Learning Expressions

Blog: Mad for Science at Learning Express!

Halloween is upon us! The time of year when terrifying tales of Frankensteins and crazy chemists and botched lobotomies abound! And what better way to celebrate the season of spookiness than a good dose of scientific scavenging?

Here’s just a random sampling of the kinds of great, educational science kits you can find at Learning Express. Next time you park your broom near one of our stores, be sure to visit this particular department and see what we’ve got brewing just for you!

Big Bag of Science
Become a master mixologist, learn about chemistry, physics, biology, magnets, and more! Mix up a batch of Gravity Goo, launch a thirty-foot soda geyser, or make some Insta-Snow! Use the reusable bag for storage and set up your own science lab.

 

Lava-Blasting Volcano Kit
Have a pyroclastic blast! Make your own realistic volcanic cone, paint it, and then induce exciting eruptions over and over. Learn about the Earth processes that cause volcanoes to form and why they explode. Only available at Learning Express!

Heavenly Hair
Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair and learn about lush locks and stunning styles. Learn why your hair is curly or straight, or mix it up and make a body-licious berry fusion shampoo and conditioner.

 

Candy Creator Lab
Curious confectionery! Ever wondered what makes a candy taste so good? Experiment with the art of making candy and learn the science behind it with the Candy Creator Lab. Includes molding supplies, decorating materials, and sixteen-page illustrated book with instructions, recipes, and scientific explanations.

Antworks Colors of Life Ant Farm
Somewhere under the rainbow, Ant-y Em and her colony thrive! A rotating LED illuminator on this ant farm turns the nutritious gel matrix every color of the rainbow. Stop at your favorite hue with a simple touch.

 

Solar-Powered Vehicles
Manic mechanics and energetic engineers get green with this super solar building kit. Build up to six motorized machines and learn all about how batteries are recharged by the sun.

Robotic Arm Edge Kit
Extend your reach into the world of high tech robotics with this awesome robotic arm. Command the control to open and close the gripper, rotate the arm, bend and straighten the elbow, and list up to 100 grams of weight! Use the five gear boxes, five motors, and five switch wired controller. Requires four D batteries, not included.

Hexbug Nano Habitat
Micro-machine or nanobot? Whatever you call them, these itty bitty bugs find a happy home in this hopping habitat. Set the Nanos loose and watch them navigate the rooms and passages. Set includes two rare Nanos and everything you need to make them a happy home. Reconfigurable for endless fun.

 

 

Blog: Why does shopping locally make a difference?

Last year, on Christmas Eve night, Connie and Rex, who own the Learning Express in Nashville, got an email from a customer. It was 11pm and the mom had just opened up the package of a big wooden castle she had purchased at the store, only to discover that she had ended up with the boy version, not the pink one she had intended for her two little girls. The castle was supposed to be the crowning glory of Christmas morning—the big gift from Santa. And it was all wrong.

Connie called the mom immediately. The woman was in tears. Connie told her that she had a pink castle in stock at the store and that it was all going to be okay. At 6am on Christmas morning, her husband Rex drove out and met the dad in a parking lot halfway between their houses. They exchanged the castles just as dawn was beginning to break in the Tennessee sky. A few hours later the two little girls came downstairs to find a magical Christmas surprise beside the tree.

Now that’s what I call “making a difference.”

I hear these kinds of stories from our stores every day. And I never get tired of them. They remind me why we do what we do at Learning Express. Yes, the company is a franchise. And yes, we now have over 150 stores nationwide. But guess what. Each one of those stores is owned locally by someone who really cares. And it’s stories like this that really show that. I don’t think there’s a “big box” store in the world that would’ve made that family’s Christmas morning possible.

There are lots of reasons to shop at a local business (some of which I’ve explained below) but I think this is the most important one: Supporting local shopkeepers means that there will be more stories like this one. There can be more neighbors helping neighbors. That’s what’s really important.

If the occasion arises, I hope you find yourself in one of our toy stores this shopping season. I think you’ll find something truly special.

SHOP LOCAL

If you've recently shopped in one of our stores, here’s what you just did!

You kept dollars in our economy.
For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.

You embraced what makes us unique.
You wouldn’t want your house to look like everyone else’s in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?

You created local jobs.
Local businesses are better at creating higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.

You helped the environment.
Buying from a local business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation, less packaging, and products that you know are safe and well made, because we stand behind them.

You nurtured community.
We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.

You conserved your tax dollars.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify our community. Also, spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong—right here in your community!

You created more choice.
We pick the items we sell based on what we know you like and want. Local businesses carry a wider array of unique products because we buy for our individual market.

You took advantage of our expertise.
You are our friends and neighbors, and we have a vested interest in knowing how to serve you. We’re passionate about what we do. Why not take advantage of it?

You invested in entrepreneurship.
Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community.

You made us a destination.
The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors, and guests. This benefits everyone!

Thank you for shopping locally at Learning Express!

Blog: Only at Learning Express! The 2010 Exclusive Holiday Toys

In the toy industry these days, it seems like most of the big box retailers are spending their time in petty price wars and staging drawn-out battles with each other over the internet. Ironically, I think this is a good thing. It forces independent shops (like each of our individually owned Learning Express toy stores) to focus on the things they do best. I’m thinking of the things that bring people through the door—customer service programs, expert advice, and, most importantly, the selection of product. Learning Express is called a “specialty” retailer for a reason. We specialize in finding unique toys that have what we like to call “play value”— items that kids will play with hours on end, weeks, months, even years after the Christmas trees have been taken down.

When it comes to differentiating ourselves from the mass retailers, Learning Express takes it a step further. Many of you may have read an interview I did last year about how we develop exclusive holiday products with some of the leading manufacturers in the world. (If you missed it, you can check it out here.) This year, we are thrilled to be introducing over TWENTY toys that will be available only at our stores in the 2010 holiday season. There are many reasons to shop locally, so these are really just the icing on the cake. We hope you stop by one of our stores and check them out!

2010 Exclusive Learning Express Holiday Toys

 

NEW! Make Your Own Advent Calendar

*Check with your local store for availability

 

NEW! Make Your Own Advent Calendar

Read the blog about Nandy!

 

 

NEW! Tie-Dye 2-in-1 Moon Chair

 

NEW! Glow-in-the-Dark Lap Desks

 

 

NEW! Little Hands "Get Crafty" Activity Kit

*Check with your local store for availability

 

NEW! Cap It Off Jewelry Party Kit

 

NEW! Pop Tab Jewelry Kit

 

NEW! Color N' Carry Peace Messenger Bag Kit

 

 

 

NEW! M&Ms Candy Wrapper Jewelry Kit

 

 

NEW! Shrinky Dinks Holiday Tree Kit

 

 

NEW! Sticky Mosaics Funky Notebook and Pen Kit

 

NEW! Sticky Mosaics Groovy Cards Kit

 

NEW! Stick N' Style Bottle Cap Showcase Kit

 

 

NEW! Stick N' Style Fun with Fashion Kit

 

 

NEW! Lava-Blasting Volcano Kit

 

 

NEW! Candy Creator Lab Kit

 

 

NEW! Wobbally Game

  

 

 

NEW! MLB and NFL Bean Bag Game

 

 
NEW! MLB and NFL Toss Game

 

 

 

Busy Box

 

 

NEW! Baby Walker

Blog: Learning Express Kids and Favorite Toys

This year marks the twenty-third anniversary of Learning Express. In 1987 Sharon, our Founder and CEO, opened her first store and in 1990 the first franchise location was purchased. What that means is that an entire generation of kids has grown up in the Learning Express family.

Every year the Learning Express home office offers a scholarship opportunity to the college-bound children of our storeowners. This year, the applicants had to answer the question:

What was your favorite childhood toy?
And what impact did it have on you growing up?

For this week’s blog, I thought I’d share a few of the answers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Though I did not understand the beauty of gift-giving at the time, I now know that the quintessential gift is not one that the recipient has asked for, yet is exactly what they wanted. One Christmas morning, I opened such a gift. It was a small, white, fluffy, plump, stuffed snowman I named George…George went beyond being just an inanimate comfy cushion; he was also a good friend. He was always there when I needed him—to hug, to hold, to play with—and as a result I took him everywhere. I loved him with every ounce of strength I possessed. Consequently, he would get so beat up and worn that my mother would have to take him to the “toy hospital” to get fixed. It never occurred to me that when he returned looking brand new that he was indeed just so. In essence, George could endure the unendurable: a child’s love.
(Zach, Newton MA)

 
As long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed playing board games. Even as a college student I’ll sometimes convince my friends to play games like Apples to Apples, Imaginiff, and Bananagrams. As dorky as my friends think I am for doing this, they always have a good time playing these games. The game that has always been my favorite is Monopoly… Monopoloy was one of the influences that made me appreciate business at a young age and helped establish my interest in business, which has only grown stronger since my childhood.
(Evan, Ann Arbor MI)

Bouncy or squishy, colorful or plain, any shape, any size, balls of any sort were my favorite childhood toy. My love for these various sorts of toy balls was shared with my little brother and we played every sort of game we could devise with our multitude of balls. The quantity of these toys that we amassed over our childhoods was astounding. We once filled three trash bags full with our diverse ball collection. It was almost as if we owned a toy store (oh wait, we do). I believe that my love for these types of balls led to my passion for sports. I started playing tee-ball before I was done exploring every sort of ball the world had to offer me. Baseball took me through my childhood, offering me many different social experiences playing with teammates from other schools. It also taught me the rewards of devotion.
(Taylor, San Jose CA)

When I was younger, I always preferred toys that involved building and putting things together. In fact, I still have a large collection of LEGOs, K’Nex, and 3D puzzles that have accumulated over the past twelve years or so. Out of all of these, my absolute favorite was a 3D puzzle of the Sistine Chapel that had double-sided pieces…This made the puzzle twice as difficult, and I was therefore outside the suggested age range. Nevertheless, I eventually finished putting it together, even though it took me close to a year. I was so proud of my accomplishment, that I left the puzzle on display in our living room so I could show it off to all my parents’ friends. After a while, though, I was no longer satisfied with just looking at it. I decided to take it completely apart and start from scratch. I did this several more times until it took me a day at the most to finish. I loved this puzzle so much that it was one of the main reasons I decided to pursue architecture and history… To this day, I still get excited every time I discover a new work of art.
(Ian, Naples FL)

When I was young, I entered my parents’ Learning Express store with a clear direction. I had always been artistic. Every school project I did had to be elaborate and creative. So, in the store, I moved straight to the Arts & Crafts section and scanned over all the Creativity for Kids craft kits. While my parents were working, they would let me pick one of the crafts…I remember doing those crafts and then wanting to broaden my canvases. I don’t look at things just the way that they are—I look at them and wonder how I can make them my own.
(Simone, Naples FL)

 

 

Toy Review: Spot It! Game at Learning Express

Okay, I love this game. I mean LOVE it. I was visiting one of our Learning Express stores in Ohio and saw one of the staff members play it with a customer, and I was hooked before I even put my hands on it. I loved it so much I convinced our games buyer to request it from Blue Orange (the manufacturer) so I could try it out. In the weeks since there have been countless Spot It! tournaments at my house and on the road. I spent a rainy weekend doing nothing else with two kids (ages 7 and 10) who consistently beat the adult competitors and kept asking for more.

The product came out in July and just three months later we estimate that between our 150 stores we’ve sold at least 4,000. I think that’s what they call an “instant bestseller.” And that number will be even more impressive by the time Christmas rolls around. But enough of the hype. Here’s the skinny on the Spot It! game and how it measures up in the Toy Talker’s 3F’s of toy quality.

Form

Spot It! comes in a sturdy tin, about the size of a coaster. It will definitely hold up to travel and the years to come, so you won’t run the risk of losing one of the fifty-five playing cards. The tin also includes instructions and four cards that explain how to play each of the four “mini party-games,” which are all variations on the same basic strategy.

Each of the playing cards features eight bright, colorful, illustrated symbols. There are more than fifty different ones in all. And here’s the catch—between any two cards there is always one matching symbol. Just one, and only one. And it’s always there. New players are often skeptical on that last point. I’ve heard the “I don’t have a match!” excuse quite a few times, but trust me, it’s there.

The packaging and presentation of this game is cute. It’s convenient. It can go anywhere. Enough said!

 

 
Function

Spot It! can be played with two to eight players. Blue Orange recommends “Ages 7 to Adult” but a five-year-old nearly wooped me so I think you can stretch it. The idea for the game is credited to Denis Blanchot, but I couldn’t find any additional information about him or his background so that little mystery remains unsolved.

Regardless of which of the four mini games you choose to play, the strategy is the same: Be the first to “spot” the matching symbol between two cards. In some games, you’ll be trying to collect the most cards; in others you’ll be trying to get rid of them, but the skill involved is the same. When you do find a match you have to call out the symbol and either discard or pick up the corresponding card. (“Clock!” “Cheese!” “Leaf!” “Weird crosshatch thing!”) What makes this really tricky is that while the symbol is always the same color and shape, it changes in size. It’s incredible how much that can throw you off, but, like I said, there is always, always a match.

The game can be learned quickly, it doesn’t last very long, so it’s great for filling transition time (waiting for food at a restaurant, etc.), and the cards are just the right thickness to hold and manipulate easily, even with little hands. I do, however, recommend you make sure there are no beverages nearby when this game is played. It’s definitely quick fire, and if you’re a competitive bunch the cards and elbows start flying.

Fun

I really can’t say enough. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t ask to play again when the first round was over. It’s engaging (gripping even) and you definitely get better as you play it more, which is encouraging. Perhaps most importantly, Spot It! builds and improves those all-important visual recognition and reflex skills. Moms and dads, I’m giving you fair warning—you better bring your A-game because young brains are really, really good at both.

If you want to try it before you buy it, head into your local Learning Express where we love to play or check out the video below.

Here’s hoping we “spot” you soon!