These (2) reproduction maps are printed on "antiqued vellum" and are both approx 15-3/4" x 14". They show, respectively, the locations of Civil War battles and the principal events in the Revolutionary War, along with chronologies at the bottom. Lots of info packed into a small space, but the kids will read them easily. You might want some glasses. Includes both maps.

Pat got visibly excited when these came in, and so will you. From Helix®, these are slightly larger versions of the wedge-shaped erasers you stick on top of pencils, but these have...(you better sit down for this)...pencil sharpeners embedded inside of them! It's the pencil twofer, or "double Helix." Make perfect, crisp, mistakes and get rid of them immediately. We'll send a half-dozen in stylish white, blue, black and traditional eraser red.

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.

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.)

Wonderful little book jammed with elaborate colored drawings that tells the beginner a little about everything to do with a microscope. And all in a mere 48 pages! From data on the history and types of microscopes, to introductions and samples and how to prepare them, (from tissues and insects to crystals) to ideas for experiments and lists of simple equipment needs, and how to build them at home, this book is a veritable cornucopia of information. If you are thinking of getting a microscope, we strongly recommend "The World of the Microscope" as a great stimulus for the novice user. It won't answer heavy duty scientific questions. But it will keep the beginner busy, challenged and entertained for days and weeks! By Chris Oxlade and Corrine Stockley. Paperback, 7-3/4" x 9-3/4". One of the Usborne science and experiments series of books.

You win some, you lose some? No need to keep switching pens when you have this two-headed ball point pen with a black cartridge at one end and a red one at the other. Perfect for those hand-held profit and loss statements.

We like The Usborne Book of Science Activities a whole bunch. It’s volume one of the Helen Edom and Kate Woodward series, a 74-page hardcover that includes experiments with water, magnets, light and mirrors, with plenty of puzzles and projects--profusely illustrated, throughout. Handy for keeping your young one's mind in shape when not in school or as family learning projects.

The human body is a puzzle, really. Get a head-start on anatomy class with one of these anatomically correct breakaway models in authentically colored plastic with detailed cross-sections. Pick the 2" tall, 7-piece eyeball; the 3-1/2" tall, 6-piece human heart; or the 3-3/8" tall, 6-piece rubber and plastic human head/skull/brain. All stand on 3" square bases.

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.

That's what you get with this tesla coil!! Brand new, commercial item, great for classroom demonstrations and experiments. The 50,000 volt capacity generator radiates high frequency energy through space... enough to light fluorescent tubes two feet away. It uses 115 VAC (60 Hz) with an electro-magnetically operated interrupter buzzer, high voltage capacitors, inductive coil transformer, and a monopolar high frequency transformer generator to do the trick. 11" high, with a 6" sq. x 2" high protective housing for the generator. Includes accessories and instruction booklet with 19 experiments. Pretty amazing. But please, this is not a toy and should be used only under adult supervision.

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.

School is a tiny bit more tolerable when they can sharpen pencils in these. You get a 2" dia baseball and basketball and a 2-1/2" long football that, as a bonus, sits on a tiny kicking tee.

Good quality precision compass from Helix®. Measures 4-1/4" long and opens to a maximum of 2-1/8". Includes (3) spare 2mm leads and a spare locking wheel for leads on account of people losing them all the time.

You'll never lose your chance to highlight something when you hang your highlighter around your neck. These have a 3/16" wedge tip (every true highlighter's choice), and come with a pocket clip and a detachable 18" lanyard. You pick yellow or pink.

You can write on duct tape, but try to change your mind later and see what happens. We recommend these 12-foot x 1-7/8” wide rolls of dark gray chalkboard tape, which you can write on with, you guessed it, chalk; or the 12-foot rolls of the more modern dry-erase tape, which we’ll pick for you in either white or day-glo orange.

Clever little plastic boxes 4-1/2" x 2-1/4" x 1" hold note paper - and dispense one sheet at a time as you open and close the cover. The clear red box is labeled "Mom". They work even better with business cards, so they make great little gifts if Mom has her own cards. We'll send you a bag of (3) with each order. 

But at an affordable price. For budding astronomers, the Astronomy Lab for Kids is a 144-page book chock-full of facts, and with (52) astronomy and physics activities. Written by Michelle Nichols, Master Educator at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium. Local customer bonus: the author is an AS&S customer, and presents Science Nights at our Geneva, Ill., store.

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.