Wild Science Weird Slime Laboratory Wild Science Weird Slime Laboratory

It's slimy, oozy, bouncy, and runny. it's neon yellow, neon orange, or red as blood (or no color at all). It could earn high marks on a gross-o-meter or pose as a phony superball. Of course your 9-year-old is going to love it! We could tell you that it's a simple science kit for introducing crossbonding polymers, exploring gels, solids, liquids, and diffusion in solutions--but that might make it boring. And boring it ain't! Oozology is another of Wild Science's fun, open-ended, easy-to-clean-up kits geared towards creative kids and parents who want them to explore the world but not blow it up in the process. So what's a polymer? Remember Flubber? Unlike Robin Williams's creation, this stuff won't make you a basketball star--but it's a riot to play with. Everything you need to make several batches of it is packaged in a clear carrying case. Put on the gloves and mask (included in the kit), add water, and mix together in your chosen color and consistency. Make a "drip-o-later" or a "snapping oozewurst"; try out a "slimemold"! Double-sided jelly-proof experiment cards are fairly open-ended; just be sure to read both sides of each card when following the instructions. There are fun suggestions for all kinds of experiments (plus a bag of wiggly eyeballs to enliven things). The ideas are presented in such a way that when your kid meets them again in science lab at school, he or she will probably recognize them as old friends. --Julie Ubben