Gifts for Young Scientists and Engineers
Not every kid is into sports and rough housing the same as other kids. And with the way the world is heading, this isn’t a bad thing. The young minds of our kiddos need to be encouraged and praised for interest in science, technology, engineering, and math…AKA STEM. This may not look like what you think…Fortunately, there are tons of fun and creative toys that develop these skills in our youngsters where they won’t even realizing their learning. Here is my top picks for Gifts for Young Scientists and Engineers!
GraviTrax Marble Run
Marble runs are tons of fun, and it’s always neat to set up an intricate marble run and watch the progress of your marbles as they make their way down the track.
The GraviTrax marble run starter set from Ravensburger is an awesome marble run set that should appeal to any kid. It looks really slick and eye-catching, with metal marble tracks and cool hexagonal connecting pieces.
The GraviTrax marble run is more than just a fun little distraction, however. It’s another toy that’s considered a STEM learning toy, and by experimenting with various marble run designs, it can help your kids learn about kinetics, gravity, magnetism, and engineering.
This marble run set contains 122 pieces and is perhaps a little more advanced than your standard marble run set, so it will probably appeal to kids who are about 8 years old or more.
Snap Circuit Electronics Exploration Kit
Your young engineer will love this Snap Circuit Electronics Exploration Kit. Mine certainly did! This kit seems small but has 100 different electronics projects that will keep your child’s attention for quite a while. He or she will be able to clips the parts together in various ways, lighting up the pieces electricity flows through them.
The kit provides everything needed for these different projects. And if you are not inclined this way…no worries! There’s an instruction manual written specifically for children with illustrations and easy to follow steps. The lessons start with the less complex projects and build on the learning to the more complicated projects, including fans and sounds.
This is such an interesting way to incorporate STEM lessons into regular childhood play. I highly recommend it.
Build-It-Yourself Mechanical Buggy
Or, if you have an older child who is perhaps more adept at building complicated things and wants something a little more hands-on, consider getting them a build-it-yourself mechanical toy. This toy comes in the form of a little battery-powered buggy, but it’s completely disassembled when you first get it; your kid will have to put the buggy together from scratch.
Advanced LEGO Stunt Racer
Speaking of building things, I’m sure you’re familiar with LEGO, the ubiquitous brand of building block toys beloved by kids around the world. Odds are, you’ve probably bought a few sets of LEGO for your kids already.
But if you think your kids would appreciate a more challenging LEGO building experience, then maybe they would enjoy getting a set from LEGO Technic. In contrast with more simple LEGO sets, which are mostly based around stacking bricks, LEGO Technic sets tend to feature unique pieces that are used to create more advanced models, many of which can perform technical functions far beyond that of ordinary LEGO sets.
For example, take this remote-controlled LEGO Technic Stunt Racer. While most LEGO creations can’t move under their own power, this neat little vehicle comes with a remote-control unit and an electric motor, allowing your child to experience the fun and challenge of assembling the Stunt Racer on their own and the satisfaction of completing it and piloting the fruits of their labor around the house.
Robot Inventor Building Set
And the last of my build-it-yourself sets…if you’re looking for the most advanced LEGO set possible for your kids, then the Robot Inventor Building Set is the one for you. This set allows your kids to build a variety of robots and also program the same robots via the Hub that is included in this kit.
Through the Robot Inventor App, your child can access tons of missions and activities that they can program their robots to complete. The Robot Inventor set is another excellent STEM learning toy, as it will help to really familiarize your kids with the ins and outs of mechanical engineering.
Of course, being that it’s all LEGO, all of the pieces in these sets are compatible with any other LEGO sets your kids might have, meaning more possibilities when it comes to what they can build.
Science Experiment Kit
What STEM list wouldn’t be complete without a classic science experiment kit. Science kits are great gifts if you’re looking for something fun and educational for your kid to do in their spare time. This particular science kit from Learn & Climb contains 21 different experiments for your kid to perform, including making colorful crystals, creating a lava lamp, and of course, the classic baking soda volcano.
What’s great about these basic science kits is that they’re designed to be accessible and easy to use for young kids. All the ingredients included in the kit are safe for kids to work with (although some of them shouldn’t be ingested, so this kit is most suitable for kids over the age of 5).
This kit contains everything you need to perform the experiments, aside from common household items like water, eggs, and oil. The kit also comes with a colorful, easy to read instruction manual containing step-by-step directions for each of the experiments.
The instruction manual also contains QR codes that your child can scan to view online videos walking them through the experiments.
I’m a fan of these science kits because of the variety included in them; with over 20 experiments to complete (in this science kit at least), your kids will be inclined to come back to this kit many times over.
Kid’s Telescope
Be honest; how many of you can say you actually own a regular telescope? While stargazing is pretty cool, there are a couple of common reasons why it’s not exactly an extremely popular activity.
For one, buying a decent telescope can oftentimes be fairly expensive, and with good telescopes, you often run into the problem of having a piece of equipment that is overly complicated and daunting to use. So you can see why it can sometimes be tricky to get into the world of stargazing, whether you’re a kid or an adult.
That’s why finding a good quality telescope that’s accessible to use for people of all skill levels is pretty special. And what better gift to give to your kids than something extra special?
This telescope from Gskyer (pronounced “gee-skyer”) is just such a telescope. It features optical capabilities and a resolution that are excellent at this price point. Assembly and use of the telescope are designed to be easy and user-friendly.
The kit includes two different eyepieces for different levels of magnification, as well as a Barlow lens that will increase the magnification of either eyepiece by up to three times. It’s lightweight, easy to disassemble, and comes with a carrying case so that you can easily pack up the telescope and take it with you on a camping excursion or anywhere else you want.
It also comes with a mounting bracket for a smartphone, so you can look through the eyepiece with your phone’s camera. The mounting bracket will help you use your phone to take gorgeous, high-definition pictures and videos of the moon and stars.
So if your child is interested in astronomy and space exploration, then a good beginner’s telescope can be an invaluable resource for your child to have.
Conclusion
Bright minds need to be challenged with interesting and fun toys that help them learn and grow. These STEM toys are so fun your child won’t even realizing their learning. So, whether it is for a birthday or Christmas, or some other important celebration, these gift ideas will keep your young Scientist and Engineers happily entertained.
For other gift ideas, see Unique Gifts for Kids and Gifts for the Parents.
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