Review: The Education Show 2010
Having got ourselves in only a slight muddle with junction numbers on the M6, Catherine and I eventually managed to locate the NEC in Birmingham at the start of March in order to have
a look around The Education Show.
Unsurprisingly, The Education Show is very much focused on the school market, with many of the exhibitors concentrating on curriculum resources or
school management services which are irrelevant to out of school clubs. However, we diligently sifted through all the exhibitors and succeeded in finding
some interesting products for our sector which are summarised below.
The other thing to note was that many of the exhibitors were selling products at the Show for considerably less than you can buy them
anywhere else. For example we stocked up on loads of pens, scissors and board wipes from the Berol stand, about a year's supply of glue sticks and
glue products from the Pritt and UHU stands, and metallic paints and posters from elsewhere, saving well over £150 in total compared to normal retail prices.
Other organisations were offering significant discounts on larger items such as furniture if you placed an order at the Show. So it can be
worth attending events of this type even if only to pick up some supplies at bargain prices.
Kites for Schools were selling some great kite-making kits. Each kit contains absolutely everything you need to make 20 kites. These were
very reasonably priced and would make a fun activity for a breezy day at the club, combining a craft activity with physical play when the children
rush off outside to have a go at flying the kites.
www.kitesforschools.co.uk
just4kidz have a great range of outdoor soft furnishings: waterproof beanbags,
floor cushions and padded mats, all in brightly-coloured wipe-clean fabrics. These will be ideal for relaxing outdoors as soon as the weather improves.
just4kids outdoor products are available through TTS. We are very tempted to get their set of four outdoor beanbags for our own club.
www.tts-group.co.uk
It was hard to drag Catherine away from the Creativ Company stand, she was completely mesmerised by their collection of beautiful craft materials.
Especially useful for out of school clubs is their selection of ready made kits for particular craft activities, such as decorating canvas
shopper bags, making creepy crawly key-rings, creating mosaic pictures etc. Even if you don't want to purchase the kits themselves it is worth visiting their website
to pick up some ideas for unusual craft activities.
www.cc-craft.co.uk
Learning Resources have some really lovely role play sets which will appeal to the younger children at your club.
We thought that their Camp Set, with its torch, lamp, compass, first aid kit, stove etc, combined with some den making materials or a pop-up
tent would keep the children happily occupied for ages. They also have a nice Nature Explorer Set and Fishing Set.
www.learningresources.co.uk
The Creativity International (CI) stand was riot of colour with their huge range of craft papers, tissue, backgrounds and craft supplies on display.
We particularly liked their wide selection of border papers, available not just in plain colours but also in metallics and with printed
designs—ideal for making a feature out of any display areas at your club. Unfortunately CI only sell wholesale, but if you require retail quantities you can purchase their full range
direct from Castle Hill Crafts.
www.cilimited.co.uk
www.castlehillcrafts.co.uk
The furniture on the Community Playthings stand was as gorgeous as ever: so cleverly designed and beautifully made. Their multi-tables are
ideal for out of school clubs because they come with adjustable height legs, so that even the very youngest and the oldest children can comfortably use
the same type of table. You can even have longer legs at the back than the front, creating a sloping surface for art activities or to make the table
accessible to wheelchair users. However, the item that we would really love to buy when we have the budget available is one of their superb craft
shelving units. These have hidden castors underneath so you could just roll it out of storage whenever needed, and its multiple drawers and
cubby holes and boxes would keep all the craft materials tidy but easily accessible.
www.communityplaythings.co.uk
The Health Edco stand had some very arresting displays of anatomical models
and somewhat gory health-related teaching materials. Probably most useful for out of school clubs though is their selection of healthy eating resources,
especially their wide range of posters on the subjects of '5 a day', balanced diets and portion control. They also have some good posters on washing hands.
www.healthedco.co.uk