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My First Plant: No Green Thumb Required

Okay, so technically this one goes by the name “Flip Flop Solar Plant,” but if you’re looking to introduce the little ones to the concept of caring for a living thing, old Flip Flop here provides a nice baby step. Much like a real...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Feb 22nd, 2010, 9:00 am
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E.T. Phones Home, Big Trak Returns

I’m showing my age when I say that I’m old enough to remember playing with Milton Bradley’s Big Trak firsthand, but even if you’re not old enough to remember the ’80s, you probably remember seeing the retro-cool programmable...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Feb 6th, 2010, 10:00 am
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Sippy, Trippy and Dippy: The Famous Drinking Bird

While you may not be able to recall the first time you saw it (multiple episodes of The Simpsons, anyone?), the Famous Drinking Bird, or “Tippy Bird,” as it’s been known, has more than earned its place in popular culture since debuting...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Feb 3rd, 2010, 11:30 am
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Rubik’s TouchCube: Are You Feeling It?

Remember Simon? That’s OK — your kids don’t either, but on a purely visual level, it’s the first gizmo this retro-futuristic Rubik’s TouchCube brings to mind. From a tactile sense, the 3″ cube works the same way...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Oct 14th, 2009, 10:30 am
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For the Space Case: Create Your Own Hologram Kit

“Help me, hologram kit; you’re my only hope.” OK, so it’s not quite Star Wars (or even CNN) technology, but this Create Your Own Hologram Kit will give the kids a chance to throw images on a much smaller scale. The kit includes...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Oct 13th, 2009, 8:00 am
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Star Wars Mustafar Volcano Kit: Look Out, Anakin!

If you’re going to teach the kids about volcanic science, what better way to do it than with this lab, which recreates the raging Mustafar volcano from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith? Oddly enough, while the Star Wars Mustafar Volcano...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Aug 27th, 2009, 8:00 am
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Host a Live-Action Flying Duck Hunt

Yeah, this live-action flying duck-hunt game is un-PC on all sorts of levels, but so was the old-school Nintendo video game on which it’s clearly based — and how many of us turned out to be evil because we played it? Similar in concept to...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Aug 10th, 2009, 8:00 am
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OLLO Kids Robotic Action Kit

Everything in the OLLO Kids Robotic Action Kit starts with the motor, but from there you’re pretty much unlimited in the kinds of motorized robotic creatures you can build. If the kids’ engineering vision hasn’t yet caught up to their...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Jul 17th, 2009, 9:30 am
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Levitron Anti-Gravity Top: It’s Magic!

Okay, it’s not technically magic — more like a clever use of magnetic repulsion — but this anti-gravity top from Levitron is still a wonder to behold. After some adjusting to the included top weights (a somewhat tricky feat that Mom...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Jul 16th, 2009, 9:30 am
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Mr. Robot Head a Puzzling Sensation

Electric but battery-free, Mr. Robot Head gets his sizzle from a wind-up handle behind his robotic cranium. Once he’s charged, your challenge is to guide the looped wand from one side of the wires atop Mr. Robot’s head to the other without...
Continue reading » Posted by Aaron Burgess on Jun 22nd, 2009, 7:30 am