http://www.playsavvy.com/articles/features/can-you-tickle-a-plant-/
Can You Tickle a Plant? (As seen on AOL!)
Despite having no wires or batteries, touching a TickleMe plant
proves to be electrifying.
By Micheal Mullen, Friday, February 27, 2009
While walking the floor of the International Toy Fair 2009, Mark
Chipkin approached us with a simple question,
"Ever see a plant move when you tickle it?"
Intrigued, we walked over to his booth to see a
little greenhouse that had several small pots of
plants that looked like thin ferns. Expecting
that he'd then pull out a dancing plant that
laughed when you tickled it, Chipkin merely
reached over to touch the fronds of the plant.
When he let go, it moved! When he motioned for
us to try, it moved again.
Brothers
Larry and Mark Chipkin formed the TickleMe Plant
Company to help kids and adults understand the
science of growing plants and discover a part of
nature they hadn't seen before. Mark, a science
teacher with an obvious love of nature, tells us
that he grows his own vegetables and raises
chickens that lay green and blue eggs...
although it appears that the company has no
plans to market the chickens or the eggs.
Known scientifically as the Mimosa pudica, the TickleMe plant is
native to Brazil but can be found growing in the
wild in some parts of the U.S. After soaking the
seeds for 1-2 days and planting the seeds in the
included soil pellets, it takes about two weeks
to experience the tickle action. As a
teacher-owned company, each kit includes a list
of experiments that encourages kids to try with
their plants. While scientific in nature, it
also helps kids learn about how little changes
can affect plants in profound ways. We still
love our games but can easily see kids finding
great joy in their TickleMe plants and bragging
about something so fantastic, their friends will
just need to see it for themselves.
The TickleMe Plant is already available at science museums,
nature centers and educational retail outlets
with a single mini-flower pot kit called the
Mini-House/Party Favor with 10-20 seeds and a
soil pellet for about $6 and a six mini-pot
Greenhouse kit with 30-40 seeds and six soil
pellets for about $22. Or you can check out more
facts, pictures and purchase kits direct at
ticklemeplant.com.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/02/ticklish_plants.html
http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cgi?setup_file=fignews2.setup&category=actionfigures&topic=6&show_article=1964&nl=1
Ever See A Plant
MOVE When You TICKLE It?
September
5, 2007
For immediate release
"Patterson, N.Y.,
September 5, 2007 “Daddy come quickly, my plant
is alive! It just moved its leaves and branches
when I tickled it,” my daughter Rebecca exclaims
from her room. You can imagine the excitement in
my house because my daughter Rebecca had never
seen any of our house or garden plants move,
until her own TickleMe Plant™ surprised her..."
» FULL STORY
Other Press Release Links
http://www.coolmompicks.com/2008/01/tickleme_phyto.php
