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10 Top Science Toys for Kids - Spinning Top Generator
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2008 CommentGreen Science--Spinning Top Generator (4M Industrial Development Limited), $11.99, ages 8 and up. This science kit shows kids how electricity is generated through a coil of wire, LED light, and a magnetic spinning top. Parents’ Choice calls it “an excellent representation of how electricity is generated at large power plants that supply electricity to our homes.” It even contains an environmental lesson in how electricity need not come from burning fossil fuels.
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10 Top Science Toys for Kids - EyeClops BioniCam
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2008 CommentEyeClops BioniCam (Jakks Pacific Inc.), $79.99, ages 8 and up. This “BioniCam” is much more than a microscope--Parents’ Choice calls it an “eyeball on a stick.” It lets kids zoom in on their own sweat, an ant, a penny, and other images. Photos taken with the camera can also be uploaded to a computer for even closer inspection.
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10 Top Science Toys for Kids - Perfume Science
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2008 CommentPerfume Science (Thames & Kosmos), $59.95, ages 10 and up. Eight scented oils along with glass storage bottles and labels let kids conduct their own experiments. A 48-page instruction manual explains the sense of smell, history of perfumes, and where fragrances come from. Users can even invent their own formulas.
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10 Top Science Toys for Kids - DNA Explorer
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2008 CommentDiscover Kids DNA Explorer Lab (Discovery Channel Store), $79.95, ages 9 and up. This kit comes with plant DNA, test tubes, and other equipment that let kids explore magnetism, density, and polarity in addition to basic DNA analysis concepts.
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Audio: Your 2009 Recession Survival Guide
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2008 Comment (1)This weekend, I spoke with WTOP in Washington about how to protect oneself during the recession. Tips include building up a large cash cushion, paying off debt, and managing grocery bill expectations.
LISTEN NOW: 2009 Recession Survival Guide
Subscribe to Personal Finance With Kimberly Palmer
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7 Ways to Make Extra Holiday Cash
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2008 Comment (3)Today’s guest post comes from Erin Gifford at Coupon Cravings, a personal finance blog dedicated to sharing grocery, drugstore and retail shopping deals:
So far this holiday shopping season, shoppers have been out in full force. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend alone, spending averaged $372 per shopper, according to the National Retail Federation. While some finished up their holiday shopping, many more have plenty of gifts left to buy, so here are seven ways to get some quick holiday shopping cash.
- Cash in at cash-back shopping sites. Online-only sales are rampant across the web this holiday season so why not make a few bucks while picking out gifts. Ebates.com gives you back a percentage of your purchase and is doubling cash back through December 24 when you buy from select online retailers, including Walmart, Borders and Overstock.com. As an added bonus, new sign-ups get a $10 gift card. Two more cash-back sites are BigCrumbs.com and Live Search.
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Kate Hudson: I’m Cutting Back, Too
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2008 Comment (3)Like millions of Americans, Kate Hudson says she’s cutting back this year, according to People. She’ll still spend the holidays skiing in Colorado, but instead of buying expensive presents, she’s creating her own gifts.
Hudson says she’s knitting something, although, in the interest of keeping the surprise, she declined to give many details. “We’ve always been pretty crafty anyway,” she told reporters at a press conference for Bride Wars, her new movie co-starring Anne Hathaway. “We all knit. The girls knit. This year I’m doing these great big knit…well, actually I shouldn’t even talk about it because I can’t say it!” she said.
She's not the only celebrity to adopt a new code of frugality this season -- Oprah has already announced that she's doing the same.
Considering following Hudson's example? For do-it-yourself project ideas, check out this interactive graphic.
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How to Give This Season
Tweet Share on Facebook December 5, 2008 Comment (4)As I was looking around for a good Christmas gift for my husband, I asked my co-worker Sara what she planned to buy her husband.
Not much, she told me, because they decided to put the money they would have spent on each other towards charity. Through the Alexandria Department of Human Services, they found a family in need of assistance and, along with some friends, are working on fulfilling that family’s wish list.
Her generosity got me thinking about my own level of giving and whether it’s enough. I usually donate money to charity when I’m moved by specific reasons or experiences: When my friend launched a micro-loan program in Madagascar, I sponsored one of the participants. After watching Slumdog Millionaire, I found a nonprofit that works with at-risk children in India and gave money online.
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Save Money With Do-It-Yourself Projects
Tweet Share on Facebook December 4, 2008 Comment (1)This time of year might be expensive, but it's also full of opportunities to save by taking on do-it-yourself projects. From holiday meals to Christmas cards to decorative vases, those who are daring enough to start from scratch can stick to their budgets while impressing friends with their creativity. This interactive graphic will show you how.
Do you have your own do-it-yourself project in mind? Describe it briefly below, and one commenter will be randomly selected to receive The Guide to Good Cheap Hunting, recently republished from 1978. Even if you're not up for catching your own dinner, it makes for an interesting historical read.
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Why the Mumbai Terrorists Used Credit Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook December 4, 2008 Comment (5)Today's guest blog entry comes from Jeremy Simon, a reporter with CreditCards.com who writes about payment-card-related topics for consumers. He also contributes to Taking Charge, the website's blog.
The terrorists who staged the recent attacks in Mumbai were well armed—with guns, grenades, and plastic.
Credit cards were among the items found in a backpack carried by one of the terrorists who attacked the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, according to an Indian Navy officer who spoke with the Economic Times. The paper reports that the credit cards were issued by Citibank, HSBC, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and SBM (State Bank of Mauritius).
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Alpha Consumer
Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about making smarter financial decisions. She’s the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back.
Generation Earn
Senior editor Kimberly Palmer’s book, Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, is now available.
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