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!

This multi-bot solar kit includes a 1.5V solar cell, a small DC motor and gearbox and a boatload of parts that will let you make (14) different solar-powered projects including: a turtle-bot; walker bot; quadru bot; wheel bot; boat bot; beetle bot; dog bot; auto bot; carb bot; slither bot; roly poly bot; surf bot; and, you should pardon the pun, the row bot. No, really--there's a row bot. Projects come in (2) levels of difficulty and include an 81pp graphic manual. You'll need a hobby knife or a pair of side-cutters, and sunlight. Most projects will be approx 5" tall when assembled.

Do your kids think the whole world snaps together? Time to get them the Steel Works, a classic steel construction set from Schylling not unlike those erecting sets of yore. Has more than (300) pieces, including beams, plates, angles, nuts, bolts, washers and more, along with instructions for making an airplane, helicopter, dump truck, satellite truck, fire truck, forklift, claw truck, gyrocopter, bulldozer and backhoe. Includes wrenches and a hex key. Models have mechanical actions triggered by wheel movement. Parts are interchangeable with any other Schylling Steel Works kit. For ages 8+.

Return with us now to those thrilling days of the 15th century, when Leonardo was designing stuff you wouldn't have thought of even if you'd paid attention in class and applied yourself. You choose from these wooden models of his genius designs. His unrealized aerial screw (think helicopter) stands approx 15" tall on a 9" square base and has a canvas canopy. Includes a 12-page manual and all the parts. For ages 9+. You’ll need glue, scissors and a ruler. The trebuchet (think catapult) is based on his original 1482 design, stands approx 24" tall x 12-3/4" x 4-1/2" and comes with all the parts, including a clay ball to launch at your favorite model castle, or your sister. Includes an 8-page instruction book and is for ages 12+. Bring glue, scissors, a ruler and some small clamps. His wooden armored tank, for ages 8+, will be about 8” across and 6-5/8” tall when you glue the (87) pieces together. Great resources for STEM activities.

Right after you build your own working medieval catapult or trebuchet. All you’ll need is glue, scissors and a steady hand (plus a small bag of marbles or rocks or something as a counterweight for the trebuchet) to construct these wooden, Canadian-made siege engine kits. The catapult stands 6” tall x 5” wide x 10” long and will toss assorted stuff 15 feet or farther, depending upon the stuff. The finished trebuchet will be 26” long x 18” wide x 24” tall and will propel small objects (meatballs?) 20 feet or more. Both include detailed instructions and are great resources for STEM activities. Note: Please don’t propel small mammals, and please don’t put anyone’s eye out.

The Junior Scientist™ series brings you the staggeringly clever wind beasts from Dutch artist Theo Jensen. These mini versions of his giant contraptions come with detailed instructions and history of the projects. You pick the Strandbeest (strand as in beach because it was made to walk on sand), an 8" x 6-5/8" x 4-1/4", 117-part wind-powered automaton; or the Rhinoceros Mini-Beest, a 3-3/4" x 6-1/2" x 6", 128-piece wind-powered automaton. For ages 8 and up, the only tool you need is a scissors.

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. 

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 select your favorite from our collection of wooden automatons that you crank to move, all made from laser-cut pieces that you peg or glue together. You pick: the wooden clapping monkey, approx 6" x 3" when assembled; the wooden wiggling fish, 10-1/4” x 8-1/4” x 4-3/8”; or the wooden drummer drumming, 6-3/4” x 4-1/4” x 2-3/4”. All come with instruction booklets, glue, sandpaper and wax.

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.

You're in for weeks and months of fun creating Rube Goldberg-like versions of the new VorteX 3.0, a Techno Gears Marble Mania machine. You get over (300+) colorful pieces including baseplates, 3-D connectors, channels, tubes, gears, marble twister and a marble funnel to create intricate tracks to move marbles around, down, over and through the maze. Includes a battery-operated 2-foot tall marble launcher that makes the whole thing automatic so you can sit back and watch your creation run by itself.  A STEM kit that challenges problem solving skills and expands knowledge of mechanics and engineering. You add (3) "AA" batteries and a capacity for twisted thinking.