Science

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Make a Baking Soda Balloon

EI Editor Posted On May 31, 2020 | Science

https://youtu.be/fSKdbspDO7UHome's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 5-8Grades: K-3Supplies:• Plastic bottle• Balloon (or rubber glove)• Baking soda• Vinegar

Procedure:1. Use a funnel to shake 2 tablespoons of baking soda into an uninflated balloon.2. Fill a plastic bottle with ½ cup of white vinegar.3. Remove the funnel and carefully place the open end of the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, without letting the baking soda pour into the bottle.

4. When you’re ready, lift the balloon so the baking soda pours into the bottle.5. Watch the balloon fill up with the gas from the baking soda and vinegar reaction!

EI Product Manager Michael Sheridan is a jack of all trades! An avid surfer and former international soccer competitor, this outdoor and sporting enthusiast also has a degree in Astrophysics from UCLA and eight years of product development experience in a variety of industries. Prior to helping build EI's science products and brain game lines, Michael developed everything from folding chairs to electric scooters and skateboards!

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Make a Baking Soda Balloon https://youtu.be/fSKdbspDO7UHome's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 5-8Grades: K-3Supplies:• Plastic bottle• Balloon (or rubber glove)• Baking soda• Vinegar

4. When you’re ready, lift the balloon so the baking soda pours into the bottle.5. Watch the balloon fill up with the gas from the baking soda and vinegar reaction!

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Gravity Demo

EI Editor Posted On May 26, 2020 | Science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFxThjSZjmU&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 4-12Grades: pre-K-6Supplies:• Cardboard box• 2 Similar-sized objects• Camera or phone with slow-motion video capabilitiesProcedure:1. Stand a cardboard box on end, with the open flaps facing you.2. Set up your slow-motion camera to record the objects falling.3. Using one hand to support the flap, place both objects on one flap of the cardboard box and make sure they are not moving.4. Start recording on the slow-motion camera.5. Drop the flap on the cardboard box.6. Watch the video of the objects falling. Are they falling at the same speed? Or is one object falling faster than the other? Try dropping other objects! Do you notice any relationship between the shape and how the object falls? How about the size? Or weight?Explanation:The force of gravity is all around us. We experience it every day on Earth, whether or not we think about it. Sir Isaac Newton was the first to develop a mathematical explanation for gravity, which includes the importance of mass and distance. If an object has a lot of mass (is very heavy) then it will impose a larger gravitational force than other, smaller objects experience.When we drop two objects like the ping pong ball and tangerine in the video, they fall to the ground because the force of gravity is pulling them toward the center of the Earth. This gravitational force applies to everything on Earth, from an apple growing on a tree to a car parked on the street, and even planes in the sky.Now it’s time to experiment with dropping different objects! Be sure you aren’t dropping anything that might break. As mentioned in the video, this experiment is ignoring the effects of air resistance. Since we are in our homes and not a science lab, we can see how gravity affects all objects, but we can also see how the shape of an object changes the air resistance it feels as it falls to the ground.For this experiment, we are focusing on Newton’s Second Law, or F = ma.This law says the force an object feels (in this case, the force of gravity from Earth) equals the mass of that object (how heavy it is) multiplied by the acceleration it experiences. Everything on Earth feels the same acceleration toward the center of the Earth.So, what happens if we drop a ping pong ball and a baseball? A baseball weighs about 145 grams but a ping pong ball weighs about 3 grams. The acceleration is the same since both objects are on Earth, so the force the baseball feels is about 50 times as large as the force the ping pong ball feels (because it weighs almost 50 times as much).Why does it look like they reach the ground at the same time? The reason is inertia. Inertia is resistance to acceleration and depends on how much something weighs. If something weighs more, it won’t accelerate as fast. That’s why the ping pong ball starts to fall faster than the baseball.If we repeat this experiment with different-shaped objects, we can see the effects of air resistance. Try this out a piece of paper and a ball. The ball is round so the air can move around it easily, but the paper is a large rectangle, making it difficult for the air to go around it. The air resistance slows down the acceleration of the paper toward the ground, which is why it moves back and forth and reaches the ground after the ball.

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Gravity Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFxThjSZjmU&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 4-12Grades: pre-K-6Supplies:• Cardboard box• 2 Similar-sized objects• Camera or phone with slow-motion video capabilitiesProcedure:1. Stand a cardboard box on end, with the open flaps facing you.2. Set up your slow-motion camera to record the objects falling.3. Using one hand to support the flap, place both objects on one flap of the cardboard box and make sure they are not moving.4. Start recording on the slow-motion camera.5. Drop the flap on the cardboard box.6. Watch the video of the objects falling. Are they falling at the same speed? Or is one object falling faster than the other? Try dropping other objects! Do you notice any relationship between the shape and how the object falls? How about the size? Or weight?Explanation:The force of gravity is all around us. We experience it every day on Earth, whether or not we think about it. Sir Isaac Newton was the first to develop a mathematical explanation for gravity, which includes the importance of mass and distance. If an object has a lot of mass (is very heavy) then it will impose a larger gravitational force than other, smaller objects experience.When we drop two objects like the ping pong ball and tangerine in the video, they fall to the ground because the force of gravity is pulling them toward the center of the Earth. This gravitational force applies to everything on Earth, from an apple growing on a tree to a car parked on the street, and even planes in the sky.Now it’s time to experiment with dropping different objects! Be sure you aren’t dropping anything that might break. As mentioned in the video, this experiment is ignoring the effects of air resistance. Since we are in our homes and not a science lab, we can see how gravity affects all objects, but we can also see how the shape of an object changes the air resistance it feels as it falls to the ground.For this experiment, we are focusing on Newton’s Second Law, or F = ma.This law says the force an object feels (in this case, the force of gravity from Earth) equals the mass of that object (how heavy it is) multiplied by the acceleration it experiences. Everything on Earth feels the same acceleration toward the center of the Earth.So, what happens if we drop a ping pong ball and a baseball? A baseball weighs about 145 grams but a ping pong ball weighs about 3 grams. The acceleration is the same since both objects are on Earth, so the force the baseball feels is about 50 times as large as the force the ping pong ball feels (because it weighs almost 50 times as much).Why does it look like they reach the ground at the same time? The reason is inertia. Inertia is resistance to acceleration and depends on how much something weighs. If something weighs more, it won’t accelerate as fast. That’s why the ping pong ball starts to fall faster than the baseball.If we repeat this experiment with different-shaped objects, we can see the effects of air resistance. Try this out a piece of paper and a ball. The ball is round so the air can move around it easily, but the paper is a large rectangle, making it difficult for the air to go around it. The air resistance slows down the acceleration of the paper toward the ground, which is why it moves back and forth and reaches the ground after the ball.

Home's Cool Science: Candle Water Pump Experiment

EI Editor Posted On May 6, 2020 | Science

Home's Cool Science: Candle Water Pump Experiment

Home’s Cool Science: Erupting Apples Experiment

EI Editor Posted On May 2, 2020 | Science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eALfa21BWCI&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our EI Product Managers!Ages: 5-12Grade: K-6Supplies:

Baking Soda
Liquid Dish Soap
Water
Vinegar
Food Coloring (optional)

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, and 1 teaspoon of water. Use your hands to mix it all together and shape into a ball. If you are adding food coloring, do that now.
If the ball wants to crumble, add a little more water. If it’s too fluid, add a little more baking soda.
Place the baking soda ball in the center of a large bowl.
Slowly pour about ¾ cup of vinegar over the top of the ball. Watch it erupt!

Explanation:This is a chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar. In this case, the baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) react to form a gas called carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide created by this reaction escapes in the form of bubbles, causing the eruption you see.

Home’s Cool Science: Erupting Apples Experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eALfa21BWCI&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our EI Product Managers!Ages: 5-12Grade: K-6Supplies:

Baking Soda
Liquid Dish Soap
Water
Vinegar
Food Coloring (optional)

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, and 1 teaspoon of water. Use your hands to mix it all together and shape into a ball. If you are adding food coloring, do that now.
If the ball wants to crumble, add a little more water. If it’s too fluid, add a little more baking soda.
Place the baking soda ball in the center of a large bowl.
Slowly pour about ¾ cup of vinegar over the top of the ball. Watch it erupt!

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Composting Starter Guide

EI Editor Posted On Apr 19, 2020 | Science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGAvKbCZek&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 5+Grades: K+Supplies:• 1-gallon container (clear is nice so you can see the food breaking down)• soil• food scraps• worms (optional)In the United States, it is estimated that 30-40% of food is wasted. That’s more than 100 billion pounds of wasted food! Composting is a great way to make full use of that food material that would normally be thrown away, reducing waste and enabling a household to create their own, nutrient-rich dirt for gardens and planters.Procedure:1. Find a clear bin to store your starter dirt and fill it about ¾ full. We recommend using a container with a lid to help regulate the temperature and humidity, but it’s not absolutely necessary.2. Add kitchen scraps as you have them.3. Stir your compost every day or two to help distribute the material.Thing to compost:• eggshells• banana and orange peels• apple cores• food trimmings• coffee grounds• teabags• corn cobsOther tips:• Do NOT put meat or dairy products into your compost bin unless you want to attract flies and other pests• If you are adding materials with a lot of moisture (watermelon or squash, for example), add a few dry leaves or bits of finely shredded paper to absorb some of the liquid• Smaller items break down faster, so chop your food waste into small bits if possible• If you would like, you can add earthworms to your compost bin to help break down the food particles you add• You can make it easy on yourself by using the Educational Insights Now You See it, Now You Don’t See-Through Container.[caption id="attachment_6422" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

Now You See It, Now You Don't™ See-Through Compost Container[/caption]Resources:Composting overview: https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-indoor-composting-2539618Indoor composting overview: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/indoor-composting/

Home's Cool Learning Activity: Composting Starter Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGAvKbCZek&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 5+Grades: K+Supplies:• 1-gallon container (clear is nice so you can see the food breaking down)• soil• food scraps• worms (optional)In the United States, it is estimated that 30-40% of food is wasted. That’s more than 100 billion pounds of wasted food! Composting is a great way to make full use of that food material that would normally be thrown away, reducing waste and enabling a household to create their own, nutrient-rich dirt for gardens and planters.Procedure:1. Find a clear bin to store your starter dirt and fill it about ¾ full. We recommend using a container with a lid to help regulate the temperature and humidity, but it’s not absolutely necessary.2. Add kitchen scraps as you have them.3. Stir your compost every day or two to help distribute the material.Thing to compost:• eggshells• banana and orange peels• apple cores• food trimmings• coffee grounds• teabags• corn cobsOther tips:• Do NOT put meat or dairy products into your compost bin unless you want to attract flies and other pests• If you are adding materials with a lot of moisture (watermelon or squash, for example), add a few dry leaves or bits of finely shredded paper to absorb some of the liquid• Smaller items break down faster, so chop your food waste into small bits if possible• If you would like, you can add earthworms to your compost bin to help break down the food particles you add• You can make it easy on yourself by using the Educational Insights Now You See it, Now You Don’t See-Through Container.[caption id="attachment_6422" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

What Are You So STEAM’d About?

EI Editor Posted On Jan 28, 2020 | Science

If you’ve got a little one in school, you’ve likely heard the terms STEM and STEAM enough to wonder what they mean. Simply put, STEM is an academic focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. STEAM adds the all-important artistic aspect – hence, the “A”. For the last 20 years or so, the U.S. has committed to incorporating STEM learning into our kids’ school curriculum, and for good reason![caption id="attachment_5304" align="alignnone" width="724"]

Photo credit: https://www.theedadvocate.org/[/caption]According to the experts at The Edvocate, STEM learning fosters ingenuity and creativity, builds resilience, encourages experimentation and teamwork, promotes knowledge application and the use of technology, teaches problem solving, and encourages kids to adapt what they’ve learned to fit specific problems. All good, right? Even better – it’s never too early to incorporate STEM learning into your at-home play time! Below are some of our favorite, super fun, STEM activities from around the web:

Science

Make your own bubbles! If you’ve got dish soap, corn syrup, and a straw, you’re ready to mix up your own batch of homemade bubbles. Visit our friends at homesciencetools.com for instructions and a simple scientific explanation.Soak up an oil spill! Bring the bummer of pollution home with this DIY oil spill clean up project from LittleBinsForLittleHands (don’t miss their FREE ocean-themed STEM activity cards!). Fill a pan with water, add some oil, then brainstorm ways to get it out. Try a spoon, paper towels, cotton balls, and finally, Dawn dish soap to demonstrate how difficult it is to recapture spilled oil in the ocean.[caption id="attachment_5308" align="alignnone" width="608"]

Photo credit: https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com[/caption]Get outside and explore! There’s no better teacher than mother nature, so get up and head outdoors! Observe the natural flora and fauna in your area, talk about the seasons, compare and contrast different plants, seeds, twigs, and rocks. Make exploring even more fun with kid-friendly scientific tools like microscopes, telescopes, adventure pens, and binoculars from GeoSafari®![caption id="attachment_5309" align="alignnone" width="530"]

GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®[/caption]

Technology

Speak in code! From verbally programming your walk through the house to talking through tasks, step-by-step, there are lots of low-tech ways to introduce coding to your kids. Visit our blog on coding for some fun and easy at-home ideas!Get cute! 100% screen free and super cute, Coding Critters allow kids to code adorable animal friends following the directions in their new pet’s storybook adventures. Kids simply press buttons on the Critters’ backs to move them left, right, forward, or back, navigating the obstacles in the included pet playsets and introducing this key STEM concept.[caption id="attachment_5310" align="alignnone" width="688"]

Photo Credit: learningresources.com[/caption]Draw it out! Kids who love art will go coding crazy for ARTIE 3000™ The Coding Robot! This self-contained unit teaches kids to write computer code line by line and then draws whatever they’ve coded! From shapes and letters to mandalas and custom designs, kids use an easy computer interface (no WIFI required!) with step-by-step instructions to tell ARTIE which way to turn, how many steps to take, and when to lift his pen or put it down. Then they simply click “run” to see their ARTIE execute their coded script on paper.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FyS_4ZTyK4&t=24s

Engineering

Ramp it up! Simple machines are the perfect way to slip some engineering into your child’s day and it doesn’t get much simpler than a ramp! Use a cut up the box from your last Amazon delivery, use a cereal box, or a wooden building plank, grab a small ball or toy car, and experiment with different constructions and angles. Find some fun ideas at BuggyandBuddy.com.[caption id="attachment_5311" align="alignnone" width="703"]

Photo Credit: https://buggyandbuddy.com[/caption]Build, build, build! Wooden blocks, building bricks, and Lincoln Logs are the perfect first engineering experiences. Stack them as high as they’ll go, construct bridges, or – trickier – tunnels. As they play, kids will gain a sense of spatial reasoning, learn about structural integrity (crash!), explore the principles of design, and so much more.[caption id="attachment_5312" align="alignnone" width="909"]

Photo Credit: manzanitakids[/caption]Make a marshmallow man! Encourage your kids to create all kinds of structures using marshmallows and toothpicks. Try making a cube, a curved dome, a two-sided ladder, or, some of these other ideas from our friends at BrainBrigade.org.

Math

Count it out! Even little ones can get in on the STEM fun and learning – with counting! Count Cheerios, crackers, steps to the car, anything and everything you can count, count!Match it up! Correlating a digital number with an actual amount is a key early math skill. One simple activity from BusyToddler.com has kids matching numerals 1-9 on sticky notes to sets of the same number of dots on a white board.[caption id="attachment_5315" align="alignnone" width="632"]

Photo credit: https://busytoddler.com[/caption]Make an abacus! Well, sort of. Start with a bowl of multi-colored beads. Help your child find one bead of one color, two beads of another color, etc. Then assist your kiddo in sliding the beads onto a pipe cleaner, bending the ends so the beads don’t slide off. Then practice counting the number of beads on each pipe cleaner. This two-in-one activity from TheImagnationTree.com is also a great way to build fine motor skills ????.Click to learn more about the importance of STEM and for even more at-home ideas for incorporating STEM learning in your everyday play!

What Are You So STEAM’d About? If you’ve got a little one in school, you’ve likely heard the terms STEM and STEAM enough to wonder what they mean. Simply put, STEM is an academic focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. STEAM adds the all-important artistic aspect – hence, the “A”. For the last 20 years or so, the U.S. has committed to incorporating STEM learning into our kids’ school curriculum, and for good reason![caption id="attachment_5304" align="alignnone" width="724"]

Science

GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®[/caption]

Technology

Engineering

Math

Gifts That Dazzle and Delight

EI Editor Posted On Nov 27, 2019 | Holiday

An Easy Way to Find the Perfect Gift for Every Child on Your List

Attention parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, and friends: This is the year that YOUR gift shines above all the rest! Whether you’re looking to create experiences filled with sheer joy or inspire “eureka” moments, EI’s toys and games are packed full of fun, designed to delight, and are certain to satisfy kids’ natural curiosity. We’ve got something that’s just right for each of the special sweeties on your shopping list! SHOP NOW to SAVE 30% - Code:Cyber30. Expires 12/6 at 11:59 p.m.

Ages 2+

EI’s Bright Basics™ and My First Games toys give little ones the tools they need to explore their world and develop essential early learning skills, like:

Little animal lovers will have some big time family fun – and build vocabulary, language, and matching skills – with My First Game: Petting Zoo, the hands-on matching game made specifically for toddlers! $24.99
Bitty builders stack blocks to build Humpty’s wall, then knock it down, load it onto the Bright Basics™ Dumpty Truck, and begin again, somewhere else! Set demonstrates cause and effect, develops fine motor skills, and encourages imaginative play. $19.99
Take a trip down memory lane with the Bright Basics™ Shape-Sorting Popper, a sweet twist on a classic toddler toy! Sort the forest friends into their beds by matching the shapes on their bottoms to the shapes on the beds, the press the button to make them POP! $21.99
Little lovers can nurture their nature with a Baby Doux Doll! These European-designed, cloth-body dolls feature realistic baby details, just-like-me skin tones and eye colors, and a soft vanilla scent. $59.99

Ages 3+

Preschoolers are free to express their creativity – with no mess to clean up afterwards! Non-toxic Playfoam® Combo 8-Pack never dries out – so the squishy, squashy fun never ends – and it doesn’t stick , so kids can get creative on the go. $8.99
Glow In The Dark Playfoam 8-Pack for the wild child on your list! $8.99
Construction meets creativity with the Design & Drill Activity Center! Kids use a real, working power drill and colorful bolts to recreate the included patterns or design their very own! $39.99
The perfect first board game! Little ones get sneaky with The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game, using the Squirrel Squeezers to find and place colored acorns in their logs. This award-winning, no-reading-required, quick-play, color matching game is easyto set up and clean up and fun for the whole family, too. $21.99

AGE 3-4+

Look, listen, and learn as wildlife warrior, Bindi Irwin, shares kid-friendly facts about nature with GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Microscope! Take a closer look with the only talking microscope for preschoolers packed with photo-quality images and audio about the amazing, up-close world of animals, plants, everyday items and more. $49.99
Little travel bugs will love learning about the world with the 12” GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Globe. Explore, Find It, and Measure It using the included interactive smart pen packed with more than 1,000 audio facts. $129.99
Kid-friendly GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars® are perfect for kids who love to explore outdoors! Encourage nature studies and bird watching with focus-free, 2x magnification. $14.99
Curious kiddos can travel to the moon and back with the GeoSafari® Jr. My First Telescope, a focus-free telescope built specifically for little hands and growing minds. Features 10x magnification providing fantastic views of the moon, while keeping the field of vision wide, which is essential for young children’s understanding of magnified views. $34.99

Ages 5-7

Support STEM learning with Design & Drill® Space Circuits – a circuit building set with 20 space-themed challenges. Use a kid-safe drill to screw bolts, connectors, and specialty pieces, creating real circuits that activate lights, spin motors, and more. $49.99
Give double the fun with Playfoam® Pals™ Snowy Friends! Sets of 2, 6, or 12 for your needs. All sets included snow globes hides a pod of squishy, squashy, sculptable Playfoam and a totally adorable collectible animal from the Arctic. They’ll want to collect them all! $7.99 - $47.99.
One of four alien Pals is hiding inside each Playfoam pod in the Playfoam® Pals™ Space Squad Galaxy Pack! Dig through the special, starry Playfoam to find the friends, then use it to sculpt a cosmically-cool space scene with the included accessories and Moon Rover! $19.99
Transform their room into a personal planetarium with the GeoSafari® Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System. Assemble the sun, 8 planets, and dwarf planet Pluto, then use the included hangers and line to display from their bedroom ceiling! Exposure to daily sunlight makes the sun glow in the dark. $21.99
Computing meets creativity with Artie 3000™ The Coding Robot! Kids write the code and this Wi-Fi enabled drawing robot draws whatever they’ve coded! Comes pre-programmed with shapes and games, too. $69.99
Is a kiddo on your list fascinated with creepy crawlies? The GeoSafari® Day 'N' Night Ant Factory lets kids watch ants work – 24/7 – with nutrient rich farm gel that doubles as food and color-changing LEDs that light up the night. $29.99

Age 8+

Set their sights on outer space with the Nancy B’s Science Club® MoonScope™ & Sky Gazer's Activity Journal. With 18-90x magnification and a built-in, pre-aligned finder scope with glow-in-the-dark ring, budding astronomers get a clear view of the nighttime sky. An included, 22-page Sky Gazers Journal includes stories about the moon and tons of fun activities like writing a moon myth, drawing a man on the moon, and more. $54.99
Knot the noodle of your favorite, pint-sized puzzler with Kanoodle®, the brain twisting solitaire game with 200+ 2-D and 3-D puzzles! $12.99
You’ll always have something to play together with the Nowhere to Go® Game. Try to trap your opponent in this step-by-step strategy game for two but be warned – you’ll want to play again and again. $19.99
Give the gift of family fun with the Freeze Up!® Game. This award-winning pass-around wordplay game features over 170 categories, 2 modes of play, and automatic scoring for hours of unplugged fun. The game asks players to name something that starts with a particular letter – answer quickly or choose another category before you get freezed out! $24.99
Make it a holiday they’ll never forget with the GeoSafari® Telescope & Microscope Set. Two real, powerful, scientific tools support discovery and observation, introducing astronomy and microbility in an independent, parent-free way! $99.99

for the Whole Family

Go head-to-head in a portable puzzle challenge for two! Kanoodle® Head-to-Head enhances problem solving skills, develops spatial reasoning, encourages critical thinking, and more, with 80 puzzle challenges and a button function that pops your opponents’ pieces out of place! Ages 7-99. $21.99
Squish and squash your way into sculpting super-stardom with Sculptapalooza™! This fast-paced, hands-on game paves the way for family fun as teams race against the clock to sculpt their way through hilarious challenges. Ages 10-99. $21.99
Quick! What word means “partially dried grape”? Be the first to blurt out “raisin” and you’re on your way to winning Blurt!® Word Game, the riotous game of rapid word recall that’s perfect for family game night. Ages 7-99. $21.99
Go head to head with your brainiest kiddo in the ultimate memory test! Remember and follow the pattern of lights and press each button in sequence to win BrainBolt™ Game Ages 7-99. $21.99
Mesmerizing for all, Playfoam Pluffle™, never dries out, and offers a totally different feeling from the original Playfoam®. Say so long to Slime and choose from 8 bold colors. They're the perfect stocking stuffer! $15.99 (2-Pack)

Check out our Amazon Holiday Toy List for more fun ideas and great discounts on many of the items listed here! Happy holidays to all!

Gifts That Dazzle and Delight

An Easy Way to Find the Perfect Gift for Every Child on Your List

Ages 2+

EI’s Bright Basics™ and My First Games toys give little ones the tools they need to explore their world and develop essential early learning skills, like:

Little animal lovers will have some big time family fun – and build vocabulary, language, and matching skills – with My First Game: Petting Zoo, the hands-on matching game made specifically for toddlers! $24.99
Bitty builders stack blocks to build Humpty’s wall, then knock it down, load it onto the Bright Basics™ Dumpty Truck, and begin again, somewhere else! Set demonstrates cause and effect, develops fine motor skills, and encourages imaginative play. $19.99
Take a trip down memory lane with the Bright Basics™ Shape-Sorting Popper, a sweet twist on a classic toddler toy! Sort the forest friends into their beds by matching the shapes on their bottoms to the shapes on the beds, the press the button to make them POP! $21.99
Little lovers can nurture their nature with a Baby Doux Doll! These European-designed, cloth-body dolls feature realistic baby details, just-like-me skin tones and eye colors, and a soft vanilla scent. $59.99

Ages 3+

Preschoolers are free to express their creativity – with no mess to clean up afterwards! Non-toxic Playfoam® Combo 8-Pack never dries out – so the squishy, squashy fun never ends – and it doesn’t stick , so kids can get creative on the go. $8.99
Glow In The Dark Playfoam 8-Pack for the wild child on your list! $8.99
Construction meets creativity with the Design & Drill Activity Center! Kids use a real, working power drill and colorful bolts to recreate the included patterns or design their very own! $39.99
The perfect first board game! Little ones get sneaky with The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game, using the Squirrel Squeezers to find and place colored acorns in their logs. This award-winning, no-reading-required, quick-play, color matching game is easyto set up and clean up and fun for the whole family, too. $21.99

AGE 3-4+

Look, listen, and learn as wildlife warrior, Bindi Irwin, shares kid-friendly facts about nature with GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Microscope! Take a closer look with the only talking microscope for preschoolers packed with photo-quality images and audio about the amazing, up-close world of animals, plants, everyday items and more. $49.99
Little travel bugs will love learning about the world with the 12” GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Globe. Explore, Find It, and Measure It using the included interactive smart pen packed with more than 1,000 audio facts. $129.99
Kid-friendly GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars® are perfect for kids who love to explore outdoors! Encourage nature studies and bird watching with focus-free, 2x magnification. $14.99
Curious kiddos can travel to the moon and back with the GeoSafari® Jr. My First Telescope, a focus-free telescope built specifically for little hands and growing minds. Features 10x magnification providing fantastic views of the moon, while keeping the field of vision wide, which is essential for young children’s understanding of magnified views. $34.99

Ages 5-7

Support STEM learning with Design & Drill® Space Circuits – a circuit building set with 20 space-themed challenges. Use a kid-safe drill to screw bolts, connectors, and specialty pieces, creating real circuits that activate lights, spin motors, and more. $49.99
Give double the fun with Playfoam® Pals™ Snowy Friends! Sets of 2, 6, or 12 for your needs. All sets included snow globes hides a pod of squishy, squashy, sculptable Playfoam and a totally adorable collectible animal from the Arctic. They’ll want to collect them all! $7.99 - $47.99.
One of four alien Pals is hiding inside each Playfoam pod in the Playfoam® Pals™ Space Squad Galaxy Pack! Dig through the special, starry Playfoam to find the friends, then use it to sculpt a cosmically-cool space scene with the included accessories and Moon Rover! $19.99
Transform their room into a personal planetarium with the GeoSafari® Glow-in-the-Dark Solar System. Assemble the sun, 8 planets, and dwarf planet Pluto, then use the included hangers and line to display from their bedroom ceiling! Exposure to daily sunlight makes the sun glow in the dark. $21.99
Computing meets creativity with Artie 3000™ The Coding Robot! Kids write the code and this Wi-Fi enabled drawing robot draws whatever they’ve coded! Comes pre-programmed with shapes and games, too. $69.99
Is a kiddo on your list fascinated with creepy crawlies? The GeoSafari® Day 'N' Night Ant Factory lets kids watch ants work – 24/7 – with nutrient rich farm gel that doubles as food and color-changing LEDs that light up the night. $29.99

Age 8+

Set their sights on outer space with the Nancy B’s Science Club® MoonScope™ & Sky Gazer's Activity Journal. With 18-90x magnification and a built-in, pre-aligned finder scope with glow-in-the-dark ring, budding astronomers get a clear view of the nighttime sky. An included, 22-page Sky Gazers Journal includes stories about the moon and tons of fun activities like writing a moon myth, drawing a man on the moon, and more. $54.99
Knot the noodle of your favorite, pint-sized puzzler with Kanoodle®, the brain twisting solitaire game with 200+ 2-D and 3-D puzzles! $12.99
You’ll always have something to play together with the Nowhere to Go® Game. Try to trap your opponent in this step-by-step strategy game for two but be warned – you’ll want to play again and again. $19.99
Give the gift of family fun with the Freeze Up!® Game. This award-winning pass-around wordplay game features over 170 categories, 2 modes of play, and automatic scoring for hours of unplugged fun. The game asks players to name something that starts with a particular letter – answer quickly or choose another category before you get freezed out! $24.99
Make it a holiday they’ll never forget with the GeoSafari® Telescope & Microscope Set. Two real, powerful, scientific tools support discovery and observation, introducing astronomy and microbility in an independent, parent-free way! $99.99

for the Whole Family

Go head-to-head in a portable puzzle challenge for two! Kanoodle® Head-to-Head enhances problem solving skills, develops spatial reasoning, encourages critical thinking, and more, with 80 puzzle challenges and a button function that pops your opponents’ pieces out of place! Ages 7-99. $21.99
Squish and squash your way into sculpting super-stardom with Sculptapalooza™! This fast-paced, hands-on game paves the way for family fun as teams race against the clock to sculpt their way through hilarious challenges. Ages 10-99. $21.99
Quick! What word means “partially dried grape”? Be the first to blurt out “raisin” and you’re on your way to winning Blurt!® Word Game, the riotous game of rapid word recall that’s perfect for family game night. Ages 7-99. $21.99
Go head to head with your brainiest kiddo in the ultimate memory test! Remember and follow the pattern of lights and press each button in sequence to win BrainBolt™ Game Ages 7-99. $21.99
Mesmerizing for all, Playfoam Pluffle™, never dries out, and offers a totally different feeling from the original Playfoam®. Say so long to Slime and choose from 8 bold colors. They're the perfect stocking stuffer! $15.99 (2-Pack)

Check out our Amazon Holiday Toy List for more fun ideas and great discounts on many of the items listed here! Happy holidays to all!

Summer, Don’t Leaf Us!

EI Editor Posted On Sep 29, 2019 | Science

Fun Fall Leaf Activities & A Simple Explanation for Color Changing Leaves

Your curious kiddo has probably noticed the changing colors of the leaves that mark the beginning of fall. Color changing leaves are pretty magical, but the science behind the magic is so simple that even the littlest leaf lovers can understand!Start by explaining that trees grow and thrive by eating, just like kids do. Trees happen to eat glucose, which they make all by themselves, using water from the ground, carbon dioxide from the air, and sunshine from the sky. Plants put this recipe together in their leaves, which contain something called chlorophyll, which happens to be green. You can tell a plant is “full” of good, healthy food when its leaves are green. But as winter approaches, the sun shines less than it does in summer and it’s harder for the trees to make their “food”. The less food a plant makes, the less green chlorophyll it has, and the more you can see the yellow, orange, and red colors that were there all along, covered by the green.You can bring this mini-science lesson to life with fun arts and crafts using beautiful fall leaves! We’ve compiled four awesome projects from some of our favorite bloggers below:

Doodled Autumn Leaf Mandala – Check out this gorgeous piece of fall wall art, made of kid-doodled leaves arranged in a mandala shape, from our friends at The Artful Parent!
Sticky Picture Frame – Make your fall leaves last forever by capturing them in sticky paper and framing them with sturdy twigs collected on a nature walk! Find step by step instructions at NurtureStore.
Lovely Leaf Prints – Make colorful leaf prints using a press and print method perfect for preschoolers, as outlined by the experts at the Kleas preschool!
Classic Leaf Rubbings – Pour some warm cups of cider and settle in for an old school leaf rubbing session using just leaves, paper, and crayons, with our friends at Hands On As We Grow!And don’t forget to check out the leaves up-close you’ve collected underneath your GeoSafari® Jr. My First Microscope! With a bright LED light, easy-focus knob, and two extra-large eyepieces, your child will view the leaf’s veins magnified 8x larger!

Summer, Don’t Leaf Us!

Fun Fall Leaf Activities & A Simple Explanation for Color Changing Leaves

Doodled Autumn Leaf Mandala – Check out this gorgeous piece of fall wall art, made of kid-doodled leaves arranged in a mandala shape, from our friends at The Artful Parent!
Sticky Picture Frame – Make your fall leaves last forever by capturing them in sticky paper and framing them with sturdy twigs collected on a nature walk! Find step by step instructions at NurtureStore.
Lovely Leaf Prints – Make colorful leaf prints using a press and print method perfect for preschoolers, as outlined by the experts at the Kleas preschool!
Classic Leaf Rubbings – Pour some warm cups of cider and settle in for an old school leaf rubbing session using just leaves, paper, and crayons, with our friends at Hands On As We Grow!And don’t forget to check out the leaves up-close you’ve collected underneath your GeoSafari® Jr. My First Microscope! With a bright LED light, easy-focus knob, and two extra-large eyepieces, your child will view the leaf’s veins magnified 8x larger!

EI Knows… Astronomy

EI Editor Posted On Feb 14, 2018 | Science

Around the Moon in 28 Days - A Parent's Guide to Lunar Phases

If it happens to be clear where you are tonight, take a look up at the night sky and you’ll see… nothing! Wait a minute? Where’d the moon go?Not to worry… it’ll be back. In exactly 29.53 days. Yes, tonight starts the first phase of the new lunar cycle. Lunar cycle, you ask, with cartoon question marks in your eyes? Again, not to worry. We’re here with a quick refresher on exactly what’s happening out there… in space.Remember that as the Earth makes its annual trip around the sun, the moon is also circling the Earth. Now the moon doesn’t actually put off any light of its own. It only reflects sunlight. So, while the entire moon is always there, we can only see the part of the moon that is facing the sun at any certain time. For example, at certain times of each month we can see the entire lit up side of the moon. That’s what we call a full moon. Other times, like tonight, we can’t see any of it. That’s called a new moon. Here’s a bit more about each of the eight phases of the moon and what you’ll see (or not see) in each:New Moon – The beginning of the lunar cycle is the new moon. This phase occurs when the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun. The moon is basically blocking any light that would illuminate it, so we can’t see it. (But we swear it’s still there.)Waxing Crescent – The next lunar phase, waxing crescent, occurs when less than one quarter of the moon is being lit by the sun, but illumination is increasing. This phase looks like a crescent roll ????First Quarter – When the moon looks like it’s been cut in half vertically, that’s the first quarter moon. The sun is shining on exactly one quarter of the moon.Waxing Gibbous – Almost there! Waxing gibbous occurs when the moon is almost completely illuminated by the sun, but not quite.Full Moon – When the sun shines fully on one side of the moon, lighting the entire side up, we’ve got a full moon.Waning Gibbous – Just like a waxing gibbous, a waning gibbous is the name for an almost entirely lit moon – but this time the bit that’s not lit is on the other side.Third Quarter – The third quarter lunar phase occurs when one full half of the moon is lit – the opposite half than what you saw in the first quarter.Waning Crescent - Ditto the waxing crescent, but this time the crescent roll is on the other side of the plate.After the waning crescent phase, the moon turns away from the shining sun to create another new moon, and the cycle begins again. And again. And again! Spending a few minutes scoping out the phases of the moon is a really easy way to start your kiddos down the path to science. If you don’t have a scope stashed away, EI’s got a full range of affordable telescopes to choose from – check them out today!

EI Knows… Astronomy 0215_EIKnowsAstronomy

Around the Moon in 28 Days - A Parent's Guide to Lunar Phases

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