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!

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.

If they saw this color map eight times a day, they'd know where every place is-and its capital. Snap this tough, 8.5" x 11" laminated sheet into a school notebook and eventually they'll have to read it. It's a very nice world map with capital cities on one side, a U.S. map with state capitals on the other. It includes other major cities plus partial Canadian and Mexican bonus areas. Current, barring a coup since we got our latest shipment.

This strontium ferrite sheet is stronger than your average fridge magnet, and considerably bigger. Measures 7-3/8" sq x over 1/16" thick, with (2) adjacent corners trimmed off. Rubberized finish, black on one side, writable white on the other. Can be easily cut with a scissors.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Knot everyone knows how much fun knots are. You can join the knot knowledgeable with Knots, Splices and Rope Work an 88-page soft-cover book originally published in 1917. Includes detailed instructions for tying many dozens of knots, ties, bends, hitches, loops, nooses, lashings, seizings, splices and things like the Matthew Walker, Selvagee Tie, Flemish Eye and the Topsail-Halyard Toggle. Includes (4) pieces of nylon rope for practice. Will tie up a kid for weeks.

Remember the Civil War? It was in all the papers. Still is, if you order this set of (3) 20-page collections of contemporary newspaper articles compiled from mostly Northeastern U.S. papers including the New York Herald, the Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer and others, from 1861 to 1865. Printed on slightly heavier than today's standard newsprint in a broadsheet size of 22" high x 30-1/4" wide. Students will be amazed at how long tweets were 150 years ago.

It’s a scientific breakthrough! Oh, wait, no, it’s a rare-earth magnet encased in white plastic. Great for holding notes on your white refrigerator without clashing. Measures 1-1/4” x 3/8” x 5/16” and also has a piece of self-adhesive foam on the back to stick where magnets won’t grab.

We like The Usborne Book of Science Activities a whole bunch. It’s volume one of the Helen Edom and Kate Woodward series, a 74-page hardcover that includes experiments with water, magnets, light and mirrors, with plenty of puzzles and projects--profusely illustrated, throughout. Handy for keeping your young one's mind in shape when not in school or as family learning projects.

Little-bitty horseshoe magnet, for traditionalists. Just 1-1/4" across x 1" x 5/16" thick. Red-painted Alnico, with approx 2.9 lbs of pull (ignore the 2 lb on the label) it includes a little steel keeper for when it's not sticking to a tiny horse's foot.

Is that a pencil in your pocket, and wouldn't you like a little stubby highlighter that didn't take up so much room? Our each is (2) neon-yellow markers with 1/8" tips in soft-grip housings just 2-5/8" long x 1" oval, with a little slot on the cap for a chain if you want to wear them on a string or attach them to a key ring. And why wouldn't you?

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!

Nothing says fun science like stuff blowing up or falling down. Ask any middle-schooler. Get them started with one of these excellent books: Massively Epic Engineering Disasters, a 241-page hard-cover book devoted to (20) mishaps through the ages, plus (33) experiments based on the principles that caused them; or Potentially Catastrophic Science, 306 pages with (50) experiments ranging from pre-history to the present. Taken together, they cover everything from collapsing cathedrals and sunken boats to sonic booms and batteries.

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.