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'Tis the Season of STEM with Trae Bodge!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Nov 12, 2018 | Science
STEM toys will be all the rage this holiday season! According to a poll conducted by Learning Resources, over 8 in 10 parents consider it to be important that the toys they buy have a STEM component. STEM toys teach kids important skills that they can use now and for years to come. In fact, these skills can help improve their employment prospects in the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in STEM fields are growing faster than non-STEM jobs. In 2022, there will be more than 9mm STEM jobs! 
Clearly, STEM is parent- and employer-approved, but kids aren’t going to be on board unless the toys are fun…lots of fun. Learning Resources, a category leader in educational learning and fun, has over 50 products that are not only STEM.org approved, but a blast to play with.
Botley™ the Coding Robot is the first early coding robot to be STEM Approved™ by STEM.org for children five and up. He is also the winner of a whopping 13 awards this year! With Botley, kids learn early STEM skills, critical thinking, problem-solving and basic coding. Botley can follow looping commands and detect objects while navigating obstacle courses which is great for screen-free coding. Botley is super fun and completely screen-free with an easy-to-use remote programmer that transmits commands. 
With the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab, kids conduct their own bubbling experiments, which reveal collectible mystery creatures from another planet . This is a great tie-in with the “unboxing/surprise trend” that is also huge this year. The working lab set also comes with everything kids need to perform more real-world science experiments inspired by the creatures.
Clearly, STEM is parent- and employer-approved, but kids aren’t going to be on board unless the toys are fun…lots of fun. Learning Resources, a category leader in educational learning and fun, has over 50 products that are not only STEM.org approved, but a blast to play with.Two of my favorites that I think will be a huge hit this year are Botley™ the Coding Robot, 77 Pieces ($69.99 at Walmart) and Beaker Creatures ($24.96 at Amazon).
Botley™ the Coding Robot is the first early coding robot to be STEM Approved™ by STEM.org for children five and up. He is also the winner of a whopping 13 awards this year! With Botley, kids learn early STEM skills, critical thinking, problem-solving and basic coding. Botley can follow looping commands and detect objects while navigating obstacle courses which is great for screen-free coding. Botley is super fun and completely screen-free with an easy-to-use remote programmer that transmits commands. With the Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab, kids conduct their own bubbling experiments, which reveal collectible mystery creatures from another planet . This is a great tie-in with the “unboxing/surprise trend” that is also huge this year. The working lab set also comes with everything kids need to perform more real-world science experiments inspired by the creatures.Smart Shopping Tip: Keep an eye out for Learning Resources Amazon Deal of the Day on Saturday, November 24th, featuring Beaker Creatures!
Also, Botley and Beaker Creatures are up for Toy of the Year awards! Please vote for your favorite here!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping! -Trae
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Top 5 STEM Stocking Stuffers!
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Top 5 STEM Stocking Stuffers!
It's never too early to introduce science, technology, engineering and math into your child's life, and we make it fun! The benefits of STEM on early childhood development is a true gift to give this season. Check out these awesome Learning Resources STEM Stocking Stuffers for your little learners!
Build three different vehicles from just one set of mix-and-match parts with the 1-2-3 Build It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter . Chunky, easy-to-handle parts let kids build and rebuild on their own before embarking on imaginative journeys to far-off destinations—blast off to distant stars aboard a rocket, fly through the air above a make-believe city with a helicopter, or chug down the tracks toward the station with a train.
Get ready for endless fun with our famous Mathlink Cubes! High-quality plastic cubes measure ¾” each and come in 10 bright colors. These stackable cubes are easy for little hands to connect and twist apart. Great for counting to 100 by ones and tens, grouping, and one-to-one correspondence. These cubes are also great for building, sequencing, and patterns!
Drivers, start your learning engines! Shape, color, and number recognition skills zoom around the track, past the checkered flag, and into your toy box with the Speedy Shapes Racers from Learning Resources. Shaped like old-fashioned racing roadsters, these five colorful race-cars combine skill-building lessons about shapes, colors, and numbers with fun imaginative play opportunities.
Which creature will you discover? Turn your kids’ love of collectible toys into a real-world science adventure with the Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod from Learning Resources. Within each mysterious Reactor Pod lurks one of 35 Beaker Creatures. They are tiny alien travelers from five planets who’ve come to Earth in search of learning fun. To discover which creature you’ve got, drop the pod into a container of water, watch the bubbling reaction, and extract the creature within! Get your pods at Amazon!!Single Pod - https://amzn.to/2URmjK0 2-Pack - https://amzn.to/2ECGkPw 6-Pack - https://amzn.to/2Lm4MoT 
1-2-3 Build It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter
Build three different vehicles from just one set of mix-and-match parts with the 1-2-3 Build It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter . Chunky, easy-to-handle parts let kids build and rebuild on their own before embarking on imaginative journeys to far-off destinations—blast off to distant stars aboard a rocket, fly through the air above a make-believe city with a helicopter, or chug down the tracks toward the station with a train.Mathlink Cubes, Set of 100
Get ready for endless fun with our famous Mathlink Cubes! High-quality plastic cubes measure ¾” each and come in 10 bright colors. These stackable cubes are easy for little hands to connect and twist apart. Great for counting to 100 by ones and tens, grouping, and one-to-one correspondence. These cubes are also great for building, sequencing, and patterns!Speedy Shapes Racers
Drivers, start your learning engines! Shape, color, and number recognition skills zoom around the track, past the checkered flag, and into your toy box with the Speedy Shapes Racers from Learning Resources. Shaped like old-fashioned racing roadsters, these five colorful race-cars combine skill-building lessons about shapes, colors, and numbers with fun imaginative play opportunities.Smart Snacks Number Pops
Build number and fine-motor skills with these irresistible ice cream pops! Perfect for practicing with numbers 1–10. Great for color matching too! Each pop features a number of colored dots and a removable cover that has a corresponding number. Children are able to practice counting, number recognition and color matching. This hands-on toy also works to strengthen fine-motor skills and hand eye coordination.
Beaker Creatures Reactor Pods
Which creature will you discover? Turn your kids’ love of collectible toys into a real-world science adventure with the Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod from Learning Resources. Within each mysterious Reactor Pod lurks one of 35 Beaker Creatures. They are tiny alien travelers from five planets who’ve come to Earth in search of learning fun. To discover which creature you’ve got, drop the pod into a container of water, watch the bubbling reaction, and extract the creature within! Get your pods at Amazon!!Single Pod - https://amzn.to/2URmjK0 2-Pack - https://amzn.to/2ECGkPw 6-Pack - https://amzn.to/2Lm4MoT Happy Holidays!
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Posted on Nov 19, 2018
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.
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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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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!
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! READ MORE
