Friday, December 10, 2010

Because Science is Fun!

Scott and I are looking for Christmas presents for our nieces and nephews that are a little more brain-stimulating than the majority of those promoted in the public scope.

Today I came across this website: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/.

It seems like they have a lot of great toys mixed in with some mediocre toys, but I suppose that's always to be expected (especially when the one judging is a huge science geek!). Also, I am a little disappointed that when "Shopping by Age", the toys are divided into the most popular Toys for Boys and Girls of different age groups. It seems like a self-fulfilling prophesy. "Oh, these toys are the ones that have been most popular for 7 year old girls" so they'll continue to be bought by parents for their 7 year old girls. But really, at seven, I would have rather had the Carnivorous Creations Dome (#37 on the Boy's list, not included on the Girl's list) than the Fairy Triad Dome (#4 on the Girl's list, not included on the Boy's list), and so would one of my nieces. Furthermore, it pretty much excludes little boys who might want a Fairy Dome. 

I guess, I'd just rather them leave the gender-assignments off, and list the top selling items for all the age groups, combined. Science should be gender neutral. 

SunArt Paper Kit - 8 x 10 inchesAlso, I should note, there were a lot more foofy barely-science-related toys listed on the Girl's list than the Boy's list. 

I am kind of curious to try to the SunArt paper. But, I'm not sure if the packaging describes the scientific process behind why it works, or if it is just one of those "ooh, look! It's science! (but we aren't going to tell you what's going on)" toys. 

So, all in all, this site has potential, but, as with everything, keep your skepto-glasses handy. :)

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