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!

This is a cool, squishy, squashy, vibrantly colored replication of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog. It feels clammy, it looks clammy, and it´s altogether gross ... which is the whole point. It´s a fairly accurate reproduction (except that it´s an order of magnitude larger than a real Red-Eyed Tree Frog), and would look quite comfortable out in the wilderness. It´s very fun to play with.

The sturdy 12" diameter globe is write and erase. With silver painted metal semi-meridian and base, it´s a solid educational tool for all ages. Designed for dry erase markers (one included), the Geographer features larger continent and country outlines. This interactive globe enhances learning in the classroom and home schooling. The Geographer was awarded a Seal of Excellence Award (Educational Toys for Kids category) in the 2005 Top Creative Toy Awards sponsored by Creative Child Magazine.

This is a super-deluxe magnifying glass: Big, bold and brightly colored, with a large handle (easy for the younger kids to hold) and a wide wood boarder around the glass (tougher for those same kids to break), this is a must for the unschooler.
— As the people at the Maukilo store said: “The name HABA stands for high-quality products and age appropriate materials.”
— Jason Oliver of Oompa Toys, had this to say: “We just started to carry them, but they are selling well already.”
— According to the British Society For Cell Biology, “Great fun can be had by looking at small organisms. A good magnifying glass will help your observations.”

Color, refraction, light, Isaac Newton (in all his glory), rainbows and a kaleidoscope. It’s a one-stop optics lab and just plain cool. Plus it’s a door of introduction to history, engineering and even mineralogy.
— This quality acrylic prism works for fun and exploration. Kids learn how to split a beam of light into a multicolored rainbow or look through the top beveled edge to reflect images into kaleidoscopic patterns.
— “Prisms are perennial sellers, always fascinating, always interesting, always a must-have once a child begins to look through them. No matter what the season, prisms are always an item,” said Martin Fong, owner of Dis & Dats toy store in San Francisco.
— Kyle Davies of Brainee Bunch in College Park, Md., said the smaller ones are selling particularly well for them.
— “You could look at a simple toy prism and say ‘whatever’ or you could look at it and remember that people like Einstein, Boyle, Newton and hundreds of other great minds used to play with them when they were kids, too,” Sue Ellen Childs of Tedco told TDmonthly.

This bird feeder with a cool tiki hut design includes a motion sensor that alerts the Tikiman transmitter and kids when birds are feeding. The one-way glass lets kids see the birds without the birds seeing them. The feeding totem pole and water bowls are easy to fill, and suction cups simply attach the feeder to any window.

This cool habitat provides a place for kids to observe the insects they have caught on their outside adventure. The habitat includes a waterfall, vegetation and a play hut so bugs can “hang out.” Also included is a small hill for bugs to race up and down. The removable magnifier allows kids to get up close for details. The entire clear plastic dome opens completely for easy cleaning.

A Zooquarium with its own mini-searchlight (Sea Monkeys always head towards light), it comes with everything one needs to start a Sea Monkey preserve. Easy to raise (if you let the water dry out, the Sea Monkeys go dormant — add water, and voila: back in business), this is a fascinating toy for families on the go.

This frog habitat is a place where children can watch live tadpoles magically transform into frogs, then swim in their own pond and explore the surrounding rain forest habitat. Kids learn why frogs play an important role in the environment and the world in which we live. It is a science project in a box.

This clear, sturdy hard plastic dome makes it tough for budding biologists to go “hands-on.” Like the Butterfly Garden, it includes mail-sent larvae.

This net habitat (almost like a Chinese lantern) encloses caterpillars, food and the setting for a caterpillar’s eventual metamorphosis. It requires mail-sent larvae. “The Butterfly Garden not only shows actual insect metamorphosis, but it does so in just three weeks' time. Many other animal habitats can take up to six months for any changes to occur. This makes it a perfect item for kids who have short attention spans and is an ideal science project for any classroom,” John White, marketing director of Insect Lore, told TDmonthly.
— Fred Rosenberg of On the Park in Kingwood, Texas, named this as his No. 1 seller in May 2008, with sales of 50 to 60 units monthly. “I just can't keep them in stock right now,” he told TDmonthly. “We have a display on our counter with the real butterflies so people can see it go through the process,” said Kim Emigh, VP of e-commerce at Growing Tree Toys in State College, Pa.
— 25% of 64 retailers surveyed in August 2008 named this as their top-selling nature toy, reporting average sales of 12 per month. Five of 38 retailers named Insect Lore’s butterfly habitats as best-selling science and nature products in late summer 2009. In an August 2010 survey, 21 percent of 43 specialty retailers said Insect Lore is a top-selling science and nature brand. Five retailers specifically cited Butterfly Garden as a best seller.
— As of 5/21/2012, the Butterfly Garden had spent more than 1,600 days in the top-100 best-selling toys and games at Amazon.com and has 4.4 out of 5 stars from 461 reviews.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller

Kids listen to a nation´s statistical information, including its population size, music and currency, by touching the globe with an interactive pen. Students can compare information between two countries. The Explorer Globe includes a game that challenges players to find various spots on earth.

Bring nature inside and witness the wonder of the butterfly life cycle with this amazing experience. The roomy 2-foot-tall Butterfly Pavilion habitat "pops-up" easily, looking like a Chinese lantern. Hang it from a string or set it on a tabletop for best display. The breathable see-through mesh and zippered entry allows easy access for care and feeding. The Butterfly Pavilion is a 2004 Teacher´s Choice Award winner.

The world’s first gravity-powered car uses gravity to overcome – gravity! Without batteries, motors or fuel, the car still manages to climb hills from a standing start. Kids can change weights, rear-end ratio, payload, etc. to optimize distance, speed and acceleration while learning about the basic laws of physics that govern the car´s mobility.

These retain food’s freshness with TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation and a stainless steel interior and exterior to withstand the daily perils of lunch-toting kids. The Food Jars keep food hot for five hours and cold for seven hours. Each Food Jar holds 10 ounces of food.

DIG REAL FOSSILS - Become a Paleontologist! Dig for REAL fossils that are millions of years old!

In this simulation of a real paleontology fossil dig, children dig for a fossilized shark tooth, brachiopod shell, gastropod shell, and “squid” shell.  These real -millions of years old- fossils are enclosed in a cool “brick” and are revealed by using the supplied scraping and brush tools (similar to what real paleontologists use).  Young paleontologists then take a closer look at these fossils with the enclosed magnifying glass and learn fascinating details about each fossil using the provided fun fact sheet.  The easy-to-open tube also serves as a display case for the discovered fossils which can then be treasured for many years to come.  DIG REAL FOSSILS is an exciting and fascinating introduction to paleontology and is sure to be a sensation with children of all ages!

Winner! Creative Child Magazine Seal of  Approval

This is not only a toy, but also an actual scientific instrument equivalent to microscopes used in schools worldwide. This monocular microscope is an educational investment that encourages students to increase their knowledge through independent study. My First Lab Microscope will be a useful tool for study throughout school years and even into college.

Kids can learn how to use forensic science to fight crime just as they do on the popular TV show CSI. This complete, hands-on forensic lab allows kids to solve six tough cases — each harder than the last. State-of-the-art lab instruments are used to analyze handwriting, decipher blood type and examine mysterious fibers in the search for answers. It was a winner of the 2003 Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award. Ages 8 and up.

This science introduction kit for younger kids includes a color-mixing laboratory where kids can turn their favorite colors into soft crystals, capture a rainbow in a test tube and become color-mixing detectives.
—  “Scientific Explorer kits, especially My First Science Kit” are a top-selling science item at Tom’s Toys Inc. in Great Barrington, Mass., Owner Tom Levin told TDmonthly in August 2008.
—  Seventeen percent of 65 retailers said Scientific Explorer was their top-selling science kit supplier.
—  In late summer 2009, five of 38 retailers told TDmonthly that Scientific Explorer, or a specific kit in the line, accounts for their best-selling science and nature products, though one retailer showed concern about the brand’s expansion. Our best-selling line is Scientific Explorer, but that remains to be seen now that they are all in the Barnes & Noble bookstores,” Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo & Co. in Denver, told TDmonthly.

Search for small metal objects with this fun, easy to operate metal detector! It extends from 23" to 38" for longer reach. Follow the instructions that show you how to set and handle the metal detector to look for metal. When metal is located, a beep will sound and a red light will appear! Features a high-sensitivity setting, ABS body with aluminum rod, integrated circuits, LED display and low electrical consumption. Colors may vary.

This fun introduction to the world of advanced and beginning electronics comes complete with everything needed to perform 130 electronic experiments in one kit. It includes a fact-filled illustrated manual and requires no tools or soldering. The kit has a built-in speaker, 7-segment LED display, two fully integrated circuits and rotary controls. Each of the basic electronics parts is mounted and clearly marked on the breadboard.

This item is, hands down (ha ha), one of Arbor´s most popular items. Though it looks like something one might find in Dr. Jekyll´s back room laboratory, the hand boiler is pure fun. Kids hold the hand boiler in the palm of their hand and wrap their fingers around the lower bulb. Then, they watch with amazement as the liquid migrates up the tube and into the upper bulb. Eventually, the liquid in the upper bulb will appear to "boil" as air is drawn up the tube.

This soil is similar, in property and color, to the soil found on Mars. This unique sand will not get wet and can be formed into shapes under water. When removed from water it becomes instantly dry.

This unique product introduces young children to science at an early age. Kids can examine all sorts of insects on 12 prepared interactive slides and listen while facts are shared about the critters. They can even switch the talking microscope to quiz mode to test their knowledge. It features a 5X focusing magnifier and a light for easy viewing. It requires three C batteries (not included).
— “The Talking Microscope allows even young children to learn about the small creatures they may see in the world around them.  It is highly interactive yet easy to use and provides several levels of game play to bring out the budding scientist in children,” Kati Elliott of KEH Communications told TDmonthly.

This kit introduces kids to the fascinating hobby of rockhounding and allows them to start or expand their own collection of natural and grown mineral specimens. Kids first excavate 15 gem and mineral specimens from around the world, and then turn ordinary rocks into sparkling crystal treasures - just by placing them into a crystal growing solution.