REVIEW – My grandmother used to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! every day because she thought it might keep her brain sharp as she aged. Maybe it did — she lived to be 104 and she stayed relatively sharp enough to enjoy her life for most of that time. For a while, she even […]
Thinkie headband review – Yoga for your brain Read More
NEWS – Don’t have time to get through your to-read pile but still want to learn new things? With 12min, you can get insights from thousands of best-sellers, and it’s only $49.99 for life. Every student has the same number of hours in a day, and they fill up quickly between work, school, and so
Make learning easier with this $49.99 app Read More
REVIEW – For Christmas one year when I was a kid, I asked for a microscope. Yes, I was a nerd as a kid too. I had a lot of fun with that entry-level Tasco microscope. I looked at squigglies in bird bath water (eew), my hair, leaves, etc. When I was offered a sample
Apexel APL-MS003 digital microscope kit review Read More
REVIEW – If you’ve ever seen those test videos of Spot, the robot “dog” created by Boston Dynamics, you know how equally exciting and terrifying the idea of a robot dog actually is. It’s cute to watch Spot prance around and right itself after an annoying human tries to knock it over, but it all
Petoi Bittle Open Source Robot Dog review – Build and program your own four-legged-friend! Read More
NEWS – Stop The Bleed is a FREE course developed by the American College of Surgeons and is available to the public as a means of providing lifesaving bleeding control skills to more people in more places in our country. Where might you encounter a severe bleeding emergency? Can you name a place where it
Tourniquets are gadgets too! Learn how to use them with the free Stop The Bleed Course Read More
REVIEW – I was at back-to-school night when another mother nudged me and asked me what calculator my son had because her daughter “had to get the same calculator.” Such was the buzz around the Casio fx-CG50 PRIZM calculator. I was a bit taken aback…I mean, when I was in high school it was
Casio fx-CG50 PRIZM calculator review Read More
NEWS – Do you have kids that are fascinated by mechanical things? This SunnyTech Mini Hot Air Stirling Engine is something that might intrigue them (and/or the kid in you). Robert Stirling created the first Stirling engine in 1816. A Stirling engine is a device that turns heat into mechanical motion by externally heating a
Here’s a working Stirling engine to entertain you and your kids! Read More
REVIEW – When I was a kid I had a cheap microscope that I received as a gift and was excited to try out. I think I looked at about three things, and then never touched it again, despite a lifelong interest in science. I don’t know if it was ADHD, or that it was
OSCTAN Intelligent Microscope review – great science kit! Read More
REVIEW – Near the end of 2019, I reviewed a STEM toy from Educational Insights called The Artie 3000. The same company now has a newer and more advanced STEM toy called the Artie Max. Let’s see what it is all about. What is it? The Artie Max draws in 6 major coding languages that
Artie Max review – STEM gadget that teaches kids to code Read More
NEWS – The CircuitMess Ringo kit is supposed to be a STEM kit for kids but I think it would be fun for any nerdy geek like me. This kit has everything you need to build a real mobile phone. Just be aware that it’s not a snap-together type of kit. You will have to
Build your own phone with the CircuitMess kit Read More
CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Remember the Baby Einstein books? Well, a guy named Chase Roberts has one-upped them with a new Kickstarter campaign – Computer Engineering for Babies. The book teaches the basics of computer engineering – AND logic, OR logic, and so on. Because little kids love buttons and lights, the book breaks down the
Computer Engineering for Babies – so they’ll pay for your retirement Read More
NEWS – Are you looking to improve your soldering skills or do you just like to tinker? Are you seeking a project for under 20 bucks that creates something really cool? Check out the 4x4x4 LED electronics learning kit by Etoput. We’ve now purchased two of these for the guys in my house who get
Looking for a soldering project? Etoput LED cube really shines Read More
REVIEW – I’ve always thought graphing calculators just looked cool. I can also say I’ve never had to use one for anything other than normal calculator functions. My son on the other hand starting using one for Calculus in high school and has since pretty much had to use it daily. When this NumWorks Graphing
NumWorks Graphing Calculator review – You can teach an old calculator new tricks Read More
REVIEW: Elecrow Industries has created four children’s STEM toy sets. I’m digging into the Explorer Kit for 8+ year olds with assistance from my visiting resident grandson, PB. I’ll also report on one of the kits that has projects that require coding, the Inventor Kit. What is it Crowbits are Science Technology Engineering & Math
Crowbits STEM coding toy set review Read More
NEWS – I’ve been fascinated by all things magical since I was a kid. I think it started after watching Tony Curtis in the 1953 Houdini movie. One year for Christmas I received an Adams Magic kit and I still have a book of magic tricks that my uncle got me one year for my
The Ellusionist magic kits will turn anyone into a magician Read More
REVIEW – Computer programming is often hard for young students to appreciate with abstract assignments. It is also historically less compelling for girls because of stereotypes and influence from peers. The imagiLabs imagiCharm is a fashion accessory that makes Python programming tangible and sharable. I have one to review. Read on to see what I think!
imagiLabs imagiCharm review – A programmable charm for kids Read More
NEWS – As a teacher, I periodically spend an afternoon looking for new apps that I think might help me do my job or my students learn stuff, and I today I found one called Space. Space is a spaced repetition flashcard system. If you’re not familiar with spaced repetition, it’s basically a system where
Space: A sharable flashcard system featuring spaced repetition Read More
NEWS – I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I was a kid, my parents didn’t have a lot of money which meant that we didn’t have a lot of toys. At least not the toys I really wanted, like LEGO. So my sister and I made our own models and miniatures
Cardkits are models of paper that challenge your model making fingers and mind Read More
ARTICLE – When my kids’ school moved online last year, like many parents and families, I was overwhelmed. And seeking information. And craving a schedule. One simple thing we did in my house was to start watching CNN10 together every morning. It’s a 10-minute news summary that replaced the longstanding CNN Student News. That way,
CNN10 gives to-the-point, daily news overview Read More
REVIEW – There are many types of STEM experiences available for kids that support curiosity, creativity, imagination, fine motor skills, etc. I have reviewed a few in the past, and now I get to test and review the UGears Differential Educational Mechanical Model Kit. What is it? The UGears Differential Educational Mechanical Model Kit is
UGears Differential Educational Mechanical Model Kit review Read More