Out of time? Deliveries running late? Learning Express has the hottest toys ready for you right here and now

THE WOODLANDS, TX – We’re officially less than a week from Christmas, and we at the Woodlands Online editorial department know we’re not the only people who are way behind on our holiday gift shopping. While handmade cards, home-baked goods, and self-printed coupon books for backrubs and dinners might take us so far with our grown-up loved ones, the youngsters in our lives are far more unforgiving.

Perhaps you just received an update from Amazon or DHL informing you that your delivery might make it sometime between now and New Year’s Eve and you can’t afford to take a chance on the mail system. Perhaps the malls are too packed, or you’d rather try Formula 1 in your car rather than most parking lots. Or maybe you’re just looking for a relaxed environment to choose some toys and gifts for the children in your life circle.

Fortunately, Learning Express Toys & Gifts has been a Woodlands area mainstay since 2011 with its intimate feel, hometown charm, and wide variety of toys and games that all have teaching value. As has become our annual holiday tradition over the past couple of years, Woodlands Online recently asked owner Jenny Kuten and the staff of Learning Express for a list of their top items that would make perfect gifts for kiddos all over The Woodlands for the holiday season, that you can buy today without having to deal with traffic outside of the Alden Bridge Shopping Center. Here’s what they selected.

Silent Basketball – It’s exactly what it sounds like; it looks like a real basketball, it feels like a real basketball, but this Anywhere Sports product doesn’t make any sounds remotely resembling a basketball. Play later into the evening without the neighbors complaining about the noise!

Air Toobz – Air-powered play by Fat Brain Toy Co. is one of the hot-ticket items – selling dozens of units a week – that is deceptively fun for such a basic concept. Kids from ages 3 to 83 are loving this one.

Nee-Doh Cubes – These sensory cubic units have a dense squishy factor that is great to work on hand strength and creative concepts; it’s particularly popular with users who are on the autism spectrum. Different models and set-ups are available.

Madame Alexander Dolls – The world may change but the concept of a ‘baby doll’ for young girls to play with and love is eternal. In a special partnership with Learning Express, these ‘My First Playsets’ can make daughters and mothers alike feel like they’re enjoying life in the ‘good old days.’

Slime – No matter the decade, the concept of the slime has been a top favorite of mischievous children everywhere. Learning Express has multiple styles, models, and names, including ‘Penguins on Ice,’ ‘Candy Cane Twist,’ and even ‘Elf on a Slime.’

Cotton Candy Maker – This is one of the more surprising additions to this year’s hot list, but Jenny assures us that the Zoku Cotton Candy Maker is a top seller. She also admitted to creating some cotton candy on her own for what she swears is ‘quality control.’ Spin some homemade cavity-inducing yumminess in minutes!

Smart Games – Now, everything for sale in this store has some type of educational value, but the staff swears that their Smart Games inventory will make Einsteins, DeGrasse Tysons, and Hawkings out of your little ones. Puzzle games that are so fun that the kiddos don’t realize they’re educational! You can practically fill an entire list with just this line of products.

Puppets – Another surprising inclusion; good old fashioned hand-held puppets. These not-muppets that definitely don’t look like they belong on Fraggle Rock or on children’s television are so adorable that your child will easily get lost in creating their own universe of fuzzy friends.

Paint By Number Your Photo – This is an amazing modern take on a classic; the traditional paint-by-number setup gets an upgrade as you send in a photo of your choosing and you’re given all the materials you need to recreate it in acrylic. Any age artist will be gallery-ready with these kits!

PlayTab – This was a Jenny favorite due in large part to its modular activity board setup. Wee ones starting at one year old can play with a plethora of grouped games in multiple combinations. Perfect for phone-free road trips and tactile toy times.

Vending Machine Play Set – For those of us who remember playing in those to-scale kiddie grocery stores and banks filled with cardboard boxes and play money, the next level is here; the Melissa & Doug Vending Machine Play Set. Critical life skills are surreptitiously learned as kiddos sort, stock, and select products, and then learn the value of budgeting.

On top of their wide selection of alternative fun and games, the staff at Learning Express offers complimentary and professional gift-wrapping for all purchases; this is just another shining example of how the toy store separates itself from the rest with its community spirit, above and beyond the robotic, electronic, and virtual e-tail world.

For the last-minute, harried shopper, Learning Express will be open from 8 a.m. - 12 noon on Christmas Eve, as well as all day New Year’s Eve.

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