Solar Photography Paper

SunPrint Paper Kit
Ages: 7 and up
When I worked with kids, one of the activities I liked to do in the summer was lay sheets of colored construction paper somewhere outside in the sun, and then have the kids find little things to put on top of the paper... a bottle cap maybe, a fork, a toy car, a flower. We would then go about our business for the day. At the end of the day we'd move all of the items off the paper, and find that the sun had "painted" a picture of the things we'd left there!
SunPrint paper is the same basic idea, but just way more vivid than plain construction paper. It is special paper that undergoes a chemical change in the sun. Looking online, I found some cool things people had done. If you have old photo negatives, you can lay them on the paper and see what happens. Or an X-ray. You could draw a picture on a clear plastic pane (like one of those overhead projector sheets) and then lay it on the paper. The ideas are endless. This can be for children or adults, because you can really work at your own level and do your own thing with this paper. That is why I wish I had some RIGHT NOW!

Organs

You've seen stuffed doggies, stuffed kitties, stuffed teddy bears... but what about a stuffed heart, a stuffed brain, or a stuffed gallbladder? These were created to be lighthearted gifts for people who were ill. Imagine your grandfather just had a heart attack, and you bring him the stuffed heart! It would be good for a chuckle, and a lot more memorable than a bouquet of flowers or a mushy card! However, kids and adults who are interested in anatomy will also love these weird plush toys.
Besides the stuffed heart, you can get a brain,  gall bladder, pancreas, colon, lungs, appendix, spleen, bladder, intestines, liver, and even a rectum or a uterus! Who could have imagined?

Primary Science Color Mixing Set

Primary Science Color Mixing Set
Ages: 3 and up
This is advertised as if for very young children, but I think older kids might like it too! I'm especially thinking of one 11-year-old boy I knew who loved when we did activities involving food colors... he wanted to mix them all together to create "potions." With this color mixing kit, one of the things you can do is mix drops of color together in a test tube to see what new colors they will create. You can also decide which colors to add to a customizable kaleidoscope, look through glasses with different colored lenses, spin a top that you can add different colored disks to, and more. This would be fun for anyone who is learning colors, likes colors, is visually stimulated by colors, or just wants to explore colors.

4M Weather Station Kit

4M Weather Station Kit
Ages: 8 and up
This is another kit for learning about weather. It includes a wind vane, an anemometer, a thermometer and a rain gauge. This set seems unique because you attach the contraption to the top of a water bottle or 2 liter bottle, and you can also put some plants inside the water bottle to use it as a terrarium and observe how the weather effects the growth of the plant. 
You can watch this video to see a review on it and to watch how the weather station works! 

Weather Lab

You Track It Weather Lab
Ages: 6 and up
For kids who want to learn about the weather, this is a good starter kit! It includes a weather vane, rain gauge, thermometer, compass, anemometer,  a glow-in-the-dark speed indicator, and a chart for keeping track of the weather from day to day. 
Keep in mind that this is more or less a toy, and the weather instruments are not the kind you might find in a high school science class. This is more of an introductory set for children who want to learn more about the weather. However, kids can have a lot of fun and learn a lot with it! 

Discovery Kids Extreme Weather Tornado Lab

Discovery Kids Extreme Weather Tornado Lab
Ages: 4 and up
This is not really a lab, but more like a display where you can view a miniature tornado in action. You can push buttons to control the speed of the tornado, and watch how it effects the little balls and foam squares inside it. You can look through the top of the container to get a birds-eye view of the vortex. It also makes tornado-like sound effects. One Amazon reviewer wrote, ."My 14 year old son has who has Autism is a very big fan of this tornado toy. He's always talking about tornados and when he got this for Christmas he was soooooooo happy. It spins so well and makes tornado noise like sounds." I think this would be a lot of fun to have!
Here is a video of a family that got a little creative with their Tornado Lab!

Galileo Thermometer

I've known several kids who loved learning about the weather. For the scientifically minded adult or child, the weather can be fascinating! What factors determine what the weather will be like? How are these factors measured?
I spent a lot of time looking for a children's weather station, but I couldn't find any that had consistently high reviews for quality and accuracy. Then I came upon something different... a Galileo thermometer! A Galileo thermometer is a cool looking thermometer that consists of different colored glass bubbles floating in a tube of clear liquid. I am no scientist, so I'm not really sure how to explain how it works, but if you want to find out (and explain it to your children... and to me...) you can read this web page. A Galileo thermometer can also be an educational project because you have to set it up yourself by adding the water and food coloring. The only thing I don't like about Galileo thermometers is that they will usually only work indoors, since most don't have a very wide temperature range... unless you live somewhere with a VERY mild climate! You might also want to explain to young weather enthusiasts that this is not the most accurate way of telling the temperature. The Galileo thermometer was invented in the 1600's, so it is primitive. In this digital age, kids are used to complete accuracy. It might be interesting for them to learn that, once upon a time, a lot of science was based on guesses!
I searched the Internet and found a few I liked. Want to see them? Sure you do!



Lily's Home Analog Weather Station
This one comes with a Galileo thermometer, a cool antique-looking hygrometer (which measures humidity. You probably already knew that.) and a glass barometer. I like it because of all of the different colors, and because it just looks fancy and scientific.


Ambient Weather Thermometer
This one may be a little more accurate than some others, because it has ten bubbles, separated by 4 degrees each. You can hang it in a window, and the sunlight looks very pretty shining through the colored bubbles.


Petite Weather Station
This one is cool because it also includes a Fitzroy Storm Glass, plus a  hygrometer and s clock. There are plenty of things to learn about here. Also it looks fancy.

Which one do you like best?

Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton Casting Kit

Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton Casting Kit
Ages: 4 and up
Did you ever make something with Plaster of Paris when you were a kid? It is a lot of fun to start out with a mushy liquid, and end up with a cool model that you can paint! With this kit, you start out by pouring the plaster (which they call "Perfect Plaster" into the mold. After the plaster has hardened, you pop the pieces out of the molds, and then you get to paint them! The kit also includes magnets that you can attach to the back of each piece, so you can assemble it like a sort of puzzle on a magnetic surface. Some people opt to glue the pieces together instead. The mold can be reused again and again... either as a mold for more plaster, or as a playdough mold, or even as a candy or cookie mold!
The kit also includes a booklet that shares interesting facts about the dinosaur, as well as the name, and function, of each individual bone. Kids who enjoy memorizing the names of things will enjoy this aspect of the kit!

Astronaut Costume

Aeromax Jr. Astronaut Suit
Ages: any age, up to size 12-14.
If you know a kid who takes his imaginary play very seriously, he's going to need a space suit like this. It includes authentic looking NASA patches. You can get it in white or orange.

Oh yeah, and she might also need this!

Space Monkey

NASA Space Monkey
Ages: 3 and up
Did you know that, before there were people in space, there were monkeys in space? It is actually kind of a sad subject because most of the monkeys either suffocated on their way to space or died on impact when their rockets crashed. But lets not tell little kids that. To them, this is just an adorable stuffed monkey in a space suit! He's about 11 inches tall, and includes a removable helmet and backpack. Okay, full disclosure... the Amazon link sells it for $45. which I think is a little steep for a stuffed monkey. You can find it for $19.99 at the Kennedy Space Center online store.

Space Exploration Toy Set

Space Exploration Toy Set
Ages: 6 to 10
For the kid who loves outer space and enjoys playing with toys and models related to space, this is a nice play set to have! It includes five toy rockets and five toy space flight vehicles. All of the items are models of actual NASA equipment! It also comes with an informational booklet so kids can read about the real rockets the toys are modeled after. This is also a collector's item, so you might be helping someone to start a new hobby!

DIno's Illustrated Map of the Solar System

Dino's Illustrated Map of the Solar System
This large, colorful poster is chock full of information! As you gaze upon this kid-friendly map, you'll learn about significant space missions, all of the main celestial bodies in the solar system, a timeline of the genesis and discovery of the solar system, configuration of the planets, lunar phases and eclipses, and a lot more! It is enough to make your head spin! You might have to cover it up at night so that your little astronomer will actually go to sleep.

VEX Robotics Orbit

VEX Robotics Orbit
Ages 8 and up
This is a great gift for someone who enjoys putting together mechanical things, and is also interested in space. This requires you to follow directions to put together a working model of the 1704 Orrery Planetary Machine.As you turn the crank, you can watch the earth move around the sun, and the sun move around the earth. There is a chart on the device that lets you see how much time is passing, as well as the phases of the moon. I'm pretty sure there are some kids out there who would quickly become obsessed with this toy! 

Telescope

Do you know someone who loves to look up at the night sky? What would he do if he had a telescope to look through? Every budding astronomist needs one of these. There are many different telescopes out there. If you are getting one for a child, I'm assuming you don't need a super-heavy-duty telescope, but more like a beginner's telescope. I am including three of the most top-rated, yet affordable telescopes you could find, in three different price ranges, for you to check out.




Balance Living Mini Telescope
If you want to spend less than $50, this is a great one for you! It comes with a rotating tripod, or you can take it off of the tripod (it is very light) and use it by itself. This is obviously not a professional telescope, but it is a good "starter" for a kid. It has 30X power, which allows you to see the things you would normally see in the sky, only much closer. Some people also use it for bird watching, or for live sporting events.




Balance Living Refractor Telescope
If you want to spend less than $100, here is a good option! A step up from the mini telescope described above, this one comes with two eye pieces, with 50X power and 100X power. It also has a focus knob. It is reportedly easy to put together, and is very lightweight. (The tripod is a little less than five feet tall, so if you are a tall person you may have trouble using it.) One Amazon reviewer said that it let him see the moon as if it were close enough to touch!




Twinstar AstroMark Telescope
If your budget is less than $150, try this telescope! According to the description and reviews, you will be able to see the craters of the moon, Saturn's rings, star clusters, and more. It also comes with a full-sized, adjustable tripod that can be made short enough for a child or tall enough for an adult, and is light enough for a child to put up. It comes with a map of the moon, Redshift 8 computer software to help you learn about outer space and constellations, and some glow-in-the-dark stars.


Have fun, star gazers!

Space Spinner Game

Space Spinner
Ages: 6 and up
Number of players: 2-4
This game involves putting small balls into a flying saucer, and then spinning the spinner so fast that the balls fly out and land inside a rocket ship. The first person to get all of their balls inside the rocket ship is the winner.
I was befuddled by the description of this game, so I had to look up more information. I found a video where someone demonstrates the game at the 2014 Toy Fair, and now it makes much more sense to me! The game uses centrifugal force, that helpful law of gravity that keeps you from falling out of the Gravitron at the carnival. You have one ball on the platform, you start spinning your saucer over the ball to get the ball captured inside it, and then you have to keep spinning your saucer to get the ball over to the rocket ship, where you can drop it in. Only one person can drop a ball in at a time, so you have to race with others to get your ball over there.

The only problem I can see with this game is that, if you have kids who have trouble with "sportsmanship" or handling frustration and anger, this could quickly escalate. I can see all of those little arms shoving each other out of the way, until one is pulling the other's hair, and it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt! BUT it still definitely looks like a cool game. If your child does have trouble handling competitive games, maybe you could start by playing it alone with him, so he can practice with someone who is understanding and accepting and won't hit him back. I'd really like to try this game. It looks intriguing! Watch this video to see for yourself.

Meteorite Dig Kit

Meteorite Dig kit
Ages: 6 and up
Wouldn't it be cool to find a meteorite? This kit comes with a brick of soil that actually has a meteorite somewhere inside. Like a real scientist, you get to use a chisel and brush to excavate the meteorite. Then you can take a close look at it with the included magnifying glass, read more about it in the "adventure guide," and do some related activities in the activity book. This is the perfect gift for the space-obsessed kid!

Glow-In-The-Dark Solar System Mobile Making Kit

Glow In The Dark Solar System Mobile Making Kit
Ages: 8 and up
If you know of someone who loves outer space, they might really love making their own solar system! With this kit, you can put together and paint the planets and the sun, and then hang it up in your bedroom so you can watch it all night long! It also comes with a poster with facts about the solar system. I can think of several kids I've known over the years who would have gone nuts over this!

Top Secret Perpetually Spinning Top

Fascinations Top Secret
Ages: 4 and up
Do you know someone who likes to watch things spin? They will love this top! Once it gets going, it can spin for hours, and even days, without stopping! Put it on your coffee table. When a guest comes over, and starts fidgeting with it, watch their amazement when the top never stops! Maybe a science buff can help explain why. (It is small and has a battery, so don't give to people who put things in their mouths indiscriminately!)
Watch this to see someone try it out!

Lightup Edison Kit to Learn About Electrical Circuits

LightUp Edison Kit
Ages:6 and up
For the budding scientist or inventor, here is a kit that helps kids learn about electricity and circuits! No tools are needed. Kids just snap blocks together, following the directions that are included, to build machines that really work! The projects you can make include a night light, morse code beeper, dimmer switch, conductivity tester, light sensor, and light beeper.
Some reviews I've read have complained that the kit doesn't actually come with directions. You are supposed to download an app on a tablet, and get more specific directions there. Reviews say that an Apple tablet works much better, although supposedly there is an Android app as well. If you are able to get the app, you can take a picture of the item you create, and it helps you understand how to work it or what you need to do to fix it.
Here is a demo of how it works!