If your kid starts showing an aptitude towards science and education, it’s probably a good thing to encourage. This young person could advance humanity, and potentially land a full college scholarship in the process. Here are some of the best ways to begin to develop that natural curiosity into a lovely Nobel Prize.
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies H-racer 2.0
If your kids have embraced learning and science, it’s the perfect opportunity to teach them why batteries suck, and introduce them to better alternatives. Using solar power and hydrolysis, this kit produces hydrogen that powers this RC car. It’s clean, renewable, and you’ll never have to buy another copper top again.
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Snap Circuits Jr SC-100
Before they’re old enough to handle a soldering iron, you can foster your child’s interest in electronics and tinkering with this building set that teaches the basics of circuit design. Instead of wires and solder, all the components safely snap together and easily come apart again, letting them build over 100 different projects from this kit alone. ~$25.
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Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0
Lego is already the best toy you can get your kids. But Lego that lets you design, build, and program robots? You’re pretty much guaranteeing them an MIT engineering scholarship with the NXT 2.0 set. And if they get good enough, you can encourage them to build a tiny robot assistant to help them keep their room clean. ~$240.
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Periodic Table Building Blocks
Sure, learning their ABCs is an important place for any kid to start their academic career. But once they’ve nailed A through Z they’ll want to move onto something more challenging. Like building blocks featuring all the elements on the Periodic Table and their chemical symbols. It encourages both a love for chemistry and architecture as they build elaborate castles or complicated compounds. ~$40.
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Celestron LCD Handheld Digital Microscope
A passion for unlocking the secrets of the universe doesn’t have to wait until your kid goes off to college. With up to 54X optical zoom this handheld microscope turns your entire backyard into their first laboratory, letting them study everything from insects, to plants, to whatever geological treasures they can unearth. ~$64.
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Plush Celestial Buddies
Why wait until your new arrival is crawling to introduce them to the wonderful world of science? These plush planets will fill their crib with all the wonders of our local galaxy. Instead of growing up with some random stuffed bear just imagine them wandering the house draggin Saturn, Mercury or Mars behind them. Adorable. $22-$30.
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Khet 2.0 Deflection Laser Game
On their own lasers are inexplicably entertaining. But incorporated into a board game, they’re even awesomer. Who cares about amassing a monopoly when Khet has you strategically placing mirrors and obstacles around a board to bounce an eye-safe laser towards your opponent’s token? Pew pew! ~$35.
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Portal 2 PotatOS Science Kit
Even science-minded kids have trouble resisting the allure of video games. But thanks to the developers at Valve, that’s OK. One of the most entertaining characters in Portal 2 was the PotatOS you had to carry around. And with this kit, your kid can make their own potato-powered sidekick that lights up and talks. ~$30.
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Got a better idea? Share it with us. We truly want to make sure these guides help people buy epic holiday gifts, and many minds are better than a few.