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A Chemistry Kit with No Chemicals

Last night, The Daily What featured a children's chemistry set called Chemistry 60 which boasts "60 fun activities with no chemicals." Sadly enough, I was not surprised. You already know my thoughts on this matter. It's actually a pretty clever marketing technique when you think about it. Because most children's chemistry kits available to consumers today are quite similar to Chemistry 60 in that they do not contain any inoffensive, potentially dangerous materials (aside from small parts which may be considered choking hazards). By outwardly admitting — and boasting — its lack of actual chemicals, the manufacturer has gained substantial publicity of viral proportions. You can be sure that J and I will be purchasing for our kids chemistry sets that contain actual chemicals.  :-)...

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That’s How!

When I was a little kid I used to dream up crazy characters and scenarios being acted out inside the wonderments of the world. Tiny artists residing inside cameras. A chorus of fairies inside musical instructions. Actors behind the boob tube. Isn't a child's imagination so much greater than real life? I was reminded of my innocent years when I stumbled upon That's How!, a children's book by Christoph Niemann, an illustrator whose work has graced the covers of New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine. The book, which will be released May 10, 2011, explains how complicated objects of the world work in humorous and wonderfully imaginative ways. Not only are the illustrations cute and clear-cut, I love the idea behind the book itself...

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Harvard Entrance Exam from 1869

NYTimes' "The Choice" blog has an interesting piece titled "Remembering When College Was a Buyer's Bazaar" which contrasts university admissions policies and practices between the late 1800s to now. For example, did you know that top universities such as Harvard and Columbia used to advertise for students right up to opening day and offered entrance exams the weekend before classes started to give students every chance of taking and passing them? And that Harvard even downplayed the difficulty of its entrance exam in advertisements, noting that of the 210 applicants who took its test in June 1869, 185 were admitted? (Don't ask me about my own college application process. Suffice it to say, I was deferred, wait-listed, then rejected from my top choice...

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A is for Ackbar

Graphic designer Brandon Peat created a series of Star Wars alphabet prints in order to decorate his son Tycho's nursery. The result is magnificent to say the least! The prints have been compiled into a book titled A is for Ackbar, which can be purchased by donating a minimum of $15 to Tycho's college fund. And according to the product/donation page, the volume of donations have been so overwhelming that the donation drive will now end on Thursday, December 9 at 11:59PM EST. What a fun and creative way to decorate your little one's nursery, celebrate one of the greatest film franchises of all time, and build a healthy education fund! I had featured Star Wars ABC Cards before, but I must admit that...

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Educational Chemistry Crayons

Want your child to get a head start on chemistry? Try these Educational Chemistry Crayons from Etsy seller QueInteresante: Children play and draw with crayons practically every day, so why not make the experience more educational? This listing is for a set of 48 Crayola crayons with labels so that while children are coloring, they are also exposed to the names of chemicals that will make those colors! So instead of thinking "I want green" they will think "I want Barium Nitrate Ba(NO3)2 Flame" and then when they take chemistry in high school and their teacher sets some gas on fire and it makes a green color and they ask the class what chemical it was your student will know it...

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