Smart play
Local indie toy retailers reveal a few new things under the sun by Melanie McGee Bianchi
candy’ncircuits
When it comes to the explosive intersection of kids and chemicals, it’s not just about the bakingsoda-and-vinegar volcano anymore. Solar-powered vehicles and other greenthemed toys are on the rise; likewise modern adaptations of beloved classics. Xpress contacted local independent stores whose primary retail space is devoted to toys, and discovered the very latest in weird science.
Photos by Jonathan Welch
Dancing Bear Toys (dancingbeartoys.com)
144 Tunnel Road, Asheville. 255-8697. 418 N. Main St., Hendersonville. 693-4500. “We have a whole, large science section,” says Cassidy Cloyed, assistant manager of the Asheville store. She recommends the spinning top generator from Toysmith’s Green Science line, and also the Ultimate Gum Kit from Scientific Explorer, where kids employ chemical knowledge to make various gooey concoctions. Although the majority of science kits are tailored for age 8 and up, Dancing Bear also sells a My First Science Kit for younger wunderkinds.
Once Upon a Time (biltmorevillage.com/onceuponatime)
7 All Souls Crescent, Biltmore Village. 274-8788. Once Upon a Time owner Stan Collins gives his rubber stamp to Snap Circuits, an award-winning electronics kit that does away with the old days of scraping wires and other fun-inhibiting stressors. “There are 300 things you can do with it,” he notes. He also sells Toysmith’s popular crystal-growing kit, and speaks particularly well of the Carson Optical Digital Microscope Once an object is stabilized on the microscope’s platform, it can be wired to a computer to be viewed to fuller advantage. “It’s just fabulous,” says Collins in his soft-spoken way. “The increased technology lets kids learn something that much better.”
0 MARCH 23 - MARCH 29, 2011 • mountainx.com