Science Reviews

I think that the Learn Through Music Plus is a great toy, in fact, probably one of the only toys my daughter will play with for more than 1 minute. I'd say it's one of her favorites, the Ariel Rom is very cute and she likes it a lot, but she doesn't like it as much as Dora. I'd recommend it though.

It's sad to see that the space toys based on the actual space program are not good ones. My son loves space and space exploration, but he hardly plays with this set. The shuttle does not stay on the tanks, even when sitting still.

I like the fact that everything fits into a box. If only the toy were higher quality!

I'd buy it again, but just for the fact that my son loves space and the space program so much.

Our 8-year-old son wanted space stuff for Christmas and this was about the only set we could find. I couldn't tell by the picture how big the figures, vehicles, etc. were and the other reviews were not really very helpful since they were mainly complaining that the set was not meant for small children.

The set is actually very small. It is the equivalent to something you could find in a dollar store, but with more stuff and a nice storage box. If I had to guess how much the set cost I would say no more than $8...I paid $15.

On the plus side I was able to fulfill my son's wish to get astronauts and space vehicles for Christmas, although it was not exactly what we had in mind.

For those of you who are looking for an "educational expirience" and feel that you were jilted with this toy have forgotten one of the mose basic premises of childhood......a childs job is to play.
This toy was a bit over priced for what was recieved yes, but leaving a child with their imagination is a far better gift than any leap pad or other electronic device. The learning comes from being able to make connections, build stories, follow through on thoughts, learning how to play with others, expanding vocabulary so forth and so on. Sometimes the most basic toys really are the best.
This was a well recieved toy from children in my life and the hours it was utilized far outweigh the price paid.

I have read every book in the BattleTech, Mechwarrior, and the Dark Age Series. I not impressed with this book. The story line came out very slow. It can be compared to the very first book in the BattleTech Series: Cloak and Dagger. This book is written by one of my favorite BattleTech/Mechwarrior aurthors so I expected more out of this book. All in all I have not been impressed with this new Dark Age series. It does not seem to have the flare or sepense that the other series has. I can only hope that it gets better in the furture.

Loren L. Coleman is, in my opinion, one of the best writers in the Battletech/Mechwarrior franchise, so after a number of weak entries in the Dark Age series (The Ruins of Power, the trilogy preceding this book), I was hoping Coleman could get things back on track. Sadly, he left me disappointed.

To begin with, I found the main characters of Mai Uhn Wa and Evan Kurst to be wholly unlikable, so I found myself not caring much at all about their quest for the independence of Liao, and actually rooting against them for the entire book. Kurst was especially bad, as his motivations for certain actions were rather confusing. For example, he openly hates the Betrayer of Liao, who brought about the Capellan attack on Liao that killed Evan's parents...but he joins a movement that encourages violence, and gladly welcomes another violent Capellan invasion. Odd. He also distances himself from his only friends for the majority of the book, so when Coleman tries (poorly) to humanize him near the end, it comes across as a bit too little, too late.

In fact, the only two likable characters I found in the book were Planetary Legate Viktor Ruskoff and Ritter Michaelson, but as they are non-Capellans in a Coleman book, I'm sure you can guess how well they fare. Michaelson seems wasted here, as I saw a hundred different (and more interesting!) ways the character could have been used in the Dark Age universe. Oh well, though.

And, since this a Coleman book...despite being Capellan, everyone's Chinese is absolutely terrible. While this will not bother anyone who doesn't speak the language, it really takes me out of the experience when Mai Uhn Wa uses "rong yi" for the "relax" meaning of the English word "easy". This is a mistake that not even a first-year student would make, Mr. Coleman.

Despite these problems, his writing in general is as good as ever. Scenes, battles, and characters are described well, and his technical knowledge of the Battletech universe is much more sound than some of the other writers in this series. The only minor issue I have tech-wise is that Kurst's Mech seems capable of doing everything and anything, all the time...but since Kurst is a Capellan Mechwarrior in a Coleman book, this is to be expected.

So, overall, an okay book.
Not great, and certainly not up to the standard that Ghost War set for the Dark Age universe, but it's better than the four books that preceded it.

the main character evan is what made me enjoy this book, he just seems very likable and i hope to see him impact later cappie novels, the battle at the end is a great climax and the author (coleman is my favorite behind the jade pheaonix author thurston) gives a great immersive description

NAturally in all sea-monkey tanks, water evaporates which you later replace but anyway that evaporation causes metal screws in the lid to rust. the rust then gets in the tank and is a harmful toxin to the sea-monkeys fragile eco-system. If you want a toy that is Great eduactional and good for all involved buy a nice sea-monkey kit with either a classic design or on with no metal.

Sea-Monkeys are a great way to introduce children to the joys and responsibilities of pet ownership, and are also tremendous fun for an older age group as well. The care is simple though I do recommend that you be very careful because even though they are not a dog or cat, they are still creatures and deserve care.

Here are a few tips that I thought I would share to help everybody out in taking care of their new pets:
1) Always aerate the water. I highly recommend the Million Bubble Air Pump becuase it works very well, and is far safer and more convenient that the other options. Also, never, ever think that by stirring the water you are aerating it. You ARE NOT and this method has killed some of my older Sea-Monkeys.
2)Do not overfeed, but remember they do need to be fed. Follow the recommened feeding amount and keep a regular feeding schedule.
3)Make sure you read the entire handbook as it includes all the vital information you need to keep a healthy tank of Sea-Monkeys. It also has many useful tips and some interesting facts.

I recommend this specific tank because it well made and includes all of the necessary things to make Sea-Monkey ownership an enjoyable, rewarding and educational experience.

Nothing fancy, but works as advertised. Great to watch crickets and spiders crawl around in.

The girls loved this habitat. They can watch bugs without worrying the bugs might get out. Hoping the educational side will help alleviate some of their fears. So far, so good!!! We got the habitat in conjunction with the bug vacuum. They LOVE the vacuum!!!

I ordered this item with the hopes of creating a fun bedtime environment for my 2-year-old, thinking that the display of stars on her bedroom ceiling would be spectacular. Instead, I was disappointed that this toy achieved nothing more than I could have produced with black construction paper, a hole puncher, and a flashlight.

The base does not rotate, so the "stars" (which are merely small circles of light) only cover a small portion of the surface onto which they are projected. Overall, I was disappointed that this toy did not meet the expectations which motivated its purchase. Maybe it would be more purposeful in another situation - for example, a school project to simply learn more about constellations and how to identify them.

Even though I was disappointed with my purchase, I would not necessarily say that the item does not meet its item description - it just simply does not produce a spectacular "planetarium-like" display and is not worth the price of $29.99.

This was my third try at trying to find a star projector for my son's room...The first was the "Star Theater II"(horrible!). Then I tried the "Create a night sky projection kit"(too much work punching non-perforated holes to make the stars and constructing the paper dome and base with double sided tape, that by the way was a complete mess, to only get the thing taped together for the very cheaply made lamp not to work!). By the time I purchased this one, my expectations were not very high.

When I put the batteries in the Space Theater, the connection was bad at the battery contacts...the light would not stay on unless you pressed the batteries. I took it back to the hobby store and they adjusted the contact. When I finally got the it in my son's room, I wasn't blown away...just satisfied that his ceiling finally looked like it had stars on it. Actually, when you first turn it on, it looks like white circles, but after 5 minutes, dim the light on the projector and it actually doesn't look too bad (the handbook has a section on using the dimmer switch).

Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase.

Overall I am pleased with this product. I work for a science center with a real planetarium and wanted an inexpensive, easy to use unit to do outreach programs for small groups. I think this is the best of what is available in the "toy" planetariums. It is accurate enough and the constellations are easy to identify. I use a colored laser pointer to help sort and identify stars for my audience. This is a good suggestion for anyone who buys this product to share with their child. My biggest disappointment is that is requires a pretty dark room to show up well. Otherwise, I would recommend it for any budding astronomers, young or old.