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.

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