KITS & MODELS

Can you say orrery kit? That’s what this is to an astronomer. (Named for Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery in County Cork.) Your orrery has the sun and planets out to Neptune on a gear-driven 6” x 4” base. You’ll get all the parts, plus (8) paint pots and a brush. The finished model will be approx 12” wide x 4-1/4” tall. For ages 8+.

Zivko the Robot is back in stock! Our best selling STEM kit ever! Just call her (or him--it’s unclear and we don’t like to ask) “Zivko” because “the Robot” is her last name. Using just a screwdriver and side cutters, you build Zivko from this 107-piece S.T.E.M. kit. Set the mode for “Follow Me” or “Explore,” and Zivko will, yes, track you, or evade obstacles, respectively, via an infrared sensor and micro-controller programming. Interactive LEDs and sounds abound. Measures approx 5" x 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" when assembled with all (6) legs. You add (4) “AAA”s for power, which is the least you can do for someone this cute. Ages 10+.

Pop one of these roughly 1-1/4" dia stones into the toe of a sock, smash it with a hammer, and be the first person ever to see your real-as-Nature-makes-it geode!! Ninety percent of them have the familiar beautiful white crystals inside. Formed by volcanic action, they are found all over the world, but ours are from Mexico. There is no way to tell from the outside if they have crystal centers, but we will send you two just to raise your odds, and we haven't had a dud yet in our stores!! Much much more fun and satisfaction than buying one already cracked.

These here selenite wands are quite the specimens. You know selenite? It’s a variety of gypsum, and it’s mighty purdy and crystal-ish. You’ll get a wand of it, somewhere in the 5” to 8” long range, and maybe about a 1/2” on each side. Add a Laser Pointer and have some naturally ocurring fiber optic fun! Whatever else you do with it (besides look at it up close in amazement), is up to you. But you’ll always be able to say, “Want to see my selenite wand?”

Lovely to look at, delightful to make jewelry out of or placed as shiny companions of small plants. Our (20) piece set of polished gemstones can include: Carnelian, Chrysocolla, Aventurine, Hematite, Lapis, Amazonite, Pyrite, Citrine, Amethyst, Tige Eye, Garnet, Mookaite, Indian Agate, Botswana Agate, White Howlite, Rock Quartz, Apricot Agate, Rose Quartz, Leopardskin Jasper, Blue Lace Agate, Turritella Agate, Yellow Aventurine, Dalmation Jasper or Orange Calcite. All approx 5/8" across.

Everything you need to build a little DC motor is included in this kit (except sandpaper, screwdriver, scissors and, of course, an AA battery). The instructions are simple and explain the theory as well as assembly. Fun and educational for ages 12 and up.

Painters need paints, right? This set of (24) acrylic paints from Zenacolor® includes cobalt blue, French ultramarine, Prussian blue, cerulean blue, crimson red, scarlet red, vermillion, orange, beige, ocher, primary yellow, lemon yellow, Titanium white, lamp black, gray, raw umber, burnt umber, raw sienna, burnt sienna, violet, hooker's green (hey, we don’t name the colors), veridian green, sap green and emerald green. Tubes are 12ml each, and come in a nice 9” x 7-1/2” storage box.

Our best and prettiest-ever slices of polished agate, showing concentric rings of natural and dyed colors. The slices range from 3" to 4-1/2" across and from 1/8" to 3/16" thick. We've seen samples from milky white to blue, purple, red, yellow and brown. No two alike, by definition. We'll choose. Think scientific specimens, framed art, coasters, trivets, paperweights, or skipping stones for rich kids who don't want to search the beach for flat stones.

Geology for those with short attention spans? The original Magic Rocks®, of course! Mix the solution in a jar of water, drop in the pebbles, and watch them grow into a forest of multi-color stalagmites. Growth starts in 10 minutes, is impressive in 30 minutes, and complete (up to 4" tall) in 2 hours. Extra credit if you can make it grow stalactites by gluing the pebbles to the bottom of a jar, then pouring the solution in and turning it upside down. Who knows? Maybe it will work. Comes with a set of marine decals to decorate the jar. Definitely not for use with living fish. For ages 10 and up.

About 30-40 highly polished stones, all shiny, translucent, or brightly colored, ranging from 3/4" long to 1/8" long. Great for mosaics, jewelry, or aquariums.

Just the one, actually, but it’s been sliced in half so the pair is perfectly symmetrical and mighty pretty. Although ammonites have been extinct for 65,000,000 years, we’ve got their approx 1” dia fossils for you. Our each is a book-matched pair of polished ammonites fossils of a single critter halved and polished to a bright symmetrical shininess. The colors vary from light tan to dark brown and we’ll pick because we have impeccable ammonitical color-shade taste. And yes, they’re just screaming to become cuff-links or earrings.

Based on drawings from Da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, this Pathfinders catapult kit uses a pair of bent wooden arms as springs to launch clay balls (included) over (4) meters at enemy fortifications (not included, go make your own enemies). The assembled model will be approx 9" tall on a 10" x 7-1/4" base. Made from pre-cut, untreated wood from sustainable forests, and built with pegs for added strength and verisimilitude. A 2013 Creative Child Magazine Top Toy of the Year Winner and a great resource for STEM activities. For ages 12 and up.

Yes, we have The Amazing Live Sea Monkey® aquarium kit, just like the ones from the comic books. The (9) piece ocean zoo includes brine shrimp eggs, growth food, water purifier, plus an official plastic feeding spoon, 32-page handbook, life insurance policy, growth guarantee, and the plastic aquarium with built-in magnifiers for viewing your little friends, and a vented cover. We'll pick the aquarium color that best matches your decor. Great gift for those budding young marine biologists. Ages 6+.

From Zimpli kids we bring you SnoBall Battle Pack. A packet of Sodium Polyacrylate that turns Science into an all-out snowball fight. Just add water to create your own snow. Packet contains 2.82oz to create up to 60 snowballs. The rest is up to you and your kid's friends. Winter not included.

Scientifically speaking. This 8-1/2" x 11" science reference notebook is three-hole punched for inclusion in a binder. From McGraw-Hill, it's heavily illustrated and filled with facts, illustrations and definitions about biology, geology, astronomy, physics and much more. Science! Surplus factor: some may have been packed before the cover ink was dry, leaving a slight speckled pattern that has no effect on the science inside—we checked. And Science is our middle name.

Rock hammer with one squared chipping face and one pointy picking face, ideal for prospectors, rock hounds, construction and more. A single piece of forged and polished steel with a molded rubber grip makes this a solid and reliable tool that will last. 10-1/2" long x 6-1/2" across the 20 oz. head, 1-3/4 lbs. total. Well made. Good buy. Good bye!

Love is not just for valentines day. Tell somebody you love them by giving them a rose quartz crystal. These self-love and healing stones are unpolished and are approx 1-2" in size. 

Maybe. Could also be a stegosaurus, triceratops or something else--that’s part of the fun of paleontological parenthood. Just submerge the 4-1/2” tall ersatz dinosaur egg into cool water and wait 48-72 hours while it cracks like a real egg and the baby dino grows to a be a foot long. If your mother won’t let you skip your bath for a few days (they’re like that, mothers, no scientific discipline), just use any container bigger than a 12” dinosaur.