Then, by golly, you need to write them down. We recommend this trio of 48-page unicorn notebooks. Measure 5-1/2" x 3-3/8" with ruled pages and a different unicorn on each cover, plus a keeper inside the back cover that lists pretty things and unicorn lore. Take notes with these at the staff meeting and you’ll likely avoid some ugly assignments.

Sounds like a Portuguese percussion album, but it’s just an alnico bar magnet in a mount that lets it rotate freely to demonstrate the three-dimensional magnetic field. Ideal for experiments about forces between magnetic poles, fields around wire and coils, and the properties of fields produced by electric currents. Also handy as part of your ghost-hunting gear.

Shiny! This plated rare-earth magnet is 3/4" dia x 1/8" thick and has a 6-lb pull. Ignore the 12-lb rating on the box--that's why you're getting this so cheap, and 6-lb is plenty of pull for one person anyway.

Pair of alnico bar magnets, each 7/16" x 1/4" x 3". Magnetized end to end with the North pole marked, the North end painted red and the South pole painted blue. Come with a pair of keepers and a wood separator bar.

Coding for Beginners…using Scratch is a 96-page, hardback, spiral-bound book for teaching kids with basic computer skills how to write code using Scratch, an educational programming language developed by MIT. (Has over 12 million registered users and 15 million shared projects.) Book includes art and sonic projects plus (4) games.

Learn atomic weights while winning money from your classmates. Here’s a double deck of (104) cards plus (4) jokers all stored in a stylish box because no one wants to lose their gold, krypton or rubidium. In addition to the standard playing card values, the decks cover the periodic table of elements. Each card includes one element’s atomic number, symbol, series, melting and boiling points, period/group, uses, est. atomic weight, standard state, and the element’s name in English. Includes instructions for (2) educational games if you aren’t in the mood for canasta or two games of hearts. Up to date 6th Edition for all your fraction of a second elements.

Genuine, original, accept-no-substitutes brand-name Sharpie®s for when you really mean it and want a permanent marker. You pick the fine point red, blue or black, or the blue with a 3/16” bullet tip.

50 Science Things to Make and Do is just that, a passel of experiments, all illustratively explained in two facing pages of this big 104-page flip book, and all easily done with common household items. Includes wind and water power, bugs, crystals, paper planes, rubber-band guitars, balances, gloop, optics and a ton of other fun, informative stuff. Officially classified as "cool" by several of our geekiest staffers.

Ferrite ceramic magnets can be quite powerful and have excellent resistance to demagnetization. These rectangular ones are no exception. Add the power of surplus and we'll give you a bunch of these mighty-mites at an uber-bargain price. Measures 1-7/8" x 7/8" x 3/8" thick with a 3-lb pull. Perfect for mounting even big pix on the fridge.

Make a whole bunch of fun and instructive Lego® machines/chain reaction models like marble runs and mousetraps involving ramps, buckets, funnels balances and much more. Comes with (33) Lego® elements, (6) Lego® balls, a dozen paper props, and a 78-page instruction booklet for (10) machines. You add a few common household items. Includes suggestions for more complicated devices if you have your own Lego® pieces, and if you don't, what are you waiting for? ! WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD–Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. 

These 3-1/4" dia magnifying glasses on 5” handles are a big step up from the traditional Holmesean versions. Acrylic 1.5X lenses are surrounded by a trio of super-bright white COB LEDs for improved clue detection. (Holmes would have killed for COB lights.) They run on (2) “AA”s, thoughtfully included. We’ll pick one in a color that will complement your deerstalker.

Same here. Try the Ferrofluid Magnetic Display, a little sealed bottle with virtually fluid nano-particles of ferrous metal suspended in liquid. You’ll get (4) powerful 1/2” dia x 3/16” neodymium disc magnets, (2) of them attached to chess-pawnish holders. Move the magnets in assorted combinations around the bottle for fascinating effects. Sort of the marriage of science with desk toys, but students can’t spill these particles all over the place.

Physics project alert! This robust puppy of a magnet has dual 6V coils and stands 4" high x 3-1/4" wide, not counting the side terminals. Each coil draws 2.4A at 6VDC, and is conservatively rated for 40 Newtons (approx 9 lbs) at that voltage. Can be wired in either parallel or series, and comes with a mounting hook. Works great with a 6-volt lantern battery.

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.

Looking for a very, very, very long refrigerator magnet? At 15 ft, this 3/8" wide x 1/16" thick magnetic strip should just about go up one side, across the top, and down the other side. It's flexible, but can be broken if bent back against itself -- which means that small children can make craft magnets without having to cut the strip or themselves! We love it when a plan comes together!

Just a big, smooth ceramic block magnet, 2" square x 1" thick with an affirmative 15-pound pull. You stick a note on the fridge with this puppy and you can be pretty sure its going to be there when you get home. Even if you leave the windows open. Nice for grabbing loose screws on the workbench, too, but keep it away from your hard drive and the credit cards in your wallet.

The next best thing to lightning bolts! 200,000 volts of electrostatic energy created by our Van de Graaff generator. Measures 6-1/2” diameter by 15” tall, includes a spare belt and a set of instructions detailing lots of fun experiments. For grade 6 and up. This is not a toy and should be used under adult supervision. A great tool for teaching about electricity. For your convenience, we now have Lightning Belts: replacement belts to drive that overworked generator.

Better in bunches. These ceramic disc magnets measure 11/16” dia x 5/32” thick with a tiny circular indentation in the center of one side. The pull is around 1/2 lb. Perfect for crafters!