The Science of Xmas

Marjorie Ray, vice president for HSP Nature Toys, a “scientist” by dint of having three little boys and a pond in Vermont, found inspiration in what her children were interested in. “Science and nature are all around us, and I spend much of my time watching my three little guys catch frogs, wonder about dragonfly nymphs, newts, and salamanders, dig up worms in the garden or whatever they happen to be interested in. They make up their own experiments using materials we have around the house. Kids are so naturally creative and curious. So a good science toy must engage a child and get them excited about performing experiments or discovering how something works. It's educational and fun at the same time.”

Pacific Science Supplies Inc.’s (ToyDirectory) Robin Webb, director of retail marketing looks at it differently as a supplier. “It has to be more interesting than a book — hands on — there’s a big push to make learning fun, and science can be a lot of fun. An experiment can be simple and people like to do it for the reaction that happens, and then go more in-depth. It should have multiple layers. It should entertain. It should open the thinking process up. It can be simple but must have a broader impact educationally. It should get them interested and make them want to do more.”

Whole ranges of products are devoted to certain arenas in science. They concentrate on the many niches that make up nature.

Pat Gillis, national sales manager for Orion Telescopes & Binoculars explains his company’s special methodology: “We take a very basic approach in recognizing that the fundamental activity of astronomy is very appealing. We don’t pursue gimmicks, and while we acknowledge that price is a consideration, we will not compromise quality to get an attractive price. We believe that astronomy is so important, we want to deliver a product of excellent quality that will be enjoyed by the child and perhaps inspire a lifelong interest.

Geocentral’s national sales manager Jack Abrohms explains that his company tries to look at things from a kid’s point of view. “Is it interesting? Challenging? Age appropriate? It has to get kids to think; that’s what we look for. We take minerals and rocks and show there’s more to them, that they have different properties: they float, are magnetic. And they’re fun.”

Dunecraft’s (ToyDirectory) owner, Grant Cleveland, thinks that “one of the most exciting parts of the business is to help people get excited about plants for the first time and to have a part in their initial excitement blossoming into an encompassing interest. I love to hear how an initial interest sparked by DuneCraft really gets someone really excited about the world of plants. They start with the kit and move to sprouting their own plants, taking cuttings, and growing houseplants. Months of research, thought, and feedback go into our products before development. Our products are very customer driven. We receive suggestions all the time, and we poll our major distributors and catalogs before we produce any new products. Our customers are an invaluable source of our product development.”

John Guest, marketing director for Peer-X, is concentrating on bringing a true scientist’s instrument (a stereoscopic microscope) to kids in a way that makes it truly satisfying. “At the moment, all the microscope makers for kids advertise the highest magnification as if that’s something good. Magnifications that are too high for the quality of the scope. Worse, with those sorts of scopes, you can only see a flat two-dimensional view. Ours is lower power but looks fantastic because it’s a 3D vision. And the crazy thing is that on all the boxes for the other microscope makers, the pictures they use are what our microscope actually shows.”

Eric Morris, head of Orbis EarthBalls (ToyDirectory), took a simple idea, to replicate an astronaut’s view of Earth from space, and created his product from that. “Our home planet has a universal interest and fascinates people of all ages. Everyone can relate to it, has an immediate affinity for it, and there are many ways for people to utilize EarthBalls. Derived entirely from NASA satellite photography, they’re used daily in science education from kindergarten to universities.”

Dane Scarborough, president of Uberstix (ToyDirectory) has created a whole “scientific series” based on his construction toys. His intention? “These kits are designed to build and construct things, and then do tests. They come with a lab sheet, and you do tests, take notes of what occurs, and then you make improvements and run more tests. It teaches you not just the order of doing experiments, but you work on development and improvements. It’s an inventor’s workshop, as well as running basic experiments.”

Kyp Henn Sales’ Kyp Henn thinks that everyone is looking for something different. “There are a lot of new products out that people don’t realize, and they’re still buying the old ones because of that. New is more important. Different companies are constantly coming out with different things, and people need to keep up with that. I’m finding the Dunecraft, Tedco, Ein-O Science – have some really unique thing. Our biggest seller is owl puke, and the Young Scientist Club has a new series coming out.”

In then end, it comes down to the fact that science is fun. Be accurate, for that’s what science is about. Test it thoroughly, because what’s comprehensible to a PhD in theoretical astrophysics may not be so easy for a six-year-old, but in the end science is wonder and fun. Make it fun.