We've been exhibiting!
- Learning Resources Posted On Oct 2, 2014
Hello!
At the end of September we were busy bees here at Learning Resources, exhibiting some of our best selling and newest products at the Scottish Learning Festival in Glasgow and Childcare Expo: Childcare Show in Coventry.
First came the Scottish Learning Festival, which we have been exhibiting at now for 6 years. Helen jetted off to Scotland for the set up of our stand, and was then joined by John and Jo from the office ready to face the crowds of visitors.
Although the Festival was quiet on day one, the second day picked up and we enjoyed demonstrating some of our key products such as our new style counters and the latest addition to our Design & Drill range; Socket to Me.
A popular product at this year’s Scottish Learning Festival was our new Hot Dots PhonicBook Practice Cards. We had a pod dedicated to these products, with open packets and working pens so visitors could see for themselves how Hot Dots work and why they’re so popular! Recently these sets were awarded silver in the Primary Teacher Update Awards.If you’d like to know more about these award winning sets and the magic of Hot Dots, visit the brand sections on our website.
The Childcare Expo: Childcare Show was a first for us this year! We decided to exhibit at the show as it gives us the opportunity to branch out into a more Early Years focused show. Chilcare Expo is dedicated to Early Years, looking into both the Early Years Foundation Stage in primary schools and childminders alike. We were able to have a stand of all our key Early Years products, rather than a reduced selection at our more mainstream events.
Not only was this our first time at the Childcare Expo: Childcare Show, but it was the first show ever for the latest recruit of Learning Resources. Claire Caldairou joined the sales team in September as our International Sales Customer Relations Coordinator, and was whisked off to the show to get a taste of exhibiting some of our top early years products.
The favourite products at the Childcare Expo show were the new style counters! Our dedicated stand of counters attracted a lot of visitors who wanted to experience the counters hands-on! Also popular was the latest addition to the Smart Snacks range; Number Pops.
Resources to support the development of fine motor skills in early learners are always popular, and at this show it was the turn of our tweezers products. Both our Jumbo Tweezers and Gator Grabber Tweezers are ideal for use with early years, and our Squeezy Tweezers make a great new addition to the range.
If you couldn’t make these shows but want to come to visit a Learning Resources stand, visit us at the TES Special Educational Needs Show in London on 10th & 11th October. It’s free to enter and has a great selection of exhibitors!
Hope to see you there.
Until next time…
Laura
Squirt is very nearly 4 now, and will be starting school next year. Although she doesn’t have to wear a uniform yet, the discussions we’ve been having about what’s practical clothing for nursery really got me thinking about the importance, or unimportance of fashion in institutions such as schools, brownies and church groups.I remember back to when I was at high school, a time in my life I really enjoyed. But it didn’t come without pressures from fashion magazines, TV and of course, peer pressure. The fashions then were Adidas Popper Trousers - if you were caught not wearing these on a non-uniform day, you quickly lost a ‘cool point’ from the 'it crowd’. However there were also things that could be tied into school uniform, such as Kickers Shoes, funky neck-tie knots and hair plastered with hairspray and tied up with at least 3 scrunchies!
Having grown up and started to bring up my own daughter, these trends, pressures and fashions all seem rather silly. However at the time, they were anything but silly to me and my friends. An article from The Guardian 'What’s the point of school uniform’ considers the uniform debate from both sides. I agree with the point made by English Teacher, Claire Howlette, that “uniforms help students to prepare for when they leave school and may have to dress smartly or wear a uniformâ€.School uniforms can improve learning by reducing distraction, encouraging a focus on school work and adding a sense of seriousness to the classroom. An article from ParentMap.com says that schools with uniform guidelines see an improvement in attendance rates, provide less financial stress to parents and a boost in school security. I believe a lot of students, especially high school students, understand and respect uniform guidelines, however they want to develop their own personality and creativity, and for many this is expressed through their appearance.
Maybe there will never be a happy medium, and perhaps this deviance is an important part of the growing up phase! Many students are relatively respectful of their schools rules and expectations, and understand (to some extent) the practicality of clothes as well as style. As a parent I will encourage this as Squirt gets older, but should also keep in mind the pressures I felt as a student.Until next time…Laura 
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! 
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
