Toys That Double as Educational from Learning Resources

Our five-year old is a very special kid. Diagnosed with Autism at age three, he’s still non-verbal to this day. He’s never really been a huge fan of toys in general. I don’t recall any time in his life when he wanted to play with toys. He was more interested in climbing on the table, standing on chair, or running around in any open space he can find. Over the past year or two he’s developed an interest in letters and numbers. He just loves alphabet blocks, puzzles, or anything with letters. I’ve been looking for toys that are both fun and educational for him. I teamed up with Learning Resources for my 2016 Holiday Gift Guide and they sent me three amazing products that he just loved.

This post is sponsored in partnership with Learning Resources. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Learning Fun with Beginner Coding

I had the opportunity to pick three products from the Learning Resources website that were released in 2016. One of the first products I choose was the Code & Go™ Robot Mouse Activity Set.

About the activity set:

The race is on to build hands-on coding skills! Build your maze, and then use the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse. Program the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese! This deluxe set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and Activity Guide to provide the perfect hands-on introduction to coding concepts. Create your path with 16 maze grids to create a 20″ x 20″ maze board, 22 maze walls, and 3 tunnels for endless possibilities. Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features 2 speeds along with colorful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing. Add multiple players with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse (LER 2841), sold separately.

My Thoughts:

I loved that these products included an activity guide. Learning Resources thought about everything when creating these products for parents. If you’re a home schooler this is perfect for any STEM lessons you’re planning. Help your child learn the basic of coding as early as 5 year old. For me it’s great for my non-verbal son to learn at his own pace. There are easy lessons to follow in the guide and provides is with a wide variety of content. I’ve learned so much following the guide while helping my son have fun with the play set.

The Code & Go™ Robot Mouse Activity Set retails for $59.99 on the Learning Resources website.

Fun with Numbers

I mentioned before how much my son loves numbers. I know the Learning Essentials™ 120 Number Board would be a great choice for him.

About the Number Board

Build, count, and discover the world of 120! Introduce number patterns, sequencing, place value, odd and even numbers, and much more. Double-sided board features numbers printed on the front and a blank grid for additional patterning and graphing activities on the reverse. Includes durable plastic tray and 180 plastic tiles, including transparent blanks in two colors for highlighting.

My Thoughts:

Since my son is in Kindergarten we’ve been working to find creative ways to know just how much information he knows. Prior to finding the number board we only thought he could count up to 20. With the board we can see him progress and learn how to count to higher numbers. It’s been amazing to watch his progress and how he learns. This has been a lifesaver with understanding how he communicates. This also includes an activity guide to help kids learn basic math concepts like counting by 10s, 5s, and other patterns. I loved how this has helped my son at home but most importantly in school. The Learning Essentials™ 120 Number Board retails for $29.99 on the Learning Resources website.

Will It Sink or Float?

The final item we received to review was the STEM Sink or Float Activity Set. I figured it would be perfect with helping my son enjoy bath time more. He loves taking bath most days but some days he doesn’t enjoy it at much. I knew this set would help on days when he doesn’t feel like getting in tub.

About the Sink or Float Set

Set sail with real STEM learning! Young learners can dive into early physics in a fun, colorful way with this two-piece submarine and floating raft along with weights, balls, and stars to bring investigations to life. This set also features 10 detailed Activity Cards (with over 20 engaging, high-impact activities) that cover all aspects of STEM, plus key science concepts of buoyancy, density, and more! Comprehensive Activity Guide with reproducible materials is also included.

My Thoughts:

The sink or float activity set was perfect for bath time. It helped my son to just relax and have fun while learning. We were able to help teach him a few communication signs as well while using some of the activity cards included in the set. My three-year old also loved dropping items in the water to see what would sink or float. He didn’t understand the lesson but he had fun and learned a few new words as well. The activity guide with this set will help you create a budding scientist. While it says the set is for Kindergarten, I believe you can teach lessons from this set to students of all ages. It’s a great introduction for simple experiments.

The STEM Sink or Float Activity Set retails for $29.99 on the Learning Resources website. If you’re looking for educational toys I highly suggest Learning Resources.

Nickida

Nickida - is a wife and stay at home mother of four. She was born in Trinidad but moved to the US at age 14. She started blogging on an off for about three years and recently started writing more consistently. She enjoys sharing about her children, marriage, books, recipes, movies, reviews, giveaways and much more. She is working on improving her baking skills and building on her cake decorating business.