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The Wood Nature Bug Box has it all for your favorite budding lawn biologist! This durable
carry box is built of smoothly finished natural wood and has green fabric screening edged
with plastic binding. A fabric carry strap and a plastic easy open-and-close door make it
perfect for young and curious collectors. Exploring the backyard or hiking in the woods
becomes a fun and educational experience. Measures 7 by 4 by 3.5 inches. (Ages 3 to 10) --Margaret
Quinn Click here
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com Charles Darwin, the 19th-century naturalist who revolutionized biology with
his theory of evolution, believed that there were three stages on the road to becoming a
naturalist: collecting specimens of life forms, observing specimens, and drawing
conclusions based on observations. The Charles Darwin Kit, one in Scientific Explorer's
History of Science series, guides children through each stage with a series of experiments
and activities. They can catalog life in their backyards using biodiversity cards, grow
wildflowers, and even design a new bird species. Includes magnifier, forceps, petri
dishes, collection box, starter pots, wildflower seeds, labels, and other equipment
necessary for investigating the amazing diversity of life in the backyard. Scientific
Explorer kits have won Dr. Toy's Best 100 Toys and 10 Most Socially Responsible Toy Awards
(1996), three Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio's Best Toy Awards (1996), Parenting
Magazine's Top Toys of the Year (1995), and Parents' Choice Foundation's Parents' Choice
Honors (1994 and 1995). --Lisa Whipple Click here
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com How does the brain send messages? How do eyes work? How do humans stay
balanced on 2 legs? Short of performing an autopsy, it is difficult to illustrate and
explain these complicated systems to children. This kit, based on the public-television
series Newton's Apple, offers a package of 8 experiments to answer these tough
questions and more. Like the TV show, this kit will appeal to children who never thought
they liked science. Truly interesting projects can be performed using the contents of this
kit (which includes a bottle of acetic acid and a real sheep eye!) and some household
supplies. Be prepared to gather a lot of materials, including a 9-volt battery, corn
syrup, a yardstick, and about 16 other items. These projects require adult supervision,
but don't worry--adults will probably find the experiments and instructions extremely
entertaining and educational. (Ages 8 and older) --Gail Hudson Click here
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com Wow! The human liver is huge! And the stomach is half the size of a single
lung! For a three-dimensional, hands-on introduction to human anatomy and biology, this
Smithsonian-endorsed kit is a winner. The 9.5-inch tall, 11-piece, plastic model goes from
upper thighs to the top of the head (omitting genitals) and includes removable eyes, left
brain hemisphere, heart, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, intestines, and chest plate. The
17-page booklet is essential to a full understanding of the model, but isn't written at a
level appropriate for elementary-school readers, so plan for parental involvement.
Medically correct terminology is introduced (terms such as epidermis, neuron, proximal,
and inferior), and the explanations are good. Anyone who hasn't completed medical school
will learn something from this kit. (Ages 8 and older) --Louise Carter Click here
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer Tabletop hydroponics mini-greenhouse demonstrates advanced agriculture
technology. Grows real vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers using liquid nutrient instead of
soil. Automatically feeds and waters via a Passive Osmotic Nutrient Transport System.
Fourteen piece set comes complete with planting bed, fold-away greenhouse incubator,
gallon nutrient reservoir, refill indicator, inert growing medium, year supply of
nutrient, integrated trellis twist ties, multi-gardening tool and illustrated "Guide
to Hydroponic Gardening" Just add seeds and water and watch 'em grow. Click here
to learn more or purchase from Amazon.com
Description and Reviews
Amazon.com This lightweight toy is a working microscope with three lenses that magnify at
100x, 200x, and 450x. The light source is a small piano mirror beneath the stage (the base
on which you secure specimen slides) that is easily adjusted to get the illumination you
need. The set comes with one plastic prepared slide, three plastic blank slides, cover
slips, labels, eyedropper, and gum media for making specimens stick. This is a
surprisingly strong microscope for a toy, and will serve to introduce children to the
workings of more powerful microscopes later on. (Ages 8 and older) --Tom Keogh Click here
to learn more or purchase from Amazon.com
Description and Reviews
Amazon.com For a rudimentary introduction to what a microscope can do, this Educational
Insights toy fills the bill. At 8.25 inches high, it's small and bone simple. You can
change the magnification (100x, 300x, or 600x), flip from mirror to battery-powered lamp
illumination, and adjust the focus knob (which raises and lowers the combined
eyepiece/lens unit). Two slides--plants and animals--are included, with four preparations
on each one. If you want to look at something besides goldfish scales and bamboo shoots,
there are three glass slides, tweezers, and a plastic dropper for concocting your own
preparations (dust bunnies? spider legs?). Although the optics don't approach those of a
professional microscope, the price doesn't compare either. And you get a good idea of the
differences among levels of magnification. Extra bulb included. (Ages 5 and older)--Louise
Carter Click here
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com For budding microbiologists who want to sketch, project onto a wall, or view
on a small screen the tiny organisms they're studying, this five-way microscope offers a
lot. The 14.75-inch microscope comes assembled with a 5-inch removable viewer hood that
makes these features possible. For optimal brightness and clarity through the eyepiece,
simply pull off the hood and screw the eyepiece directly onto the body tube. Magnification
options are 300x, 600x, and 900x, and it's easy to flip from mirror to battery-powered
lamp illumination. The kit includes six labeled slides with four preparations on each one
(animals, plants, insects, textile fibers, tiny creatures, and "pollen &
spore"). It also includes four glass slides, cover glasses, gum medium, tweezers, a
plastic dropper, and a dissecting needle. For best results with the viewer hood, use in a
dark or dimly lit room. (Ages 8 and older) --Louise Carter Click here
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Understand your own body--literally--with this engrossing skeleton-building kit that
combines art and science in a profoundly imaginative way. A perfect gift for the child
stuck at home with a broken bone, the educational Humanworks skeleton will engage and
excite your exo-biologist. The kit contains casting instruments that allow children to
pour liquid into molds and create solid bone models. After about two hours of drying time,
newly created bones can be painted, equipped with magnets, and assembled on a
refrigerator. An 11-page instruction booklet intelligently answers questions about bones
and skeletons in a way that is easy to understand. There is even a glossary explaining
tough words like "metacarpal" and "phalange." The Eyewitness book Human Body
would make a good companion to the kit. (Ages 9 to 12) --Sally James Click here to
learn more or purchase from Amazon.com