2016 is set to be an exciting year and we can’t wait to share our new toys and games with you! With over 70 new products being introduced we thought we’d start with a sneak peek of eight new toys that we can’t wait to play!
#1 Build & Spin
We love hands-on learning and construction and these new themed sets provide a perfect introduction to creative play for the younger tots aged 2 and above! If you are already a fan of our Gears! Gears! Gears!® range these bright new additions also help to develop fine motor skills and an understanding of cause and effect but with chunkier play pieces, ideal for little hands.
# 2 Rhyming Pups
Joining the growing Snap-n-Learn range, these adorable pups snap together to make rhyming words. Children can start by matching colours and identifying letters before moving on to building three-letter words and rhyming.  The Snap-n-Learn range has been very popular with parents and nursery workers who have said they love the bright colours and how easy the pieces are to join together. We can’t wait for this furry new addition!
#3 Ready, Set, Woof!
Sticking with the puppy theme, Ready, Set, Woof! is set to challenge little learners matching and colour identification skills! The aim of the game is to shake the dog bowl randomiser and match the colours to the correct hungry pup on the board. Robot Face Race™ is a lunch time favourite in our office so we’re very excited for the arrival of this younger variation.
#4 New Sprouts® Grow it!
Calling all toddlers with green fingers! The New Sprouts® Grow It! set has everything an aspiring gardener needs to create their own garden in 2016. With a watering can, trowel, three pots, two veggies and two flowers little ones will be able to help out in the garden with their own bright and durable tools that have been especially designed for little hands!
#5 Plot Blocks
If you are a fan of our story cubes you will love what we’ve got in store for 2016! The new Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity Set guides children with picture cubes and double sided setting cards as they create their own exciting story. Combining a multitude of different settings, characters, objects and actions children can create a truly unique story with every roll. Where will your Plot Blocks™ story take you?
#6 All About Me Family CounterActivity Cards
These double-sided activity cards have been designed after listening to your feedback requests for some activities to use alongside our Family Counters. Supporting the development of early maths skills and helping children to understand the world around them the activities range from counting the amount of family counters on a bus to replicating patterns. We especially love these cards because the hands-on visual nature of the activities means that they can be used in multiple ways and support all types of learners.
#7 STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set
STEM learning spans across Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and is currently a buzz word in education with many related skills included in the national curriculum. Next year we will be introducing a new range of STEM activity sets to support the development of these skills. We are surrounded by technology like never before including video games, smart phones and tablets. They are all forms of communication that impact our lives every single day and what they have in common is that they all involve coding! Â Our top pick from this new range is the Robot Mouse Activity set that provides early learners a fun, real-world application of these essential 21st century skills. Children can program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby the mouse race to the cheese!
#8 Primary Scienceâ„¢ Shining Stars Projector
Last but not least, we’re over the moon to be introducing the Primary Science™ Shining Stars Projector. Little ones will be able to transform their bedroom into a secret planetarium and learn about early space science with 18 different images to project. The compact size, carry handle and stand makes it ideal for on-the- go learning so it can easily be taken to sleepovers and secret hide-outs!So keep your eyes peeled for these exciting new toys and games and much more in 2016! We can’t wait for a brand new year of learning and fun!#LoveLearning
What is STEM? Emma Vanstone, the creator of Science Sparks and author of several books packed with fun science experiments for children, explores what is STEM, with easy ideas on STEM learning at home.
Learning Resources was presented with an Education Resources Award in the ‘Primary Resource or Equipment – Curriculum learning resources including ICT’ category for its STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set. Held on the 18th of March, the awards honour the quality and diversity of products, schools and the most dedicated members of the education sector. In their eighteenth successful year, the awards are organised by BESA, the trade association representing educational suppliers in the UK sector, and Brilliant Marketing Solutions. New for 2016, The STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set engages primary children as they build hands-on coding skills. Children create their very own maze using base tiles, tunnel pieces and walls and then programme Colby the Robot Mouse to find the cheese. Easy-to-use, Colby lights-up, makes sounds and features two speeds with colourful buttons that match coding cards for simple programming and sequencing.The judges, an independent panel of experienced educational professionals, most of whom are classroom teachers said, “the STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set would encourage children to build hands-on coding skills in a fun and enjoyable way. It was very easy to construct and represented excellent value for money!â€Caroline Wright, director at BESA, comments: “What makes these awards different is that they focus on the resources, services and people that really make an impact on learning and the day-to-day work of the teachers in the classroom. The UK education sector is currently in the unprecedented position of offering ever improving standards of excellence. Thousands of educators from across the world visit the UK each year to review and buy products from our suppliers because of the quality offered. We would like to congratulate Learning Resources for its outstanding resource.†Elements of STEM learning are highlighted within the purpose of study across the Science, Mathematics and Technology curriculum for Key Stages 1 & 2 in UK schools. The National Stem Centre has stated that the ‘government has long identified STEM education as a major priority at both school and HE level’ and that the ‘effective provision of STEM in schools requires a foundation of strong subject teaching.’ The STEM Robot Mouse supports parents and teachers to bring coding to life and create exciting learning experiences.Mrs Chimes from South Wootton Infant School tried the Robot Mouse with her class:“This product is absolutely fantastic for the new KS1 ICT curriculum and requirements for children to create a series of instructions and plan a journey for a programmable toy. The children could use the product without adult support and really enjoyed it.’â€Learning Resources were also finalists in the SEN-non ICT category with their All About Me Family Counter Activity Cards and the Primary- non ICT category with Plot Blocks Story Building Activity Set.
Our product range is full to the brim of hands-on learning resources suitable for teachers, parents, childminders, Special Needs professionals, after school clubs and many more other people who have a keen interest in children’s learning. The brands in our range offer a variety of products to support the hands-on learning of children from birth and beyond. Each brand offers high-quality, award winning products that we’re proud to offer as part of our overall range. These brands can be spotted in retail stores across the whole world and we’ve even spotted them on the TV!I’d like to introduce you to these brands and the learning skills they support! We’ve had great feedback about them, and would love to hear your thoughts too!PlayfoamPlayfoam offers completely mess-free creative play fun! Children simply shape it into anything in their imagination before squashing it down and starting all over again! Playfoam is suitable for ages 3+, and does not stick to clothes or carpet. The non-toxic formula offers safe play, which promotes sensory perception and fine motor skill development.Green ToysGreen Toys are the 100% recycled alternative to traditional plastic toys! Both the products and the packaging are derived from recycled, environmentally friendly materials. Although they don’t sound like they could be any ‘greener’, all Green Toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates, BPA or PVC, and have no external coating or paint!Smart SplashMake a splash while learning with Smart Splash! Bring a range of early learning skills to the water table with these fun floating friends. Great in the bath too! Great for ages 2+, so younger learners can practise number, letter, shape and colour recognition.Snap-n-LearnMaster early learning skills in a snap! Each animal invites little hands to snap together and pull apart pieces, reinforcing fine motor skills. Promotes colour, number, shape, counting and alphabet skills for children from ages 2+.Smart SnacksSmart Snacks products are a tasty take on learning! Each treat-themed set combines imaginative play with essential early skills such as sorting, fractions, counting, patterning and lacing.Dino Construction CompanyPart dinosaur, part construction vehicle, machines provide hours of indoor and outdoor role play fun. Built to last, each dinosaur features a range of hand-powered mechanisms, meaning no metal pieces or electronic parts.New SproutsNew Sprouts products are specially designed for little hands! Perfect for ages 2+ and encourage role play from an early age. They are made from soft, rubberised PVC and are durable for long lasting use by small hands.Pretend & PlayPretend & Play is one of our oldest and most popular role play brands. Stock up on produce with our durable plastic play food sets. Life-size, realistically detailed and perfect for imaginative play or teaching nutrition and other PSHE subjects.Design & DrillCreativity and construction combine! Children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to fine motor skills and following directions.Gears! Gears! Gears!These open-ended play kits encourage hands-on creativity and problem solving! The construction fun develops fine motor skills and includes language-free instructions for an early introduction to step by step instructions which are easy to follow.Goodie GamesDipping your hand in the cookie jar quickly becomes a learning experience with Goodie Games! Each set develops key early skills with multiple games. Reinforce skills such as courting, colour, shapes and sorting.POP GamesQuick, easy game play and engaging illustrations are perfect for young learners! Pop games include sets for early numeracy skills including colours, rhyming, counting and shapes. Sets for literacy include letters, sight words, blends and word families.Hot Dots and Hot Dots Jr.Hot Dots interactive cards help children to develop a wide range of important skills as when used with the Hot Dots pen they deliver instant feedback and reinforcement to encourage progress. Hot Dot’s JuniorInteractive storybooks and cards introduce many key early learning skills such as the alphabet, colours and rhyming, ideal for children aged between 4 and 8.Three Bear FamilyThe award-winning mother, father and baby bear counters can be compared by size, weight and colour, perfect for introducing a range of early maths concepts. The Three Bear Family brand also includes a Bingo Game, Bucket Balance and Sorting Set!Primary ScienceEngage young scientists with bright colours and chunky pieces! Oversized tools support hands-on observation and investigating making science accessible for everyone!GeoSafari & GeoSafari Jr.The hardy products in our GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr. brand ranges give children the opportunity to explore the world around them as they play, learning all sorts about animals, plants, or anything they can get their hands on! And for those real budding scientists there are even things that they can use to expand their learning beyond the earth and out into space!Nancy B’s Science ClubNancy B’s range of scientific tools and real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences that encourage children to feel comfortable and excited about science! What’s more, Nancy B is a real scientist! Learn more about her here.Keep an eye out for these brands and other Learning Resources products in retail stores near you! We’d love to hear what you think.Until next time…Laura
We love hands-on learning and construction and these new themed sets provide a perfect introduction to creative play for the younger tots aged 2 and above! If you are already a fan of our Gears! Gears! Gears!® range these bright new additions also help to develop fine motor skills and an understanding of cause and effect but with chunkier play pieces, ideal for little hands.
# 2 Rhyming Pups
Joining the growing Snap-n-Learn range, these adorable pups snap together to make rhyming words. Children can start by matching colours and identifying letters before moving on to building three-letter words and rhyming.  The Snap-n-Learn range has been very popular with parents and nursery workers who have said they love the bright colours and how easy the pieces are to join together. We can’t wait for this furry new addition!
#3 Ready, Set, Woof!
Sticking with the puppy theme, Ready, Set, Woof! is set to challenge little learners matching and colour identification skills! The aim of the game is to shake the dog bowl randomiser and match the colours to the correct hungry pup on the board. Robot Face Race™ is a lunch time favourite in our office so we’re very excited for the arrival of this younger variation.
#4 New Sprouts® Grow it!
Calling all toddlers with green fingers! The New Sprouts® Grow It! set has everything an aspiring gardener needs to create their own garden in 2016. With a watering can, trowel, three pots, two veggies and two flowers little ones will be able to help out in the garden with their own bright and durable tools that have been especially designed for little hands!
#5 Plot Blocks
If you are a fan of our story cubes you will love what we’ve got in store for 2016! The new Plot Blocks™ Story Building Activity Set guides children with picture cubes and double sided setting cards as they create their own exciting story. Combining a multitude of different settings, characters, objects and actions children can create a truly unique story with every roll. Where will your Plot Blocks™ story take you?
#6 All About Me Family CounterActivity Cards
These double-sided activity cards have been designed after listening to your feedback requests for some activities to use alongside our Family Counters. Supporting the development of early maths skills and helping children to understand the world around them the activities range from counting the amount of family counters on a bus to replicating patterns. We especially love these cards because the hands-on visual nature of the activities means that they can be used in multiple ways and support all types of learners.
#7 STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set
STEM learning spans across Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and is currently a buzz word in education with many related skills included in the national curriculum. Next year we will be introducing a new range of STEM activity sets to support the development of these skills. We are surrounded by technology like never before including video games, smart phones and tablets. They are all forms of communication that impact our lives every single day and what they have in common is that they all involve coding! Â Our top pick from this new range is the Robot Mouse Activity set that provides early learners a fun, real-world application of these essential 21st century skills. Children can program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby the mouse race to the cheese!
#8 Primary Scienceâ„¢ Shining Stars Projector
Last but not least, we’re over the moon to be introducing the Primary Science™ Shining Stars Projector. Little ones will be able to transform their bedroom into a secret planetarium and learn about early space science with 18 different images to project. The compact size, carry handle and stand makes it ideal for on-the- go learning so it can easily be taken to sleepovers and secret hide-outs!So keep your eyes peeled for these exciting new toys and games and much more in 2016! We can’t wait for a brand new year of learning and fun!#LoveLearning
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Green ToysGreen Toys are the 100% recycled alternative to traditional plastic toys! Both the products and the packaging are derived from recycled, environmentally friendly materials. Although they don’t sound like they could be any ‘greener’, all Green Toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates, BPA or PVC, and have no external coating or paint!
Smart SplashMake a splash while learning with Smart Splash! Bring a range of early learning skills to the water table with these fun floating friends. Great in the bath too! Great for ages 2+, so younger learners can practise number, letter, shape and colour recognition.
Snap-n-LearnMaster early learning skills in a snap! Each animal invites little hands to snap together and pull apart pieces, reinforcing fine motor skills. Promotes colour, number, shape, counting and alphabet skills for children from ages 2+.
Smart SnacksSmart Snacks products are a tasty take on learning! Each treat-themed set combines imaginative play with essential early skills such as sorting, fractions, counting, patterning and lacing.
Dino Construction CompanyPart dinosaur, part construction vehicle, machines provide hours of indoor and outdoor role play fun. Built to last, each dinosaur features a range of hand-powered mechanisms, meaning no metal pieces or electronic parts.
New SproutsNew Sprouts products are specially designed for little hands! Perfect for ages 2+ and encourage role play from an early age. They are made from soft, rubberised PVC and are durable for long lasting use by small hands.
Pretend & PlayPretend & Play is one of our oldest and most popular role play brands. Stock up on produce with our durable plastic play food sets. Life-size, realistically detailed and perfect for imaginative play or teaching nutrition and other PSHE subjects.
Design & DrillCreativity and construction combine! Children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to fine motor skills and following directions.
Gears! Gears! Gears!These open-ended play kits encourage hands-on creativity and problem solving! The construction fun develops fine motor skills and includes language-free instructions for an early introduction to step by step instructions which are easy to follow.
Goodie GamesDipping your hand in the cookie jar quickly becomes a learning experience with Goodie Games! Each set develops key early skills with multiple games. Reinforce skills such as courting, colour, shapes and sorting.
POP GamesQuick, easy game play and engaging illustrations are perfect for young learners! Pop games include sets for early numeracy skills including colours, rhyming, counting and shapes. Sets for literacy include letters, sight words, blends and word families.
Hot Dots and Hot Dots Jr.Hot Dots interactive cards help children to develop a wide range of important skills as when used with the Hot Dots pen they deliver instant feedback and reinforcement to encourage progress. Hot Dot’s JuniorInteractive storybooks and cards introduce many key early learning skills such as the alphabet, colours and rhyming, ideal for children aged between 4 and 8.
Three Bear FamilyThe award-winning mother, father and baby bear counters can be compared by size, weight and colour, perfect for introducing a range of early maths concepts. The Three Bear Family brand also includes a Bingo Game, Bucket Balance and Sorting Set!
Primary ScienceEngage young scientists with bright colours and chunky pieces! Oversized tools support hands-on observation and investigating making science accessible for everyone!
GeoSafari & GeoSafari Jr.The hardy products in our GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr. brand ranges give children the opportunity to explore the world around them as they play, learning all sorts about animals, plants, or anything they can get their hands on! And for those real budding scientists there are even things that they can use to expand their learning beyond the earth and out into space!
Nancy B’s Science ClubNancy B’s range of scientific tools and real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences that encourage children to feel comfortable and excited about science! What’s more, Nancy B is a real scientist! Learn more about her here.
Keep an eye out for these brands and other Learning Resources products in retail stores near you! We’d love to hear what you think.Until next time…Laura
