So what have I been thinking about in the month since my last post? Just a little project called "Raising America's Next Supernerd". Even though I know it will be a while before my baby starts asking adorable questions like "why is the sky blue?" and "why does it rain?" and "which is a greater threat to public health: obesity or smoking?", I can't help but be captivated by educational toys. I really hate toys that tell you how to play with them. When I was a kid, the best toys were stuffed animals, art supplies, blocks, and household objects. Since my household is already decidedly science-minded, I'm really drawn to scientific nursery decor and toys. So I was really excited to see these handcrafted wooden blocks featuring insects, wild animals, and dinosaurs! Awesome! Except, it annoys me that the block with the hippopotamus is labeled "hippo". I'd rather teach baby the full name - how else do you get to hear adorable mispronunciations (e.g., happapommytus)? And, they spelled "lightning bug" wrong. And "pterodactyl" wrong. Seriously, if you're going to put words on an educational toy, shouldn't those words be spelled correctly? I really love these blocks, but I can't live with the risk that my daughter might grow up thinking that teradactyls used to fly around in the Mesozoic era, and that lightening bugs are fun to chase on summer evenings. This reminds me of a toy sold by Pottery Barn Kids, which teaches kids foreign words for hello, goodbye, please, etc. Apparently, "hello" in Italian is spelled "chow". (Yeah, there's an explanation if you read the post I linked to, but STILL! How ridiculous.)