Learning Expressions

Winter Schminter: Indoor Activities to Beat the Cold Weather Blues

Dear Learning Expressions Readers,

Since around Thanksgiving time, our toddler has been talking non-stop about tricycles. As a freshly minted two year old this past summer, he didn’t even notice them. But somehow, now that he is closer to two and a half, trikes have come to the forefront of his mind. He frequently recalls that the “big boy” across the street (an aged lad of at least three and a half) rides a trike and, incredibly, this item has become more coveted than even the most glorious of trucks and trains.

This new yearning for a Christmas tricycle had my husband and I stressing throughout the holiday season. You see, we are a couple of California natives learning to make our way in the frosty Northern Midwest. Christmas time in a sunny Los Angeles suburb meant dashing outside straightaway with our haul of loot and attempting to master roller blades, Skip-Its, or Pogo Sticks – a scenario not very likely here in the arctic-like tundra of Minnesota.

So as the line in the mall inched closer and closer toward Santa, I had a brilliant idea. I tried: “How about asking Santa for a toboggan? Those go even faster than a trike!” My toddler: “No, I want big boy twike!!!!” Sure enough, he climbed onto Santa’s lap, repeating his wish over and over, and even adding in a few please and tank-yous. We caved, and now there’s a shiny new tricycle sitting uselessly in our basement until it can be taken outside after the ground thaws, which at this rate will probably be sometime in mid-August. 

In lieu of long trike rides around the neighborhood, I’ve had to do some serious thinking about how to spend the winter days home with two young boys. Below you’ll find the top three indoor activities in the Riolo home.

1.      Goop

Teacher Lisa, the beloved and fearless leader of my son’s pre-preschool class, sent this recipe home, and I can’t thank her enough! You’ll need 1.5 cups of cornstarch, 1.5 cups of baking soda, 1.5 cups of water, and food coloring (if desired). Mix the cornstarch and baking soda, and slowly add the water and food coloring until the mixture reaches the texture you want. “Goop, goop, wundafa Goop!” exclaims my toddler as he squishes the cool slime through his fingers. This stuff doesn’t make a mess, and it lasts forever if stored in a plastic zipper bag. My little guy loves making the Goop, and this gives him a little skin in the game, so to speak. This, in turn, makes him appreciate playing with the Goop more than if I would have just bought him your run-of-the-mill slime from the local quarter toy machine.  

 2.      The Do-It-Yourself Ball Pit

Don’t give away your Pack-n-Play just because your youngest has outgrown it and you swear you are done having children! Instead, give that beat up old thing a new life as a ball pit. I’ve found that you need about 4 bags of balls to make a decent pit - that should fill your Pack-n-Play up about 1/3 of the way. Both our one and two year old boys LOVE our ball pit. It buys me about 20 minutes of entertainment per session, which is a long time in our baby/toddler world!

The ball pit is also a great tool for teaching the boys to take turns, since they can’t be in there together just yet. Also, I love having loads of these balls around the playroom because they are so light that they don’t break windows or hurt when hurled at your forehead. Make sure you keep a close eye on your kiddos in the pit though, lest they sink too far beneath the ocean of balls

 3.      Tempera Paint

Another tip from Teacher Lisa’s class, this stuff is not to be confused with the succulent Japanese dipping dish of Tempura. Tempera paint is a must-have for any kid’s art supply stash. Make sure you get the washable variety. I’ve had it ground into my off-white carpet. I’ve had it smeared all over my walls. I’ve even had it painted all over my dachshund. I love this stuff because it really does wash out! My boys love it because the colors are so vibrant, even after the paint is dry. It also dries extremely quickly, which cuts down on more potential mess. To add even more interest to this activity, try having your kids apply the paint to paper using cookie cutters, eye droppers, straws, string, toy cars, and even cut up vegetables (Hey, they won’t eat them anyway!).

Happy New Year to all, and happy indoor playing!

Tis the Season to be Generous!

Greetings, Learning Expressions Readers! 

As both Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch have proven, the holiday season can melt even the hardest of hearts. A Holiday Giving Survey conducted by Edge Research showed that 74% of adults plan to participate in charitable-giving during the holiday season, largely because it is a time of year in which donors are most inclined to assist those less fortunate than themselves. The number one reason donors gave for their beneficence was, “The holidays are a time to be thankful for what you have, and give to those who need it.”

While we at Learning Express Toys are big supporters of holiday-induced philanthropy, a cornerstone of the Learning Express philosophy is year-round giving. From the day CEO Sharon DiMinico founded Learning Express, she committed to making civic fundraising a cornerstone of the brand. “While charitable giving may peak during the holidays, need knows no time of year—it endures no matter what the season,” DiMinico says. “Through year round civic fundraising efforts, our Learning Express stores consistently assist the communities in which they dwell. For our store owners, giving back is a fundamental part of the Learning Express Toys experience.”  

Today I’d like to put the spotlight on a few of our fabulous store owners and highlight the amazing kind of work they do!

Grand Openings

If any of you have attended a Learning Express grand opening, you’ll know it’s quite an event! We have special visits from Elmo and Dora, hourly giveaways, storewide discounts, and even stilt walkers and balloon artists! What you may not realize is that each grand opening weekend also benefits a local charity.

When the Cassino family opened up Learning Express of Hamilton, NJ back in July, they decided to benefit Ryan’s Quest. Ryan’s Quest was founded by David and Maria Schultz after they found out their son Ryan had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal disorder for which there is no cure or treatment. As part of their grand opening, the Cassinos hosted a fundraising night in which 20% of the profits were given to the charity – and then matched the amount raised by their shoppers that night to double their donation. This month, the Cassinos are hosting another fundraiser to benefit Ryan’s Quest and hope to continue to benefit the charity for many years to come.  

Schools and Hospitals

From the day Peter and Jennifer Dressel opened the doors of their Learning Express stores (located in Huntersville, NC and Charlotte, NC) they made a commitment to give back. Throughout the year, Peter and Jennifer hold benefits for local schools and the local children’s hospital.

Learning Express frequently donates gift cards and merchandise to school fundraisers, and also hosts popular “School Shopping Nights” within the community—with 15% of sales generated from that evening going back to the school in question. This year, Learning Express of Huntersville hosted a benefit weekend for Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital, with 10% of all sales donated to the hospital. “We’re a locally owned toy tore that supports our community 100%,” said Dressel. “We’re here to provide high quality toys, but we’re also here to give back in any way we can.”

Scholarships

In 2010, Learning Express of Columbia, SC implemented the Creative Scholar Award Contest. The scholarship competition offers and opportunity for local children entering grades 4-6 to express their individual creativity, imagination, and self-expression. Each year, the winner receives a US Savings Bond worth $500 to put towards their education.

Owner John Hutto remarks, “At Learning Express is committed to helping families raise smart, healthy kids. Many of our toys foster developmental growth and open-ended play, which leaves room for a child’s own creativity—arguably the finest form of self expression. With the Creative Scholar Award we want to acknowledge and celebrate the uniqueness and diversity every child brings to the community.” 

Fundraising for Community Members in Need

Warren Low, owner of Learning Express of Baldwin Place, NY, constantly strives to assist families and children in need within his community. For the last two years Learning Express has raised money for 9-year-old customer Jake, who suffers from Leukemia. Back in September, the store hosted the second annual “Jake the Snake Day.” They had a Myachi tournament (which Jake won!), Orb Factory crafts, and a milk tasting contest. In October, Baldwin Place also hosted a Crafts for a Cure to benefit Jake and The Children’s Cancer fund. Craft tables were set up and run by sales associates, and Warren auctioned off a tower of Lego and a tower of other popular games. 

I hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit more about what Learning Express stores do all year round to give back! Though the Grinch's heart may be three sizes too small 11 months out of the year, our store owners know it is ALWAYS the season to be generous! And, if there is a charity you would like to raise funds for, contact your local Learning Express store. We wish you the happiest of holidays!

Talk to you again soon!

 

The Elf on the Shelf Tradition

Greetings, Learning Expressions Readers!

The holidays are here! With Christmas a mere 11 days away, I’m sure many of you are in frantic
 holiday mode. The gifts! The decorations! The food! The in-laws! For everyone but your overjoyed six year old, the holidays can often feel just a tad stressful. In light of this, in this week’s blog post I’d like to focus on creating a (stress-free) family tradition that you and yours can enjoy together for years to come.

I generally put my own family’s holiday traditions in two categories: accidental and intentional. The intentional traditions were ones that my mom dreamt up in her ideal world and then forced her begrudging real-world offspring to participate in. This included taking us caroling at neighboring houses (a mortifying experience that neither we nor the neighbors appreciated) and, come Christmas morning, forcing us to enact the latest nativity pageant she had written. While all versions of “Mary’s Story” were usually popular with the aunts and uncles, it was the accidental traditions that we kids usually enjoyed best.

Not a Christmas went by, for example, without our massive Christmas tree falling over (much to our perverse delight) and spraying ornament shards all over the living room. Inevitably, we were still stepping on fragments of glass-blown Santas come June time. Secondly, there was usually some exciting variety of fire. Either the Christmas cake got left in the oven overnight and caught on fire in the wee hours, or the table cloth (and subsequently the table) caught alight, or the boiler blew up and—after covering all our gifts and household goods with a thick layer of soot—forced us to evacuate the house for the duration of Christmas. That was one sad, nativity-less year in the Blanchflower household.  

Traditional holiday disasters are an inevitable and memorable part of the holiday season, but the best kind of traditions are ones that your children look forward to all year round and remember long after they’re grown. That’s why we’d like to introduce to you a Learning Express Toys holiday favorite: The Elf on the Shelf.

The Elf on the Shelf comes to your family in a box that contains a storybook and an elf. The first thing to do when your Elf on the Shelf kit arrives is get the storybook out and read it to your children. The book will help them understand how their new elf friend will become part of the family. Let’s take a look at a selection from the book, and see what Ellie, the Learning Express elf, has been up to these last couple of weeks!

"Have you ever wondered how Santa could know 
if you’re naughty or nice each year as you grow? 
For hundreds of years it’s been a big secret. 
It now can be shared if you promise to keep it." 

 

 

"At holiday time Santa sends me to you. I watch and report on all that you do. My job’s an assignment from Santa himself. I am his helper a friendly scout elf."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Each night while you’re sleeping to Santa I’ll fly to the North Pole right through the dark sky.  Of course Christmas magic helps me to be quick. I laugh with my friends and report to Saint Nick. I tell him if you have been good or been bad.The news of the day makes him happy or sad. A push or a shove I’ll report to the Boss, but small acts of kindness will not be a loss."

 

 

"I’ll be back at your home before you awake, and then you must find the new spot I will take. You’ll jump out of bed and come running to see: who’ll be the first to spy little old me?"

"There’s only one rule that you have to follow so I will come back and be here tomorrow: Please do not touch me. My magic might go and Santa won’t hear all I’ve seen or I know." 

 

 

 

 

"The night before Christmas my job’s at an end. The rest of the year with Santa I’ll spend. So blow me a kiss and bid me farewell. I’ll fly away when I hear Santa’s bell!"

We hope you and your family have as much fun with your scout elf as we’ve had with Ellie at Learning Express Toys! We’ve all been on our best behavior here at the home office and have our fingers crossed that Ellie will give us a good report and put us on Santa’s nice list this year.

Talk to you again soon!

Kathryn

 

Learning Express Singular Sensations: Very Merry Ornaments

Greetings, Learning Expressions Readers! 

The most wonderful time of year has finally arrived!!! Jingle Bells plays incessantly on every radio station around, Christmas trees hang precariously off minivans everywhere, and I can (at last!) greet the morning not with a fresh cup of coffee but rather with a slightly stale Santa-shaped chocolate from my advent calendar. Truly magical stuff!

Today I'm going to be sharing with you the Very Merry Ornaments Kit, available exclusively at Learning Express Toys. If you've recently carted home a Christmas tree (or salvaged its sad remnants from the side of the highway) then this is the activity for you!

During our last dabble with an arts and crafts activity (see Sparkling Hair Accessories Blog) I let my paralyzing fear of all things crafty get the best of me, and I merely sat back and observed while my artsy colleagues worked their magic on the sparkling hair bands. I am pleased to report that this week I built up the courage to make an ornament of my very own to hang on my tree! I can attest to the fact that this craft is not only idiot proof, but a heck of a lot of fun as well.

Step 1: Lay out all your materials. The Very Merry Kit contains enough supplies to create six unique ornaments. In each box you will find 108 paper strips, 400 mosaic tiles and sticky gems, six plastic stems, twelve knobs, and a selection of ribbon.

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Select 18 paper strips and create the pattern for your bauble.  

 

 

 

Step 3: Add sparkling gems and mosaic tiles to your paper strips. You can add them where you please ofollow the patterns laid out on some of the strips.

 

 

Step 4: Once you have all your paper strips decorated, you will need to put them all on the end of an ornament stem and snap the ornament knob in place. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: You now must take each strip of paper and, in the order you want, place it on the other end of the ornament stem. As you do, you will begin to see your bauble take shape! 

 

 

 

Step 6: Once all your paper strips are in place, secure the other ornament knob on the top.

Step 7: Now you just need to add some string to the top!

Step 8: Hang your beautiful ornament from your Christmas tree and admire your handiwork!

I hope you and your family enjoy making these Very Merry Ornaments just as much as we have at the Learning Express Toys home office!

Talk to you again soon!