Monday, June 29, 2009

4th of July Hours

We aren't closed for many holidays, but the Fourth of July is one of them. We'll be closed on Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th. You can still shop online at www.azlearningbug.com.

Enjoy your long weekend! (and please don't set the forest on fire.) See ya' at the parade.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

New catalogs are on the way


I just got the fax we've all been waiting for (okay, maybe just I've been waiting for it).

Our catalogs shipped from the printer! That means they'll be here in just a few days. yeah!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Stimulus Funding Update

So Arizona is in the news again. If you haven't been following the story, here's the 10 second version:

Part of President Obama's stimulus package is for funding education. The intention was to provide additional money for education. However, they forgot to use the word "additional" in the actual law, and so some states want to simply drop their budget for education and replace it with the stimulus money.

For example: Let's say that Arizona spends 10 million dollars on education. The idea was to give AZ 8 million more dollars to spend on education (for a total of 18 million), but the state wants to cut their 10 million obligation, and just use the 8 million.

National Education Secretary Arne Duncan is not happy about that, and he's since he controls the purse strings, he's not the man you want to make upset.

Now would be a perfect time to contact the Arizona Department of Education and the Governor's office and let them know how you feel.

Read the entire article from USA today.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Back up and running.

I woke up this morning to discover our web site went down sometime overnight. Apparently some part of "automatic renewal" meant the money came out of the checking account, but the site didn't get renewed.

Everything is back up now, although it's conceivable that you might have trouble for 24 hours if your ISP isn't on the ball.

Sorry for the outage.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Follow The Learning Bug on Facebook


You can follow The Learning Bug on facebook too! Be a Fan, and you'll be the first to know what's going on. Like I just finished a post about the new spinners from Educational Insights. Want to see a photo? Hop on over to facebook!

The Learning Bug on Facebook

Monday, June 15, 2009

Stimulate Minds with Stimulus Funds


The Learning Bug is pleased to announce the launch of a new section of our web site designed specifically for educators planning their stimulus funds purchasing. Teachers and administrators can view over 1,000 hand-picked products eligible for stimulus funds purchasing, plus thousands more products that can be purchased with the stimulus money targeted for improving education in Arizona.

Visit www.azlearningbug.com/stimulus.

In addition to the website, educators are encouraged to contact The Learning Bug for a customized product listing based on their district's and school's individual goals and needs for the 2009-2010 school year.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

More Than $681 Million in Recovery Funds Now Available for Arizona to Save Teaching Jobs and Drive Education Reform

Finally, some money for education. Let's hope the AZ and local governments stay true to the ideals of the stimulus package and get this money into the hands of teachers where it can do the most good.

This is from the US Department of Education press release earlier today:

U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $681 million is now available for Arizona under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Arizona will be eligible to apply for another $335.5 million this fall. Today's funding is being made available per Arizona's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.


Read the entire press release.

Then check out the materials we've identified to correlate with the goals of the educational portion of the ARRA at azlearningbug.com/stimulus.

Monday, June 8, 2009

June Coupons

June is here, school is out, and it's time for summer savings.

$1.00 off any one Storage Box


Buy Any Three Webkinz for $18.00
Regular price: 12.95 each.


40 Sheet White Drawing Pads: ONLY 50¢ each!
while supplies last.


Make sure you sign up for our monthly e-newsletter! Also, be on the lookout for our world-famous Back-To-School Bingo™ and our Buy 2, get 1 free ARGUS poster sale. There are some really cool new ARGUS posters this year.

For all coupons: Limited to supply on hand. No cash value. Minimum purchase required. Limit one coupon per customer, per visit. May not be combined with any other discounts.