Science Gift Guide

by | Dec 28, 2016 | Genetic Journal | 0 comments

Inspire a kid in your life to explore the world through science by giving them a science-themed gift. There are endless gifts to pick from! Science toys teach skills in fields like engineering, chemistry, biology, astronomy, physics, mathematics, anatomy, genetics, and robotics. Check out our gift guide below for places to find inspiring and fun science presents. Some of which were under our Christmas trees this year! Did you give/receive any awesome gifts this year to add to our list? Tweet us at @mygenecounsel with #sciencegiftguide.

KiwiCo

Get a science/art subscription crate directly to your or your loved one’s door every month. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! There are seven different crates based on age, and the types of projects vary. Their tinker crate, shown above, is designed for ages 9-16 and features science and engineering projects. This crate includes blueprints, video tutorials, and extra projects.

Girls Who Code Book

“Part how-to, part girl-empowerment, and all fun, this non-fiction book created by Girls Who Code CEO and Founder, Reshma Saujani, is an invitation to the wonderful world of coding. Whether you’re a girl who’s never coded before, a girl who codes, or a parent raising one, this entertaining book, printed in bold two-color and featuring art on every page, will have you itching to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place.” There is also a fiction series from Girls Who Code, about a girl joining the coding club to develop an app and make new friends.

Princess Awesome

A company that offers a new way to be girly with dresses that have designs like dinosaurs, robots, atoms, and rocket ships. Princess Awesome is “a company founded by women – mothers – who want girls to be able to express themselves through their clothing. We are committed to making clothes that girls want to wear and that parents want to see on their daughters.”

Insect Lore Live Cup of Caterpillars

Our CEO Ellen Matloff’s pick are these live caterpillars. This package includes “five live caterpillars and all of the nutritious food they need to develop into beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies. Observe the miraculous butterfly life cycle up close in your own home or classroom. The entire project takes approximately three weeks.” You can also release live ladybugs in your garden! A tip: don’t ever bring them into your house. And release at least 25 feet from your house in a garden setting, preferably with tomato plants. Best if you live in a warm climate if you are giving around the holiday season.

Rachel Ignotofsky’s Books

Rachel Ignotofsky wrote the inspiring and beautiful Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed The World. This New York Times best selling book “highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world.” A great companion, I Love Science: A Journal For Self-Discovery And Big Ideas is a guided journal for young women and girls based on the book.

GoldieBlox

“Construction toy + storybook set featuring the world’s first girl engineer character, Goldie Blox! In this kit, Goldie builds a spinning machine to help her dog, Nacho, chase his tail. Kids can help Goldie build a belt drive machine to spin everybody at once! Introduces the real-life STEM concept of a belt drive.” GoldieBlox toys “teach a variety of engineering and problem solving skills, such as: wheels and axles, hinges and levers, pulleys, gears, animation and more. In the future, we’ll be adding motors, circuits and even coding!”

Svaha Apparel

“Be prepared to get complimented on your cool genes in this awesome women’s dress! This science-inspired dress was designed to capture the inherent splendor of the DNA double helix. We turned the blueprints of life into an awesome horizontal stripe design. This dress was created to honor the brilliant work of Rosalind Franklin and to celebrate her contributions as a pioneer in the field of molecular biology. This organic cotton sleeveless dress features a flattering scooped V-neckline and a flared skirt with pockets. However, the true beauty of this dress is in its genetics!” Check out the website for other unique science-based apparel and accessories.

Geek Wrapped

Robotics Smart Machines “gives children a simple, fun, and customizable introduction to robotics that lets them build eight amazing motorized machines. It’s an awesome introduction to science, engineering, robotics, and electronics – all at the same time!”

Scientifics Direct

The Astroscan Millennium Telescope is a portable and powerful tool to explore the world of astronomy with razor sharp views of our universe. It even includes a scientific star and planet locator. “Using the correct eyepiece, with time and patience, you’ll soon marvel at the majesty of the planets: find Saturn with its majestic rings and Titan, its largest moon; view Mars with its white polar ice cap and orange deserts; discover Jupiter and its four largest moons, lo, Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede; follow Venus, the most luminous of the planets.”

Osmo Coding Game

“Osmo Coding teaches problem solving and logic skills; it helps kids succeed in an increasingly digital world. With Osmo, coding is approachable, creative, and fun. Just snap physical blocks together to create sequences of commands and easily learn computer programming fundamentals. Works with iPad Pro 9.7 inch, all iPad Mini, all iPad Air, all iPad 2 and up.“

Fat Brain Toys

One of many science kits available on Fat Brain Toys, My First Mind Blowing Science, provides 11 experiments: “erupt a color changing volcano, mix up magic ooze with a mind of its own, mix safe chemicals and watch colors change before your eyes, play with sand that never gets wet, set up a weather station, explore acids and bases, make clouds and icebergs, create crystals, and watch powders dance.”

A Few Additions From Twitter