The budding home scientist and horticulturist will both delight in the ease with which this self contained soil test kit brings discovery. The kit measures not only ph., but also Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash content and contains material for 40 tests. Since these are the essential ingredients affecting plant nutrition, we see a science project in the making: experimental plant growth in soils with different amounts of acidity and/or nutrients. From Luster Leaf(tm), the kit is entirely self contained and includes complete instructions for use and explanations. Be careful, please, the kit does have chemicals and should not be used by young children without supervision.

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.

Our micro rocket packs a lot of fun into a small package, much like hockey's original Pocket Rocket, Henri Richard, the 5' 7" brother of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. Unlike Henri, this rocket's powered by baking soda and vinegar (not included), and actually flies quite high. Bullet-shaped, it's just 2-3/8" tall x 13/16" dia and sits on a launch base 2-3/4" tall x 3/4" ID. For rocket scientists over 5 years of age.

Lego® goes crazy with this 100+ piece kit with everything you need to build (16) different contraptions (be pretty stupid if they made 16 of the same contraption) for your amusement. In the mix are gears, pulleys, belts and axles, which you could turn into a rocket racer, Lego® launcher, donkey cart or scissor grabber, among other things. Includes a 50-page spiral-bound graphically illustrated instruction booklet. And, yes, adding Lego® pieces of your own just ramps up the fun. For ages 7+.

It's Colorful. It's Magic. That's what the package says about this 3-1/2" tall specimen, and that's more than you can say about those big, clunky un-magical trees. Just slide two parts together, stand them up in the little tray with the magical water in it, and watch your tiny tree begin to bloom with an array of multicolor crystals after an hour. Reaches full magical bloom in 12 hours. Just the thing to watch on those days when the cable goes out. Ages 8+.

Yes, now you can truthfully tell people this. Just get this combo 10" long 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom slash AM radio and you’re in business. The power knob/volume control in the right-side spare tire is frozen, but if you’re handy you can fix it and then truthfully say “I just fixed the radio in my ’31 Rolls Phantom.” These radio-models are from the mid ’70s, so they might be a tad tarnished, bumperwise, but they’re still your chance to work on, and own, a Rolls.

Keep your magnetic hematite. Keep it tight! And keep it close because word on the street is, it has potential healing powers, or at least the ability to possibly-maybe boost your mood. At the very least, the specimens we have are great for the fridge or the side of a file cabinet. They have a super-stylish and refined shiny-pewter look, and they’re each about 3/4" to 7/8" x 1/2" thick. Plus, they look super-cool in bunches. Takes about (25) of them to weigh 1 lb, and you’ll get a dozen per order. Never hurts to have some nice, small reliable magnets hanging around--especially these, which won’t lose their pull in your lifetime.

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. Great gift for those budding young marine biologists. Ages 6+.

Simple, yet clever 1" dia. by 3" long plastic device to demonstrate the vortex effect of a tornado. Partially fill with water one of the two half-gallon size plastic soda bottles which you supply. Screw the bottles into opposite ends of the tube which we supply. Tip so the full bottle is on top and give it a circular starting whirl. Presto! You have a vortex. Call it a tornado if you're a meteorologist, a Charybdis if you're a classicist, or a whirlpool if you're into oceanography. Lots of fun and a fine opportunity to attempt to explain the effects of the earth's rotation on water draining out of a bathtub. The phenomena are related we're told, but good luck!!

Don't panic. A meteorite is speeding toward you, but it will only hit your mailbox. These small hunks of genuine meteorites are approx 4,200 years old, and have been harvested from Chandon, Argentina. (We never miss the meteorite harvest in Chandon.) You have two choices. The large-ish ones weigh between 20-33 grams and measure approx 1-1/4" x 3/4" x 1/2", which is very dense. (Get a pair and make cuff-links for your favorite meteorologist!) The smaller ones weigh approx 3-4 grams per box, and you may get multiple pieces. In either case, carry one in your pocket and you'll never be hit by a large meteorite. (And if you are, we'll give you double your money back.)

This Lego® set from Klutz has (58) pieces, including gear wheels, bricks, axles and connectors to build (11) gadgets, including a claw, catapult, assorted vehicles, robots, a fan and a hand-held blender thingy. Includes a 78-page manual with detailed instructions and a plethora of punch-out paper parts for added verisimilitude. For ages 8+, or anyone else who knows what plethora and verisimilitude mean.

You can’t beat a nice fossil for helping you forget about the present. Transcend the 21st century with: a fossilized shark tooth, between 1-1/2” and 2”, dating from the Eocene to Cretaceous ages, which is even before chicken fingers; or a nice 3/4” chunk of dinosaur bone from the Colorado Rocky Mountains, dating from the Mesozoic era, and it was broken when we found it, honest.

with our best selling electronics kit. Build 100 or more electronic projects from a Reflection Detector to a Simple Salt Water Alarm with Snap Circuits Jr. The Elenco kit, a Dr. Toy Winner, has a grid base and a selection of conductors, resistors, switches, integrated circuits and more, for a total of (30) color-coded snap-in parts. For ages 8 to 108, the easy-to-use components and well-designed instruction manual make this a perfect way to spend some quality time with a bright young child! AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products. Ages 8+.

See our full line of Elenco Snap Circuits here! Click 

Physics faculty alert: It's very small, but teaches a powerful lesson, this little diamagnetic-properties demo kit. You get (4) plated magnets, each 1/4" square x 3/32", and (2) 1/4" square pieces of graphite to float above them. The graphite may have slight chips along the edge but that won't affect the effect. Includes instructions/fact sheet.

An advanced kit compared to the others, a little more deluxe and a little more complicated. It is an AM/FM radio kit from Elenco with over 80 pieces divided into lesson groups. PC board shows component placement to help learning and to minimize errors. It has (14) transistors and (4) diodes and the case measures 11"x 5"x2-1/4". Ages 12+, as considerable soldering is required.

From Brazil, rescued from the guts of quartz crystal antennae, these clear rock crystals are pebble sized (some maybe 3/8" long, most smaller). We're thinking classrooms and microscopes, small jewelry items, or, at these prices, a nice little bowl of crystals for the table. Each small box contains approx 2-1/4 oz of crystals. We'll send you (2) boxes, which will about fill a test tube if combined.

Create your own crystal garden and you'll never again have to run out to the store in the middle of the night for more crystals. Put the approx (2) ounces of rocks from this kit in a bowl, add white vinegar, put it in a warm place, and wait for the vinegar to evaporate. You'll have crystals in (2) days to (2) weeks. Add food coloring if you want to change your tasteful monochromatic crystals into a phantasmagoric garden of color. You provide the bowl, vinegar, food coloring and warm place. For ages 8+ with adult supervision.

A good basic kit with everything you need to build a very simple crystal radio. This is not hi-tech hi-fi. Geared for ages eight and up, it is a complete kit with wonderfully straight forward instructions which walk the experimenter through hooking up wire coil, diode, variable capacitor and earphone, and experimenting to find useful antennas. Excellent education, recreation and discovery device all at the same time. A simple kit with hours of fun in it.