, the present invention teaches and reinforces a child's knowledge of letter names, letter phonetics, colors, numbers, and social manners by use of visual, audial, and kinesthetic involvement of the child. If the inventive is presented in the form of a stuffed animal, the exterior of the animal would have a plurality of indicia that the child could press. The indicia is connected to switching circuitry and those switches activate a logic circuit containing preprogrammed instruction modalities and play methods. The instruction modalities are communicated using a variety of preprogrammed fun speech patterns so that the toy appears to talk to the child and provide instruction. Each inventive toy presents least two distinct instruction modalities, for example, i) stating the name of a symbol and ii) querying a name of a symbol and providing response as a function of the answer given.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1.Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to early stage learning skills and more 
specifically to learning phonetics, number skills, and social skills. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Repetition is an important teaching tool. To teach a child effectively, 
repetition must be made interesting and fun. There are a large number of 
educational toys that attempt to engage a child's interest and to teach 
the child any of a variety of concepts by virtue of the child's play with 
the toy. These toys however are geared to single format learning. 
Typically toys implement a particular instructional modality and use it 
exclusively. 
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,038, issued to Avi Arad, a doll is 
disclosed that has electronic switches located in the hands, feet, nose, 
lips, and other body parts of the doll. When a child presses the switch 
in, for example the hand, the doll appears to speak the word, "Hand". An 
adult can adjust a programming switch that changes the complexity of 
speech so that the doll appears to say the words, "Hold my hand" instead 
of only saying the word, "hand". Arad's doll, however, not only requires 
intervention of an adult for full operation, it operates only the format 
of saying a word or phrase in response to activation of a switch in a 
particular body part. The Arad educational toy is based on the presumption 
that the child will learn to associate the word with the body part in 
which the switch is pressed. Arad's educational toy provides the user with 
only a single instruction modality wherein a name is provided for a body 
part. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,511, titled "Educational Toys", by C. W. Keung 
discloses a two dimensional board on which objects shaped like household 
items, domestic pets, or letters can be placed. Sensing and switching 
devices on the board activate speech synthesis circuits that say the name 
of the object, such as "dog", "A", or the name of a number. Again in this 
device the format is constant. The child sets an object that is provided 
as part of the toy down on a sensing board, and a preprogrammed voice 
synthesizer provides the name the object represents. While the toy is 
interactive, it is presented as a tablet style learning tool, a device to 
be used in desk fashion instead of as a play object, and only a single 
instruction modality, the naming of an object, is presented. 
A toy that is available on the market, titled "What Am I", a Golden 
Book.TM. product (Western Publishing Co. Inc.; 1220 Mound Ave.; Racine, 
Wis. 53404) presents a slightly different format. It presents the child 
with a 6.times.6 array of cartoon representations of various unrelated 
objects, for example, a bus, a bird, a spoon, a cake, a roller skate, etc. 
The child is asked to guess what object is in the `mind` of the toy, with 
the voice synthesized question, "What am I?". Upon pressing a random first 
square, the child is told, "I am bigger than that", or "I am smaller than 
that", or "I am a different color", etc. The objects are functionally 
unrelated. It often takes users, including adults, many tries to get a 
correct answer, causing frustration. Also the child must have a very clear 
idea of what the object is before playing the game because the object 
representations are all the same size. In the cartoons, a house, a spoon, 
a cat, and an apple are all represented with the same size picture. As 
with the other toys, the format is invariable. Only one instruction 
modality is presented. Additionally there are a very few number of phrases 
and tunes used. 
Ideally, a teaching toy would provide an inviting format for interaction 
and would combine instruction with quizzing and logic to engage all 
portions of a child's interactive capability. Learning is best achieved 
when at least three physical modalities are logically connected and 
engaged: audio, visual, and kinesthetic. Instruction is best reinforced 
when both recognition and recall memory is engaged. In addition, combining 
declaratory instruction with rhythmic songs, direct simple quizzing, 
inducing logical connections, and providing a social environment all serve 
to enhance learning. It would be very desirable to have a toy that was 
attractive to a child simply as a toy and that further provided 
instruction using a combination of presentation formats and instructional 
modalities. 
II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of this invention to provide a teaching toy that invites a 
child's interaction using more than one instructional modality in a mixed 
format presentation, including declarative instruction, quizzing, and 
induction of logical connections in the child's mind via problem solving 
games, songs, and visual stimuli. It is a further object of the present 
invention to teach and reinforce a child's knowledge of letter names, 
letter phonetics, colors, numbers, and social manners by use of visual, 
audial, and kinesthetic involvement of the child and by use of mixed 
instruction modalities. 
The present invention is an interactive learning device comprising, a) a 
figure attractive to children, the figure having an exterior surface; b) a 
plurality of indicia on the exterior surface of the figure; c) switching 
circuitry electrically connected to the indicia; and d) a logic circuit 
having at least one memory and having its input terminals connected to the 
switching circuitry and its output terminals connected through other 
circuit elements to a sound synthesizer and speaker; wherein the logic 
circuitry controls interaction between the switching circuitry and a 
plurality of preprogrammed instruction modalities including at least two 
distinct instruction modalities.

IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is an interactive learning device comprising, a) a 
figure attractive to children, the figure having an exterior surface; b) a 
plurality of indicia on the exterior surface of the figure; c) switching 
circuitry electrically connected to the indicia; and d) a logic circuit 
having at least one memory and having its input terminals connected to the 
switching circuitry and its output terminals connected through other 
circuit elements to a sound synthesizer and speaker; wherein the logic 
circuitry controls interaction between the switching circuitry and a 
plurality of preprogrammed instruction modalities including at least two 
distinct instruction modalities. 
The present invention is an apparatus and method for teaching children 
basic symbolic concepts. The name of a symbol is taught; the meaning of 
the symbol is taught; and the use of the symbol in context is taught. The 
inventive learning apparatus is designed to teach these principles using 
audial, visual, and kinesthetic cues and by engaging the child in 
recognition tasks and in recall tasks. While performing one task, that is, 
while engaged in playing a game that targets one learning skill, other 
concepts are reinforced. 
To engage the child, the apparatus is embodied in a figure that appeals to 
a child. The figure may be a plush figure that invites touching and 
feeling or a figure that holds other interest for the child. Examples of 
plush figures include those in the shapes of household pets, cartoon 
figures, human figures, or hybrid fantasy designs. Examples of other 
figures that may hold a child's interest include household articles like a 
telephone. The figures described above only provide illustrative examples 
and the inventive figure is not limited to these examples. 
Indicia is applied to the figure in a fashion that is easy for a young 
child of about 2 years or older to grasp and push. For example an array of 
indicia comprising alphabet letters may be attached to the chest of the 
figure. Indicia comprising numbers may be attached to the figure's fingers 
or toes and indicia comprising an `On/Off` function, or song function may 
be attached to the figure's palms. Additionally, function indicia that 
initiate different learning or play modes by activating instruction 
modalities would beneficially be located in an easy to reach place, for 
example on the chest of the figure. 
A declaratory instruction modality is useful in teaching young children the 
names of letters and the sounds represent. The child presses a letter and 
hears it's name said, or presses a letter and hears what sounds the letter 
represents. To reinforce age what the child has learned, a second quizzing 
instruction modality is useful. The name of a letter is said and the child 
is asked to press the correct letter. The child's newly learned fact is 
reinforced by stimulating recognition recall. Another useful instructional 
modality for teaching letters is to use a song, such as the traditional 
"ABC" song. The child learns connections quickly when s/he can see the 
alphabet in front of him/her as the song is sung. Learning is reinforced 
if the song stops suddenly and the child is asked to press the next letter 
in the song. It is important that the instructor does not loose patience 
with the child if the answer is wrong, and encourages the child to make 
several more attempts at the correct answer before providing it. Yet 
another important instruction modality comprises using newly mastered 
knowledge in a logic based paradigm, which further keeps the attention of 
the child and reinforces the new learning. 
Names of numbers are similarly advantageously taught by combined 
instruction modalities. Among the many educational games and toys 
available, none were found having two or more of the key elements. 
Elements key to educating a small child with a toy include, i) that the 
child is attracted to the toy independently of the toy's educational 
function, ii) that the child is engaged by more than one instructional 
modality, and iii) that the child can choose the modality of interest. It 
is best when a number of these elements are combined in a toy. 
Using an object a child perceives as a toy independently of its teaching 
function, the present invention combines the above-described instruction 
modalities and other instruction modalities to teach children the concept 
that letters both have names and represent sounds. Further, by using 
colored letters and numbers, the present invention reinforces what the 
child already knows about colors. For example, in one response to a child 
pressing the letter D, the inventive educational figure replies, "Thank 
you| That's the green letter D that says Duh", thus reinforcing the 
child's knowledge of color. In response to an incorrect answer, the 
inventive toy may ask, "Need a clue? The letter is blue. Please press the 
blue letter M". Thus the toy uses and reinforces the child's knowledge of 
colors. 
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of one embodiment of the inventive educational toy. 
The figure in this embodiment is that of a plush frog 2. In one embodiment 
the frog is sized about one and a half feet high and a bit over one foot 
wide. The frog is named Little Leap after the game of leap frog. The toy 
is made from a soft colorful fabric that is pleasant to touch, and has a 
cuddly appearance. 
Little Leap 2 has a vest 4 that contains a 5.times.6 matrix 6 on which the 
alphabet is represented using letter indicia. Each letter is a solid 
color. In this embodiment four different colors were used. In the last 
row, four red squares contain instruction modality indicia 8. Little 
Leap's fingers have number indicia on them 10, reminiscent of counting on 
one's fingers. An `On/Off` function indicia 12 is located on the left palm 
and a musical indicia 14, for example a musical note, is located on the 
right palm. 
In this embodiment a pressure sensitive switch is located behind each 
letter, number, or function indicia. The switches are connected to 
switching circuitry which in turn provides input to a logic circuit. The 
switching circuitry for one embodiment of the inventive educational toy is 
shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the logic circuitry that 
activates the plurality of instructional modalities as appropriate to the 
child's use. 
Preprogrammed instruction modalities are stored in one or more memories in 
the logic circuit or an associated microprocessor. Different instructional 
modalities are activated depending on which function indicia is pressed. 
If no modality is choosen, the toy defaults to the simplest modality. The 
art of activating different programs in memory via switching means, and 
driving speech chips according to the choosen program is well known by 
those of ordinary skill in the art of electronics for toys. The present 
invention does not lie in the specific implementation of the electronic 
circuit logic. 
To begin instructive play, the figure's left hand is squeezed activating 
the switch behind `on/off` indicia 12. The figure gives a pleasant giggle 
and says, "I'm Little Leap. Let's play| Please press a red square to 
choose a game". The first game is activated by pressing a function indicia 
that activates one of the instruction modalities, 8. For example, a square 
with a lightbulb on it begins an `explore and learn` instruction modality. 
The child presses a letter on the figure's vest and the letter's name and 
the sounds, or sounds, it makes is heard. If the numbers on the figure's 
fingers are pressed, the number's name is pronounced. The child can press 
the fingers in sequence to hear the figure count in sequence from 1 to 10. 
If a child forgets to press a red square to select a game, the figure 
defaults to the `explore and learn` instruction modality. 
A second game is activated by pressing a second function indicia 8. A red 
square with a "?" symbol on it initiates a question type instructional 
modality, in which the child uses recognition and recall to answer the 
question. The figure requests the child finds a letter or number, for 
example, "Please press the letter R." If the child presses the right 
letter or number, the figure thanks the child. If the child presses the 
wrong letter or number, the figure tells the child what s/he pressed, for 
example, "That is the letter B that says buh|" This game is combined with 
an instructional modality on manners. If the figure of Little Leap forgets 
to say "please" before giving his instruction, the child gets to press the 
"please" indicia to remind Little Leap of his manners. The figure replies, 
"Whoops| I forgot to say please. Thanks for the reminder." Any time the 
child presses the "please" indicia, the figure replies, "It's nice to say 
please." The figure always says "Thank You" in response to a user's 
effort. 
A third learning modality involves giving logic clues to find a number or 
letter that the toy figure knows but the child has to figure out. To 
activate this modality, a third indicia function box is pressed. The 
Little Leap toy figure says "Find Me". The player presses any letter or 
number to hear a reasoning clue, such as for a number, "I'm bigger than 
that, and I'm red", or for a letter, "I come before W and I'm blue". 
Alternatively the instruction modality is changed, or the toy may be turned 
on, by pressing the music indicia 14 on the right hand. The figure will 
then sing a letter song (e.g., the "ABC" song) or a number song (e.g., 
"One little, two little, three little Leap Frogs," etc.). When the figure 
stops singing, the child tries to press the letter or number that comes 
next. If the child is correct, the figure repeats the letter's or number's 
name, congratulates the child, then continues singing. If the wrong letter 
or number is pressed, the figure corrects the error and urges a second 
try. Eventually the correct answer is provided and the song continues. If 
the child does not respond when the song stops, the figure prompts the 
child to find the next number or letter. 
At the end of play, the toy is turned off by pressing the On/Off indicia 
and the figure says "Night, night|". Otherwise, the figure turns off 
automatically thirty seconds after giving a few prompts to keep playing. A 
snoring sound is produced to let the player know the toy is about to turn 
off. 
Table 1 shows a complete tabulation of a particular embodiment of the 
logical relationships between indicia activation and toy response. 
TABLE 1 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Little Leap Script 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Four function buttons: 
Game 1 - Learn Letters & Numbers 
Game 2 - Alphabet Quiz (with Please) or Number Quiz (with Please) 
Game 3 - Hide & Seek Letters or Numbers 
PLEASE button 
10 Number Button, 1 in each finger. 
On/Off button in left palm. Song button in right palm. 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
FUNCTION RECORDINGS 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Press the ON/OFF button to wake up 
(giggle)/I'm Little Leap|/Let's 
play|/Please press a red square to choose 
a 
game| 
Press the ON/OFF button to turn off 
Night night|(unit immediately turns off) 
Press the SONG button to wake up (from sleep) 
(giggle)/I'm Little Leap|/Let's sing|(go 
to song functionality below) 
No response after 4 seconds, after pressing ON button 
Let's play|/Please press a red square to 
choose a game| 
No response atter next 4 seconds, after pressing ON button 
Come on|/Let's play|/Please press a red 
square to choose a game| 
No response after next 4 seconds, after pressing ON button 
Night night|(snore sound .times. 2) 
Press the Learn button at any time 
(Go to Learn mode) 
Press the alphabet/number quiz button at any time 
(Go to Alphabet Quiz or alternately Number 
Quiz mode) 
Press the Jack in the Box at any time 
(Go to Hide & Seek Letters or alternately 
Numbers mode) 
Press the Please button (anytime not in Quiz mode) 
It's nice to say please| 
Press one of the numbers on fingers (1 through 10) in Learn mode or if 
(Recite number name) 
game is chosen. 
Press the Song button at any time 
Alternately, Little Leap will sing the 
interactive 
"ABC's" song or the interactive "1 Little 
2 Little 3 Little Leap 
Frogs" song (see song functionality 
below) 
Press any letter in Learn mode or if no game is chosen 
(e.g. "B/says/Buh") USE Deidre's speech 
from the PHONICS BUS. 
Learn Letters & Numbers Mode 
Press Learn button Please press/a letter or a number| 
No response after 4 seconds Please press/a letter pr a number| 
No response after next 4 seconds 
Please press/a letter or a number| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
OK, we'll play later|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Press any letter (e.g. "B/says/Buh") 
Press any number (Recite number name) 
Randomly sneezes or hiccups between requests. 
Aaaacchhhhoooooooooooo/(or) Hiccup|/Excuse 
me| 
After learning 5 letters or numbers in Learn Mode 
You've learned a lot|/if you want to play 
a game, press the questions mark| 
Every time after learning 10 MORE letters or numbers 
You've learned a lot|/if you want to play 
a game, press the question mark| 
Alphabet Quiz Mode 
Press quiz button, Alphabet Quiz comes up (alternately, Number 
Let's play|/If I forget to say please, 
press the PLEASE button|/(half second 
described below). pause) Please press/the letter/(letter)/tha 
t says/(phoneme) 
No response after 4 seconds You can do it|/Please press /the 
letter/(letter)/that says/(phoneme) 
No response after next 4 seconds 
You can do it|/Please press/the 
letter/(letter)/that says/(phoneme) 
No response after another 4 seconds 
Need clue?/The letter/(letter)/is/(color)./ 
Please press/the/(color)/letter 
/(letter)| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
OK, we'll play later|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Correct response Thank you|/That's the/(color)/letter/(lette 
r)/that says/(phoneme)|/Please 
press/the letter/(letter)/that 
says/(phoneme). 
Incorrect response That's the/letter/(letter)/that 
says/(phoneme). 
Randomly sneezes or hiccups between requests. 
Aaaacchhhhoooooooooooo/(or) 
Hiccups|/Excuse me| 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
FUNCTION RECORDINGS 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Randomly makes a request without saying "Please".(Should come 
Press the letter/(letter)/that 
says/(phoneme) 
within first 4 requests in quiz mode|||) 
Correct response (no "please") I forgot to say please|/Let's play 
again|/(500 ms pause) Please press/the 
letter/(new letter)/that says/(phoneme) 
Incorrect response (no "please") 
I forgot to say please|/Let's play 
again|/(500 ms pause) Please press/the 
letter/(new letter)/that says/(phoneme) 
Press PLEASE button (after request with no "please") 
Whooooops||/I forgot to say please|/Thanks 
for the reminder|/Please press/ 
the letter/(previous letter)/that 
says/(phoneme) 
After finding 5 letters in Alphabet quiz mode 
If you want to play hide 'n seek, press 
the Jack in the Box| 
Child doesn't press Jack in the Box 
(resume Quiz functionality) Please 
press/the letter/(letter)/ that says/ 
(phneme) 
Every time after finding 10 MORE letters in Alphabet quiz 
If you want to play hide 'n seek, press 
the Jack in the Box. 
Press PLEASE button (no request given) 
It's nice to say please| 
Number Quiz Mode 
Press quiz button, Number Quiz comes up (alternates with Letter 
Let's play|/If I forget to say please, 
press the PLEASE button|/(half second 
pause) Please press/the number/(number) 
No response after 4 seconds You can do it|/Please press/the 
number/(number) 
No response after next 4 seconds 
You can do it|/Please press/the 
number/(number) 
No response after another 4 seconds 
Need a clue?/The number/(number)/is/(color) 
./Please press/the/(color)/ 
number/(number) 
No response after another 4 seconds 
OK, we'll play later|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Correct response Thank you|/That's the/(color)/number/(numbe 
r)|/Please press/the number 
/(number). 
Incorrect response That's the/number/(number). 
Randomly sneezes or hiccups between requests. 
Aaaacchhhhoooooooooooo/(or)Hiccup|/Excuse 
me| 
Randomly makes a request without saying "Please". (Should come 
Press the number/(number). 
within first 4 requests in quiz mode|||) 
Correct response (no "please") I forgot to say please|/Let's play 
again|/(500 ms pause)/Please press/the 
number/(new number) 
Incorrect response (no "please") 
I forgot to say please|/Let's play 
again|/Please press the number (new 
number) 
Press PLEASE button (vest on; after request with no "please") 
Whooopss||/I forgot to say please./Thanks 
for the reminder|/Please press/ 
the number/(previous number) 
After finding 5 letters in Number quiz mode 
If you want to play hide 'n seek, press 
the Jack in the Box. 
Child doesn't press Jack in the Box 
(resume Quiz functionality) Please 
press/the number/(number) 
Every time after finding 10 MORE Numbers in Quiz mode 
If you want to play hide 'n seek, press 
the Jack in the Box. 
Press PLEASE button (no request given) 
It's nice to say please| 
Hide & Seek Letters and Numbers 
Press Jack in the Box Let's play|/I'm a mystery letter|/(or/I'm 
a mystery number/-should alternate 
randomly between letter and number)/Find 
me| 
When searching for a mystery letter: 
No response after 4 seconds I'm a mystery letter|/Find me| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
You can do it|/Take a guess|/Please 
press/a letter| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
OK, we'll play later|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
FUNCTION RECORDINGS 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response - too far in alphabet 
Here's a clue|/I come before/(letter 
pressed)/and I'm/(color) 
incorrect color) 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response - too far in alphabet, 
Here's a clue|/I'm the same color, but/I 
come before (letter pressed). 
correct color) 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response - too soon in alphabet 
Here's a clue|/I come after/(letter 
pressed)/and I'm/(color) 
incorrect color) 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response - too soon in alphabet, 
Here's a clue|/I'm the same color, but/I 
come after (letter pressed). 
correct color) 
Child presses any number when looking for mystery letter 
That's/a number|/I'm a mystery letter| 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response after 4 tries) 
I'll tell you who I am|/I'm 
the/(color)/letter/(letter name)/that 
says/ 
(phoneme). (Two second pause, start 
Mystery Letter game again) 
Child presses correct letter YAY|||/I'm the/(color)/letter/(letter 
name)/that says/(phoneme) (Two 
second pause, start Mystery Letter game 
again) 
When searching for a mystery number: 
Press Jack in the Box Let's play|/I'm a mystery number|/Find 
me| 
No response after 4 seconds I'm a mystery number|/Find me| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
You can do it|/Take a guess|/Please 
press/a number| 
No response after another 4 seconds 
OK, we'll play later|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Child presses any number incorrect response - too large of a number 
Here's clue|/I'm smaller than/(number 
pressed)/and I'm (color) 
incorrect color) 
Child presses any number incorrect response - too large of a number, 
Here's a clue| I'm the same color but/I'm 
smaller than/(number pressed). 
cprrect color) 
Child presses any number incorrect response - too small of a number 
Here's a clue|/I'm bigger than/(number 
pressed)/and I'm/(color) 
incorrect color) 
Child presses any number incorrect response - too small of a number, 
Here's a clue|/I'm the same color, but/I'm 
bigger than/(number pressed). 
correct color) 
Child presses any letter when looking for mystery number 
That's/a letter|/I'm a mystery number| 
Child presses any letter (incorrect response after 4 tries) 
I'll tell you who I am|/I'm 
the/(color)/number/(number). (Two second 
pause, 
resume Mystery Number game) 
Child presses correct letter YAY|||/I'm the/(color)/number/(number) (2 
second pause) 
Song Button Functionality 
Alphabet Song 
Child presses Song button, goes to Alphabet Song (alternate 
Let's sing|/A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/LMNOP/Q/R 
/S/T/U/V 
Numbers Song) W/X/Y/Z/Now I know my ABC's, next time 
won't you sing with me? 
RANDOMLY, AT ANY POINT DURING SINGING OF LETTERS, 
(e.g., "A/B/C/D/E/F . . .) (stop song) 
STOP SONG(stop song between 1 and 3 times for each time through) 
4 seconds after song has stopped 
Please press the letter that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
You can do it| Please press the letter 
that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
You can do it| Please press the letter 
that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
OK, we'll play leter|/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Child pushes correct letter (SPEAK letter, e.g., "G") YAY||(continue 
singing e.g., "G/H/I/J/K . . .") 
Child pushes incorrect letter (SPEAK letter, e.g., "K") 
Actually/(letter)/comes next./Please 
press/the letter/(letter) 
Numbers Song 
Child presses Song button, goes to Numbers Song (alternates 
Let's sing|/1 little/2 little/ 3 little 
LeapFrogs/4 little/5 little/ 6 little 
Alphabet Song) LeapFrogs/7 little/ 8 little/9 little 
LeapFrogs/10 little LeapFrogs 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
leap| 
FUNCTION RECORDINGS 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
RANDOMLY, AT ANY POINT DURING SINGING OF LETTERS, 
(e.g., "1 little/2 little . . .")(stop 
song) 
STOP SONG (stop song 1 or 2 tmes for each time through) 
4 seconds after song has stopped 
Please press the number that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
You can do it| Please press the number 
that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
You can do it| Please press the number 
that comes next| 
4 more seconds after song has stopped 
OK, we'll play later/Night night|/(snore 
sound .times. 2) 
Child pushes correct number (SPEAK number, e.g., "3")YAY||(continue 
singing, e.g., "3 little 
leapfrogs/4 little/5 little . . .") 
Child pushes incorrect number (SPEAK number, e.g., "7") 
Actually/(correct number)/comes 
next./Please 
press/the number/(correct number) 
Song functionality resumes Let's sing again|(begins whichever song it 
did NOT sing last) 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
In summary, the inventive educational toy and method, combines several 
different instructional modalities that can be selected at the will of the 
player. The different modalities use proven pedagogical instruction 
modalities: declarative audial instruction reinforced by kinesthetic 
activity; use of recall memory validated by commentary or encouraged by 
clues; corollary reinforcement of already learned facts such as color 
names; necessary social skills such as saying please and thank you; and 
the use of rhyme and rhythm, through song, to aid in teaching via the use 
of statements and queries. The present inventive toy fills a child's need 
for a simple plush toy and also teaches by both making an assertion in 
response to an indication by the player (That's the letter B that says 
Buh) and by asking a question and validating the answer. The toy further 
induces the player to provide the right answer by prompting, "Please press 
the letter B that says Buh"; "Need a clue? The letter is blue. Please 
press the blue letter B". In addition to these instruction modalities, the 
present invention may use at least four other instruction modalities: use 
of relational logic ("the number is smaller than 7"), use of rhythm and 
rhyme (through songs), use of recall memory (by supplying a missing 
element), and use of social skills (by remembering to say please and 
recognizing when it isn't said). 
The description of illustrative embodiments and best modes of the present 
invention is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various 
modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may be employed 
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.