Amazon.com

The colorful Hoberman Mini Sphere comes out of the box looking like a futuristic Christmas-tree ornament. It's a cross between a ball and a star, and measures 5.5 inches across. But pick it up by any one of its dozens of plastic points and this amazing little feat of engineering, or imagineering, expands neatly into a lattice-like globe that's 12 inches in diameter. The inventor calls it a trapezoidal icosatetrahedron; you could also call it aBucky Ball, but either way, it's a fascinating exercise in complex simplicity. The structure is rigid enough to roll and throw, yet if touched in the right way, it will suddenly collapse again, curling in on itself like a defensive hedgehog. An enclosed pamphlet describes various tricks you can do--if you're prepared to practice. And it's so aesthetically pleasing that Mom or Dad may swipe it for a desk ornament. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Not really that interesting
After all of the things I had heard about this, and other reviews, I expected a really great office toy. But it's not. Ok, that it expands is cool -- but it doesn't expand very much, so there is no real "Wow!" kind of surprise. There is some fun in opening and closing it -- but no more (and maybe a bit less) than with a Slinky(tm).

So, it's a bit of fun but not a whole lot. Best as a decoration that you will rarely pick up and use.

Simply Amazing!
After seeing this toy in the mall, I just had to order it from Amazon for my daughter. It's like a toy you can't put down and figuer out. It's simply amazing how he designed and fit all the pieces together. An architects dream, a childs wonder! After 6 months, we still enjoy picking it up, rolling it and watching it collaps and expand.

Not strong enough for my house
We have 4 kids in our house and every time we saw this in a toy store, they played with it. I gave it to them on a Friday and by Monday night, it wouldn't collapse any more. They did have fun pulling on it and rolling it around, but it is not made to handle the tug of war games my 3 and 4 year olds put it through. It's fairly expensive for a toy that just opens and closes and isn't very durable. I don't see how people can say it's educational except to teach colors. It's like saying a ball or a slinky is educational. I wouldn't recommend this toy to a family with active children.

A generational toy - with improvements
As a kid I had a metal collapsable ball with foldable edges and plastic beads, which could be compressed into an amazing assortment of shapes, also into a ball of about 12" in diameter, or, for that matter, a 12" pancake. It was one of my favorites, and I wanted to find something similar for my children. I missed out on them, but was delighted to find the Hoberman toys for my grandkids. The larger ones (and obviously the most fun) are far beyond my budget, but this mini is perfect for my 11 year old. Thanks, Hoberman, you have saved the day, and given me something to swipe on occasion.
Judy Gilson, Boise, Idaho (overgrown child, or compulsive Peter Pan Complex)

Not good to play with!!
My sister got this toy for her birthday and she really doesn't like it. I think the same way. All this thing does, is open and close. The design is nice but we didn't feel like looking at it all day. We tried to play catch with it but the thing just broke apart. We put it back together and tried to do different things with it, but it just kept coming apart. Now it is sitting in our closet and hasn't been touched since. If you want this toy just for it to sit there, then I guess you could buy it. If you expect to play with it at all, DON'T BUY IT. IT WILL JUST BE A WASTE OF MONEY!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Zometool Creator Kit is an advanced construction system which allows building in 62 directions in space, using the same proportions found in growing cells, crystals, and other natural forms. Inquisitive minds will marvel and discover mathematical connections between space and the natural world. Capturing beauty and mystery, the Zometool Creator Kit encourages exploration of complex mathematical concepts through manipulating 968 pieces (struts and nodes), building relationships in space, and creating beautiful models. The colorful, sturdy plastic struts and nodes easily connect to holes with matching shapes, making it possible to engineer even intricate models with ease. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step, illustrated directions are included. The Zome System is used in schoolsworldwide--elementary through college--and by leading scientists, artists, mathematicians, engineers, and creative kids! Lesson plans for grades 1-12 are also available. The Zometool Creator Kit is a recipient of the Parent's Guide Children's Media Award. --Christine Aiken ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Zome System Creator Kit
My son received this set for his eighth birthday. It was frustrating for him, as well as myself, at first as the rods have to really be pushed hard into the balls in order for your creations to not fall apart easily. Afer hours of working with the set we have found it to be truly contagious. He has made some really amazing "buildings" and never wants to dismantel them so the 900+ piece set is very handy to have. I have a hard time seeing the price value in this product. It appears to be a very inexpensive product to manufacture and it sells for a fairly steep price.

Top's K-Nex by a long shot!! Incredibly easy!!
Just an incredible set. The pieces are well shaped and fit together not only easily but logically, the pieces are color coded so there's no bending or frustration when they don't fit (like K-Nex) and the ball connectors are universal so you don't have to change them in order to add more.

I recently experimented with this set and found it very entertaining and addictive, your creativity can just take off and there's no limit!!

What you get is more than you see.
This construction set has been a staple in my elementary gifted classroom for nearly two years. The students love the creativity and impressive structures they can build. I love the fact that the materials require that you put a subtle twist into your thinking in order to succeed. But free-style construction is only the beginning! We have investigated the meaning and variations of tetrahedra, explored the shadows of student constructions, made bubbles that blow you away, and challenged one another to construction competitions. (Please don't tell my kids that they are learning!)

Very cool -- intricate and approachable
Zome is a great step beyond knex -- at least as far as geometry and shape exploration. Very durable and well made!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

great git for kids
My daughter got this for her birthday and she loves it. It is very easy for her to play with. I love that it turns itself off after three minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Sad, Sad day.....
I have to say, when we first recieved this 'toy' it was exciting for my son to think of and research the ants. We ordered the supplies and ants and then waited... they arrived a few weeks later (that was a long, "Are they here yet" experience) and the bonding began. It was a very fun and exciting time when they arrived and started buliding their little tunnels, my son is 5 and he was enthralled with them, and to be honest I too found it fun to watch and keep track of their building progress etc. But now for the unfortunate part of this story... my son woke today to find little black ants had invaded the dome through the air holes and wiped out our red ant colony! It was a VERY sad expereince, I have NEVER seen my son more distraught in his life. He sobbed and cried for the entire time Mommy was trying to get the little ones out of the enclosure. When all was said and done there are only 3 big red ants of ours left standing... they are tending to their fallen friends and we are trying to figure out how we can keep that from happening again! We have never had any indoor ant issues and this took us by surprise indeed. We live in California, so if your up for the whole ant farm experience please be sure to take into consideration the 'little' ant problem. Like I said, it was the worst day of my sons life when he found the invaders killing his 'friends'. My heart is just broken for my son and I too sat and cried with him over the loss... I called the company and asked why the 'skate park' would be designed that other ants could get in and why it did not have a warning in the informational book about that possibility. They said because, though they have had calls before about this type of thing happening, it does not happen too often. I wish I had been warned, I could have at least been prepared for that possibility. Anyway, be aware, because of the food and such for your big ants, it WILL bring little ants and the little ones CAN wipe out the big ones. It is all very sad for this broken hearted Mom and son.

They Don't Smell!!!
I was looking for a simple pet to add to the family. We had fish but they were too much work.....We tried a bird......I think we returned it the third day due to our cat. Hamsters smell....Dogs are too much work, etc. etc. etc. Then I thought of an ant farm...perfect!! They are little mantinence and my son loves them. He is only 2 but he loves watching them...even kisses their little dome and says bye and goodnight. It is really neat to watch the ants make their little tunnels and bring sand way up from the bottom to the ramps and bmx park. I'm certain it is educational for him to watch how they thrive, and as he gets older he will be able to learn even more about them. And I don't have to listen to a single bark or chirp....and of course there is no mess!! Yay. I recommend this product over the other boring ant farms, and who can resist those ants on skateboards....

Better Than Fish
This is a great toy! My son received this for his 6th birthday last year. The coupon to send away for your ants is included, and they arrived pretty quickly. However, by the time they arrived in the mail, last October, we had misplaced the instructions on what to do when they got here. I emailed the customer support people (info at unclemilton dot com) and they quickly emailed us back some basic instructions, which got us going.

Looking at the tube, we did not see a frenzied, angry mob of impatient ants as we expected. Rather, they were all pretty quiet. Too quiet. We tipped them into the ant habitat, and they lay there in a heap. Two eventually struggled to their feet and staggered around a bit and drank some water. We phoned Uncle Milton, and the customer support folks at Uncle Milton were great. It's almost like talking to actors in character because they seem to really care about their ants and even anthropomorphize them a bit. Could they really love the ants this much? I couldn't tell for sure, but they sure were convincing. Anyway, they told us that sometimes the ants are a bit listless at first, but to give them 12 hours. If they were indeed dead, then the living ants would "see to their burial."

Twelve hours later, it was pretty clear that most of them were dead. The two living ants moved all the dead ants into a pile in the center of the central part of the habitat, then they themselves expired shortly thereafter. We rang the folks at Uncle Milton back up, and they were extremely solicitous about our ants having "passed away." (I just love these people.) They sent us a coupon to order a new tube of ants.

Fast forward six months and we got around to ordering a new tube of ants. They arrived a few days ago. (Uncle Milton only ships certain times of the year, and they check the weather reports for the route before they ship.) These ants were all alive and active. We stunned them with a 15 minute visit to the refrigerator then dumped them in the habitat and they set to work reshaping the landscape, after an initial confusion over the rock climbing wall (they all piled up at the bottom for a bit, but figured their way out soon enough). They moved the dead pile of ants from the first batch to the BMX biking arena (the lower portion down the road). This area we have termed "the mortuary." About twice a day they might move half of the ants around in here, perhaps from one trough between the motocross jumps to another, or bury them with sand and then unbury them. Most of the dead ants are kept down here. Two are kept in the upper part of the habitat and moved around almost continuously, somewhat like the Olympic torch.

Of course, you need to read all the directions and never let your kids touch the ants. (You probably don't want to either.) My kids (ages 4 and 6) are really good now and won't try to carry the ant farm around, although the 4-year old did carry it once when we first got it and received a lecture about how it would make the ants carsick to be moved around like that. We just leave it on the kitchen island for everyone to watch and enjoy. I don't think you need to send away for any of their extra things, like food. They are happy with a few drops of water, plus a tiny crumb of bread damp with water, a pinhead-size piece of apple or other fruit, a tiny bit of hard-boiled egg white, a drop of honey mixed with water, a single dead fly, or a tiny piece of hamburger. They don't need much.

They are bringing us much enjoyment. We love to go back and check-up on them and see what they've been doing, or follow one ant's activities for a while. It's funny when one ant is on some sort of mission ("must carry this piece of sand downhill") and another ant bumps into him, he seems to forget where he was going or what he was doing, drops his sand and starts on a different project. Then, of course, there's Flik's tunnel within a tunnel project...

Ants will either sting or Die
My 8-year-old was so excited when we got this for Christmas. From the Northeast, we had to wait 8 months to get some ants. I should have had my first clue when we tried to save our selves some trouble and just use a few ants from a hill in our backyard. Things were going good for a few days. Tunnels were being built, they drank from the single large droplet of water they had and they ate some fruit. Then they all died over two days. There's a "mountain climbing" type of vertical tunnel which is a deathtrap for the ants, which I later confirmed when we sent away for the mail order ants. They fall in, can't get out. We placed a small twig in for them to get around, but it ended up a disaster. Plus, when the mail order ants arrived, half of them were dead and they spent the first few days carrying around their fallen comrades. You're afraid to handle them, because they will sting. It was fascinating to watch them try to care for each other, but in the end there are just too many ways for them to get in between the parts and get trapped. I wouldn't do it to the ants or my kid again.

Great for adults, good for older kids
First of all, I've ordered ants several times. The warning label does say they can bite but they are not fire ants - the fiece ones from the South. Not all red ants are fire ants. (Check your ant encyclopedia.) All ants can bite apparently, and it's just a warning so you don't handle them too much and Uncle Milty covers himself liability-wise. I've never been bitten by any ant, and I've handled hundreds as a child and an adult....
Second, think about it...how could ants live in a box on a shelf in a toy store for months and months? Of course you have to order them. However, who wouldn't be disappointed to find they don't ship ants in cold months, and, it should be on the box somewhere that this is true...it would save kids disappointment. It makes sense, once you find this out, of course, but a little explanation goes a long way.
Third, the ant farm, if you follow directions, works really well, but I find the little one too confining, so I string two together.
... ... Read more

Features

• 134-piece set
• Wooden pieces
• Pieces attach to board with magnets

Reviews (8)

This has been a great learning tool for my 4-year old!!
We recently purchased this responsibility chart and it has been a great resource!! My 4-year old has been spending a lot of time whining and being unwilling to pick up her toys. We decided to give this a try and it has been wonderful. She runs into our room each morning and exclaims, "I made my bed- can a put a magnet on my chart?" The chart provids positive reinforcement for all types of behaviors. I especially like the magnets that focus on problem behaviors such as hitting and whining. The chart is durable, simple to use and understand, and very child focused. I have been recommending this chart to friends and family!! Another great piece by "Melissa and Doug"!!

A Responsibility chart
These are shaped round, square and oblong. Some have seven magnets with others being fourteen. The hearts and flowers are only seven, but the balloons and stars are fourteen, to offer an idea of which ones have less available, for whatever reason. There are nine rows in the Lights Camera Interaction Magnetic Responsibility Chart. There are twenty-five options for these nine rows. I initially placed what I wanted my son to succeed at on a weekly basis, and after one week he changed some of them and added a few that he preferred.

This has made a world of difference in the disposition of my son. He now goes out of his way to say please and thank you, plus is folding his clothing that goes in drawers. We chose to hang our Lights Camera Interaction Magnetic Responsibility Chart on a wall in the kitchen.

The magnetic pieces move about easily on the board and when you move the whole board and carry it with the green rope that is used to hang, they don't move from their space. There are times that when we remove one that it drops to the floor.

Great for my three year old
I purchased this board to help us get my daughter to brush her teeth every day and go to bed without fuss. It's been working great and she loves getting her magnets each evening.

I've always been impressed with the quality of items from Lights, Camera, Interaction, and this item isn't any different.

great chart
This responsibility chart works great with my ten year old daughter. We used a wooden chore wheel for the longest time, but were not able to find another one when it finally broke. This chart is even better because we can use it to figure out her allowance. she has five goals a day, six on Saturday, and each goal is worth 25 cents, so she can make up to $9.00/week. We plan to buy another chart for our four year old since he's going to start doing chores this summer. This chart would be great for children under 13. There are tons of goals to choose from and you can make your own.

Much easier than the sticker system!
This is so much easier thank making a sticker chart and no MESS! I was able to get the kids organized easily and they enjoy doing there chores and getting a smiley face etc. Thanks ... Read more

Features

• 15-piece set
• Glow-in-the-dark tank
• Filter

Reviews (15)

This is great if you like pets!!!
About five years ago I hade sea monkeys for the first time. I absolutly loved them! I had the Ghostly Ship, it is fun to have in your room, but DO NOT but by your bed because when my dad came to cover me up he tipped it over and the top came off and all my sea monkeys died. I would recomend this toy to kids and adults of all ages.

bloody cool sea monkeys
These sea monkeys are bloody cool!I had the sea monkeys for two whole years!The sea monkeys are very easy to keep.All you realy got to do is follow simple dierections.It tells you step by step instructions to sucess.One of my favorite feature is the flash lite at the top of the tank.Another cool feature is that there is a hand book that tells you tricks you can teach your sea monkeys.Also the ship in the tank glows!I recomend this kit to you over all other sea monkey kits.

THE BEST SEA -MONKEY KIT!!
This kit is the best sea-monkey kit made! All the other kits don't have everything you need to keep your sea-monkeys alive. My other kit was Magic Castle and it lasted about 1/2 a year and this kit's sea-monkeys are still living and its been a year I think.

HANDLE WITH CARE
I purchased this item for my two daughters, ages 9 and 5. They were very excited to see the sea monkeys come to life and grow so quickly and became very interested in marine life as a result. They took very good care of the sea monkeys, followed all instructions on feeding, giving them air and taking care of the small tank. The built in light on the tank cover is a great bonus, because we could easily see what the sea monkeys were doing.

The only problem I had with this product is the fact that the base of the tank is very slender and tipping is a big risk. There were many times the end table would get bumped into, and the sea monkey tank would almost tip over. Finally, the inevitable happened, and we lost our sea monkeys when the tank tipped over and spilled onto the living room carpet.

If you have a VERY sturdy place to put them, this product is a lot of fun. We enjoyed it so much, that we purchased another one, and this time the sea monkeys are living happily ever after, with the tank safely on our sturdy kitchen counter, for all the world to enjoy!!

sea monkeys alive
It worked just as it was supposed to. fallowing the instructions, life is almost instant. the only real flaw is that if you stirr and suck the creatures to often they can die.
but as it says on the package, wait for the water to evaporate and they will return to life when you refill the tank. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A scavenger hunt in a can, Scaventure Kids provides everything needed to plan and execute achallenging hunt. Included in the cardboard container are 150 cards, instructions, and team stickers. Thecards each have four items for a team to find or do. Cards ask players to do things like "Find two bags withdifferent store names" or "Have your team act out a scene from your favorite movie." Each team takes outcards and has 30 minutes to carry out the tasks. At the rendezvous, the teams share their finds and winnersare chosen. For rainy days, vacations, or parties, Scaventure Kids is a simple and creative activity thatfosters teamwork and creative problem-solving.--Lee Strucker ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hours of fun!
Kids really love this game! What a wonderful diversion to T.V. ,video games, and bad weather. They played for several hours, completely focused on their tasks...they actually had to think (about something besides homework!) We were not discouraged because they could find almost everything on the cards. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Scaveture Kids Is A Hit
What a great rainy day or cottage game. We took it on holiday with us and every kid in the campground was playing. What a hit! They became more and more creative with each game they played. Thanks for such a great game....maybe I'll get the adult version, who knows we may have even more fun than the kids!

The kids had a blast. They were really creative!
Wow! Scaventure Kids was a great find. The kids wanted to play on and on. We were amazed at how resourceful they were and how well they played in teams. They just loved it and can't wait to play again. It's a great way to keep the kids busy and entertained. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Plasti-goop and fx goop
After reading reviews on this web site I went to (website) and they had everything I wanted for my creepy crawler set. I gave each grandson one of these for Christmas and all four love it (and so do their dads). Now at least I can buy new molds (which comes with extra goop) and any color goop I want!

Great Fun!
The Creepy Crawler is fantastic! It offers a child the opportunity to be creative while at the same time producing something tangible to share with family and friends. the Plasti-Goop creates a pliable, colorful creature that any child can be proud of. Better than most of the ones from the gumball machines.

why is this so hard to get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plasti goop
I have been looking all over for plasti goop compound why is it so difficult to get you make the machine and then its hard to get the product to use it! Please help...
Jen Justice

alot of fun
we got creepy crawlers for christmas and my four year old loves it he has already used up his replacement goop!! and needs more. He is also learning bugs names and where they live. A really neat toy.

Creepy Crawlers
My son LOVES this toy, but refill goop and more molds are hard to get ahold of. Go to Toymax.com and you can buy them all!!! Big spiders, big bugs and even dinosaurs!!!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

This Pixter software cartridge fits in the expansion slot of the Pixter creativity systems. This black and white Barbie Fashion Show software allows you to create fashion pictures with Barbie and her friends and get Barbie ready for a fashion show. Put Barbie in one of the Pixter backgrounds and then add accessories with digital stamps or draw them freeform. Play a matching game with Barbie's favorite things. Glamorize Barbie with makeup, jewelry, and a hairstyle. We found the Barbie software to have less variety in activities, and less interesting games than the other Pixter software. As with the other black and white Pixter software we played with, the activities are fun but we found the graphics to be outdated--some were just plain hard to figure out. --Megan Sullivan ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Magic Castle Aquarium is small enough to hold in your hand, but large enough to provideshelter for a village of sea-monkeys. It all starts with a packet of dehydrated sea-monkey eggs. Once ahome has been prepared, stir in the eggs and watch them hatch right before your eyes. Their home isactually an underwater castle at the base of a clear container to which you add pure bottled or boiled water.Air holes at the rim of the container keep the water oxygenated. The set also comes with a water purifier,sea-monkey food, Amazing Plasma III (no one knows quite what that is), a measuring spoon, a largedroplet for agitating the water, a magnifying lid, and more. These sea-monkeys are guaranteed to live atleast two years, if properly cared for. The set is supplemented with a detailed instruction pamphlet and anorder form for the 32-page Official Sea-Monkey Handbook on the box. For children under 8 yearsof age, this kit will likely require parental assistance to set up. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Great Fun and A Jolly Time
My boyfriend and I remembered sea monkeys from when we were little, so we decided to purchase a Magic Castle set and what fun it is. I plan to get one for my desk at work. It is fun to watch them, they are really funny (even though they don't realize it) We put them on the bathroom window sill every morning to expose them to the morning air and the sun (not direct sunlight though). I love it and I recommend everyone to get some!

They are o.k.
I got some sea monkeys and was really excited to see them hatch and grow. They did grow and develop and they grew pretty big but they were kind of boring to watch. I wasn't really satisfied though. I knew and did take care of them as much as I could but the tank got really nasty and it was too gross and dirty to look at. I wasn't very satisfied and didn't get what I expected.

I am SO a sea monkey breeder now!
I LOVE sea monkeys now, and it's thanks to this set that I do. I've even got babies now! It is so much fun, and not a big deal to take care of. Some people might say, "Sea monkeys? Why? They're just dumb little fish! A total waste of money!" NNNOOOOTTT! Sea monkeys are brine SHRIMP, and they are extrememly active from the minute that they're born. (Lots of fun to watch)

a fun project for kids and adults
I bought my 5 year old daughter the "Sea-Monkys Magic Castle" for a reward. She has had so much fun watching them hatch and grow from tiny specs into full grown shrimp. She loves the fact that there is a castle in the tank. I like this product because it is small and compact, about the size of a snow globe. We followed the directions exactly, except we used tap water instead of bottled water. They still hatched!!!!! They are still growing and seem to be thriving. We aerate the tank everyday to give them some oxygen. My daughter liked her Sea-Monkeys so much we decided to buy some for her nana to have on her desk at work. If you want an inexpensive, low maintainance pet; Sea Monkeys are the way to go!!!!!

Very Impressive
Compared to other tanks with a higher price tag, the Magic Castle is a good choice for the beginner/enthusiest. The detail in the tank is intricate, and the kit includes multiple intruction manuals for the tank. This kit also includes Plasma III, which helps Sea Monkeys live a longer and happier life. The tank, being a cylinder, is harder to knock over than others, but a good "accidental" shove will send it to the floor. Overall, a good kit. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Kids who grew up with Tamagotchi virtual pets will be thrilled to discover this extra sociable new electronic pal. Tamagotchi Connection features many of the original traits, but can now communicate with up to 50 other Tamagotchi. Using infrared technology, the pets can visit, play games, and even leave presents for each other. A palm-sized oval gadget with blue-framed tiny screen (designed for young, sharp eyes) instructs players through beeps and icons to feed, play with, discipline, or clean up after the character for which the player is responsible. Children will want to do everything in their power to keep their companion alive and thriving, and will love the chance to connect with other Tamagotchi loving friends who may just have their pet's future partner in raising a new generation of pets! One extra CR-2032 (3V) battery included. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Editorial Review

Kids who grew up with Tamagotchi virtual pets will be thrilled to discover this extra sociable new electronic pal. Tamagotchi Connection features many of the original traits, but can now communicate with up to 50 other Tamagotchi. Using infrared technology, the pets can visit, play games, and even leave presents for each other. A palm-sized oval gadget with blue-framed tiny screen (designed for young, sharp eyes) instructs players through beeps and icons to feed, play with, discipline, or clean up after the character for which the player is responsible. Children will want to do everything in their power to keep their companion alive and thriving, and will love the chance to connect with other Tamagotchi loving friends who may just have their pet's future partner in raising a new generation of pets! One extra CR-2032 (3V) battery included. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more