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Mathlink Cubes in the Classroom!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 11, 2019 | Math
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Tagged with 'math'
DIY Springtime Sensory Bin
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 6, 2019 | Easter
Sensory bins are a simple, yet highly effective addition to any primary classroom! Students can explore, create, and learn while engaging in sensory play. This DIY spring themed sensory bin incorporates one of the most important math skills for your primary learners. Subitizing is the ability for students to recognize or identify a number or the number of objects in a set without counting. It is the springboard for building a strong number sense and it is the key to establishing mental math reflexes!
In order to get started dying the rice for your bin, you’ll need these materials:
-3 cups of rice
-3 tsp. vinegar
-Food coloring or gel (amount varies based on desired color)
-Gallon Zip
-lock bag
-Paper plate
Combine all ingredients in a gallon sized zip-lock bag, cover and shake well until rice is covered. Add green as needed. If you’re looking to make it more of a lime green, add some yellow food coloring. Leave on a paper plate to dry for an hour.
My favorite aspect of making a sensory bin is having the autonomy to create and utilize sensory objects that best fit the needs of my learners. In this case, incorporating fine motor skill practice was also a goal of mine. With this being said, I chose to add plastic Easter eggs and mini counting erasers to my bin. Students can gain extra fine motor practice by opening and closing the Easter eggs, as well as finding, picking up and counting out the spring themed erasers.
I’ll introduce the sensory bin as a “Spring Subitizing Egg Hunt” center and use it all month long in my math workshop rotations. Students will explore the sensory materials in the bin to find and sort the different representations of each number (1-10). The different representations include the number words, tens frames, dice, dominos, pictures and tally counts. You can find a sample of “Easter egg hunting” for the number “one” in the image above.
I plan to also use the same sensory bin materials, but incorporate other learning goals, such as addition/subtraction facts, sight words, etc. For example, the Easter eggs can hold different types of math facts. Students can then practice their fact fluency by sorting the facts by strategy. This practice supports their flexible thinking and enhances their number sense!
I hope this post has inspired you to create a spring sensory bin for your classroom and ignited you to modify it to fit the needs of your learners.
If you’re interested in using the subitizing sorting cards, be sure to download them here!
Save it for later!
DIY Springtime Sensory Bin
READ MORE
Sensory bins are a simple, yet highly effective addition to any primary classroom! Students can explore, create, and learn while engaging in sensory play. This DIY spring themed sensory bin incorporates one of the most important math skills for your primary learners. Subitizing is the ability for students to recognize or identify a number or the number of objects in a set without counting. It is the springboard for building a strong number sense and it is the key to establishing mental math reflexes!
In order to get started dying the rice for your bin, you’ll need these materials:
-3 cups of rice
-3 tsp. vinegar
-Food coloring or gel (amount varies based on desired color)
-Gallon Zip
-lock bag
-Paper plate
Combine all ingredients in a gallon sized zip-lock bag, cover and shake well until rice is covered. Add green as needed. If you’re looking to make it more of a lime green, add some yellow food coloring. Leave on a paper plate to dry for an hour.
My favorite aspect of making a sensory bin is having the autonomy to create and utilize sensory objects that best fit the needs of my learners. In this case, incorporating fine motor skill practice was also a goal of mine. With this being said, I chose to add plastic Easter eggs and mini counting erasers to my bin. Students can gain extra fine motor practice by opening and closing the Easter eggs, as well as finding, picking up and counting out the spring themed erasers.
I’ll introduce the sensory bin as a “Spring Subitizing Egg Hunt” center and use it all month long in my math workshop rotations. Students will explore the sensory materials in the bin to find and sort the different representations of each number (1-10). The different representations include the number words, tens frames, dice, dominos, pictures and tally counts. You can find a sample of “Easter egg hunting” for the number “one” in the image above.
I plan to also use the same sensory bin materials, but incorporate other learning goals, such as addition/subtraction facts, sight words, etc. For example, the Easter eggs can hold different types of math facts. Students can then practice their fact fluency by sorting the facts by strategy. This practice supports their flexible thinking and enhances their number sense!
I hope this post has inspired you to create a spring sensory bin for your classroom and ignited you to modify it to fit the needs of your learners.
If you’re interested in using the subitizing sorting cards, be sure to download them here!
Save it for later!
National Day of Unplugging: Magnet Movers!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 4, 2019 | Science
March 1st is National Day of Unplugging. Time to put away the technology, enjoy some time as a family, and engage your kids in all kinds of activities that will help them see how fun it can be to unplug! Science experiments are a great way to entertain kids while learning through play. Magnet science is a favorite of many children, and the new Magnet Movers set has everything you need for a multitude of experiments and play setups.
The Magnet Movers set comes with a magnetic wand, chips, and many other magnetic accessories. Little ones will love using the wand and other accessories to experiment with magnetic attraction. In addition to using the set on it’s own, there are so many other fun ways to play.
Magnets in a Muffin Tin
When you add the magnet accessories to a muffin tin or cake pan, you are putting them on a magnetic surface which makes experimenting with magnetic attraction and movement all that much more amusing.
Magnets on a Mirror
Use a large mirror as a new surface for playing with your magnetic wand and accessories. The reflection of the magnets in the mirror provide a new type of sensory experience.
Magnets on the Front Door (or the garage door)
Did you know your front door and/or your garage door is probably a magnetic surface as well? Try adding the magnet pieces to the door. See if the attraction is strong enough to hold them to it. Use your magnetic wand to move them across the door.
Magnets and Magnetic Tiles
If you have a set of magnetic tiles, try adding them to the fun. Make towers or tunnels with your tiles, then decorate them with the magnetic chip pieces. Use the magnetic wand and see what happens.
Magnets in a Jar
Fill up a glass jar with magnetic chips. Kids will love watching as they move the chips around from outside the jar with just their magnetic “magic” wand!
Magnets in Rice
A sensory bin filled with rice never disappoints. Kids love the feeling of running their hands through the rice, digging through it, and scooping and pouring it into containers. When magnetic accessories are added, it gets even more entertaining for little ones. Dig through the rice, enjoy some sensory play, and use your magnetic wand to search for your magnetic chip pieces!
Fishing for Magnets
Create a rod, or use the Magnetic post from the Magnet Movers set, as a fishing pole to go magnet fishing! Place all of the magnetic chips in a “pond” using a large bowl or tray, and try and catch them all.
Magnet Mazes
A recycled piece of cardboard and a marker are all that is needed to make some exciting magnet mazes for your little ones to explore. Use the magnet wand to move the magnetic pieces through a maze from the other side of the cardboard!
Other Magnet Movers Experiments
The Magnet Movers set includes a set of instructions for many of its own experiments. Watch what happens when you drop the ring magnets onto the magnetic post. The same magnet poles repel, creating a floating effect!
There are so many ways to play and experiment with magnets, and it’s the perfect way to spend part of National Day of Unplugging.
National Day of Unplugging: Magnet Movers!
READ MORE
March 1st is National Day of Unplugging. Time to put away the technology, enjoy some time as a family, and engage your kids in all kinds of activities that will help them see how fun it can be to unplug! Science experiments are a great way to entertain kids while learning through play. Magnet science is a favorite of many children, and the new Magnet Movers set has everything you need for a multitude of experiments and play setups.
The Magnet Movers set comes with a magnetic wand, chips, and many other magnetic accessories. Little ones will love using the wand and other accessories to experiment with magnetic attraction. In addition to using the set on it’s own, there are so many other fun ways to play.
Magnets in a Muffin Tin
When you add the magnet accessories to a muffin tin or cake pan, you are putting them on a magnetic surface which makes experimenting with magnetic attraction and movement all that much more amusing.
Magnets on a Mirror
Use a large mirror as a new surface for playing with your magnetic wand and accessories. The reflection of the magnets in the mirror provide a new type of sensory experience.
Magnets on the Front Door (or the garage door)
Did you know your front door and/or your garage door is probably a magnetic surface as well? Try adding the magnet pieces to the door. See if the attraction is strong enough to hold them to it. Use your magnetic wand to move them across the door.
Magnets and Magnetic Tiles
If you have a set of magnetic tiles, try adding them to the fun. Make towers or tunnels with your tiles, then decorate them with the magnetic chip pieces. Use the magnetic wand and see what happens.
Magnets in a Jar
Fill up a glass jar with magnetic chips. Kids will love watching as they move the chips around from outside the jar with just their magnetic “magic” wand!
Magnets in Rice
A sensory bin filled with rice never disappoints. Kids love the feeling of running their hands through the rice, digging through it, and scooping and pouring it into containers. When magnetic accessories are added, it gets even more entertaining for little ones. Dig through the rice, enjoy some sensory play, and use your magnetic wand to search for your magnetic chip pieces!
Fishing for Magnets
Create a rod, or use the Magnetic post from the Magnet Movers set, as a fishing pole to go magnet fishing! Place all of the magnetic chips in a “pond” using a large bowl or tray, and try and catch them all.
Magnet Mazes
A recycled piece of cardboard and a marker are all that is needed to make some exciting magnet mazes for your little ones to explore. Use the magnet wand to move the magnetic pieces through a maze from the other side of the cardboard!
Other Magnet Movers Experiments
The Magnet Movers set includes a set of instructions for many of its own experiments. Watch what happens when you drop the ring magnets onto the magnetic post. The same magnet poles repel, creating a floating effect!
There are so many ways to play and experiment with magnets, and it’s the perfect way to spend part of National Day of Unplugging.
Valentine's Day Conversation Heart Challenge!
- Learning Resources Posted On Feb 11, 2019 | Printables
Love is a balance! Armed with conversation hearts, mini marshmallows, Snap Cubes, water, and an inquisitive four-year-old, we set out this Valentine’s Day to explore all the mathematical concepts the Learning Resources Primary Bucket Balance has to offer.
Right out of the box, our little scientist instinctively began to fill the buckets on either side of the balance with the candy. But before we started our challenges, we first had to go over the most important element of the balance: the arrow!
The arrow in the middle is crucial for understanding any of the upcoming challenges. When this arrow is pointed directly to its middle, the scale is in equilibrium. In kid terms, please? Make sure the arrow points to the other arrow for balance!
Much to her surprise, five marshmallows on each side did not equilibrium make. Adding just one more made the arrows in the middle meet up. Balance! Challenge #1 Scientific Finding: Even though the marshmallows look the same, they are all not the same weight.
Five of each were counted out and placed in the buckets. An “arrow check” produced the result: the marshmallow hearts were surprisingly more! Challenge #2 Scientific Findings: Do not decide what weighs more based on looks alone!
Challenge #3 Scientific Findings: The color of the conversation hearts did not make a difference. (Also – unproven – purple was more delicious than yellow).
Challenge #4 Scientific Findings: Not as much liquid was needed as originally thought. It was observed that this was the first time our little scientist understood the “little by little “concept. Adding too much too fast would make the balance tip too far. To achieve balance, this experiment took time and patience.
After we checked our arrow, we counted the contents of each bucket.
Snap Cubes – 29
Marshmallows – 25
We estimated again with the Snap Cubes, this time versus the conversation hearts.
Snap Cubes – 27
Conversation hearts – 38
Challenge #5 Scientific Findings: Our scientist thought the plastic Snap Cubes would be the clear winner for more weight because they were so much bigger. We found that more Snap Cubes were needed than marshmallows, but fewer were needed when up against the conversation hearts.
Right out of the box, our little scientist instinctively began to fill the buckets on either side of the balance with the candy. But before we started our challenges, we first had to go over the most important element of the balance: the arrow!
The arrow in the middle is crucial for understanding any of the upcoming challenges. When this arrow is pointed directly to its middle, the scale is in equilibrium. In kid terms, please? Make sure the arrow points to the other arrow for balance!
Let the challenges begin!
CHALLENGE #1 – Are all marshmallows created even?
Skills used:- Sorting
- Counting
- Estimation
Much to her surprise, five marshmallows on each side did not equilibrium make. Adding just one more made the arrows in the middle meet up. Balance! Challenge #1 Scientific Finding: Even though the marshmallows look the same, they are all not the same weight.
CHALLENGE #2 – Which candy weighs more?
Skills Used:- Estimation
- Counting
Five of each were counted out and placed in the buckets. An “arrow check” produced the result: the marshmallow hearts were surprisingly more! Challenge #2 Scientific Findings: Do not decide what weighs more based on looks alone!
CHALLENGE #3 – Does the color of the candy make a difference?
Skills used:- Color sorting
- Estimation
Challenge #3 Scientific Findings: The color of the conversation hearts did not make a difference. (Also – unproven – purple was more delicious than yellow).
CHALLENGE #4 – What is heavier? Water or Candy?
Skills used:- Volume concepts
- Estimation
- Patience
Challenge #4 Scientific Findings: Not as much liquid was needed as originally thought. It was observed that this was the first time our little scientist understood the “little by little “concept. Adding too much too fast would make the balance tip too far. To achieve balance, this experiment took time and patience.
CHALLENGE #5 – Snap Cubes vs. candy? How many does it take of each to balance?
Skills used:- Counting
- Estimation
After we checked our arrow, we counted the contents of each bucket.Snap Cubes – 29
Marshmallows – 25
We estimated again with the Snap Cubes, this time versus the conversation hearts.
Snap Cubes – 27
Conversation hearts – 38
Challenge #5 Scientific Findings: Our scientist thought the plastic Snap Cubes would be the clear winner for more weight because they were so much bigger. We found that more Snap Cubes were needed than marshmallows, but fewer were needed when up against the conversation hearts.
Have a happy (and balanced) Valentine’s Day!
Save it for later!
Valentine's Day Conversation Heart Challenge!
Love is a balance! Armed with conversation hearts, mini marshmallows, Snap Cubes, water, and an inquisitive four-year-old, we set out this Valentine’s Day to explore all the mathematical concepts the Learning Resources Primary Bucket Balance has to offer.
Right out of the box, our little scientist instinctively began to fill the buckets on either side of the balance with the candy. But before we started our challenges, we first had to go over the most important element of the balance: the arrow!
The arrow in the middle is crucial for understanding any of the upcoming challenges. When this arrow is pointed directly to its middle, the scale is in equilibrium. In kid terms, please? Make sure the arrow points to the other arrow for balance!
Much to her surprise, five marshmallows on each side did not equilibrium make. Adding just one more made the arrows in the middle meet up. Balance! Challenge #1 Scientific Finding: Even though the marshmallows look the same, they are all not the same weight.
Five of each were counted out and placed in the buckets. An “arrow check” produced the result: the marshmallow hearts were surprisingly more! Challenge #2 Scientific Findings: Do not decide what weighs more based on looks alone!
Challenge #3 Scientific Findings: The color of the conversation hearts did not make a difference. (Also – unproven – purple was more delicious than yellow).
Challenge #4 Scientific Findings: Not as much liquid was needed as originally thought. It was observed that this was the first time our little scientist understood the “little by little “concept. Adding too much too fast would make the balance tip too far. To achieve balance, this experiment took time and patience.
After we checked our arrow, we counted the contents of each bucket.
Snap Cubes – 29
Marshmallows – 25
We estimated again with the Snap Cubes, this time versus the conversation hearts.
Snap Cubes – 27
Conversation hearts – 38
Challenge #5 Scientific Findings: Our scientist thought the plastic Snap Cubes would be the clear winner for more weight because they were so much bigger. We found that more Snap Cubes were needed than marshmallows, but fewer were needed when up against the conversation hearts.
READ MORE
Right out of the box, our little scientist instinctively began to fill the buckets on either side of the balance with the candy. But before we started our challenges, we first had to go over the most important element of the balance: the arrow!
The arrow in the middle is crucial for understanding any of the upcoming challenges. When this arrow is pointed directly to its middle, the scale is in equilibrium. In kid terms, please? Make sure the arrow points to the other arrow for balance!
Let the challenges begin!
CHALLENGE #1 – Are all marshmallows created even?
Skills used:- Sorting
- Counting
- Estimation
Much to her surprise, five marshmallows on each side did not equilibrium make. Adding just one more made the arrows in the middle meet up. Balance! Challenge #1 Scientific Finding: Even though the marshmallows look the same, they are all not the same weight.
CHALLENGE #2 – Which candy weighs more?
Skills Used:- Estimation
- Counting
Five of each were counted out and placed in the buckets. An “arrow check” produced the result: the marshmallow hearts were surprisingly more! Challenge #2 Scientific Findings: Do not decide what weighs more based on looks alone!
CHALLENGE #3 – Does the color of the candy make a difference?
Skills used:- Color sorting
- Estimation
Challenge #3 Scientific Findings: The color of the conversation hearts did not make a difference. (Also – unproven – purple was more delicious than yellow).
CHALLENGE #4 – What is heavier? Water or Candy?
Skills used:- Volume concepts
- Estimation
- Patience
Challenge #4 Scientific Findings: Not as much liquid was needed as originally thought. It was observed that this was the first time our little scientist understood the “little by little “concept. Adding too much too fast would make the balance tip too far. To achieve balance, this experiment took time and patience.
CHALLENGE #5 – Snap Cubes vs. candy? How many does it take of each to balance?
Skills used:- Counting
- Estimation
After we checked our arrow, we counted the contents of each bucket.Snap Cubes – 29
Marshmallows – 25
We estimated again with the Snap Cubes, this time versus the conversation hearts.
Snap Cubes – 27
Conversation hearts – 38
Challenge #5 Scientific Findings: Our scientist thought the plastic Snap Cubes would be the clear winner for more weight because they were so much bigger. We found that more Snap Cubes were needed than marshmallows, but fewer were needed when up against the conversation hearts.
Have a happy (and balanced) Valentine’s Day!
Save it for later!
Pizza Fractions Printable!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Feb 4, 2019 | Printables
Cut out all the different pizza slices and see if you can make your very own pizza pie!
Pizza Fractions Printable!
READ MORE
Cut out all the different pizza slices and see if you can make your very own pizza pie!
Top 10 Black Friday Toys!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Nov 19, 2018 | STEM
Looking for the best learning toys to give your little coders, scientists, doctors and explorers this holiday season? Look no more! Here are the Top 10 Learning Resources toys to buy this Black Friday! Check them out on Amazon or at our website!Beaker Creatures™ Liquid Reactor Super Lab
Botley™ the Coding Robot Activity Set
Meet Botley, the code to fun! As the newest member of the Learning Resources family, Botley is here to introduce coding in an easy, friendly way. Children as young as 5 can learn to code with Botley, and with his advanced features, he’ll grow with them for many play filled years to come. Botley is ready to use right out of the box – he’ll have kids coding in minutes. And that’s not all, Botley is 100% screen free and includes a 77-piece activity set – the only robot to offer that!Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog™
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. The learning doesn’t end there—Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog’s back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up—each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog’s body, which adds simplicity to storage too.Gears! Gears! Gears!®Machines in Motion
These machines really move! With the Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion from Learning Resources, kids engineer their own playtime fun with the help of creative, open-ended building activities. Using the included instructions, kids can build their own versions of numerous different interactive machines and vehicles, many of which incorporate special parts including a wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, and wheels. Turn out a tank with its own helicopter propeller, or craft a complex contraption that spins with the twist of a lever. 
Spin your way into geography with this Puzzle Globe, which highlights landmarks and animals! Each puzzle piece (continent) fits into one hole on the globe to make it easy for little ones to place. All 7 continents are represented (6 continent puzzle pieces plus stationary Antarctica).
Features enough medical tools for the whole junior surgical staff to operate! Made from sturdy plastic, this set features a battery operated stethoscope, and realistic sounding cell phone. Provides the perfect way to ease children’s anxieties about doctor visits. Plastic carrying case has a place for everything and provides great storage.
The learning express is pulling into the station! Send number, color, and shape recognition skills chugging down the tracks with the Count & Color Choo Choo from Learning Resources. Driven by a friendly conductor figure that plugs right into the engine, this fun interactive train set pulls a load of learning lessons thanks to its cargo of removable blocks that come in different numbers, shapes, and colors. Kids can sort the blocks by shape and color, count up the total number found in the train, or build fine motor skills while loading the blocks back into their rightful train cars.
This award-winning cash register is the perfect addition to any pretend store! Encourage beginning math and calculator skills while providing lots of opportunities for imaginative play. Features a built-in solar calculator that helps familiarize children with the use of a calculator. They’ll also learn currency denomination and have fun handling life-size money. Large buttons on the keypad are easy for little hands to press and the cash drawer makes a “cha-ching” sound when it opens.
Introduce kids to angles, trajectories, and other early physics fundamentals with the Crashapult STEM Challenge from Learning Resources. This hands-on activity set challenges kids to build and complete high-flying obstacle courses designed around core STEM concepts. After setting up their catapults, kids send the launch balls flying off walls, over obstacles, and toward the set’s included hoop target, funnel, or goal cup. Along the way, they’ll have to use their own trial-and-error, engineering, and critical thinking skills to make the adjustments to placement and force necessary to successfully complete the included challenges.
This deluxe market set combines some of our best New Sprouts® food items from an amazingly realistic T-bone steak to enticing fresh produce. Unlike other play food our New Sprouts® are easy to grip and won’t collapse. Can’t decide what New Sprouts® to get? This set is a sure bet for hours of inspired play. 
We also have a very special announcement! 4 of the items on this list are Toy of the Year Finalists!! Please vote for your favorite at
Beaker Creatures™ Liquid Reactor Super Lab
TOTY NOMINEE FOR COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR!
AGES 5+
Extract, Identify, Explore!
It’s a colorful bubbling creature reaction! Extract the Beaker Creatures from the mysterious Reactor Pods with the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab from Learning Resources. After placing one of two included Reactor Pods within the Super Lab’s center chamber, kids send water whirling through the tubes with the help of two Hydroplungers, filling the chamber and triggering the amazing reaction. Once the reaction ends, kids can extract their Beaker Creatures collectibles and start classifying!
Botley™ the Coding Robot Activity Set
TOTY NOMINEE FOR MOST INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
AGES 5+
Meet Botley, the code to fun! As the newest member of the Learning Resources family, Botley is here to introduce coding in an easy, friendly way. Children as young as 5 can learn to code with Botley, and with his advanced features, he’ll grow with them for many play filled years to come. Botley is ready to use right out of the box – he’ll have kids coding in minutes. And that’s not all, Botley is 100% screen free and includes a 77-piece activity set – the only robot to offer that!Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog™
TOTY NOMINEE FOR INFANT/TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR!
AGES 2 AND UNDER
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. The learning doesn’t end there—Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog’s back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up—each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog’s body, which adds simplicity to storage too.Gears! Gears! Gears!®Machines in Motion
TOTY NOMINEE FOR CONSTRUCTION TOY OF THE YEAR
AGES 4+
These machines really move! With the Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion from Learning Resources, kids engineer their own playtime fun with the help of creative, open-ended building activities. Using the included instructions, kids can build their own versions of numerous different interactive machines and vehicles, many of which incorporate special parts including a wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, and wheels. Turn out a tank with its own helicopter propeller, or craft a complex contraption that spins with the twist of a lever. Puzzle Globe
AGES 3+
Spin your way into geography with this Puzzle Globe, which highlights landmarks and animals! Each puzzle piece (continent) fits into one hole on the globe to make it easy for little ones to place. All 7 continents are represented (6 continent puzzle pieces plus stationary Antarctica).Pretend & Play® Doctor Set
AGES 3+
Features enough medical tools for the whole junior surgical staff to operate! Made from sturdy plastic, this set features a battery operated stethoscope, and realistic sounding cell phone. Provides the perfect way to ease children’s anxieties about doctor visits. Plastic carrying case has a place for everything and provides great storage.Count & Color Choo Choo
AGES 2+
The learning express is pulling into the station! Send number, color, and shape recognition skills chugging down the tracks with the Count & Color Choo Choo from Learning Resources. Driven by a friendly conductor figure that plugs right into the engine, this fun interactive train set pulls a load of learning lessons thanks to its cargo of removable blocks that come in different numbers, shapes, and colors. Kids can sort the blocks by shape and color, count up the total number found in the train, or build fine motor skills while loading the blocks back into their rightful train cars.Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register
AGES 3+
This award-winning cash register is the perfect addition to any pretend store! Encourage beginning math and calculator skills while providing lots of opportunities for imaginative play. Features a built-in solar calculator that helps familiarize children with the use of a calculator. They’ll also learn currency denomination and have fun handling life-size money. Large buttons on the keypad are easy for little hands to press and the cash drawer makes a “cha-ching” sound when it opens.Crashapult™ STEM Challenge
AGES 5+
Introduce kids to angles, trajectories, and other early physics fundamentals with the Crashapult STEM Challenge from Learning Resources. This hands-on activity set challenges kids to build and complete high-flying obstacle courses designed around core STEM concepts. After setting up their catapults, kids send the launch balls flying off walls, over obstacles, and toward the set’s included hoop target, funnel, or goal cup. Along the way, they’ll have to use their own trial-and-error, engineering, and critical thinking skills to make the adjustments to placement and force necessary to successfully complete the included challenges.New Sprouts® Deluxe Market Set
AGES 2+
This deluxe market set combines some of our best New Sprouts® food items from an amazingly realistic T-bone steak to enticing fresh produce. Unlike other play food our New Sprouts® are easy to grip and won’t collapse. Can’t decide what New Sprouts® to get? This set is a sure bet for hours of inspired play. Happy shopping!
Save it for later!
Top 10 Black Friday Toys!
Looking for the best learning toys to give your little coders, scientists, doctors and explorers this holiday season? Look no more! Here are the Top 10 Learning Resources toys to buy this Black Friday! Check them out on Amazon or at our website!Beaker Creatures™ Liquid Reactor Super Lab
Botley™ the Coding Robot Activity Set
Meet Botley, the code to fun! As the newest member of the Learning Resources family, Botley is here to introduce coding in an easy, friendly way. Children as young as 5 can learn to code with Botley, and with his advanced features, he’ll grow with them for many play filled years to come. Botley is ready to use right out of the box – he’ll have kids coding in minutes. And that’s not all, Botley is 100% screen free and includes a 77-piece activity set – the only robot to offer that!Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog™
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. The learning doesn’t end there—Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog’s back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up—each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog’s body, which adds simplicity to storage too.Gears! Gears! Gears!®Machines in Motion
These machines really move! With the Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion from Learning Resources, kids engineer their own playtime fun with the help of creative, open-ended building activities. Using the included instructions, kids can build their own versions of numerous different interactive machines and vehicles, many of which incorporate special parts including a wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, and wheels. Turn out a tank with its own helicopter propeller, or craft a complex contraption that spins with the twist of a lever. Spin your way into geography with this Puzzle Globe, which highlights landmarks and animals! Each puzzle piece (continent) fits into one hole on the globe to make it easy for little ones to place. All 7 continents are represented (6 continent puzzle pieces plus stationary Antarctica).Features enough medical tools for the whole junior surgical staff to operate! Made from sturdy plastic, this set features a battery operated stethoscope, and realistic sounding cell phone. Provides the perfect way to ease children’s anxieties about doctor visits. Plastic carrying case has a place for everything and provides great storage.The learning express is pulling into the station! Send number, color, and shape recognition skills chugging down the tracks with the Count & Color Choo Choo from Learning Resources. Driven by a friendly conductor figure that plugs right into the engine, this fun interactive train set pulls a load of learning lessons thanks to its cargo of removable blocks that come in different numbers, shapes, and colors. Kids can sort the blocks by shape and color, count up the total number found in the train, or build fine motor skills while loading the blocks back into their rightful train cars.This award-winning cash register is the perfect addition to any pretend store! Encourage beginning math and calculator skills while providing lots of opportunities for imaginative play. Features a built-in solar calculator that helps familiarize children with the use of a calculator. They’ll also learn currency denomination and have fun handling life-size money. Large buttons on the keypad are easy for little hands to press and the cash drawer makes a “cha-ching” sound when it opens.Introduce kids to angles, trajectories, and other early physics fundamentals with the Crashapult STEM Challenge from Learning Resources. This hands-on activity set challenges kids to build and complete high-flying obstacle courses designed around core STEM concepts. After setting up their catapults, kids send the launch balls flying off walls, over obstacles, and toward the set’s included hoop target, funnel, or goal cup. Along the way, they’ll have to use their own trial-and-error, engineering, and critical thinking skills to make the adjustments to placement and force necessary to successfully complete the included challenges.This deluxe market set combines some of our best New Sprouts® food items from an amazingly realistic T-bone steak to enticing fresh produce. Unlike other play food our New Sprouts® are easy to grip and won’t collapse. Can’t decide what New Sprouts® to get? This set is a sure bet for hours of inspired play.
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We also have a very special announcement! 4 of the items on this list are Toy of the Year Finalists!! Please vote for your favorite at
Beaker Creatures™ Liquid Reactor Super Lab
TOTY NOMINEE FOR COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR!
AGES 5+
Extract, Identify, Explore!
It’s a colorful bubbling creature reaction! Extract the Beaker Creatures from the mysterious Reactor Pods with the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab from Learning Resources. After placing one of two included Reactor Pods within the Super Lab’s center chamber, kids send water whirling through the tubes with the help of two Hydroplungers, filling the chamber and triggering the amazing reaction. Once the reaction ends, kids can extract their Beaker Creatures collectibles and start classifying!
Botley™ the Coding Robot Activity Set
TOTY NOMINEE FOR MOST INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
AGES 5+
Meet Botley, the code to fun! As the newest member of the Learning Resources family, Botley is here to introduce coding in an easy, friendly way. Children as young as 5 can learn to code with Botley, and with his advanced features, he’ll grow with them for many play filled years to come. Botley is ready to use right out of the box – he’ll have kids coding in minutes. And that’s not all, Botley is 100% screen free and includes a 77-piece activity set – the only robot to offer that!Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog™
TOTY NOMINEE FOR INFANT/TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR!
AGES 2 AND UNDER
Our hedgehog lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back! Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. The learning doesn’t end there—Spike's colorful quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills. Kids can arrange the quills by warm or cool colors, work on sequences and patterns by alternating colors, or count up the quills with the help of numbers printed on the hedgehog’s back. Once playtime is over, Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog is a snap to clean up—each piece is made of plastic that can be easily wiped clean, and the quills stow snugly inside the hedgehog’s body, which adds simplicity to storage too.Gears! Gears! Gears!®Machines in Motion
TOTY NOMINEE FOR CONSTRUCTION TOY OF THE YEAR
AGES 4+
These machines really move! With the Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion from Learning Resources, kids engineer their own playtime fun with the help of creative, open-ended building activities. Using the included instructions, kids can build their own versions of numerous different interactive machines and vehicles, many of which incorporate special parts including a wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, and wheels. Turn out a tank with its own helicopter propeller, or craft a complex contraption that spins with the twist of a lever. Puzzle Globe
AGES 3+
Spin your way into geography with this Puzzle Globe, which highlights landmarks and animals! Each puzzle piece (continent) fits into one hole on the globe to make it easy for little ones to place. All 7 continents are represented (6 continent puzzle pieces plus stationary Antarctica).Pretend & Play® Doctor Set
AGES 3+
Features enough medical tools for the whole junior surgical staff to operate! Made from sturdy plastic, this set features a battery operated stethoscope, and realistic sounding cell phone. Provides the perfect way to ease children’s anxieties about doctor visits. Plastic carrying case has a place for everything and provides great storage.Count & Color Choo Choo
AGES 2+
The learning express is pulling into the station! Send number, color, and shape recognition skills chugging down the tracks with the Count & Color Choo Choo from Learning Resources. Driven by a friendly conductor figure that plugs right into the engine, this fun interactive train set pulls a load of learning lessons thanks to its cargo of removable blocks that come in different numbers, shapes, and colors. Kids can sort the blocks by shape and color, count up the total number found in the train, or build fine motor skills while loading the blocks back into their rightful train cars.Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register
AGES 3+
This award-winning cash register is the perfect addition to any pretend store! Encourage beginning math and calculator skills while providing lots of opportunities for imaginative play. Features a built-in solar calculator that helps familiarize children with the use of a calculator. They’ll also learn currency denomination and have fun handling life-size money. Large buttons on the keypad are easy for little hands to press and the cash drawer makes a “cha-ching” sound when it opens.Crashapult™ STEM Challenge
AGES 5+
Introduce kids to angles, trajectories, and other early physics fundamentals with the Crashapult STEM Challenge from Learning Resources. This hands-on activity set challenges kids to build and complete high-flying obstacle courses designed around core STEM concepts. After setting up their catapults, kids send the launch balls flying off walls, over obstacles, and toward the set’s included hoop target, funnel, or goal cup. Along the way, they’ll have to use their own trial-and-error, engineering, and critical thinking skills to make the adjustments to placement and force necessary to successfully complete the included challenges.New Sprouts® Deluxe Market Set
AGES 2+
This deluxe market set combines some of our best New Sprouts® food items from an amazingly realistic T-bone steak to enticing fresh produce. Unlike other play food our New Sprouts® are easy to grip and won’t collapse. Can’t decide what New Sprouts® to get? This set is a sure bet for hours of inspired play. Happy shopping!
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