BEST SELLERS

Why does it do that? Develop an elemental understanding of magnetism, electromagnetism, electrochemistry, radio, thermodynamics, light and optics. Simon Quellen Field's 228-page paperback, Gonzo Gizmos, Projects & Devices to Channel your Inner Geek explains processes, equipment and scientific terms -- and then, for starters, tells you things like how to make a rotary steam engine in 15 minutes from a soda can, a candle and a few scraps of rubber tubing. It's the favorite of our resident geeks -- but not for kids unless they're working with an adult. That would be a mature adult. An insured, mature adult.

From the world of Collect 'Em All, these uber-cute little foam animal figures are 1" to 1-1/2" across with a little 3" hook-n-loop band on the back so they can be attached to fingers, flip-flops, shoelaces, backpacks, wherever kiddies think they belong. You'll get (4) different ones from the selection of frogs, pandas, monkeys, elephants, kittens, bats, fishes, penguins and toucans.

Snap Circuits™ has added Brics, their name for little plastic building blocks that are, luckily, compatible with those other little, inerlocking plastic building blocks you have. This award-winning 200-piece Bric Structures set has sheets and blocks plus Snap Circuits connectors, blinking and steady LEDs, a slide switch, a fiber-optic bundle, an incandescent bulb and a melody integrated circuit, along with adapter blocks to mate the Snap Circuits components with the brics. Has instructions to make (26) electrified models, including a house and a tower, on the 10” x 5” base. You add a trio of “AA” batteries. For ages 8+. Winner of Six Toy of the Year Awards!

Nice little pulley unit kit includes (1) pulley each at 50, 30, 25 and 20mm and (3) pulleys at 11mm, plus myriad bushings, a 3VDC motor, (2) belts and a belt guide, base, mounts and assorted hardware. Includes graphic assembly instructions, plus a couple of rudimentary drawings with suggested projects. It's a mechanical science project waiting for a home.

Build yourself a kid with a career in electronics. Start with this Snap Circuits® Motion kit with over (50) parts and instructions for (165) projects, including a mini-car, crawler, motion detector, tilt sensor and others. You add (4) "AA" batteries, conveniently available right here at your favorite supplier. For ages 8 and up from Elenco®.

"WE DARE YOU!" by Vicki Cobb is a 322-page book for children, filled with over (300) scientific challenges and experiments that can be done with ordinary household stuff. A savvy adult could introduce kids to science by betting them their allowance money on the afore-mentioned challenges, including making square eggs without using a square chicken, writing with potatoes, blowing frozen soap bubbles, and a whole bunch more.

Extra-nifty, this 3-D sci-fi cartoon coloring set includes a 36-page pad of cartoons with (3) sets of (12) 7” x 5” sheets. Also comes with a pair of diffraction glasses, so you can see what you’re coloring, and (10) assorted markers, all in a compact book-like carrying case.

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+.

Suddenly we find ourselves with an assortment of highly coveted, plastic, brick snap-together kits from BanBao®. These kits will make pull-back racing cars with sturdy, chunky 1-5/8” dia tires. Models have from (86) to (108) pieces and will measure approx 9” x 5-7/8” x 2” when complete, and include instructions and some decals. We’ll pick (2) different for you.

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.

For the steady-handed model-maker. These mini-models from Metal Earth® are demanding and beautiful. Use a tweezers to punch out the little pieces from the laser-cut shiny steel sheets, and assemble them using the tabs and slots--no glue, no screws. You pick the Hubble Telescope (3” x 2” x 2-1/2”), the U.S.S. Arizona (5-3/4” long) or the Mars Lander (5-7/8" x 2-1/4" x 2-1/2"). All include instructions, which you’ll need. For ages 14+.

For tyro electronics wizards: build your own dual white-LED strobe light. You'll need a 9V battery, solder and a soldering iron. Features a speed switch and rate control knob, and will oscillate between once and a seizure-inducing 60X per second. Draws 40mA. Ages 10+, as some soldering is required.

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.

Let them build like their grandfather built. This colorful Steel Works Ferris Wheel construction kit from Schylling has over (950) pieces, plus tools to assemble a 14” tall model. We’re talking about hours of fun and brain challenges here! Includes a music box mechanism that plays “The Entrance of the Gladiators,” aka “Thunder and Blazes”. Kids who are really inventive can take it apart and use the pieces to assemble a creation of their own. The possibilities are just about endless. For ages 8+.

Incendiary rocket fuel? We don't need no stinkin' incendiary rocket fuel. We got the Mighty Seltzer Rocket! The seltzer rocket, made of simple plastic parts. (No, don't lean over it!. That's not a foam nose cone, you know!) The 4-1/4" x 1-1/4" dia seltzer rocket that holds water and (1) dissolving seltzer tablet. The rocket that has shot almost 30 feet in the air for us. It comes with (4) antacid tablets, just like those you can buy at the drug store -- and it's basic science at its best!

Nice little 8-LED running light kit from Velleman® has program and speed controls. You control which lights go on and off, and how fast they "run" in sequence. It's the basic concept used in those vintage blinking signs that entice you into car dealerships, amusement parks and cocktail lounges. You get the PC board and all the parts except the 9V battery you need to let the little lights shine. Ages 10+, as some soldering is required.

Sounds like a Europop group, but it’s actually your new tumbling pet. Also bristles his spines, rolls, spins and scurries. He’ll be a tad bigger than a baseball when assembled. The prewired circuitry is triggered by an audio sensor that will make him do multiple tricks when you applaud, and who else do you know who’ll do that? The solderless assembly, with over (170) parts, might be a tad challenging for the listed 7-10+ age, so we suggest some supervision. From Thames & Kosmos. You add (4) “AAA”s. (And he’s a hedgehog, so don’t expect him to share the hedge if you have one.)

Nothing says friendship more than a bracelet and nothing builds a better bracelet than leather and paracord. Each set includes a pack of (12) always stylish 7/16” x 9/16” x 1-1/8” black buckles that snap together for easy wear and removal. You select: the leather pack, which includes (10) leather cords in traditional leather light-brown, dark-brown or black colors, approximately 42” long; or the paracord pack, which includes a 100-foot spool of 3/32” dia., 275-lb test, UV-, rot- and mildew-resistant, 4-strand paracord, the color or pattern of which our warehouse manager will personally select to match your eyes. Weave, twine and knot to your heart’s content.