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New Science Education Flying Toy my students say is "Totally Awesome"

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Dan Savage

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Dec 14, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/14/99
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To parents and science educators,

You might be interested in a new flying toy that just hit the market
called the Flipaloft. Flipalofts are flying characters shaped like
Butterflies, Spaceships, and SkyFish. The Flipaloft claims to be the
highest flying, slowest falling, elastic launched toy in the world, and
my students thought it was one of the łcoolest˛ toys theyąd ever seen.
The kids thought the Flipalofts were much more fun than Stomp Rockets
and Arrowcopters because they stay airborne long enough to catch, and
theyąre flying characters, not just flying objects. Also, a good
Flipaloft launch requires skill -- it can shoot 2 feet or 100's of feet
depending on how much "Launch Spin" you give it.

The Flipaloft comes with a great educational and recreational book
called the łFlipaloft Fun Book.˛ Inside are about 20 science thought
questions about Aerodynamics, G-Forces, Terminal Velocity etc. similar
to the questions found in Epstein's "Thinking Physics." The book also
contains 22 highly creative games including, sports, challenges, some
science games, and a great probability game. The lessons and activities
will keep kids busy for a long time.

Flipalofts are now available online at http://www.flipaloft.com. The
Flipaloft web site has just been launched, and itąs on the cutting edge
of what the web can do. There is a real-physics simulation, not an
animation, where you can actually launch Flipalofts online.

The site has a duck mascot, PhD duck from the book, and a very amusing
Disney like interface with a horse and duck that guide you around the
site. Thereąs a mysterious łKnowledge Rock˛ that provides information
and activities for kids to learn Einstein's problem solving technique,
how to invent, and how to think creatively. Ordering them is also
interactive, you have to wake up a sleeping duck to send your order. My
favorite part, though is a łPsychic Horse,˛ a parody of psychics.

Flipalofts are a great excuse to get outside and play. My kids played
with them non-stop until it got dark. After dark it was fun to read the
book and play on the web site. I highly recommend this toy.

Sincerely,

Daniel Savage
Science Teacher
Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator

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