Science Reviews

As an avid collector of 3-D puzzles, this wooden Magna cube fits into my collection perfectly. It is an updated version of the SOMA cube from the late 70s and 80s. However, this MAGNA cube is made of attractive wood, with MAGNETS that either repel or attract the the other pieces of the puzzle to create a 3 x 3 cube. Brilliant.

I don't know who was the first to take 27 small cubes ,attach anywhere from 3 to 4 together in various configurations;then assemble them in a larger cube of 3X3X3 forming a large cube of 27 smaller cubes.Probably the most well known version was made by Piet Hein,and consisted of 7 configurations.They can be assembled in a large cube in a lot of different ways.It also comes in a version that has an added challenge of a checker-board design.Just for fun ,I built one using children's building blocks with the alphabet letters on the sides. Another one I built from dice, so that when completed has all the 1's on one side,2's on another,3's on another,etc.I have another called Metropolis ,that when properly assembled,has the top of buildings and skyscrapers on the top.The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.All you need is 27 identical cubes,an adhesive,Krazy Glue will do,and you're off.
This puzzle is another variation where a number of magnets have been inserted into some of the cubes ,so the object is again to build a large cube but these magnets get into the act to increase the challenge.
The puzzle comes with the solution,but I didn't find it helpful since it showed only 7 multi-block configurations,but there are actually 8.However; it didn't matter much as I completed it.By the way, I also assembled it a couple of times,but there were magnets showing on the outside.A few more attempts rectified that.I don't know how many possible perfect solutions exist,but I am sure there are more.
A great variation on a classic puzzle.

Well, you get what you pay for. Or maybe not even. I was hoping for a starter set for my very inquisitive 4 year old. The microscope is truly worthless. I can't make it show me anything except a blur for a fiber (I'm a scientist, BTW, and work with microscopes on a regular basis). The telescope is marginally better, but still not worth it. I bought this at the TRU store and will be taking it back this afternoon. I refuse to have this piece of garbage in my home. I read a review on another item that summarized my feelings for this one... "this item discourages children from becoming interested in science". I'm so glad I checked it out before I gave it to him for Christmas. I'll be spending a little more and getting something we can actually use to check out at least some planets.

Iquest has many review lessons from many popular math books. The book my son uses is Saxon Math 76. He can go to his iquest, select Saxon 76, and pick the current lesson he is working on. The questions are based on the actual book and lesson. This product is working very well for us