I almost feel guilty, writing a post describing the fabulous Discovery Channel Store toys that our bloggers have been reviewing, when both of those toys  - the Discovery Tornado Lab and the Discovery Slide and Shoot Digital Camera - have grown so popular that they’re now on backorder until the end of February.  But on the other hand, I can’t help but be excited that we were able to get first crack at them.

Given the mass popularity of these two items, it’s not at all surprising that our parent bloggers and their kids loved them too.  As one blogger commented: “This isn’t the first Discovery toy I’ve owned, and it won’t be the last. I’ve always found them to be well made, and above all, educational.“  So while these toys may not be found under your tree next week, they’ll be worth the wait.

The Discovery Slide and Shoot Digital Camera is “a great introductory camera for a kid to have.“  While “this camera does not do well in low-light situations,” “in bright sunlight, the picture quality is quite good,” and the kids weren’t “at all deterred by this limitation and remained just as interested in snapping shots.”

The camera comes with software that includes basic photo editing options.  One boy, who’s “all about taking the pictures, not playing around with them after the fact,” preferred to keep snapping.  But another really got into the editing: “He was excited at being able to do stuff with his pictures and once I showed him how to navigate his way around, he was quite able to create some things on his own…We have some major plans to do up a 2008 calendar that he can keep in his room.” And one mother has “promised [my daughter] she and her pals will have their own custom stickers soon! That was an especially alluring feature and her friends are already clamoring to come over and give it a whirl.”

And since we had a few boys who checked out this camera, it’s worth mentioning that it has pink accents (and there’s no “blue version” available).   The boys themselves didn’t care a whit - “[he] could have cared less that it had pink on it” - but the bloggers made the valid point that “…a camera is a genuinely unisex toy deserving of a unisex color.“  But one feature that was definitely boy-friendly was the attached lanyard: “It’s on a lanyard, so that he can’t possibly lose it. He is prone to losing things unless they are somehow affixed to his person. So, the whole lanyard aspect of it is the BEST. IDEA. EVER.”

All in all, the camera comes highly recommended: “…this is a great way to introduce the younger children in your family to digital photography. I had scoped out other “children’s” digital cameras…and I was not able to find any in that price range - they were more like $60-$70.“  Another mother agreed: “Definitely a product I would buy or recommend for a kid who is maybe a little hard to buy for. You’re getting them a hot, new, techy gadget without the big price tag.”

The Discovery Tornado Lab was also a tremendous hit.  One blogger described how her daughter had seen a homemade tornado simulator, constructed from two-liter soda bottles and duct tape, and had been asking incessantly for the same thing, much to her mother’s chagrin:

“I don’t trust the combination of large amounts of water, duct tape, and the willy-nilly arms of a nine-year old. I just knew that the toy would work fine for a few minutes, and then I’d spend the rest of the day cleaning up blue-tinged water off my couch and off the walls. And most importantly, I don’t consider myself a “crafty” person. You may not consider taping two pieces of plastic together a craft, but for me it may as well be needlepointing an entire set of living room chairs.”

Unsurprisingly, both she and her daughter were thrilled to check out the professionally-constructed Discovery Tornado Lab: “Not only is it a hundred times more attractive than two Sprite bottles taped together, but at the touch of a button it makes tornado noises and has different speeds to simulate five different tornado strengths.”

Likewise, a blogger whose son received the lab - proclaiming it “the best toy…EVER” - explained that her son was already fascinated by tornadoes, thanks to the Discovery Channel: “…he and his dad have become fans of the show Storm Chasers…” He “was so enamored of this tornado machine, he insisted on taking it to school to do a demonstration.”

“He and his dad teamed up and explained how tornadoes are formed when high pressure and low pressure mix.  They did a visual demonstration with dad as the high pressure, boy as low pressure. When the two met and linked arms, they spun around like psychotic square dancing partners and made a tornado…They then showed the tornado machine and let the kids stick their hands in it, turn it on different speeds, and showed how the heavy and the light particles react.  It was quite a hit with the second grade class.”

Even at home, the lab was a source of great amusement. The first blogger reported: “It comes with some small objects to drop in to the water to see how they react to the vortex effect, but my kids filled it with everything - small sticks, a little bit of dirt, some leaves. At one point I even saw a Polly Pocket purse and a small rubber wig twirling around in there…”

The lab includes a DVD “that explains how tornadoes form, and has footage of actual tornadoes,” as well as an instruction manual “…filled with tornado facts and maps. It even has several experiments that you can do, and poses questions relating to the outcomes of those experiments.“  So while the Tornado Lab is lots of fun, it’s most certainly educational as well.

Check out both the Discovery Slide and Shoot Digital Camera and the Discovery Tornado Lab at the Discovery Channel Store, and place your orders now.  Based on the reviews, these toys will be worth the wait!