Discover the mysterious age of the dinosaurs with Build the T. Rex! Packed with colorful illustrations and fascinating facts about dinosaurs, kids can build their very own 2.5-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. At just $19.95, each kit includes an informative 32-page book plus 49 dinosaur model pieces that slot together--no scissors or glue required. Ideal for children ages 6 and up.

This is a new trendy desk SmartGlobe™ —the SmartGlobe™ Horizon explores the world through 30 activities in the comfort of your own home. There is a wealth of information to be discovered through 30 different educational activities. The entire family can join in on the fun with the multiplayer games—challenge one another and see who can identify the most country capitals in a minute. Have the choice to customize levels between three age groups, so learners of all ages can enjoy the experience. Use the wireless talking Smart Pen to interact with the product and hear about fascinating topics ranging from capitals, population, currency and even world leaders. To keep the information up-to-date with current events, simply link it to your computer via a USB cable and refresh the contents. Additional activities are available by connecting the SmartGlobe™ with the MEEP! tablet (also compatible with iPad®*).

Combine art and science when you design your very own Volcano and create a cool chemical reaction. Use plaster and paint to turn a domed base into a realistic Volcano. Add a tube, funnel, and squeeze bottle so you can control the size and timing of the eruptions. Create your chemical mixture with vinegar and baking soda. Add fake gravel and red coloring to make foaming lava. Perfect for science fairs or home crafting projects.

At an elementary school in Santa Fe, the bell rings for recess and kids fly out the door to check what’s happening in their garden. As the seasons turn, everyone has a part to play in making the garden flourish. From choosing and planting seeds in the spring to releasing butterflies in the summer to harvesting in the fall to protecting the beds for the winter. Even the wiggling worms have a job to do in the compost pile! On special afternoons and weekends, neighborhood folks gather to help out and savor the bounty (fresh toppings for homemade pizza, anyone?). Part celebration, part simple how-to, this close-up look at a vibrant garden and its enthusiastic gardeners is blooming with photos that will have readers ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in. Launch date: January 2013.

Buckminster Fuller was an engineer, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society. He is best known for his many architectural designs, the best known of which is the geodesic dome, or "Bucky Ball"-Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that talking about systems theorists is pretty boring, but without Mr. Fuller we wouldn't have the Space Chips Glom Dron set, so it all kind of evens out, don't you think? The Glom Dron is a set of 540 pentagon chips that can be used to build a Bucky Ball.

Kids try their hand at mad science using a beaker, funnel, mix-and-measure scoop, squishy-lidded bubble test tubes, and an abundance of glow-in-the-dark powder to concoct 20 experiments that glow, ooze, and stink up the kitchen. From glow-in-the-dark alien blood to scratch-and-sniff stickers, young scientists will never have so much fun with custom-designed tools and commonly found household ingredients.

The Globe 4 Kids Globe by Replogle is a 10-inch Illustrated, illuminated globe that is perfect for kids of all ages. With its vividly displayed political diagrams and relief map it is an excellent tool to help teach children about various regions and their significance in the world. It also features pictures of a mixture of animals, landmarks, and even people to help teach where some historical figures are from.

Just add water, snap the lid shut and stand back. The bubbling action of the chemical reaction builds up pressure inside the can until the top POPS and flied through the air. Kids can mix up their own top-popping fuel mixture and put the Snap Cans to the distance test. Attach the foam rocket to the Snap Can and shoot the rocket high into the air.

It's 'snot pretty when kids perfect the art of grossness. Yes, only Gross Art from SmartLab Toys teaches kids how to draw realistic illustrations of all things gross using real art techniques. Gross-lovers everywhere will love drawing stinky fish, slimey snot and grody bathrooms.

This kit uses a variety of visual and tactile experiments that introduce kids to the world of plant science. Each experiment is designed to teach kids a different principle about plants, including seed purpose and description, capillary action, water cycle, DNA, sprouting, horticulture, plant biology and natural product science. An exciting range of experiment types are used to represent or explain plant biology or to use plants in the experiment.

This kit provides hours of fun creating amazing innovations ranging from the ridiculous to the very practical. This system is designed to teach the power of interactive innovation, creative problem solving and social innovation. Compete online with other kids or post your idea and have it rated by the Hänz innovation community. This is a very fun construction set that is simply addictive. Made in the USA with fair trade and the environment in mind.

This smaller kit is an affordable way to get started with Hänz construction sets. You can create gravity race cars, interesting structures and even practical items such as smart phone holders and picture frames. This kit can create dozen of unique innovative structures and provides hours of fun and learning. Made in the USA with fair trade and the environment in mind.

These encyclopedias are designed to stir kids' imaginations and drive their desire to explore new things. Each book presents fascinating facts, bright, colorful pictures, and a special feature: pages contain well-hidden flaps that contain even more information underneath them. Look closely to find them. Eye-catching illustrations broaden horizons. Action-oriented hidden flaps encourage kids to learn more.

Smart Lab's Squishy Science from Head to Toe sparks curiosity and reveals the mysteries of the human brain and body for kids eight and up. This set includes transparent, anatomically correct models of the human body and human skull. Kids dissect the squishy organs and glow in the dark bones, nerves and eyeballs with lifelike surgical tools. The colorful information booklet, Organ-izer, and activity cards are packed with scientific information about the human body and the brain.
— As of 11/15/2012 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 15 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Fun and educational; includes and educational guidebook. Cons: Hard to snap the skull together.

This kit allows users to increase the size, complexity and richness of their models. The number of interesting things one can build increases exponentially when one has more parts. This kit is perfect for those who have already caught the Zometool bug or families and groups who want to build together. Total parts: 738.
— As of 11/15/2012 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 9 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: A great educational tool; can be used to teach geometry, or just for fun. Cons: Rods have to be pushed really hard into the balls in order for the creations not to fall apart.

A great item for today's adventuresome girls. Each kit contains a gypsum block with 7 different embedded gemstones and a spiral pendant. Once the stones have been excavated, she can choose a favorite stone to wear in the necklace. Stones can be changed to coordinate with her outfit or her mood. Launch date: August 2012.

Each petri dish of orange putty in the company’s new line of product, GIANTmicrobes® Primordial Putty, includes a different collectible figure. Choose from Flesh Eating Disease, Black Death, Ebola Virus or Anthrax. Perfect for Halloween parties and stocking stuffers. Launch date: 2012.

The littleBits Extended Kit is the third and biggest kit by littleBits. We hand picked all of the most fun, mechanical Bits and crammed them into one double-decker kit. This kit contains all the Bits one needs to make littleBits creations. It features a dc motor, motion trigger, buzzer, 2 wires, and more.

Peek into the underground world of earthworms and discover their earth-saving secrets. See how they turn waste into soil and dig tunnels to create drainage for plants. Perform experiments to demonstrate how worms live and work underground. Have fun with the "Super Squirmin" character cutouts. Made in the USA and Safety Approved. Double-sided viewing, Worm Facts and Anatomy Poster, experiment booklet, and 2 foot Super Squirmin worm cut-out with Superhero hats. Mail-in certificate (send $12.95) for live worms, soil wafers and starter food shipped Priority Mail year-round in the USA, excluding Hawaii.

Hannah will introduce students to habitats including deserts and tundra, ocean and river habitats, colonies, nests and more. The book also includes fun activities and a thought-provoking science fair project. Hannah hunts for Habitats is a reproducible, colorful and fun book with hand-on experiments, a science fair project, metric conversions, the scientific method and a glossary. This book covers the exciting careers, many inventors, and actual tools and equipment with a touch of humor. Launch date: 2008.

Create 5 Pulsar Powerballs™ that bounce and soar to amazing heights. Place colorful crystals in the mold, submerge it in water and let it sit for five minutes. Open the mold and the brand new Powerball is ready to play with. Place special lights inside the larger mold to create a Powerball that lights up when it bounces. Launch date: October 2012.

What do a brother and sister do when their sort-of-mad scientist dad takes them along the San Andreas Fault, to new Madrid Missouri and other earthquake prone places? What child can resist learning about the power of mother-nature and the tools to stay safe as these interested kids confront nature head-on. Launch date: 2007.
Awards: 2007 iParenting Media Award

Discover with Dr. Cool turned this classic science experiment into the ultimate hands-on volcano experience. First you'll decorate the 7" ceramic volcano with the brush and paints included in the kit. Then kids'll make the volcano erupt over and over with the eruption powder and red lava coloring also included. Plus they'll get to examine 3 genuine volcanic specimens including: a real geode, an obsidian arrowhead, and a floating piece of volcanic rock called pumice. The information guide will teach kids all about their specimens as well as how volcanoes form and why they erupt. Also included is an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. Because everything is included in the kit, kids won't need to run to the store for additional supplies. If they're doing this project for the science fair, they'll love how nice the ceramic volcano looks-it's way better than the paper mache volcanoes. This is the perfect science kit for anyone interested in geology, earth science, or volcanoes. Launch date: August 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval, 2012 Kids Product of the Year,  Creative Child Magazine; 2012 Gold Award, Family Review Center;2012 Seal of Approval, Family Review Center.

Excavate 3 genuine fossil specimens just like a real paleontologist. Buried inside the ammonite-shaped digging brick young paleontologists will uncover a real sliced and polished ammonite, a clam fossil and a gastropod specimen. This hands-on kit includes an excavation tool, brush, magnifying glass, full-color information guide, and an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. These 3 genuine specimens are each millions of years old. The info guide was written by teachers so that kids will improve their knowledge of science. Plus, there's an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. Launch date: September 2012.
Awards: 2012 Seal of Excellence - Creative Child Magazine; 2012 Preferred Choice Award - Creative Child Magazine

Ready to strike it rich? This hands-on science kit will teach kids how to pan for gold just like a real gold miner. This exciting treasure hunter's kit includes a 10" prospector's pan, 2 bags of pay dirt with pyrite (also known as fool's gold) nuggets inside, mining tools, and much more. Kids will learn all of the secrets to panning in the full-color adventure guide. Plus there's an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to solve. Launch date: September 2012.
Awards: Dr. Toy 2012 Best Picks Winner, 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20