Like amateur magicians, childhood toys are full of old gimmicks and appear to wince when sawn in half. Enlist a dependable new plaything instead with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of children’s toys at Sprout Learning Resources in Alachua.

The staff at Sprout Learning Resources is dedicated to hosting camps and afterschool programs, tutoring children, and providing educational toys from top brands such as Scholastic Books and Pottery Barn Kids. Certified, experienced teachers assist parents in seeking out ideal toys to fertilize growing minds. Kids amass an army of customizable robot figurines to do their bidding with Mudpuppy robot magnet sets ($15). Little ones can slice wooden vegetables with Melissa and Doug's cutting-food kit ($19.99), which teaches lessons about cooking, counting fractions, and the near inedibility of wood. Books and homework travel safely to school in a Stephen Joseph quilted backpack ($26.99), or maintain a low center of gravity with a rolling backpack ($34.99). Like a bail bondsman specializing in cookie-jar thefts, many of the shop's offerings cater to clients from infancy to fifth grade, yet the center offers tutoring and activities for teens and adults as well.

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