Imagine the excitement in our household the day the product review box from DuneCraft arrived! Ooohs and aaahs abounded as we opened the box to inventory the products we had received.

We received FlyTrap Fiends, a self-contained windowsill greenhouse for growing Venus flytrap plants. This is one of ten different windowsill greenhouses offered by DuneCraft. So if growing living Venus flytrap plants doesn't suit you, they are sure to offer a garden that would. Suggested retail price for this item is $14.99, and my sons in particular had a terrific time setting this up and reading the accompanying information sheet.

We also received two of DuneCraft's "smart tubes." The GobbledyGoop tube contained the ingredients for making your own multi-colored slime. The second, JellyStones, held intriguing "crystals" that absorb 200x their volume. There are three colors of crystal in the tube, and you are able to mix and match to change the colors. DuneCraft offers eight different "smart tubes," and the suggested retail price is $7.99 - $9.99. The accompanying literature suggested several great experiments that could be done using the GobbledyGoop and JellyStones

The Tasty Herb Egg is a micro-terrarium--a very cute and easy to grow collection of six herbs in a small plastic egg. They sprout within a few days and can be used to sprinkle in a salad within a month's time. DuneCraft has eleven micro-terrariums that retail for $4.99 each.

Our final surprise was an Amazing Dinosaur Plant. This plant is packaged in its dormant state and really looks like a freeze-dried plant. All you need to add is water and the plant becomes green and living within a matter of hours. Amazing Dinosaur Plants retail for $7.99 and can be dried out and rehydrated over and over.

As we used these products, one thought came to mind: the "smart tubes" would be great for stocking stuffers during the holiday season. But actually, any of DuneCraft's amazing products would be a terrific way to educate your children without them even knowing it. You should definitely consider these for holiday and birthday gift giving.

In each kit, DuneCraft provides terrific educational printed materials to assist you as you further explore the products. Because the products are basically self-contained, they are hassle-free and make life easier for homeschooling parents. In addition, they are all created in a way that is easy for children to use. Most can be used by upper elementary children with only limited adult supervision.

My family highly recommends these products, and we are looking forward to exploring more DuneCraft offerings in the future.

Product review by Melanie Bunnett, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, February 2007