This will be a unique school year. In our school district, 60% of children will attend in-person schooling and 40% will use the virtual school option. While the majority will attend school in-person, there are contingency plans for virtual schooling if teachers or students are exposed to COVID. It's definitely a challenging time. As a mom and an engineer, I thought that I would share some science kits for those who have their children at home since I am familiar with science kits that make science fun! Plus, if your children are not home schooling, these are great science toys to augment their schooling. Spoiler alert - even if you weren't a fan of science class as a child, I think that you will love these sets!
My motivation for this post began when I read a thread in our town's local Facebook group where parents were debating whether they wanted to send their children to school during the pandemic. One parent commented that she planned to keep her children home, but was not going to do Science Lab. Some other parents chimed in that Science Lab would not happen at their homes either because they don't know where to start. Of course, as a mom and an engineer, I was disappointed to see those comments. I reached out to offer them some small Science kits that my son and I would put together for them. There were no strings attached. I just wanted to help children (and their parents) to view science as fun. I put some Borax in a jar with instructions to make crystals and a few other fun projects. They loved the little kits that we made, but it made me realize that there are probably other parents out there who don't know where to go for Science Lab guidance. That's what inspired this post! I wanted to create a post that shows tangible products that are easy to buy and use for at-home science fun! Luckily, I found the opportunity to review the fun educational science kits that I think will resonate with many of you.
Explore the natural beauty and wonder of crystals by growing them yourself in many different shapes and colors! Set up your lab station — complete with beakers, test tubes, centrifuge, display dome, and more — and use safe, non-toxic crystal salts to conduct more than ten experiments in crystal formation. You can even make red, pink, blue, purple, and clear crystals using the spinning centrifuge! After you’ve completed the experiments in the kit, continue your crystal growing adventures using the cool lab setup and common materials from around your home. Ages 6+ MSRP: $29.95.
My 10 year old loved this set! His little brother also enjoyed watching him as he created his own science lab for crystals with ten unique experiments.
My children felt like they were truly child scientists thanks to the cool setup!
If you are a parent who wants to share the experience of growing crystals with your children, this set is a good deal because it includes a variety of supplies that you need in the small quantities for at-home experiments. There are a few reasons that I love this set. First, the experts who designed the set curated a nice variety of experiments and supplies to grow crystals with different growth patterns and in a variety of colors. The broad variety of crystals is very nice. I don't want to spoil too many surprises for you, but here are a few examples.
These are salt crystals.
I won't tell you how we created these crystals because I want to leave it as a surprise for you, but they are made from supplies that are in the kit.
We made crystals in a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. The blue ones below are my favorite crystals!
My boys love looking at the crystals with a magnifying glass!
They put their favorite crystals in the special display case below.
My second favorite thing about this kit is that the supplies are tailored to the experiments. For instance, we have an entire shelf of partially used supplies from previous DIY science projects. It's nice that this box includes smaller portions of a large variety of ingredients that are tailored to the experiments. You won't have to worry about leftover chemicals if you use the entire kit.
Overall, this is a must-have kit for Science Lab that will provide hours and hours of entertainment for your children!
Unearth the secrets of geology as you dig deep into the science of rocks and minerals and the crystals that form them. Through 18 hands-on experiments, kids will discover some pretty amazing things about geology, mineralogy, and crystal growing. Become a geologist-in-training as you mold your own crystal geode and grow three different types of crystals that vary in color and shape. Work with real mineral specimens to learn how to determine a mineral’s chemical properties such as color, luster, streak color, hardness, density, magnetic properties, and carbon, sulfur, or iron content and use your findings to identify unknown minerals. As you explore, you’ll get an overview of the geologic rock cycle and discover how the three main categories of rock — igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic — are formed, altered, destroyed, and formed again. MSRP: $44.95; Ages 8+.
This set is another winner for novice at-home science experiments. Your little geologist will have fun with hands-on experiments that make learning more fun than reading from a textbook. This set is great for older kids who want to dig into geology! My little geologist had a lot of fun learning through the 18 hands-on experiments. I'm convinced that the creators of this kit must have children of their own because this set is incredibly engaging. It's also great that it contains all of the supplies that you need. The amount of supplies are tailored to the experiments. As a parent, I even learned new things through this kit which was awesome! As a mom and engineer, I recommend this as a must-have science kit!
Discover the endless possibilities of Tileblox 20Pc set. With the step-by-step idea sheet, create one-of-a-kind masterpieces! A great set for beginner builders looking to explore and learn through play. Arrives with 8 Triangles and 12 Square in Rainbow colors. Each geometric shape contains magnets that let you build with endless possibilities! TileBlox is perfect for STEM education and when playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. MSRP: $24.99; Ages 3+.
My youngest son is 3 years old. The Tilebox Rainbow Set is perfect for him. He loves that he is able to build things thanks to the child-friendly magnetic design that makes it easy to stick pieces together. It's a versatile set that helps with his development. The set allows him to have fun learning about shapes, colors, counting, and building. He also practices his fine motor skills. This set has provided hours and hours of entertainment!
I hope that this glimpse into our favorite STEM toys is helpful! As a mom and an engineer, I love connecting parents with our favorite educational STEM toys. These toys are at the top of our list! This is a great time of year to stock up on these engaging science kits.
