Explore Nook is an Australian educational toy brand, founded by Jon and Anna Northwood with a shared vision to elevate the way children learn through play.

What began in Jon’s early childhood classroom—seeking meaningful, hands-on resources to enrich children’s learning—quickly gained attention from colleagues, who began requesting the same resources for their own early learning rooms and classrooms. In response to this growing demand, Jon began designing additional resources, which soon found their way into early learning centres and schools across Australia. What started as a classroom need naturally grew into something much greater.

With Anna’s vision to extend these educator-trusted resources beyond the classroom, Explore Nook grew to support both early learning settings and family homes—remaining deeply connected to the education sector while becoming equally valued in everyday play.

For over nine years, Explore Nook has created natural, open-ended play resources that invite children to learn through real-world experiences. Our collections are grounded in play-based learning and enriched with STEM opportunities—encouraging children to think critically, solve problems, and explore how things work through hands-on engagement with real-life wooden machines and thoughtfully designed open-ended learning resources.

Today, Explore Nook is a recognised international brand, with trusted partners across the USA, Canada, and the UK/EU. Our resources are embraced by educators and families alike, valued for their ability to foster deep, meaningful learning through play.

We believe children learn best not through screens, but through doing—through building, experimenting, imagining and discovering the world around them. What we place in their hands shapes how they think, create, and grow.

We exist to raise the next generation of innovators by inspiring curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning—supporting children to become capable thinkers, problem solvers, and confident learners in an ever-changing world.