Made in the USA

Did you know our paint is made in the USA?

Did you also know that our paint is the best washable paint on the market, and that it really is washable. If you've been disappointed with other so-called "washable" formulas, give our paint a try. It's been tested first-hand on our sofa, our carpet... anywhere our son's little painted hands can reach.

What's in a Guarantee

So I placed an order with a company on the 31st of July. At the time, I spoke to them on the phone and they said it should ship in about 5 days. On the 10th I hadn't received it, so I called them. They told me at that point that they were 2 weeks out, but my order should ship "next week."

Feeling neither warm nor fuzzy, I called on the 18th just to make sure things were really on track. They told me it should ship on the 19th. On the 19th they called me at 5am and said it was shipping out on the 20th.

Today I didn't receive it, so I called again. It went out on the 24th.

Another company "guarantees" to ship within 48 hours, but this year they've been shipping in more like 72. They "guarantee" it, but if they don't meet it, there's no discount, credit, or apology. It just didn't happen.

So what's in a guarantee? Or whatever happened to a "gentleman's agreement"? If you've said you'll do something, do you do it? What do you do if you can't keep your word? Should you do anything? or do you just say "oh well"?

Way to go Killip

If you didn't catch it in the paper, there was a great article in the Arizona Daily Sun about Killip elementary school.

Read the whole article.

The article singles out Sheryl Wells. Who else do you know that is an excellent teacher? What practices do they use to make student learning a success?

The article also talks about having "no excuses." I think that's a great plan! They actually bought a copy of this poster for each classroom. I've always thought of it as something you'd say to a student when they forgot their homework or something, but I'm realizing it's a great plan for grown-ups too. What excuses will you be letting go of this year?

Take photos now!

Okay, so this has nothing to do with school or teaching. My grandpa just died (93!!) and at his funeral they had a slide show going of pictures with him. Oddly, most of the photos were of him with my family. The cousins are hard to "find." I think it's because my parents moved far away to another state, and my cousins all lived in the same town. It was "special" for us to see our grandparents, while my cousins saw them "all the time." You wouldn't think to take a picture of your work-place; it's not "special." Also we tended to do "exciting" things with them because it was vacation. Again, it was "special."

Michelle does a good job of reminding us to take pictures of our family (the three of us), and we have big group shots.

However, our family hasn't been on a "vacation" to my parents' and when they come the store is still open so it's not like we go camping in Sedona for a week. Plus, it's just my parents. Why would I need a picture of them? I know what they look like, and they're just here to visit. That's the problem! Ian will look at my photos with my parents 30 years from now and not really remember when or where that photo was taken (and think wow - I look young!) - especially if there is no photo.

So make me this promise: Next time your family comes to visit, take a picture.

And last but not least, A brief pause for Leo Despain -- 1916 - 2009. Hiker/Camper, husband, father, gardener, veteran, and my grandpa.

Welcome Poster

Get a free welcome poster with your $20.00 purchase. Valid only while supplies last! You must mention this blog post to take advantage of this awesome deal.

iGami from Plasmart

So check out this new product we got in this year. It's called iGami and you build projects similar to regular origami, but the pieces are made of plastic instead of paper.

Come by the store to play with it yourself! This is from the same company as the Plasmacar, so you know it's gonna be fun!

Back to School Hours

This started on Monday, but the 'technical difficulties' meant I couldn't post until today.

Every year we have Back-To-School Hours from 8am to 7pm, Monday - Saturday. That way you can come early, or late. Whatever works best for you.

PS, we're always open until 7pm - it's just the early part that's different for Back-To-School.

Computers -- gotta love 'em

So just when I had resolved to update the blog and facebook on a regular (more than once a quarter) basis, and just when I had a list of a dozen things to blog about (I always sit at the keyboard going 'uhhhhhh') My computer died. Well, the power light comes on but that's it.

After some diagnosing, it was determined that a new computer was in order. Maybe I'm just getting older, and don't like the idea of something 1/6 my age being called "too old", but is six years really that old? I guess so. So here I am finally back at a working computer. However, I've spent too long playing with bells and whistles and should really be going to bed. Our son thinks it's HIS computer.

Yeah... no.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Alphbites

It's he so cute?? He's new from Eureka. The new line is called "Alphabites" (as in 'take a bite') and they're just totally adorable. I saw them in Dallas and just had to bring him (and his 25 friends) in. He just arrived today.

They've got an alphabet line, awards, borders, and more. Come check him out.

Coupons for March

If you've been to our store recently, you know that the coupon on your receipt sends you here to our blog. Thanks for checking it out!

Here are a couple of coupons you can use next time you're in the store.

$2.00 OFF ANY WEBKINZ
No limit! Valid for any regular priced Webkinz animal or accessory.

$1.00 OFF ANY BOOK
Buy any book priced $4.99 or higher and get $1.00 off instantly.

50¢ OFF ANY NEW Pop-Its decorative
Coupon valid on your first two Pop-It's products.

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.

Back and Busy

Whew, I'm back from Dallas - which was GREAT!

Met some new friends, saw TONS of new products, placed orders for some really neat stuff, and enjoyed the 80° weather.

Now it's back to real life - and snow. Next week I'll be talking about the new products that I saw at the show. Some of them have already arrived and are here in the store now. One thing that's big this year is mini bulletin board sets. We just put up a whole display of the ones we have so far. They're great for all kinds of things besides putting up on the wall. Come check 'em out!

Off to Dallas!

Well, it's that time of year again!

I'm off to this years Ed-Expo. It's the HUGE show where we get to see everything that's new for the coming school year. We get to meet the vendors in person, and talk to the people who create the products. It's so awesome. Looking at a product in a catalog is nothing like talking to the person who made it. We learn sooo much more about how the products can help teachers solve real problems.

The other great thing about Ed-Expo is meeting with all the other teacher store owners across the country. It's rejuvenating to mingle with peers.

I'll be on the lookout for cool new stuff (some of which is already on the way or even at the store right now)!

Yee haw!