Nostalgia warning! You’d be hard-pressed these days to find a student who would proactively choose to spend more time with a model rocket or a plasma lamp than they would with the Candy Crush-delivering device in their pocket. But some of the most beloved toys from our past can actually help kids of all ages grasp key physical concepts (under the guise of straight-up fun, which is obviously all the better) in a way that a virtual gaming world can’t match.

This oh-so educational LiveScience slideshow reveals the universal physics lessons inherent in seven tried-and-true toys. Learn about angular momentum and precession when spinning a top. See compression waves in action as a Slinky slinks down the stairs. Witness a heat engine at work as a classic drinking bird drinks and drinks and drinks. Bask in the warm memories of old-school playthings, marvel at what you once learned without even realizing it, then consider passing the brain-enhancing fun along to the next generation by breaking some of the classics out of the now-vintage toy chest.