Toys by Subject
Learning
Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
Play to learn! A hands on approach to learning scientific principles. Kit
includes 10 experiments to help kids explore the ever present power of air. Discover how
much air weighs, how much space it takes up and how air can make a pinwheel spin, a
parachute land, and an airplane fly. Enough materials included to try the activities again
and again.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
This fascinating wildlife board game, based on the popular DK Amazing Animals
video series, is easy to learn and fun to play. The game challenges players with animal
trivia questions in a multiple choice or true-false format. The questions are sometimes
tricky, sometimes quirky, and always interesting: Who has a longer tongue, a giraffe or an
anteater? Can squirrels swim? What's a rhino's horn made of? You'll learn as you play.
When you get an answer right, you get to flip over a couple of animal cards. Try to
remember where all the animals are hiding: when you find three animal cards of the same
type, you get to keep the triple match. A terrific family game. Even younger players can
enjoy the memory portion of the game and learn interesting facts about animals as they
play. For 2 to 6 players. (Ages 6 and older) --Elisabeth Fredrickson
From the manufacturer
Wacky wildlife game based on the DK Amazing Animals television and video
series. Players draw question cards and must correctly answer them in order to try their
hand at remembering where certain animals are hiding on the board. If you can find 3 cards
with the same animal pictured, you win the game and go again. Whoever collects the most
sets wins! ASTRA "Rainey Day" award.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Young or old, amateur or pro, the architects and engineers in your life will
enjoy and learn from this bridge-building kit. With it, they can build models of a steel
truss road bridge (in plastic), a graceful suspension bridge (in plastic), and, coolest of
all, an ancient Roman arch bridge (from build-them-yourself plaster-of-Paris blocks). They
can display their favorite bridge on a 12- by 18-inch plastic molded landscape that they
can decorate with the paint provided. A 48-page booklet includes not only detailed
instructions but also a solid introduction to the design, history, and likely future of
bridges. The booklet explores the various types of bridges (beam, truss, arch, cantilever,
cable-stayed, and suspension), materials (wood, stone, brick, concrete, iron, steel, and
steel cable), and forces (compression, tension, shear, and torsion) that make bridges
work. (Ages 10 and older) --Rebecca Hughes
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Description and
Reviews
Amazon.com
Tell a youngster he or she needs to learn about pressure, molecules, or
analyzing the density of gas and you'll probably be rewarded with a blank stare. Tell the
same child it's time to punch holes in a milk container, play with marbles and toothpicks,
or blow up balloons using stuff from the kitchen, and you'll have an eager scientist
primed for Chemistry Wiz: Solids, Liquids & Gases. Developed by Dr. Penny Norman--and
tested by hundreds of children--this set is one in a series of award-winning science kits
designed to excite young minds. Engaging, easy-to-follow experiments and study questions
fill the 40-page workbook; a plastic videocassette box packed with almost every item
needed to complete each experiment is also included. A wonderful choice for homeschoolers,
teachers, and other adults who want to introduce their kids to the joys of science. (Ages
5 and older) --Liane Thomas
From the manufacturer
Those candle making, water squirting, freezing-thawing, glop and mud-pie
experiments every child should do to explore the matter of matter. If water flows
downhill, how can you make it flow up? If air is colorless, odorless and tasteless, how
can you prove that it's there? Can you keep a towel dry under water without a waterproof
bag? Materials included.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
More than 20 exciting science projects involving magnetism await the lucky
young recipient of this Parenting Magazine Award-winning kit by Dr. Penny Norman. A
colorful notebook-size box opens to reveal a gorgeous 36-page workbook featuring artwork
from award-winning computer animator Art Huff, with content smoothed and refined by
hundreds of children and Ann Einstein (M.A.T., Berkeley School District). Engaging,
easy-to-follow experiments and study questions fill each page. But the best part can be
seen through the peekaboo window: a plastic videocassette box packed with almost every
item needed to complete each experiment. A list of additional household items such as
crayons, a bowl, and spoons is included; you will also need a 1.5-volt battery (any AA
through D alkaline battery will work). An excellent choice for homeschoolers, teachers,
and other adults who want to introduce their kids to the joys of science. (Ages 5 and
older) --Liane Thomas
From the manufacturer
Make an iron detector, go fishing, levitate metal rings, swim ducks, play with poles and
patterns, make magnets bigger and stronger, explore with the biggest magnet in the world
and craft a compass. Includes all materials; high quality ceramic magnets.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Explorers is the most ambitious Family Pastimes cooperative game. Players take
up commanding roles in major historical expeditions--Cook's sea journey around the world,
Marco Polo's voyage to Asia, Scott's assault on the South Pole. Major planning decisions
must be made regarding which crew to hire, what supplies to take, and which routes to
choose. As the explorers journey across the beautifully illustrated map, they encounter
all manner of riches and dangers. The goal is to make it back to home with a load of
treasure. Failure can come from frostbite, attacks by natives, starvation, or even mutiny.
Only careful planning and not a little luck will lead to success. Footnotes from the real
explorers' journals offer a fascinating glimpse into their world. Game play is thrilling
and reflects the difficulties and triumphs of history. Well researched and fun, the
Explorers game is itself a treasure.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Spell a word backwards, hum a tune, answer a multiple-choice question, draw
with your eyes closed, and more when you play Cranium. Unlike games that focus on only a
few skills, Cranium offers 14 talent-tapping activities designed to bring out the best in
you and your friends. Cards from four decks, color-coded to match each of the crazy
characters--Star Performer, Creative Cat, Data Head, and Word Worm--describe activities
that teams must complete in order to advance around the board. If you choose a
Sculptorades card from the Creative Cat deck, for example, you might be asked to sculpt a
hamburger from lemon-scented Cranium Clay while your teammates try to guess what you're
creating.
To win the game, teams have to make it to Cranium Central--the large purple
brain in the center of the board--and then successfully complete one activity from each of
the four decks. The result is that the team with the best combination of abilities comes
out on top. With its wonderfully diverse set of activities and top-notch design (artwork
by illustrator Gary Baseman decorates the colorful board and decks of cards), Cranium
offers the best of all board game experiences--and it's a whole lot of fun, too! (For 4 or
more players)
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
Children will enjoy pressing flowers and leaves to create hand-crafted gifts
with a flower press they've decorated. Everything included to make gift tags, bookmarks,
note cards and more!
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Create your own African savanna with this animal modeling kit. It contains 2
pounds of modeling clay in 10 colors, 4 different plastic modeling tools, and precut
cardboard animal parts (heads and legs for a rhino, an elephant, a zebra, a lion, a
giraffe, and a monkey) that can be stuck into clay bodies to create a whole zany zoo of
fun. Only minimal sculpting skills are required to create finished animals, making this a
frustration-free introduction to clay modeling for the young zookeeper. --S. J. Kurtz
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
Combine the fun of paper dolls with the skill of lacing. Included are 4,
9" character animals on sturdy cardboard with prepunched lacing holes, both colored
and black and white clothing punchouts, markers, and laces to dress them.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
After using the Leaf Press Activity Kit, your children will have gained more
than just an attractive collection of pressed leaves. They'll have a newfound interest in
the natural world. In addition to being a fun and creative arts and crafts project, this
kit can be used as a stimulating educational tool. Once they've spent some time learning
about leaves and the trees they grow on, your kids will be excited to go out on
leaf-collecting expeditions. After they've collected the leaves, this kit provides all the
materials necessary to press and preserve them in a handmade and hand-decorated journal.
The sturdy wooden leaf press comes with sheets of corrugated cardboard and blotter paper
to press the leaves between. When the pressed leaves have dried out, they can be mounted
on journal paper using the craft glue that's included, and then the pages can be bound
together with ribbon in a keepsake journal. Your children can then use the paint set,
stencil, colored paper, and pieces of ribbon to decorate the edges of each page and the
cover of the journal, adding some creative, personalized expression to their leaf
collection. The leaf press can also be hand decorated and is designed to provide years of
enjoyment. --Chris Burns
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
Kit includes ten amazing experiments in magnetism such as magnetic fields,
attracting and repelling, temporary and permanent magnets, etc. All materials necessary to
complete the experiments included along with extras so that kids can try the activities
again and again.
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
It's not noise... it's science! Build a pan flute, drum, wind chime, and more.
Six activities to open ears to the sounds of science.
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Description and Reviews
From the manufacturer
118 sheets of origami (folding) in circles and squares, glue, colored pencils and stickers
for decorating, and craft scissors to create kirigami--the Japanese art of cutouts. Easy
instructions included.
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Description and
Reviews
Amazon.com
From the earliest British glove puppet performances of Punch and Judy to the contemporary
television programs that feature the beloved Muppet and Sesame Street characters, puppets
have been capturing the imaginations of children for centuries. Bring the magic and
excitement of live puppet shows into your home with this attractive wooden puppet theater.
Well-made, sturdy, and easy to assemble, the puppet theater features a colorful star and
circle motif, as well as two different chalkboards for announcing performances and posting
show times. When drawn back, the two cloth curtains can be held in place with two
star-shaped curtain tiebacks. And when the show is over, the puppet theater can be
disassembled for more compact storage. (Ages 3 and older) --Chris Burns
From the manufacturer
This beautiful, sturdy theater is great for puppet play. It has a chalkboard for posting
show times & "actors". The top piece is a chalkboard on one side & a
curtain design on the other. Cloth curtain and wooden frame fit together or take apart for
easy storage.
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Add one part scientific experimentation, one part artistic creativity, and one
plastic cup of water. Toss in some data sheets and experiment cards, mix well, and what do
you get? This creative combination of crafts, art, and science called the Water Wonders
Kit, and it really is a wonder! It's fun, educational, and extremely well
designed--everything comes packed neatly in an ocean-blue transparent plastic box, making
storage easy when you're done. Large, attractive cards detail 10 experiments that
demonstrate various properties of water, such as surface tension, bubble structure, and
capillary action. Most supplies are included in the kit, but common household items such
as soap or pencils are sometimes also required. Several of the experiments incorporate art
projects using origami papers, clay, and watercolors (all included). Kids will love this,
and home-schooling families and elementary school teachers will want to dive right in as
well. (Ages 7 to 10) --Marcie Bovetz
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
This terrific boxed set of brainteaser cards contains some 100 entertaining
questions and tests designed to stimulate various thought processes. Each card describes a
brief scenario highlighted by lively artwork. For instance, "Chihuahua Pull"
shows four drawings of two Chihuahuas pulling either end of different, variously untidy
lengths of rope. The challenge is to predict which of the ropes will result in knots after
being yanked by the pups. Taken from teaser collections for kids from Martin Gardner,
"the Dean of American Puzzlers," this set touches upon some fairly complicated
math and physics ideas without anybody knowing they've actually learned something. Cards
are color-coded to indicate levels of difficulty. No games are necessary to enjoy these
cards, but game guidelines for groups or solitary players are offered for anyone wishing
to add a bit of competition to the fun. (Ages 10 and older) --Tom Keogh
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Description and Reviews
Amazon.com
Contemplative and calming, Zen Blocks have a place everywhere. How about in a
desk drawer at work to pull out and play with after a stressful meeting? Or, how about in
a backpack for friends during school lunch break? This symbol-matching game engages both
intuition and logic and can be played in many variations--some simple enough for
beginners, others challenging enough for Zen masters! Fourteen wooden blocks are decorated
with symbols: heaven, earth, sun, rain, lion, lamb, and yin-yang. Match symbols to build
your Zen cube. Zen Blocks can be played alone or in a team. Team players build
cooperatively and "link their fates." Win as a team or lose as a team! Zen
Blocks come with a felt play pad, and the Zen cube is 3.5 inches tall, wide, and deep.
(Ages 6 and older) --Wendy Slotboom
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