Lovely to look at, delightful to make jewelry out of. Our (25) piece set of polished gemstones includes: amethyst; howlite; tiger eye; hematite; amazonite; carnelian; sodalite; turqurenite; plain and rose quartz; rhodonite; unakite; snowflake obsidian; orange calcite; lemon jade; four varieties of jasper (serpentine; red, brecciated, picture and blue dalmation); and more. All approx 5/8" across.

Managing people will be so much easier with this giant red NO! button on your desk, or at home. Push it and hear a digital voice deliver (10) different versions of no, including No!; No, No, No; Noooooo; For the last time, NO!; and more. Great for denying tasks at work, and later-bedtime requests at home. (Remember--you can always change your mind to Yes, but going the other way never works.) Measures 3-1/2" dia x 1-1/2" tall in red with a black frame. You add a pair of "AAA" batteries.

Check out our keychain version! Same great sounds in a mini version. 

Managing people will be so much easier with this pocket sized red NO! button on your keychain. Push it and hear a digital voice deliver (10) different versions of no, including No!; No, No, No; Noooooo; For the last time, NO!; and more. Great for denying tasks at work, and later-bedtime requests at home. (Remember--you can always change your mind to Yes, but going the other way never works.) Measures 1-3/4"" dia. x 1" tall in red with a black frame. Batteries included!

You supply the pot, we'll supply a dozen Venus Fly Trap seeds and a little sack of soil in a 4-3/8" x 2" dia plastic growing tube, plus an instruction sheet on the care and feeding of everyone's favorite meat-eating foliage. Gestation is about (14) weeks, so order early if you're planning a birthday surprise for someone.

Our each is a dozen glass gems, in a round cut in (12) different colors, including pink, green, blue, red, golden, white, and various shades of each. Think diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, topaz, whatever. In a dark blue book-like presentation box, the Liz Taylor collection features (12) gems at 40mm across (1.57” or tad bigger than a silver dollar) by 27mm (1.06”) deep.

Home robotics, bubeleh. Build a working hydraulic arm with this excellent 66-piece kit from Pathfinders' Simple Machine series. Structure is die-cut plywood and the kit includes tubing, (3) syringes and glue. You'll need a ruler and scissors. The finished arm will be approx 13-1/2" tall and will reach out over 16" and rotate 90° on an 8-5/8' x 6-7/8" base. Comes with a 12-page manual and uses water. Beautiful, too. For ages 8+.

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.

It’ll be much easier with this life-size human brain/skull model kit from Lindberg®. Stands 10-1/2” tall on a 4-3/4” tall stand with a 5” dia base. In bone-colored plastic (with a pink brain with red blood vessels, like yours), it includes a (5)-part skull, (4)-part brain, and (10)-piece set of teeth ready to assemble. You add the glue. The lower jaw is movable. A perfect addition to any lab, living room or themed party.

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.

And more. This accessory kit for smart phones (works with iPhone, Samsung, HTC, iPad, tablets and many others) has a 2” long clip-on bracket with screw-in macro, wide-angle and fish-eye lenses. Paul loves his kit and he’s our optics expert. Use the macro for insects, coins and diamonds. Fish-eye and wide-angle for great visual effects. Includes a little pouch to carry it all in, and tiny lens caps.

Note: Two lenses come threaded together to conserve space. 

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 Chaco, Argentina. (We never miss the meteorite harvest in Chaco.) Most will weigh 20-33 grams and measure approx 1-1/4" x 3/4" x 1/2", which is very dense. 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.)

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.

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" Soldering required.

This multi-bot solar kit includes a 1.5V solar cell, a small DC motor and gearbox and a boatload of parts that will let you make (14) different solar-powered projects including: a turtle-bot; walker bot; quadru bot; wheel bot; boat bot; beetle bot; dog bot; auto bot; carb bot; slither bot; roly poly bot; surf bot; and, you should pardon the pun, the row bot. No, really--there's a row bot. Projects come in (2) levels of difficulty and include an 81pp graphic manual. You'll need a hobby knife or a pair of side-cutters, and sunlight. Most projects will be approx 5" tall when assembled.

Do your kids think the whole world snaps together? Time to get them the Steel Works, a classic steel construction set from Schylling not unlike those erecting sets of yore. Has more than (300) pieces, including beams, plates, angles, nuts, bolts, washers and more, along with instructions for making an airplane, helicopter, dump truck, satellite truck, fire truck, forklift, claw truck, gyrocopter, bulldozer and backhoe. Includes wrenches and a hex key. Models have mechanical actions triggered by wheel movement. Parts are interchangeable with any other Schylling Steel Works kit. For ages 8+.

We like anything in a can, of course, but these sets of (20) cards with science experiments, plus a few tricks, from The Crazy Scientist are right up our alley. (Science is our middle name, remember?) You pick: Indoor Science has (20) chemical and physics experiments with basic household items; The Magic of Science has (20) science-based magic tricks (duh); The Five Senses has (20) ways to mess with your senses; and Young Researchers has (20) experiments involving light, heat, liquids and gasses. All are made for ages 6+, and all include (1) card especially for the parents.

Our each is approx 1-1/3 oz (40ml) of The Original Slime (“Feels Wet and Cold!”) and it must be scientific because it comes in a cool little Erlenmeyer flask, although with a very un-Erlenmeyerish but important screw cap. We’ll pick a nauseating color. Non-toxic, for ages 5 and up, because you’re never too old for slime.

Good clean fun for trips to the beach or pool. This 4-3/4” rubber shark has a small human foot sticking out of its maw. Give him a good squeeze and the leg pops out up to the shin. Quickly repeated squeezes make it look like the shark is having lunch.