Name: Classic Water Garden Starter Kit Eco-Aquarium
Company: WILD CREATIONS
Age: All Ages
Price: $30
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: Stretchy Elastic Science Lab-Top
Company: TEDCO INC.
Age: 6 and up
Price: $11
Category: Science & Nature
What It Is
Kids will learn what makes rubber stretchy and about elastic potential energy and kinetic energy. They´ll also experiment with sound using rubber bands. Included in this compact kit are a rubber band racer, rubber band flyer, groovy guitar, bouncy rubber ball, winding wheeler and speedboat, for six elastic experiments.
What We Thought
Overall, the quality of this kit was not very high. Assembling the car was neither difficult not easy. However, the gear mechanism would not engage, so the car could not be wound up. It just didn’t work.
Why They’ll Want It
The price might appeal to kids or parents looking for a quick way to introduce their kids to some basic scientific principals, but the quality of the kit itself is quite low. – TDmonthly Review Team, 6/22/08
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Name: Gravitron Space Gyroscope
Company: TEDCO INC.
Age: 5 and up
Price: $9
Category: Science & Nature
What It Is
A Gravitron is a gyroscope concealed in a space ship and operates with a simple-to-use T-handle. Even a small child can operate this "gyroscope". A T-handle, pedestal and instructions are included. Made in USA.
What We Thought
This is a fun and amusing toy that lets kids get creative with motion.. It seems to be well built; the disk inside keeps turning for a long time. However, despite the protective rubber ring, the scope would break if it fell on a hard surface.
Why They’ll Want It
Kids who are interested in moving objects and/or science will be amused by the gyroscope’s surprising and counter intuitive movements. – TDmonthly Review Team 6/22/08
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Name: Culinary Herb Garden
Company: DUNECRAFT INC.
Age: 4 and up
Price: $24.99
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: Complete Gardens in a Can
Company: GIFTS THAT BLOOM
Age: 3 and up
Price: $7.95
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: Adventure Science Series - Volcano Madness
Company: THE YOUNG SCIENTISTS CLUB
Age: 5 and up
Price: $14.99
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: MiniLabs Crystal Radio
Company: POOF-SLINKY INC.
Age: 8 and up
Price: $12.99
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: You Build It — Motor Mania
Company: SMARTLAB TOYS
Age: 8 and up
Price: $18.99
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: You Mix It – Secret Formula Lab
Company: SMARTLAB TOYS
Age: 5 and up
Price: Not Specified
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: Solar System Learning Wheel
Company: MUDPUPPY PRESS
Age: 6 and up
Price: $10
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.
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Name: Inventive Thinking
Company: SCHOLASTIC
Age: 5-17
Price: Not Specified
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read this TDmonthly´s Expert Mom review.
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Name: Peer-X Binocular-Scope
Company: PEER-X INT'L
Age: 7 and up
Price: Not Specified
Category: Science & Nature
Please click here to read this TDmonthly´s Expert Mom review.
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Name: GoScope 350
Company: ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS
Age: 8 and up
Price: $149.95
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
This is the coolest, most transportable little scope around — good for terrestrial viewing, as well as skywatching. There’s a 70mm achromatic refractor, complete with alt/az tripod, two eyepieces (a 10mm and a 20 mm Kellner), a correct-image diagonal and an EZ Finder II. Everything fits into a backpack for easy transport, and there’s even a DVD version of the Starry Night software, which lets you play astronomer on the computer before nightfall (which my seven year old did constantly for a week straight).
What We Thought
One seven-year-old avid astronomy buff, one nine-year-old smart older brother, and I took this baby camping up at Sequoia National Monument (with a group led by a well-known nature photographer). 7000 feet up with clear skies, sitting in the middle of the sweetest alpine meadow anyone’s ever seen, we could only drool, waiting for darkness. In the group was a professional astronomer from UC Santa Cruz, who brought his expensive apo refractor, GoTo mount and CCD camera (we used this as a comparison with the GoScope 350). The kids couldn’t wait, so before complete blackness, we spotted the 1st quarter moon, and played around with the eyepieces. Score one for us, as the professional astronomer hadn’t even begun to put his scope on his mount yet. Come darkness, and we sighted on Jupiter. Sure, it looked color-perfect in the pro-scope, but we could see the Galilean moons no sweat, and I taught the kids how to find things with the scope themselves – a draw here with the professional. This was July 4th weekend, and mid-summer beautiful. The Sagittarius and Scorpius star clouds were in full bloom, and we were now gathering other kids from the group. All wanted to try their hand at the scope. Open clusters, globular clusters, the Trifid Nebula (M20). It was spectacular. Okay, it was even more spectacular in the bigger, much more costly pro scope with the computer-controlled mount, but no way would the astronomer let anyone mess too much with his scope. I let the kids go wild.
Why They’ll Want It
Hey, this is a beginner’s scope cum backpacker’s dream. There are small super-expensive options out there, but for kids, nothing beats this. Hands-on is hands-on, and this rugged little thing can take a bit of punishment. Plus, it comes in a backpack, so kids can go to their friends’ with it, take it to school, etc. It’s great for nature spotting, too. The Starry Night is pretty incredible, and this is too much fun to pass up.
-- Mark Zaslove, 7/25/06
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Name: Starry Night Explorer Binocular Stargazing Kit
Company: ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS
Age: 8 and up
Price: $79.95
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
These rugged 7x35 binoculars are a great introduction to the heavens and binocular astronomy. With a Star Target year-round star map showing what’s up there, a RedBeam Mini LED astronomy flashlight to read the map by, and the Starry Night DVD software to have on the computer back in the house, as well as a case and strap, this kit leaves nothing to chance.
What We Thought
We tested these babies out on a camping trip up at Sequoia National Monument (with a group led by a well-known nature photographer), 7000 feet up with clear skies, July 4th weekend, and the summer Milky Way above us. I had my seven year old and his nine-year-old brother along, and as soon as it got dark, we let ‘er rip. One thing about binocular astronomy: with a telescope, you spot the object, get it into range, focus and then view a stationary object. Binoc viewing, is totally different: it’s free. It’s like, the wind and the lion. The lion is noble, but earthbound, the wind is free to go anywhere. These binocs let the kids truly see the wonders of the sky. Wherever they turned in the tapestry of night, there were star clusters and nebula, the moon and planets. And stereo-optically viewed, the brain makes it seem 3D. It was amazing, and the kids were immediately fighting over who got to view next.
Why They’ll Want It
Astronomy, at its core, is about a sense of wonder. Ancient man looked up at the stars and wondered what was up there. The freedom of using these binoculars maintains that sense of wonder. There’s no mount to calibrate, eyepieces to drop on the ground, cords to get tangled in. One simply points and looks, and the heavens open up. This kit is a perfect starter for any fledgling astronomer: not too heavy, but rugged enough to take some wallops. Get a dark sky and let your wonder take over.
-- Mark Zaslove, 7/25/06
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Name: Electronic T-Rex Battle
Company: UNCLE MILTON INDUSTRIES INC.
Age: 8 and up
Price: $26.99
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
In a kind of a prehistoric “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots,” two ferocious T-Rexs (plastic and articulated) face off in a rocky ring for a battle to the death. One player grabs the “controlling” tail of one carnivore, and the other player grabs the tail of the other. Switch it on, and there are roars galore. There’s also an electronic counter to keep track of their “health” — 9 is healthy, and 0 … is extinct. The first player to drop the opposing T-Rex’s health to 0 wins.
What We Thought
My 7-year-old son isn’t a big dinosaur fan yet (he’s more into astronomy), but this is more about battle than paleontology, so he was game. After putting in the batteries and attaching the tails, we were “Reaaaady to ruuuuumble!” My son took the green T-Rex, and I took the greener T-Rex, and the battle commenced. We found by twisting the tails, the mouths opened and closed, then, by sliding the base, we got into it. It was a little like thumb wrestling, each of us trying to grab the other with our “jaws” and score a point on the other (take away one of their health points). It was a little difficult to actually know what worked, and what didn’t, but there was lots of roaring, so it was pretty cool. Seems biting the neck and chest do the trick. My son won the first round, and I won the second. It was time for the deciding battle royale! Unfortunately, my tail kept coming off in the heat of the match, and I lost resoundingly. I was bummed. Not by losing, but by losing because of injury. Seems T-Rex tails are pretty fragile things.
Why They’ll Want ItIt’s loud, active, biting, munching, point scoring and full of T-Rexs. It’s pretty great. But … the plastic seems a bit breakable, and the tails definitely came off too easily. Whether this would hold up more than a week with two rambunctious kids is the real question, but for playability, it scores a nine out of 10 on the Dino-rating system. -- TDmonthly Staff, 4/24/06
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Name: Slooh Explore Space Live Telescope Time Card
Company: BLUESTORM PRODUCTIONS INC.
Age: 8 and up
Price: Not Specified
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
It is a “credit card” of astronomical fun: The Slooh card allows an “observer” using their home computer to log onto one of the two robotic observatories located in the Canary Islands (off the African Coast) and observe in real time deep sky objects, planets, the moon, asteroids, the whole shooting match, while helping to choose sights, as well as take pictures to their computer! It’s like being a real astronomer.
What We Thought
My 7-year-old son has been an astronomy buff since he’s been two (knows all the planets, knows about the Big Bang, etc.); we love the planetarium and going out with a little telescope and looking at the stars. The Slooh is perfect for us. We logged in on the computer, and because the Slooh observatories are in Africa, it’s early afternoon for us when the observing starts. First, you go to the Launch Pad screen, where you see what the weather’s like, get real time pictures of the observatories, see what the “missions” are going to be for that night (every five minutes each of the telescopes changes missions, from planets to nebulae, to galaxies), we helped vote on some of the missions and picked one ourselves. Then, we waited for the observing to begin. When it does, it’s very cool. Each observatory dome has two telescopes in it, one wide-field, the other higher powered, and when a new mission starts, you switch between the two as the CCD cameras capture more and more light and the image gets better and better. There’s a “DJ” that’s kinda mellow, playing music and talking about the different astronomical objects (kind of New Age meets Carl Sagen), there’s a chat room to talk to other observers, and you can snap your own digital photos. It’s addictive!
Why They’ll Want It
It’s real astronomy from your very own home. It’s exciting to watch each object “develop” on-screen. The views run from pretty good to spectacular. It’s great for birthdays, Christmas and any kid (or adult) who likes astronomy. It’s a must have if you like the night sky.
— TDmonthly Staff, 4/17/06
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Name: The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys Ocean Zoo
Company: EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.
Age: 6 and up
Price: $7.95
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
It’s the only classic toy that gives you or your family instant pets. This is “The tank that started it all!” That’s right, the oldie but goodie that all the parents out there either had or wanted when they were kids. It comes with everything you need to bring to life these fascinating aquatic pets, including the always hip classic vented tank with magnifying portals and a molded seascape base.
What We Thought
I was very excited when I brought this toy home. Who doesn’t want to watch life spawn out of thin air, or purified water as it is in this particular case. I got my tank all set up and anxiously awaited for the first 24 hours to come to pass, so that I could finally play Dr. Frankenstein and create life as it were. After I stirred in the powder, I stared eagerly into the tank, through the magnifying portals to see the first signs of life. I am a little disappointed that I didn’t see some sign of initial life spark into existence and I am still uncertain as to whether it was the sea-monkeys I was looking at, or some powder that had not completely dissolved. But it was clear to me the next morning, that in fact I was now a successful new owner of about a dozen tiny little creatures swimming around in an almost surreal jittery fashion. Little did I know how much joy these tiny little sea-farers would bring to me as I watched them develop into adulthood in the days that followed!
Why They’ll Want It
Let’s face it. This is fun for all ages. They make a great first step for parents trying to teach their children responsibility, before taking on a more labor intensive pet (you only have to feed them about once a week!) They make an excellent office or cubicle mate as they take up next to no room, and can be left on the weekends with no worries. Best of all, they can’t help but bring a smile to your face and the faces of your co-workers as they suddenly find increasingly inventive reasons to come over to your desk. Bottom line … what’s not to like!?!
-- Shane Raniere, 9/26/2005
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Name: Sensory Dome
Company: DUNECRAFT INC.
Age: 3 and up
Price: $24.99
Category: Science & Nature
What is it?
Sensory Dome is a complete terrarium kit containing soil, decorative gravel, “Contemplation Stones,” decal photos of different ecosystems and seed packets for Aloe, Pink Polka Dot plant, herb mixture, Eucalyptus and Cabbage Palm. Each plant has a different texture or odor, with kids encouraged to go “hands on” in learning about the natural world.
What we thought
The Sensory Dome’s simplicity is its strength: no moving parts or batteries required. This would be a great kit for the classroom, or for a child who’s not quite ready to take care of a pet. Nurturing a living thing, even if it doesn’t have fur, teaches kids responsibility and that all of us have an effect—hopefully positive—on the world around us.
Why they’ll want it
Many parents will be happy to give their kids a learning toy that doesn’t involve pixels or digital sound effects, but that comes to life through actual oxygen and sunlight. The Sensory Dome’s low maintenance—the plants require watering only once every four months if the top is kept on—ensures that even when kids’ attention wanders, life will go on.
-- TDmonthly Staff, 9/26/2005
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Name: Sea Monkeys Mini World Hang 10
Company: EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.
Age: 6 and up
Price: $19.95
Category: Science & Nature
What Is It?
Like the beach? Like Sea Monkeys? This has both. First, there’s a small beach-scape monkey-arium that has a plastic beach scene complete with hoops and beach towels and surf’s up for the Sea Monkeys to swim in. It comes with water conditioner, Sea Monkey instant eggs and a packet of food. It has a small spoon for stirring and measuring the food. It has instructions. Follow the instructions, and it has… drum roll please: Sea Monkeys!
What We Thought
So, we conditioned the water, waited 24 hours, put in the instant eggs, and voila… really, teeny-tiny Sea Monkeys. Cool. Granted, quite a few other people couldn’t see them (that’s how small they were)—but they were there. A few days later (no feeding yet)—they were small but quite visible, zooming around on their backs. Each day, they got bigger. Each day, there seemed a few less, but their growth made up for that. At the five day mark, the first feeding. Bigger and bigger they got until they became crowd pleasers. Everyone always stops by for a look. So far so good. Unfortunately, the instructions don’t say what to do about evaporating water, so at the two week mark I’m hoping it won’t be a problem. Should I add more? Without conditioner? How much more? I don’t want to lose these babies, as they are great fun swimming around in a playful way.
Why They’ll Want It
They’re cool, and they’re alive, and they’re called Sea Monkeys. Granted, the first few days the kids might be a little impatient, but once they grow big enough to be cute, they’re easy to grow attached to. Can’t wait to see how big they get (I’m told about one inch, but I want to see—maybe I’ll have the world’s record). They are interesting, cool to watch, and fun to talk about. Recommended with pleasure.
--TDmonthly Staff, 8/26/05
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Name: Bug Jar
Company: HAPPY DOG TOYS
Age: 5 and up
Price: $14.99
Category: Science & Nature
What is it?
The Bug Jar ($14.99) proves once again that Happy Dog Toys is the leader in one-of-a-kind pet toys. Designed to look like a home-made bug jar, a small fan in the weighted base causes the lightweight “bugs” to flutter around the jar—an irresistible draw to any cat. The weighted base allows kitty to swat at the bugs, rocking the jar rather than knocking it over. Requires 4 AA batteries.
What we thought
This is a wonderfully inventive toy for cats and their owners. Durable, simple and imaginative, it will deliver plenty of feline fun.
Why they’ll want it
I want one, and I don’t even own a cat. What does that tell you? This toy is a kick, and will probably provide more family laughs than most sitcoms.
--Tim Connolly
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