ASTRA's Best Toys For Kids Nominees - Scientific Play

This kit is for kids as they begin to explore, experiment and discover their world. Over 70 fun exciting experiments to stimulate young minds. Launch date: 2012.

Snap parts together to build different circuits, and watch the different pieces light up. Includes fiber optics over a light organ that can be connected to an iPod; the lights will flash to the beat of the music. Includes strobe lights with different plates so kids can experiment with strobe patterns, white LED lights, glow in the dark and lighted fan blades, a light up egg, and more.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

Put this glow-boratory to the test with 20 experiments that will help you answer questions like, what makes a glowing ball bounce and, what does fake snow have in common with spaghetti? View the experiments with a hand-held black light, build a lava lamp, and create glowing alien blood. Test out projects that teach about these 9 principles of science: fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemiluminescence, bioluminescence, polymers, non-Newtonian fluids, carbon dioxide reactions, crystal formation, and nucleation. This kit includes: a handheld black-light activator, 4 glow sticks, mix-n-measure scoop, fluorescent ink, beaker, mixing cup, 3 creature molds, 2 test tubes and stand, funnel, bouncy ball mold, glow-in-the-dark powder, bouncy ball polymer, jelly balls polymer, fake snow polymer, star stickers, and a 24-page Lab Book.

Standing over two feet tall, the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab has 60 mix-and-match pieces to build an unlimited amount of contraptions.  Kids can dream up crazy courses, then build and test them using this easy-to-construct Velcro-like system.  Instructions offer tips and tricks on how to best manipulate the kit's components.  It guides kids through five sample contraption designs while they learn how to predict the outcome of each. "Contraption Lab offers full-circle skill building from prediction and planning to testing and experimentation," Nancy Storment, marketing & PR rep for SmartLab Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012.
— Why it won: A great product that encourages creativity.

The state of Earth's atmosphere affects us all, which explains why the weather is one of the most popular topics of conversation and scientific study. Build a model of Earth and its atmosphere and then use it to conduct experiments that show how the global wind system works. Trace air currents from the icy cold poles to the warm equator and back with a wisp of smoke. Model Earth's heat reservoirs, thermals, and global and local winds. Recreate ocean currents in a small basin of water. Simulate Earth's rotation and revolution to learn how the sun affects the weather daily and seasonally. Learn about the climatic zones and the composition of the atmosphere. Experiment to see how carbon dioxide levels affect temperature. Explore the hydrological cycle to learn about humidity, clouds, and precipitation. Build a simple barometer, set up a rain gauge, and track the temperature. Full-color, 48-page manual featuring 23 experiments.