Edsco

Picture a place with every conceivable educational fun prop for children under one extensive roof and you have Edsco.

Well may you imagine it, as in reality it’s a place to accidentally stumble across, not find, as it sits incongruously in a residential cul de sac – a hulking great warehouse showroom in the depths of a leafy northern Brisbane suburb.

Once there set aside an hour to peruse its acreage of wares – charts, sheets, books, stickers, blocks, games, stationery, puzzles and puzzle books, building materials, science and craft equipment and so much more.

Unlike with a lot of educational themed things, children will not flee screaming - they too are mesmerized by the boredom-busting possibilities (such as model heads with removable brains) surrounding them. The trick with Edsco is that it triggers the want-to-learn switch in children’s heads, which may be due to its founder being a primary school teacher for 28 years.

On a rainy day this is an ideal place to come and stock up, being rest assured that whatever you walk away with, it will not addle your child’s brain and instead challenge and occupy them for hours.