If you ask savvy parents and educators how they stick to their budget, many similar responses will likely come to light. The most effective techniques tend to revolve around shopping for items perceived to provide the most value. Yet, “value” is hard to pin down and define. It’s subjective. More…
GUEST POST At Children’s Factory, we love to see customers using our play equipment and furniture in “outside-the-box” ways. TinkerWonderPlay does a great job by showing us how The Whatsit™ can be used as a holiday wrapping station. The Whatsit™ is our kids’ couch that was designed to double More…
Life would be a utopian dream if every classroom had oodles of space for every single flex-space a teacher or student could conceptualize. The reality is most classrooms don’t have enough space for everything on our wish lists. Remove Unnecessary Furniture Remove large items you don’t use every day. More…
A child’s learning environment can significantly affect everything from performance and well-being to their ability to process information and achieve academic success. Gen A. refers to Generation Alpha. This age group starts with children born in 2012 and will continue through those born till about 2025. (This constitutes approximately 48 million children in More…
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell, was published in 1960 and has inspired many children to build a fort. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a 12-year-old girl stranded alone on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean? Reading books is a More…
There is a magical world of fort building happening all over the world. Whether built indoors or out, experts say kids love constructing forts and their growth and development benefits during the process. It all starts with a little imagination and the tools needed to get started. The Whatsit™ More…
Classrooms designed with stimulation, individuality and naturalness in mind often have a positive impact on learning. According to research conducted by Peter Barrett, PhD, DSc, Faye Davies, PhD, Yufan Zhang, PhD, and Lucinda Barrett, PhD, naturalness accounts for about 50% of the impact whereas individuality and stimulation account for More…
Have you ever been asked if you see the glass as half-full or half-empty? Regardless of our perception, the glass is actually 100% full. Whether it has air or water in it, there is always something filling the glass. Imagine what we could accomplish if every person on Earth More…
The Great Playroom Revolution If you were to ask anyone over the age of 25 if they had a playroom in their home as a child, most likely you would find 80% of people say no. Today, if you were to poll the average elementary, middle, or high school More…
Everyone has probably struggled to fill an awkward corner in their home at some point. Filling those corners in daycares and preschools can be even more challenging. Utilizing dead space in your classroom is a perfect opportunity to amp up the fun-quotient children experience throughout the day. It also More…