Learning Space

I’ve reviewed this specialist education store before, and previously I thought it deserved 3 stars, although before today I would have agreed with this rating however I called in today and I was greeted with a much more pleasant customer experience than ever before and I feel it is with in my duty to review the merits of this valuable education shop and alert fellow parents/​teachers/​grandparents/​aunties/​uncles or whoever it may be, to the benefits of shopping within this branch. Well, firstly it is an independently owned local business which deserves your support and your custom, secondly although it may not be as big or as well known as the likes of E.L.C. it does however provide a wealth of fun and interesting ways for your child to learn, also the manager of the shop is so positive and supportive of the causes she supports that it’s hard to say no when she discusses all the benefits of the various products on offer. A big 4* from me as I hope this business goes from strength to strength.

This is a bit of an oddity in the area and is often the sort of thing you just happen to walk past without giving it a second look.
Learning Space is a store which mixes the fun with the educational for children of a young age (I don’t know — lets say from 6months to 10 years… I have no idea to be honest)
It’s similar in some ways to the much more prominent Early Learning centre in Castle Court, which as it’s been pointed out in a previous review is possible this little store’s downfall.
One book that did tickle me somewhat was «All kinds of beliefs» which shows children different types of faith and explains how they differ (and in no finer point are wrong) from Christianity. I’m still waiting on the «All about Atheism» edition but as yet no luck.

This shop really appeals to the inner child in me. Why didn’t we ever have anything as cool as this at school or home? I suppose there is the argument that algebra and Action Men are perfectly good for developing young minds but why not combine the two? Learning as fun… that’s what Learning Space purports to do.
You could spend and age in here as I did, just looking through all the products and see the ingenious, progressive ways that these stimuli for young minds have been put together. There are loads of them that would work in a more structured, classroom environ and some that I could see my nieces and nephews really getting into.
The only drawback is that the show is stuck in a rather odd place at the tail end of Fountain Place. I only found it by chance and I thought the window display was less than eye-​grabbing. With so many clever things it’d be a pity for parents, teachers and kids alike of they just walked by. Minor gripe I know. If you looking for a gift for a child then give Toys R Us a miss and get down here.
Pros: Unique products.
Cons: Needs a higher profile.

Learning Space isn’t a shop I have much use for. But I do know a few primary school teachers who use this shop for supplies and learning tools. The shop sells a huge range of educational tools from ages 3 to 11. These tools can be used by teachers who want to be a little more creative in their teaching methods. My friend bought a puppet in here to use in her lessons. It came with a story line and a booklet giving ideas of how to use the puppet to make lessons more fun. A lot of these products are expensive, but are great for the more creative in the educational field. The staff are friendly and always willing to give their own ideas about how to use their products.

I called in here because it’s fairly new and I wanted to see what the supplies were like for parents, children and teachers, and they have quite a good selection. They have everything from ‘make and do’ supplies like sparkly paper and safety glue, to practice paper tests for the Secondary school transfer that kids do in Northern Ireland. They have resources for teaching young children foreign languages, and quite a few maths resources, games and activities — that I could probably benefit from (I’m VERY bad at maths!) I thought there could have been a wider range of reading, English and phonics resources but those that they offered were good — although not cheap. A pack of phonics-​sounds playing cards was £4.00! But yes, you’re right — I bought it anyway.