Potato Chip Science

Packaged to look (and sound) like a bag of potato chips, this unusual science kit actually contains yellow packing peanuts, a book outlining 29 spud and potato chip–themed activities, and a sachet with assorted materials. Highlights include a potato chip–bag kite, a chip-tube windmill, and a "Tater Clock," requiring the use of the accompanying miniature clock, copper electrodes, and sound chip. There's trivia, too, like the survival benefits of spuds (raw potato defogs glasses) and an examination of a potato chip's "life cycle," from farm to factory to consumers. An inventive summer boredom-buster. Ages 8–up. (Sept.)