BEST SELLERS

Let your kids time-travel at the kitchen table as they moisten and dig into an egg to discover a shark hidden inside. This kit, from the aptly named Discovery Kit, features a plastic glow-in-the-dark shark approx 3-1/4" x 2" and while it's not an actual fossil, the experience and fun of fossil hunting are the same. Digging tools included. Bathing suits optional. Ages 3+.

It's small, as actual solar systems go, and you have to assemble it, but still…. You snap together this (not-to-scale) model of our solar system, paint it, and position the pieces. You get (6) colors plus a tube of glow-in-the-dark paint and a brush, the (8) planets (Pluto didn't make the cut, remember), and cardboard rings for Saturn. Sizes range from just under 1/2" for Mercury to the 1-7/16" sun. The finished model is articulated and stands approx 4" tall x 12" across on a 3-7/8" dia gray plastic base. Ages 8+.

Most of your Tyrannosaurus rex models just stand there, looking all rexish, but this 4-1/2" tall molded rubber dinosaur model is posable, with articulated legs, tail and jaw. It’s like he was made to star in your stop-motion animated Dino-epic. Better get a pair or you won’t be able to film any tender couple-in-love moments or battles.

Could be lilliputian versions of Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell, but they’re not. They’re dandy little 37-piece (mostly) steel model kits of two different racers, a biplane or a helicopter, from Steel Works. Finished models will be a couple of inches long, and a tiny tool for assembly is included. We’ll pick one that will be just right for you. Ages 8+.

You can’t start fooling people too early. This box of tricks is for budding magicians, and includes the props and instructions for (77) tricks. Includes a magic wand, without which you can’t be a magician, plus assorted cups, balls, cards and coin-trick frames. You add a few things like money, a handkerchief, gullible friends, etc. For ages 6+.

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+.

The Tumbling Robot Experiment is relatively easy to assemble and has sensors in his (her?) belly, back and legs so he (it?) can fall and get up again, like some of us humans. At 8" tall, in between tumbles, it's a manic, sliding, chomping, swinging thingy, like a droid cookie monster in a Pilates class. You put a pair of "AA"s in his feet. Ages 8+.

Marble Mania® Extreme Glo is an action-packed marble maze kit that stands more than 2 feet high and has a power lifter, windmill drop and bright LED lights. It’s a STEM kit, and includes more than (200) colorful pieces, including marble channels, 3D connectors and (5) LEDs. Think: Rube Goldberg machine meets the chute and ladder game meets amusement park ride. Ages 8+.

Please Note: There is a typo in our catalog 395. The correct price is $59.95. Jarvis thanks you for your understanding.

Wood or wooden you like to never see another pun on wood or wooden? Too bad--we’re not even trying to quit. Meanwhile, you can try these wooden wiggling fish, caterpillar contraption, winged wooden dragon ad b-plane  automaton that you crank to move. Made from laser-cut pieces that you peg or glue together, they will measure about 10-1/4” x 8-1/4” x 4-3/8” when finished. Come with instruction booklet, glue, sandpaper and wax.

Among other things. (Sorry, no oranges.) Our each is a set of (4) laser-cut moving wooden gear models from U-Gears®, including a cat, a tractor, a human head and a heart. You like to fidget? Us, too. Each has (6) or (7) laser-cut parts and will fit in the palm of your hand when finished. They’re like worry beads in that you'll find yourself playing with them to help you inch toward inner peace. They’re press-fit, so no glue or tools needed. For ages 5 and up.

This classic spin-art set is just like the ones you see at art fairs except it's battery-free because you just press the little bar to spin the wheel. Includes the “Art Machine,” base tray, spin plate, spatter shield, supply holder, (4) tubes of paint, (6) mounting cards, (20) blank white sheets, (1) brush, and instructions. Just like the one Leonardo would have designed if he'd thought of it. Plus, it’s a S.T.E.A.M. kit. For ages 4+.

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. Ages 8+.

Just like the original Stomp® Rocket but slightly smaller for slightly smaller feet, the Stomp® Rocket Jr. Glow also, you guessed it, glows in the dark. Includes (4) 8-3/4" tall foam rockets, launch tripod, 3-foot hose and the launching pad on which you or your young 'uns stomp to launch it up to 100 feet. Runs on air alone (no more waiting for your liquid hydrogen order from NASA) so it's safe. For ages 3 and up, depending upon shoe size.

You say you haven’t got time to wander beaches and woods in search of interesting rocks to tumble? We feel your pain. Order up this rock-tumbler refill kit, and you’ll get approx a pound of assorted quartz, hematite and agate pieces (we got 30+ in our sample bag) without leaving your couch. Also included are 1/2-oz packs of coarse, medium, fine and polish-grade grit, plus a necklace, ring, key-chain and double earring clips for to hold your polished stones.

Take the pieces in this motorized robot kit and you can make a 6-legged cricket, a gear-driven trailer, a two-legged rolling beastie or a grandfather. And all of them are as cute as robot buttons, especially the bobble-headed grampa. From OWI, the robot people. Sizes vary, but he’ll stand 10-1/2” tall. You add (1) “AA” battery for power. Solderless, but bring a screwdriver and side cutters.

Make like a miniature Martin Scorsese and create your own (stop-action) movie. Best part? The actors are all Lego® people, who work for free. You’ll get (36) assorted Lego® pieces, including mix-and-match characters and props. Includes a 78-page guide with advice for making credits, sound effects, lighting, camera techniques, set design, backdrops, storyboards and a bunch more. If Hitchcock had had this kit, Janet Leigh might have survived the shower scene. For ages 8+.

Cases for mounting butterflies, bugs, rocks, fossils or any other three dimensional collectibles. Known as Riker mounts, these are sturdy cardboard boxes 7/8" deep, with glass glued into the front cover for viewing. They are filled with a fairly firm, white, expanded, synthetic, cotton–like material. The cushiony filler holds the three–dimensional viewee in place without pins or glue. Very handy for the proud trophy hunter. Our smaller is 8” x 12” and the larger 12” x 16–1/2”.

Actually, your chickens, plural, since our each is multiples of lovely, plucked and naked chickens in full chicken color. And unlike the real thing, these are small enough to carry in your pocket, because you never know. In molded plastic, you pick the dozen micro-mini pullets at 1-1/2” long, or the 3-pack of 3” long birds. Either way, you’re prepared for any chicken emergency you’re likely to encounter.