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OCTOBER 25 2006

For more information:

Todd Scott - Himmelrich, Inc.
410-528-5400
todd@himmelrich.com

Unique Holiday Gifts at Maryland Science Center Store
Fun and Educational - What a Concept!

This holiday season, some unique gifts for children can create family harmony. Kids will no longer ask for toys their parents consider useless and Mom and Dad won't be splurging on toys their children think are boring.

The Maryland Science Center Store offers thousands of cool, creative and cognitive gifts for family fun and lively learning. This holiday season, the Store is stocked with the latest gizmos and gadgets to satisfy both the budding scientist and the bored student.

Kids will discover the fun of science in motion with Capsela 1000. Using 108 interlocking parts, kids can build more than 100 motorized devices for both land and water, such a tug boats, vacuum cleaners and steam rollers, while learning about gears, speed, electricity, buoyancy and 18 other science principles.

DK's new Science Kit is filled with 112 components that children can use in more than 100 experiments, or to create a spy periscope, race a jet-propelled car or sail a custom-designed gilder. They can get their hands dirty (which they love) and record their findings in the Scientists Notebook as they explore sound, temperature, magnetism and movement.

Everyone loves exploring the night sky, and the Maryland Science Center offers dozens of devices for dark discovery. The Omega Reflector 300x76mm features both reflection and retraction, a 76mm achromatic mirror for viewing "deep sky" objects, and a sophisticated optical finder scope that makes locating celestial phenomena easy. All-glass objective and eye-piece lenses provide sharp, detailed images, and the aluminum tripod with accessory tray conveniently holds accessories.

For younger explorers, the GeoSafari Talking Telescope provides on-the-go exploring. When they're at home, kids can use the brightly-colored instrument to view 12 animals and eight space phenomena while hearing interesting facts about animals, planets and reptiles.

Crystals and insects, leaves and found objects will have a "huge" impact as children examine them with the GeoVision MicroProElite 98-piece microscope. The four levels of magnification, up to 900x, allow for clear and precise views of professionally prepared slides in the kit to any specimens that kids discover themselves. A camera mount makes it easy to photograph experiments and then turn them into slides, for a home or school presentation.

Fifty safe and exciting electrical experiments can be conducted with the Real Science Made Easy: Electricity kit. Children will learn about electrical circuits, sources of electricity and solar and nuclear power by using dozens of components, a 56-page workbook, and an informative flip book.

Imaginative play is fun and educational, and the soft, plush, Folkmanis dinosaur puppets will keep kids laughing as they play make-believe with their friends. They can move mouths, wings and limbs by hand: all they need for an inspired puppet show is a few friends and a creative storyline.

Children can also walk like dinosaurs in Dinosoles sneakers; the dinosaur footprints on the soles of each shoe will leave a trail of dino prints.

Thrifty and thoughtful givers can offer a gift throughout the year by giving a membership to the Maryland Science Center. Benefits include a full year of free admission to the Maryland Science Center and discounts on IMAX Theater tickets and birthday parties. In addition, Maryland Science Center members receive free admission at over 250 participating ASTC museums around the country.

The Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor is visited by more than 550,000 people each year. Popular exhibits include: Dinosaur Mysteries with more than a dozen full-size dinosaurs and interactive paleontology activities; an exploration of the day in the life of the human body in Your Body: The Inside Story; and dozens of interactive experiments in Newton's Alley. Other popular attractions in the museum include the Kids Room, the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, and the world-famous Davis Planetarium.

The Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light Street at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. For more information and tickets, visit www.marylandsciencecenter.org or call the 24-Hour Information Line at 410-685-5225.