With so many amazing educational science products to choose from, it’s hard to find the best. What will excite the science enthusiast in your life? With gift-giving for the upcoming holidays high in my mind, I can already tell it’ll be difficult to figure out what to get for the people in my life. And I can’t be the only one in this position!
To make the search for gifts easier, I did the hard work for all of us. You’ll find the best (of the best) products across all of the applied sciences that we cater to. These are the basics, but they’re anything but basic. These are the all-time classics that every science enthusiast should experience. It’s a chance to perform exceptional demonstrations first hand, in a way that excites all scientists and ignites a passion for the scientific in young minds.
Check out what I came up with:
Star & Planet Locator
Teach yourself how to read the night sky. This tool has been professionally calibrated by astronomer and author Jim Mullaney, ensuring accuracy as you track the stars and terrestrial objects of the sky. It even includes a 16-page, fully illustrated booklet with more information about understanding and unlocking the cosmos.
This is a must for any stargazer! This locator makes it easy to pinpoint the position of 500 stars and the naked-eye Planets. It’s like a roadmap to the night sky focused on precision. Plus, it’s updated every 4 years for accuracy. If you still own one from many years ago, it’s time to get a new one.
I got one of these for my sister and her family. It made working with the telescope more satisfying since we were able to figure out first where to look and then what we were looking at. My favorite part is that it works for any time of year, so as the view of the sky shifts, so does the information on the locator. That definitely stopped us from looking for a few constellations at the wrong time of year.
Star & Planet Locator (#3009227)
Complete Labware Kit in a Wood Case
with adult supervision
At first look, this isn’t the most exciting item on the list, but it unlocks the most potential. This set of labware includes 16 pieces (plus safety glasses) of quality labware. It’s reusable, easy to clean and your key to endless science experiments at home! It also comes in a nice carrying case for easy storage and plenty of protection.
This is perfect for serious chemistry students and is sure to ignite a scientific spark in others as science leaves the classroom and comes home in the form of fun experiments. Whether you want to experiment with chemical reactions, heat transfers, molecular bonds, solutions or more, this labware kit makes it possible!
Complete Labware Kit in a Wood Case (#3156610)
The Chaos Tower
It’s quickly becoming apparent that this is one of my favorite products that we carry. Like an oversized game of mousetrap, the Chaos Tower triggers a massive chain of reactions with a ball rolling down a windy path of twists and turns. This GIANT contraption is versatile and fun while encouraging experiments about chain reactions and physics concepts.
This great gift for elementary schools continues to be educational up through high school when physics classes start. Your child will still be able to enjoy the Chaos Tower as they adapt their greater understanding of the theory of gravity and the laws of motion. It’s guaranteed hours of fun whatever the age.
Single Barrel Rock Tumbler
While rocks and gemstones are already fascinating, it takes a proper machine to bring out their true intrigue and luster. This kit has a 3 lb. capacity rubber barrel, perfect for rocks, gemstones and grit. Our Single Barrel Rock Tumbler is used by professional jewelers to bring out the wow-factor of various types of stones and rocks.
Whether new to the hobby or an old-hand at it, it’s a great addition to anyone’s collection. It’s perfect for hobbyists and jewelers of all types to create a perfect end result, including gemstones suitable for jewelry-making. If this is something you’re interested in, you don’t want to miss out on it. We also have an Accessory Kit (#3052042) for the tumbler to keep things convenient and easy.
Single Barrel Rock Tumbler (#3080276)
Magic Penny Kit
There’s a reason this kit has been around for YEARS. People love it – including myself. It’s a fun and safe way to play with magnets in a way that provides endless possibilities. The kit includes 44 activities to get you started, but there’s so much more you can do with the kit (the limit is your imagination). You can even up the ante by adding more magnetic items like paperclips and washers (American coins won’t work).
Aside from the base fun provided by magnets (which is quite a lot), it’s a great tool to explore science and math. Your child will be able to safely experiment with magnetic forces, motion, stability geometry and more – and that’s if you’re willing to let go of it.
It’s irresistible fun! We used to have this out at the office. It was just set up on a table next to someone’s desk. It is no longer there since we would all get to distracted by it. Everyone wanted to come and try something with it.
Student Microscope w/ LED & Mechanical Stage
Whether the classroom is in the school in town or in the living room, this microscope is the perfect tool to enhance and enrich your child’s learning experience. This microscope is classroom quality, offering a learning experience that will allow you to properly see the microscopic elements of the world.
This microscope includes all the bells and whistles to truly enrich the learning process. Adjustment of the slides is easy with forward/backward and left/right controls. And with total magnification of 40x to 100x and three different eyepieces, it’s the perfect student microscope. There’s even a built in LED to make it easier to see the sample.
While this microscope is a little more expensive, you’re really getting what you pay for. You’ll be able to use this for years to come, uncovering the world at a cellular level. Whether you’re homeschooling or just a curious mind fueled by biology, you’re missing out without a powerful microscope. You won’t realize how much you want to see the microscopic world until you have the power to in your home.
Student Microscope w/ LED & Mechanical Stage (#3157464)
Complete Owl Pellet Lab Kit with 3 Pellets
This is a classic science experiment that allows you to get an up-close and personal look at nature and wildlife that you don’t normally get to see. Dissect owl pellets, or dried and sanitized owl puke. Uncover what the owl ate by identifying and reassembling the bones within. You may even find hair, fur and feathers – whatever the owl can’t digest.
It’s a great way to learn about biology and the natural world. Plus, the kit includes everything you need to dissect the pellets and a bone chart to help you identify it all.
I actually did this in my 9th grade bio lab. I remember my partner and I didn’t find anything interesting, but plenty of my classmates did! It was a little gross at first, but that was part of the fun. It was one of the first experiments we did and it got all of us excited for the year and the science.
Complete Owl Pellet Lab Kit with 3 Pellets (#3156996)
8” Plasma Lightning Ball
This is a science classic that never ceases to amaze, and I don’t use those words lightly. It combines science and art to produce a huge coolness factor. The ball blends specially formulated inert gases to create a dramatic display of light inside.
It’s even more cool when you begin to interact with it. Touch the surface of the glass and watch colored bolts of light follow your fingertips. Note, it’s not really a toy, but it makes an excellent science display.
When I saw this, I was instantly thrown back to middle school. In 7th grade, I remember my teacher pulled one of these out for the lesson. It was possibly the most fun I had in a science class. We all had a chance to go up and play with it, see how it reacted while the rest of the class would watch and laugh.
8” Plasma Lightning Ball (#3081803)
Wave Form Helix
Now this should look pretty familiar and you may already be brimming with nostalgia. This metal helix was made focusing on performance; that means that it has a higher spring rate constant than others on the market. It’s way more fun then and can do more. The plastic ones just don’t work the same as they did when you were little, but this helix does!
This helix is found in schools across the nation, demonstrating basic principles of physics. See Newton’s laws and wave motions in action in one of the most fun ways. It’s an exciting scientific demonstration to show off at home. It’s easy to get the whole family – especially the little ones – gathered around the table or staircase and see what a high-performance helix can really do.
Hydraulic Arm Kit
This has so much science built into it that it’d normally take at least three products to replicate it. Plus, the kit hits on every letter of STEM, so there’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics rolled into one impressive, robotic arm. It’s perfect hands-on (arms-on?) learning!
This kit starts as a challenging DIY project that comes together in 229 pieces with the help of detailed, easy-to-follow instructions. Once that’s complete, you can get straight to operating it – no batteries required (it’s powered by water!). You’ll be able to move it along 6 axes and try to pick up different sized objects.
This is a science demonstration like no other. It touches on so many things in a fun way that not every high school student gets to see. Plus, it’s a great challenge for them to experiment with. My best friend’s little brother would love this thing. He’s 14 and would love to pour himself into building this and then show it off to his friends, mastering his lifting technique along the way. With confidence I can say that this is perfect for at least one person in everyone’s life (and not just the kids).
DuinoKit Jr.
Name a better way to learn the coding basics of Arduino software, I’m waiting. There isn’t! This kit makes a great introductory to coding and programming using Arduino software. This kit includes 10 mission cards with projects for you to complete, challenging you to really learn. The plug and play connectors on the board allow for you to easily transition from project to project.
Upon the completion of all the missions, you’ll have displayed text on an LCD screen, created a real time clock, made a weather station, and experimented with blinking and color changing LEDs and more. You’ll just need to download the software to get started.
Whether you already love coding and just want to learn a new software or are new to programming altogether, this kit is a great place to start familiarizing yourself with Arduino. It’s a directed kit so you’ll know where and how to get started making it so much less intimidating. Plus, it comes in a metal carry case like something out of a James Bond movie.
14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit
Transform one robot into 14 different modes that all run off of solar energy. Divided into two levels of building difficulty, the fun with this kit keeps going. Once your little one is comfortable with the easier builds, they’ll be able to step it up and take on the more challenging set.
Each mode, though, whatever the difficulty is tons of fun. It’s loaded with exciting features like transparent gear housing and adjustable solar panels. Coolest part yet – it can run on land or water depending on the feature. You can go from a roaming beetle to a boat that’ll race across the water.
This is a great way to see solar power first hand as each version of the robot comes to life when it catches beams of direct sunlight. It’s a scientific demonstration that’s easy to follow and fun to play with. It’s even fun building.
14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit (#3153198)
The Best Take Away
We almost have too many really cool products – I know I was overwhelmed by it when I first started. But there’s some things you definitely don’t want to miss. That’s why I compiled this list for the science enthusiasts and the loved-ones of science enthusiasts.
Everything on this list is among the best we have to offer. There’s something for everyone on this list as there’s an incredible scientific demonstration for each of the applied sciences that we supply.
I’d say my favorites include the Star & Planet Locator and the 8” Plasma Lightning Ball, but each thing on this list truly offers an amazing and unique learning experience. If this list was only your starting place in your hunt for the perfect gift and you’d like to see what else we have to offer, check out our Best Sellers category for more science-filled products and experiments!
SHOP GIFTS IN OUR BEST SELLERS
