Geology for those with short attention spans? The original Magic Rocks®, of course! Mix the solution in a jar of water, drop in the pebbles, and watch them grow into a forest of multi-color stalagmites. Growth starts in 10 minutes, is impressive in 30 minutes, and complete (up to 4" tall) in 2 hours. Extra credit if you can make it grow stalactites by gluing the pebbles to the bottom of a jar, then pouring the solution in and turning it upside down. Who knows? Maybe it will work. Comes with a set of marine decals to decorate the jar. Definitely not for use with living fish. For ages 10 and up.

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.

Making stuff crystal clear is boring. Grow your own red, blue or purple crystals with these amazing Magical Crystal growing kits. You get approx 4 oz of mono-ammonium crystal, a 2-3/8" dia concave base, some appropriate food coloring flakes, a 3-3/4" x 2-3/4" dia clear plastic container, mixing stick and instructions. Recommended for ages 10+.

Including bubbles as big as your grandmother. You get 2 oz of fluid; (4) straws; a mouthpiece; cubical, pyramid, star and round frames, 108" of yarn (for the bubbe-sized bubble); a tray and instructions for (11) kinds of bubble activities. For ages 5 and up.

On the heels of the Pineapple Watch, comes this H20 Clock Kit that features a digital clock powered by liquids. Includes a 3/4" LCD clock display, (2) 4" vials that hold 3 oz each, lids with prewired copper and zinc electrodes, and a base with spring terminals to wire and hold everything. And yes, it will work with soy sauce apple juice, diet cola, whatever, if water strikes you (clock joke there, no charge) as boring. Also includes a 10-page manual. Ages 8+.

rom Crazy Creations, this Brain Dome Kit is basically a lab for creating and assembling your own spooky creations out of hardening gel, or as the box says, turning “slime to stone.” Includes molds for spider parts and human bones, as well as a large brain-shaped device to cure the gel. Think of the brain sort of like a potter’s kiln. You make each limb individually, cure them, and then add joiner gel to create posable joints. There’s string to hang pieces from, too. Add the Crazy Creations Refill Set, a slime gel kit to go along with the Brain Lab Kit. The Refill Set comes with gel, which “sets from slime to stone” in less than 6 minutes. Contains a random (1) of (3) possible molds (skeleton, dinosaur or spider), (2) bottles of hardening slime (red and blue), and a bag of decorations, including flies, maggots and ants.

If they're 10 or older, and mad for science, get them this Chemistry Lab Kit from Edu-Science, with chemicals, equipment and a manual for over (80) experiments. Includes copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and hydroxide, copper foil, tartaric acid and methyl orange, litmus blue powder, litmus paper, filter paper, test tubes plus holder and rack, rubber tubing, corks, beaker, funnel, small alcohol lamp, stirring rod, scoop, brush, and goggles. For ages 10 and up.

This is the new, improved, bigger and better CHEM C1000 beginner chemistry set from Thames & Kosmos. Follow Professor Probenius, the world's most distinguished cartoon chemistry professor, through the 80-page manual while he provides safety advice and instructions for carrying out 125 diverse experiments. Build a fire extinguisher, make water flow uphill, identify chemicals, split water into hydrogen and oxygen and much more. Includes the simple lab equipment and supplies you need to experiment with air pressure, surface tension, acids and bases, indicators, electrochemical reactions and chromatography. You add some common household materials. A superior kit for ages 10 and up. Winner of the Gold Award® from Parents' Choice.

Sometimes the best STEM starts with slime. The Ooze Labs Chemistry Station holds chem lab components including test tubes, measuring cups, pipettes and more, ready for budding chemists to perform (20) experiments specializing in ooziness, sliminess and colorful goopy and fizzy fun. Comes with a 16-page manual. You add some common household items. For ages 6+.

Don't take it the wrong way—slimeball is the official designation for scientific types who specialize in slithery goop. You could ask anyone. You'll love this Alien Slime Lab, a kit that lets you mix color-changing slime, slime bubbles, glowing slime, and brainy slime. From Thames & Kosmos, the kit includes (28) pieces, (10) experiments, and a (24)-page manual. Has a base station, plastic test tubes and holders, sticker sheet, GITD and hypercolor powder, alien reflective particles and more. Ages 6+.