A whole bunch of science and scientific learning happens outside of the school lab. These 144-page books by Liz Lee Heinecke have a year’s worth (that’d be 52) of experiments. You pick: Outdoor Science Lab for Kids with (52) experiments in (12) units covering biology, gardening, botany, physics, earth science and chemistry, all with common household items; or Kitchen Science Labs for Kids, with experiments in biology, physics and chemistry using the ever-popular common household materials.

Ferrite ceramic magnets can be quite powerful and have excellent resistance to demagnetization. These rectangular ones are no exception. Add the power of surplus and we'll give you a bunch of these mighty-mites at an uber-bargain price. Measures 1-7/8" x 7/8" x 3/8" thick with a 3-lb pull. Perfect for mounting even big pix on the fridge.

Physics project alert! This robust puppy of a magnet has dual 6V coils and stands 4" high x 3-1/4" wide, not counting the side terminals. Each coil draws 2.4A at 6VDC, and is conservatively rated for 40 Newtons (approx 9 lbs) at that voltage. Can be wired in either parallel or series, and comes with a mounting hook. Works great with a 6-volt lantern battery.

We’re out of red; you’ll have to make do. These fluorescent yellow paint markers from Krylon® have a 3/16” wide wedge tip. Paint dries within 15 minutes, the same time it took the Music Man to meet Marian the Librarian at the footbridge, so be patient. Can be used on fabric.

Surprise your parents with a little science at home. “Science Surprises” is a 192-page paperback in its third edition with over 100 experiments that can be done using common household goodies. OK, a couple of things might require a trip to the hardware store, but still.  The science ranges from the Bernoulli principle and Stroop effect to making your own perfume and cold cream. (And remember what Shaw said: “Science never solves a problem without creating ten more,” so that makes a thousand experiments.)

Some kids, you send them to school, they eat the books. Now they’ll still learn something with this 160-page paperback, Amazing (Mostly) Edible Science, by Andrew Schloss. Kids learn the science behind gelatin, crystals, baked goods, fruits, vegetables, eggs and carbonated drinks, and then get to eat their work. Call it kitchen scientific.

Ceramic magnets, 15/16" dia x 3/16" thick. One side has a 5/16" sq that goes through to a steel plate is octagonal, 9/16" across with a 3/16" dia hole in the center. The plate allows flexible mounting of the 3/4 lb lift magnet. The other interesting feature is that the ceramic appears to have many poles around the rim, (4 ea N and S). This may be a focussing effect of the insert, though.

The Big Book of Gizmos & Gadgets is a 96-page book from Woodworking & Crafts magazine, and has designs and full-size patterns for (15) projects from toys, noisemakers and automata to a rubber-band Gatling gun and gear machine. Most can be made with hand tools and patience, but the authors admit that a table saw, scroll saw, drill press, sander and rotary tool make things a whole lot easier.

Little-bitty horseshoe magnet, for traditionalists. Just 1-1/4" across x 1" x 5/16" thick. Red-painted Alnico, with approx 2.9 lbs of pull (ignore the 2 lb on the label) it includes a little steel keeper for when it's not sticking to a tiny horse's foot.

When we were your age, our protractors were all just plain clear plastic. You kids today can get them in translucent blue, red, orange, purple or green, but we're going to pick because we didn't get to then. These pretty ones are 6" wide and read from 0-6" x 1/16" on the bottom and from 0-180 degrees x 0.5-degrees bidirectionally along the arc. Include holes for a 3-ring binder.

The next best thing to lightning bolts! 200,000 volts of electrostatic energy created by our Van de Graaff generator. Measures 6-1/2” diameter by 15” tall, includes a spare belt and a set of instructions detailing lots of fun experiments. For grade 6 and up. This is not a toy and should be used under adult supervision. A great tool for teaching about electricity. For your convenience, we now have Lightning Belts: replacement belts to drive that overworked generator.

Our grandmother used to tell us that all the time, and we might have learned something while we were out there if she’d given us The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature, this 120-page paperback from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Chock full of information, photos and illustrations for exploring nature in both the city (includes pigeon info!) and the countryside, and in all four seasons. They might stay out of your hair until supper.

White chalk is fine but imagine the possibilities of a full palette of colors. Looks nice, right? Our box is (16) pieces of washable chalk at 3-1/8” long x 3/8” dia, and you’ll get (3) boxes, each with (2) pieces of green, purple, yellow, pink, hotter pink, blue, orange and white, which is a color too.

This political globe (i.e. with country boundaries) measures 11” dia, a tad larger than a standard basketball (which is 9.55” dia), and comes on a 7-1/2” base with latitude marked on its bracket. Shipped in two halves--all you have to do it push them together, although you should also feel free to use the halves as stylish bowls.

These mighty nice little ceramic disc magnets measure 18mm dia x 6.5mm thick, which in America, Burma and Liberia is 23/32" x 1/4", and for those of us still math-impaired, roughly a stack of (5) dimes. They have a 1/4-lb pull. No crafter should be without an enormous supply of these. Also note the physics-class-friendly bulk price.

You choose between our 2" square classroom demonstration slides. The diffraction grating slide has 500 lines per mm resolution and a wavelength chart; the linear polarized filter slide has a 1-3/8” x 15/16” window. Nice for classroom and home-schooling use. Made in the USA.

And find your way back with Map Reading and Land Navigation, a 113-page field manual. Originally published in 1993 by the Department of the Army, this reprint is a light and portable paperback.

…when you crank up this 13-1/4" tall, hand-cranked Wimshurst generator. They were the toast of the 19th Century, and remained the hottest thing around, electrostatically speaking, until Bobby Van de Graaf came along. This one works like a top, zapping sparks to a fare-thee-well with very little cranking. It's mighty pretty too, in acrylic, white and silver, and will dress up a dull physics or electronics lab.