My position on toys is...
WHEN A TOY DOES LESS, A CHILD CAN DO MORE
If you are interested in having me review your product on my blog please email me at thetoysnob(at)gmail(dot)com!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Totally Rad Science

When I was in college I heard first hand from elementary teachers who said there was just not enough time for cool science lessons and experiments. They said a lot of kids grow up uninterested in science because the teachers don't make it fun and exciting. Most of the time I remember having to read a super boring text book then answer all the odd questions in the Chapter Review section. That was the extent of my "science lessons" in elementary. By the time I got to junior high and high school I was at the point where I'd rather be in my seat reading about it instead of doing it because I just didn't care. None of my early years teachers had ever made it sound exciting enough to want to learn more. The kids that did like it were the "nerds" and were singled out. Well, that's all changing with today's cool science kits. Have you seen them? They are literally everywhere! They are super popular right now. Your kids will love doing these experiments with you. At LEAST once a week I hear from my almost-five-year-old, "Moooom, can we do a science esspearimint?" We do one at a time and they don't take longer than 15 minutes or so each. Then, I let him play and "esspearimint" on his own for a bit with the materials we've just used.

This experiment taught about acids and bases. My son went around the kitchen and bathroom selecting different liquids to test.




He loved using the dropper and test tubes!




Mixing different ingredients to make fizz!


This experiment taught about magnets, and their north and south poles.



The first few experiments featured were from Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists by Scientific Explorer ($19.99). I purchased this locally at Tutoring Toy.




The last experiment, the magnets, was from this set, Young Scientist Series - Set 1: Recycling (Kit 1) - Scientific Measurements (Kit 2) - Magnets (Kit 3). A big THANK YOU to Discover This for sending it for us to review!



Either of these or the many more out there would make a fun, entertaining, and educational Christmas present for the 4 and up set! There are a whole bunch of science kits out there just waiting to be "discovered." And who knows, you just might spark of love of science in your child!

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