ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512070003
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
``Turn off the TV! Go find something to do!''
Something to do ... something that's not boring, that's fun and that your parents might even be glad you're playing. Something to put on your Christmas list besides a bike or a and Barbie.
NewsFun sent an expert shopper (me! and I have lots of experience) to find some toys that you might not see advertised on TV. These are toys that will keep you interested and mom and dad happy. Here's some of what I found.
Klutz Press puts out a variety of activity books. I dare you to go into a store and not find at least one you like. There's "The Hacky Sack Book" (complete with sack, or is it a hacky?); "The Buck Book" with more things to do with a dollar (which is included) than you could imagine; "The Incredible Clay Book"; and "The Explorabook" (a science museum in a book).
The "Book of Make Believe" includes jewelry and more than 100 ideas (including superheroes, sports stars, fancy ladies and monsters) for costumes and fantasy games using materials you can find around the house. "Kids Shenanigans (Great Things To Do That Mom and Dad Will Barely Approve Of)" even tells you how to make your own whoopie cushion. Each book includes lots of illustrations and pictures, clear instructions and supplies. ($14-$19)
Even if nature isn't your thing, watching a small, squiggly worm (larva) spin a cocoon and emerge as a butterfly in your own Butterfly Garden is pretty amazing. Or you can get a Frog Hatcher kit or Worm Acres, which lets you in on the secret of why some adults like to have the slimy things in their gardens.
Snake In a Bag is a life-size (6 feet long), real-looking viper that also has buddies Cobra In a Basket (6 feet long) and a 5-foot-long rattlesnake, complete with noisemaker. ($18-$24)
If you'd rather have creatures that don't move, see-through ant or bat models and wooden dinosaur kits are fun to put together. ($15)
Ever seen a 10-inch cockroach or a 15-inch praying mantis? Could be pretty scary, except that you control them. They're sturdy hand puppets, and there are even a beautiful dragonfly and glow-in-the-dark firefly. For tougher play, you can find vinyl animals from whales to tigers to dinosaurs.
If you want to take a closer look at the world around you, try a magnified viewing jar ($3.50); an inflatable globe ($5); or the Tele Micro Pocket Scope ($2.25), that looks like a fat pen and combines a telescope and microscope. The Optic Wonder ($5.50) has magnifiers and a compass, and Wild Planet ($5) includes a field light, tools, discov-r-scope and periscope.
Mix-It Yourself Chemistry sets ($5) include kits called Slime, Rainbo in a Bottle and Snowstorm in a Tube. Kitchen Science, Eco-detective and Science Magic Tricks ($5) include about 20 projects each.
Inside or out, you can always gaze at the stars. Star charts, galaxy guides and miniplanetariums as well as stars you can stick on your ceiling (with permission) can brighten any dark night.
My kids accuse me of making up words - and they're right - but Toobers and Zots are real. The colorful, bendable pieces of foam in normal and strange shapes can be joined, twisted and pushed together to make hats, jewelry, weird creatures, butterflies, cars ... almost anything you can imagine. Then, you can take them apart and make something different. Sets range from 20 pieces ($6) to 120 pieces ($30) and include a storage bag.
If you're taking a trip or just going to visit some local grown-ups, ``A Backseat Survival Guide'' (can be used in any seat) includes everything you need to do the many games, puzzles, mysteries and projects it includes - from how to write coded messages (handy if a teacher intercepts your note) to cat's cradle instructions (string included) to testing your parents' IQs. There are enough activities to keep you busy for many hours. ($15)
Kids Travel also had ideas for sitting-still times and includes all supplies. The inside back cover is a clipboard with a large pad of paper attached so whatever you're playing with won't slide off your lap. ($15)
Ever wanted to write your own book? Illustory includes writing and drawing pages, markers and some story suggestions. After you've finished creating your story, send it off in the postage-paid envelope and you'll get back a hard-cover book, professionally printed, with your name on the front. ($20)
OK, it's hard to make math fun, but MathSafari does. The unit is expensive ($100) but can be used for years. There are lots of lights and noises to keep you interested. Packets ($15), which include 40 lessons, starts with easy stuff for 4-year-olds and goes up through fractions, decimals and word problems.
For wintry days when there's not enough snow to play in, you might try a Make-A-Mask kit ($11). Still another kit to keep you busy is Paint the Wild, which makes wooden ornaments or magnets. Try washable paints ($2.50), Ghost Writer ($3) with invisible ink and developer, or Colorchangers ($5).
By now, you've seen POGs and might have even collected a few. But have you seen a kaleidoscope with a slot at the end to put your POGs into? It's a whole new way of looking at them. ($12, includes POGs) Another new twist is the ElectroKaleidoscope with changing light patterns. The harder you press the button, the faster the pattern moves.
My personal favorites? A wraparound pair of prism glasses that changes the world into a zillion rainbows ($4); a Light Writer ($15) that looks like an Etch-a-Sketch but uses a light pen; and a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish that really floats.
Prices are approximate. Toys are available at Imagination Station (Towers Mall and the Market area in Roanoke, Bonomo's Plaza in Blacksburg), Kringles (The Forum, Roanoke) and/or the Science Museum Store, Center in the Square, Roanoke.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. Raenell Terry (left) and Benjaminby CNBButler try out Toobers and Zots, bendable pieces of foam available
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