Exploration
Station: Manhattan’s First Teacher Supply Store
Back
to school shopping is not just for students. Teachers around the
city are also shopping for materials to prepare their classrooms
for the new school year. This year, Exploration Station promises
to make the task a bit easier.
Offering a vast array of teacher supplies–
workbooks, educational games, maps,
calendars and those much needed art supplies–Exploration Station
is proud of being the only store of its kind in Manhattan.
“The
concept was to capture both the parent and teacher audience,”
said co-owner, Denise Nystrom, who has also been a special education
teacher for 15 years. “I think parents are very concerned about
educating their children. We need to teach the Manhattan parents
that these materials exist, and we want the teachers to know that
we are here.”
Customers will feel welcome when they enter this cozy store whose
green carpet, decorated with rainbows, homes and letters of the
alphabet, signals that Nystrom and her co-owner, Anita Schecter
selected the materials having children’s needs in mind. “Children
should work on hands-on educational activities,” Nystrom said,
explaining that this prevailed in her own classroom.
Located on the Upper East Side, Exploration Station offers a variety
of educational tools that make learning seem like a game, while
improving strategies and skills.
The materials, selected from 21 different manufacturers, are designed
for pre-school children through high school students. They include
science kits, chemistry sets, electronic games, puzzles, and even
a talking globe.
According to Nystrom, the materials enhance the curriculum and
assist teachers in applying the new education standards.
In addition, the store features a science and math section, an
arts and crafts section, a phonics section and several workbooks
emphasizing research, critical thinking, and writing skills.
“They
really have the essential materials that work and that I would
recommend,” said Elizabeth Singer, a teacher at Norwood Public
School and a recent visitor to the store. “The things that work
are here. They’ve done a great job in selecting them.”
Exploration
Station is located at 1705 First Ave. (between 88th and 89th St.)
For more information, call (212) 426-5424.
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
(212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
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the publisher. © 2001.
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