Join the world of Harry Potter by making (and using or wearing) knitted items from this brand new book. Read More
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Knit Your Way Through ‘Harry Potter: Knitting Magic’
The Canterbury Cathedral by MicroDesigns: Phenomenal Vaulted Style, Itty Bitty Footprint
Though I’m a LEGO devotee, I do branch out into other building systems occasionally. I have a number of Nanoblock sets, for example. They’re (almost) all the fun of LEGO but they take up so much less room. I recently learned about another company, MicroDesigns, who makes similar, tiny building sets based on some notable… Read More
Votes for Women! Resources for the 19th Amendment’s 100th Anniversary
This year is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. Here is a list of some resources that can help you learn more about the amendment and a few ways to celebrate this landmark achievement. Read More
End of Year Reflections: Looking Back at 2019 and Forward to 2020
The end of the calendar year is a great time to look back at your year, evaluating how it went, and looking forward toward the next year. What do you want to happen? How will you get there? Read More
Harry Potter Is Always in Season: 3 New Books From the Wizarding World
Reading Time: 4 minutes In our nerdy home, it wouldn’t be the Christmas season (November 1-December 31, as far as I’m concerned) without a bit of Harry Potter. The banners, feasts, and thoughts of the warm, fuzzy sweaters of the Weasley family—along with the fun rivalry of most of us being in different houses—all add… Read More
‘Invasion of the Cow Snatchers: Mooove the Magnets Logic Game’ Is Out of This World!
Fire up your tractor beam and let’s abduct some cows! Logic game style… Read More
There’s an Escape Room Inside My Puzzle!
Assemble a puzzle, solve the mysteries, and escape from the room in this line of escape room jigsaw puzzles! Read More
New Logic Game ‘Domino Maze’ Is a Topplingly Good Time
Take logic puzzles into the third dimension with this new logic game from ThinkFun. Read More
PIVOT! Brand-New ‘Friends’ LEGO Central Perk Set Comes Out Today!
Reading Time: 2 minutes Designed by a fan and implemented by the very intelligent folks at LEGO (they knew that a certain segment of their fan base would appreciate this set very much), the new LEGO Friends Central Perk set is out today! (Not to be confused with the LEGO Friends line of toy sets.)… Read More
Savor Stephen Fry’s Reimaginings of Greek Myths in ‘Mythos’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Stephen Fry can be at once hilarious, melodious, and serious. And cheeky. Often cheeky. He has managed to combine all of these qualities together in the book Mythos, with a new U.S. version out today from Chronicle Books (it was previously published in the UK to wide acclaim). In Mythos, Stephen… Read More
Apollo 50th: Celebrating ‘Apollo’s Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings’
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of the biggest news stories of the 20th century, the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. Capturing the interest, hearts, and intellect of countless people around the world, the space race, leading up to the first moon landing, was a serious… Read More
Backyard Neapolitan Pizza in About a Minute With the Ooni Kona
Reading Time: 5 minutes I grew up eating the occasional homemade pizza, and we still make it sometimes ourselves. I’ve tried countless recipes, baked in my standard oven, but, while usually tasty, none come out quite like you’d hope, quite like you’d expect from a pizza joint. Well, the likely reason for that is the… Read More
Learn Entry-Level Astronomy With National Geographic’s ‘Backyard Guide to the Night Sky’
Reading Time: 4 minutes Learn about astronomy with your kids! Image used with permission. Now that the nights are starting to get warmer (in some places, at least!), it’s time to start considering some outdoor activities. But after all the hikes, cookouts, and kite flying, what’s a good activity after dark? After you’ve filled up… Read More
Announcing the 2019 Mensa Select Tabletop Game Winners!
Reading Time: 2 minutes As they do every year, the folks at American Mensa hold a weekend o’ games, Mensa Mind Games, where Mensa members play, rate, and rank tabletop games submitted for that year’s competition. This year’s was held just last weekend, and the 2019 Mensa Select winners have been announced! The winners are… Read More
‘Power Up: Your Incredible, Spectacular, Supercharged Body’: We Are All Made of Energy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Did you know that there is enough energy in just your little pinky to power an entire city? That’s how this book of wonder begins, explaining how marvelous our bodies can be. Power Up: Your Incredible, Spectacular, Supercharged Body, written by Seth Fishman and illustrated by Isabel Greenberg, looks at energy… Read More
Announcing 19 New LEGO Sets for ‘The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part’!
Reading Time: 2 minutes Since The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part will be released in theaters on February 8, 2019, LEGO has released 19 (nineteen!) new LEGO sets based on the new movie. They will all be available starting December 26, 2018. There is something for everyone in this collection, with prices ranging from… Read More
Step Back in Time With Your Kids for Shrinky Dinks’ 45th Birthday!
Reading Time: 5 minutes Images: Shrinky Dinks TIL that Shrinky Dinks came out the same year that I did: 1973. October 19th, to be exact. I remember playing with them as a kid. Most kids of my generation will remember coloring and cutting out Shrinky Dinks as a playtime or party activity. My first memories… Read More
New Epic Harry Potter Books Include a 3D Map of Hogwarts
Reading Time: 4 minutes As the world of Harry Potter expands, so do the offerings for enthusiasts and collectors. These three books are all solid options for adding to your home’s Harry Potter library. Whether you like to sit and gaze, explore and uncover, or get in on the action yourself, there is something for… Read More
‘Kid Scientists’ Takes Us Back to the Childhoods of Science Superstars
Reading Time: 3 minutes We all know that kids are curious. Science-oriented kids are often curious in, shall we say, unexpected ways. They may challenge the laws of physics. Or chemistry. And they often do a lot of, “Oh, I just wanted to see what would happen if…” kinds of things. Famous scientists were no… Read More
Get Your BASIC (and Retro Gaming) On With TheC64®Mini
Reading Time: 4 minutes Those of us of a certain age can be a bit nostalgic for the BASIC era, the same way we are for rotary dial phones. BASIC was never flashy (pun intended), but it was fun, straight forward, and accessible to kids with no more than a basic understanding of how computers… Read More
