Snap Circuits Go Green

Go Green With

Snap Circuits Alternative Energy Kit!

Snap Circuits are one of our favorite groups of science toys at The Learning Tree. Made by Elenco Electronics, these kits offer endless projects for kids to learn about electricity. And now, they’re teaching kids about alternative energy sources with Snap Circuits Alternative Energy Kit – Green Addition.

Kids of any age will love learning how to “go green.” They can build over 125 projects and have fun learning about environmentally friendly energy. And this week only, it’s 20% off!

Snap Circuits Green Edition includes a full-color manual and a separate educational manual. The educational manual explains all the forms of environmentally friendly energy including:

geothermal

hydrogen fuel cells

wind

solar

tidal

hydro

…and more.

This science kit for kids from 8 to 108 won the Dr. Toy Green Toy Company award, and made Astra’s Best Toys for Kids 2009 list.

The kit includes:

Find Your Marbles at The Learning Tree AND Learn How To Play!

Lost your marbles?

Come in to The Learning Tree at Corinth Square or Park Place and take a look at all the new marble assortments that just arrived! They’re not just pretty…they are super fun to play with!

Our selection of Mega Marbles is huge! The names of the sets are very descriptive of what the marbles look like. We have Jupiter marbles, Mars marbles, Cat’s Eye, Steely Torpedo, Fiesta, Jungle….you name it!

Each net has 24 marbles (mibs) and 1 shooter. The mibs are 5/8″ and the shooter is 1″. It also has 2 plastic display rings for showing them off.

Marble games have been around for generations…But how do you play marbles?

The most popular marble game is Ringer.

Each player (2 to 6 per game) has a shooter, which is a larger sized marble than the others.

If you’re playing outside, draw a circle on the sidewalk with chalk. (or use a stick in dirt) that’s at least 3 feet across. The bigger the circle, the harder the game will be.

To see who plays first, one at a time, each player stands behind a line drawn at the edge of the circle and tosses their shooter into the circle, trying to get as close to the opposite edge of the circle as they can. whoever gets closest, goes first. This process is called lagging. They can also “knuckle down” when they lag if they want to.

This photo shows a player knuckling down. Your knuckle must touch the ground when you shoot the marble.

13 marbles are placed in the circle in a cross formation in the middle.

The first player knuckles down and tries to knock one of the 13 marbles out of the circle. If he does, and his shooter stays in the circle, he or she gets another turn. He can shoot from inside the ring which gives him an advantage since he can get closer to the marbles.

A player can’t go inside the circle unless their shooter stayed in on their turn.

If he don’t knock another marble out of the circle and his shooter stays in the circle, the next player stays at the edge of the circle and knuckles down and shoots. She can aim at the other players shooter and try to knock it out. If she does, she wins all the marbles and the game.

Or, she can try to knock out another marble. If she misses, the next player shoots from inside the circle where the shooter landed from his previous turn.

The best strategy is to try to keep your shooter in the circle to stay closer to the marbles you are trying to knock out. Whoever knocks out the most marbles, wins the game.

You can also make up your own rules. There are tons of variations to marble games.

Also, the players need to decide up front what the rules are. Including whether to play for “fair” or for “keeps”. If you play for fair, when the game is over, everyone gets their marbles back. If you play for keeps, the winner keeps all the marbles.

Marbles is a classic, fun game that’s been played all over the world, generation after generation. You can play indoors or out, on any flat surface, with just a circle, some marbles and some friends or family.

Join the fun and start playing marbles today!

Discovery Playhouse is 20% Off This Week

Discovery Playhouse is a terrific place for toddlers to play and learn. And it’s 20% off through September 21st!

Your tiny tots will play and discover in this portable fabric frame house for hours and hours. It’s really easy to set up and take down too so you can take it to the sitter’s house or off to grandma’s with no trouble at all.

Ball play, key play, shape sorting, posting and peek-a-boo games, this dome’s got it all. It sets up in a flash into a big, roomy environment, making it perfect for multiple kids all playing at once.

Discovery Playhouse comes with 5 balls for popping into all the different types of chutes, a set of keys that attach to the fabric wall when not in use, spinners, mirrors, peep-holes, numbers, – lots of stuff to keep kids busy and learning for hours.

See more photos and get more info on our store. Just click here.

The New Fall Toy Catalog is Here!

If you’re on our mailing list, you’ve received our Fall 2009 catalog! There is a lot of great stuff in it, including a $5 off coupon and a great deal on the Melissa & Doug floor puzzles!

If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check it out! Click here for the interactive version of our catalog….

Darda Upside Down Overpass is Fast, Loopy Fun!

And it’s The Learning Tree Toy Of The Week!

Ready for some race car action? It’s 20% off this week!

Darda Upside Down Overpass is the #1 favorite with kids who love fast action and cars that zoom, fly and crash on and off the track.

AND no batteries and  no electricity needed. Just a back and forth motion powers the friction that it takes to send the cars speeding.

The introductory set has a really great 5-loop corkscrew and 1 super fast car. It’s made for kids ages 4-9 years, but it’s fun for adults who like toys too!

Click here or on the photo for a link to Upside Down Racetrack in our store.