Our Suppliers
Most of the supplies and materials we use in our programs may be purchased at retail stores in most communities. Our suppliers for items which may not be readily available are listed below.
Hodges Badge has been our exclusive supplier for many years. Designs are beautiful. Quality is superior. Service is excellent.
Birthday Bandanas
Unfortunately, the bandanas we use do not seem to be available anywhere at the present time. We have a supply which should last us for several years for our programs.
Blindfolds
We use 3D blindfolds which are contoured to fit comfortably and allow eyes to move freely for adults. They have a single elastic which is about half an inch wide which winds around the head. It is not possible to see through these and if properly positioned one will at most see a little bit of light around the nose. They look nice and are inexpensive. We do not recommend other types of inexpensive blindfolds. The 3D blindfolds may be purchased from a variety of vendors at an online auction site such as eBay. At this time we recommend looking for "free" shipping and ordering at auction prices from vendors outside of the US for the lowest prices. Shop carefully as prices for the exact item vary considerably across listings. Allow about 3 weeks to a month for delivery, possibly longer and occasionally these do not arrive at all.
Prisms may be ordered from Matthew Gilliland at Wingin It Products. You may find Wingin It Products on FaceBook or ETSY.
Previously, PsychKits.Com, owned and operated by Chicago Area High School teacher Gerry Palmer, offered numerous supplies which demonstrated psychological concepts. Matt assisted Gerry in making the prisms. PsychKits was highly recommended for supplies for psychology teaching demonstrations. We purchased the goggles used in our Perceptually Inverted Navigation activities from PsychKits. PsychKits is not taking new orders at this time, however the prisms may now be ordered from Matthew Gilliland at Wingin It Products. You may find Wingin It Products on FaceBook or ETSY.
Our current source for printed materials is VistaPrint.Com. If you plan to order from VistaPrint sign up for their mailing list and purchase when items are on big sales. Allow several weeks for delivery. Prices may be very favorable when on sale and quality is often very good to excellent, but you are the final inspector... and may need to ask for replacements on occasion... so order well in advance. Customer service is very good at sending a replacement if items come defective or damaged in shipment.
Our participants enjoy receiving novelty trophies which we purchase at Rhode Island Novelty. We also use these trophies for advertising novelties at our business displays. We add a label to each trophy with the appropriate designation, e.g., Champion, Semifinalist, Happy Birthday, Sponsor, as appropriate as well as our business and contact information. Service is excellent. Quality of the trophies is reasonably good, but there are a few defective trophies in every shipment.