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.

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!!

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.

We’d start with triops, lovely little crustacean-ettes with compound eyes that have been around since Triassic days. You pick the Ghost Triops, see-through honeys, or the larger Gigantic Triops, the biggest of the triops which is gigantic among lesser beasts. In both cases you get eggs, baby and adult food, and a pipette. You add a bright light source, bottled natural spring water and a small tank. They hatch in a day or three, are full grown in a month or so, and have a life-cycle of up to 90 days.  Ages 8+.

Budding meteorologists will love this Weather Science kit from Green Science. Includes experiments with lightning, static electricity, cloud-making, greenhouse effect, water cycles and acid rain. Comes with thermometers and holders, a balloon, seed tray, pH paper, and sundry plastic instruments. You add a few common household items.

Triops: way cooler, bigger and more active than sea monkeys. They're dinosaur shrimp, leftovers from some 200 million years ago. Don't eat them; just grow them and enjoy this bizarre & ancient display of nature! In the kit you get a kidney-shaped tank 2-3/8" tall x 8-1/2"x 5-3/4", a very informative instruction booklet, and a packet full of triops eggs and food. In the starter pack/refill pack you get tripos eggs, food, conditioner and directions. Add the eggs to water and watch them go; they'll hatch in a day and reach 1" to 2" or more in a few weeks. Really easy to do, and really cool too.

This nifty botanic lab kit from Engino® will appeal to budding (pardon our punning) botanists and youngsters with a mechanical bent. Has (4) projects, including a 14-1/2” x 9-1/2” x 13-1/2” clear plastic greenhouse with a gear-driven window, a pseudo-ox-driven plow, and a cube. Comes with (2) germination trays, a dozen small pots, and a 42-page manual. Mates with other Engino® parts. Made in Cypress, which makes for a nice change, we think. Ages 8-16.

before we dip our tongues into it. You might want to, too. Try Watersafe® Well-Water Test Kit, a robust 10 parameter, single-use kit made for testing city water or well-water. Contains tests that will detect lead, coliform bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, iron, nitrites, pH, chlorine, copper and hardness. Includes an instruction manual and EPA drinking water standards. Easy to use, with your water quality results on the spot.

You can’t put science on a stick, but you can put it in a can. The Crazy Scientist™ Water Gel Science Kit for young researchers comes from The Purple Cow® in a 6-1/2” x 9-1/2” x 1-1/2” tin. For ages 8+, comes with (14) experiments, containing sodium polyacrylate, color tablets, polymer gel beads, spoons, pipet, test tube, tubing and a 15-page manual.

Nothing beats owl pellets for the edification of budding biologists. These are from barn owls and they're domestic, yurped up by your American barn owls, each with a skeleton inside. Keep them refrigerated to keep the moths away. Most are approx 1-1/2" to 2" long.