Natural wonders

Digging for ancient treasure, growing meat-eating plants, and listening to insects not normally known for making noise are not far from reality these days. In fact, some upcoming scientific kits will give kids the ability to do that and more, all without leaving home or getting their hands dirty.

Summit Products, Trussville, Ala., will add some buggy gadgets in its Backyard Safari line in spring 2006. The Bug Vacuum is a battery-operated vacuum that sucks up bugs, without harm, into a plastic capsule. The live bugs can be viewed inside the capsule with a Bug Scope or released into a Bug Habitat. The Extreme Bug Listener lets kids listen to the chirps and clacks of captive insects.

Birds are also on the list from Summit with the Tiki Takeout Bird Listener. The bird feeder lets users know when the birds are eating by motion detector. Kids can see them, but the one-way glass window doesn't let the birds see onlookers.

Treasures man-made and natural are not far from reality with the latest I Dig assortment, Excavation Adventures, from Action Products, Orlando, Fla. The Ceraosaurus Skeleton set includes replicas of the prehistoric carnivore's bones in a “dinostone” block. Once excavated, the bones can be assembled and painted. Jump forward a few millennia and a replica glow-in-the dark mummy and death mask are part of King Tut's Tomb. The entire tomb is buried beneath golden sand and found by digging with the provided steel tools. The Shark Jaw kit lets kids dig for and reconstruct a replica jaw of a Great White shark.

For future gardeners, Dunecraft, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, launches a new line of windowsill greenhouses. The company's Princess Garden includes a pack of impatient seeds, pink and purple gravel, and glitter and beads to make it a princess conservatory. A Dinosaur Park, Banana Farm, Desert Hothouse, Tropical Palm Oasis and Dragon's Lair are also in the line. Carnivorous Creations featuring flesh-eating plants is one of the larger terrarium kits.

Also from Dunecraft are Space Sand, which can be added to water yet still comes out dry, and Super Snow, which feels and looks like the real thing.