We’ve always tried to foster an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) in our children, as you can see in this article. Is there a birthday, or other celebratory occasion, coming up in your household? Or a friends birthday party coming up? Why not gift a science related present to the lucky boy or girl?
Dinossaurs
Since writing that article, we were given a dinosaur excavation kit which the girls (3 and 4 years old) loved. This one is similar to the one we had and I trust National Geographic so I thought I’d add it here, as it’s super easy to order from Amazon.
After starting ‘excavating’ we also watched a couple of the National Geographic Kids videos on Youtube about archeology and paleontology, and the eldest found it very interesting.
You can also gift a National Geographic Kids magazine subscription and join their Kids Club on the National Geographic Kids website.
Museums
A day out a Museum like the Science Museum and National History Museum is always a winner. Their programme is fantastic and there are plenty of nice places to eat nearby to make the child’s birthday date extra special.
If you’re a regular, you may wish to consider getting a family membership. The National History Museum family memberships starts at £87 per year
Lego
Did you know that Lego is a great toy to learn through play and to teach STEM subjects? This blogger has a few ideas to learn science with Lego and you can find many more online.
As for gifts, I never had a disappointed giftee when I gifted a Lego. Just recently we gifted a Friends set to our 7 years old niece and she loved it.
Don’t be fooled by the purple colour in this series which was designed ‘for girls’. There’s still construction involved!
John Lewis
I’m a huge fan of John Lewis. A good selection of products, reasonably priced. they have a good toy section, which includes over a 100 science related toys. If you have a Waitrose near you you can get yout items delivered there for pick up which can be convenient. See John Lewis selection of science toys
Books and other toys
We got this book recently from Amazon which we loved. It’s about a little girls that likes to invent things but they don’t always work, which makes her feel dispirited and wanting to quit. Her grandad encourages her to persist, she does and the result is of course a happy ending! A great book about little wacky aspiring scientists, resilience and persistence.
This blog post includes more suggestions of science related toys and books for children, such as this one.
Happy discoveries!
