Could the advancement in technology signal the death of imagination in our kids? After all, long gone are the days when keeping a kid entertained included throwing him/her a piece of paper and some pencils to doodle with, or even to amble about in the garden while having a field time checking out the kinds of wildlife that are residing just outside. No sir, kids these days need their Pokemons, PS3s and iPods to remain “docile” in a sense, making a ruckus once their electronic source of entertainment is no long available for whatever reason. Vtech understands this trend, and has made sure that their 2009 line of products won’t bore anyone to sleep, incorporating innovative play that contemporary kids ask for without sacrificing on educational value that moms are always on the lookout for. We’ll take a closer look at those right after the jump.

The Bugsby Reading System targets those aged 3 to 7 years, retailing for $29.99 a pop. It allows the little ones to have someone guide them through a bunch of reading adventures, utilizing pen-touch technology that enables kids to explore Bugsby’s magical world by touching on selected areas of the book, where it will interact by spelling out certain items or adding in more verbal information. Other intuitive activities peppered throughout the book include focus on reading and language arts skills.

As for the Jungle Gym Line’s Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike, this $49.99 offering allows those aged 18 to 36 months an experience not to be forgotten – a ride through a safari of letters, objects, numbers, animals and melodies via the Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike. This will be part of Vtech’s new Jungle Gym line, where it offers five modes of active play comprising of racing, ABCs, numbers, music and animals. Cycling on the giraffe’s pedals while viewing the integrated LCD display makes for a great fun activity, while one can always visit other animal friends from the Jungle Gym line such as Bouncing Colors Turtle, Monkey Moves Smart Seat, Twist & Learn Gorilla Pals and Step & Count Kangaroo.

Other cool toys include the $49.99 Nitro Web Notebook, the $59.99 Kidizoom Digital Camera Plus and additional V.Smile Motion Smartridges that will further expand one’s library. Being a kid has never been this fun, eh?

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