Slug: sra-thinklab-by-kenneth-j-weber-1974 Date: 2010-04-27 Title: Seeking SRA Thinklab, by Kenneth J. Weber, 1974 layout: post

Bill Bumgarner and I got a bit of a bee in our bonnets this morning searching for an educational product we both used as kids, and are now looking for for use with our own kids.

Back in 1974 (for those of you who were born then) Scientific Research Associates (now owned by McGraw Hill) published a learning kit developed by Kenneth J. Weber called Thinklab.

A reading and thinking kit, comprising 125 problems (4 copies of each card) arranged in two simultaneous sequences: a cognitive sequence and a reading sequence. There are five types of cognitive problems, and cards are colour-coded. – University of South Australia library catalogue entry for Thinklab

The cards are about 3” square with color-coded bars along the top, much like Monopoly cards. From my own Elementary years, I remember working the problems on these cards daily in the school’s accelerated program (Hi Mr. J!), and the combination of reading, cognitive and mathematics problems were a challenging and interesting part of my early education.

Now, with 2 daughters of my own, I would love to find a copy of this - apparently out of print and impossible to purchase - program. The “items wanted” post I put up on Craigslist this morning is currently the 4th hit on Google for “SRA Thinklab”, so obviously it’s not a popular item out there.

I know Bill has been looking as well:

@steveivy Yah– I’m finding evidence of Thinklab here and there, but no way to buy the darned thing!

I even went so far as to contact Steve Josephsen, my second-grade (and accelerated program) teacher on Facebook to ask him about them. He had this to say (ELP was the Extended Learning Program):

Oh yes, I remember! You would be thinking about Thinklab! Sadly, they don’t make that set any longer… (Many other ELPers & I have searched…)

I can’t even find a photo of the product to show you, but if you’ve heard of, used, or better yet HAVE a copy of Thinklab, please contact myself (steveivy atsign gmail dotcom) or Bill and let us know! We’d love to graciously take it off your hands!