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Science Gifts For Kids?
beernutmark writes "I have two science-loving kids ages 7 and 9. My youngest knew Neil deGrasse Tyson's name at age 4. With the holidays coming up, I am looking to get them some quality science-related tools. Two items on the list are a quality microscope and/or a real rock-hounding kit. I am looking for any other gift suggestions for this year or future years (or even for younger kids for other readers) and hints on good sources."
Think Geek
If they Dig astronomy that is
they have some cool kits.
Maybe they'll grow up to be Quantum Physicists.
Try
Think Geek
American Science and surplus.
HobbyTron(Ramsey)
Some gifts
Lego
Mind Storms.
Any thing with gears and wheels.
Lincoln logs
Erector Sets
legos are good for modular design, infinite re-use--but you might stay away from the technical or specialty sets, as they tend to be more problematic and less re-usable; capsuela is good for basic gears and so on, and modularity; We also played with BASIC a bit at that age, IIRC. Oh, and Rocky's boots. You must get rocky's boots. Digital Logic for kids.
Some of these may have modern equivalents...
-- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
You can buy it here
You could help them build a processing plant to purify it and then eventually have your own little nuclear reactor. All the other kids in the neighborhood will be soooo jealous!
I'd never heard of him, but apparently his name is actually "Neil deGrasse Tyson".
And knowing the names of scientists is more to do with history than actual science.
[/complaining]
which is totally what she said
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3814337#
A crystal radio kit. A Radio Shack 101 experiments in one. A basic Stamp kit. Mindstorms. A chemistry set. Magnets. Rocket kit.
Even something more technical that a parent or grandparent would enjoy doing as a project together with the kid. I've got fond memories of designing circuits with my father, building things with my grandfather, etc.
A witty saying proves you are wittier than the next guy.
Chemistry Kits:
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=89
Electronics Kits
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=49
Sorry to make it look like spam, but I'm a fan of the "Make" site.
This isn't exactly astronomy related like Niel deGrass Tyson's stuff, but when I was a kid I got an electronics set, complete with a bread-board, several LED's, a rheostat, heaps and heaps of resistors and capacitors, and several other things having to do with digital and analog circuitry. That was one of the best Christmas presents I ever got, and still from time to time wish I had it to pull out and tinker with. I remember one time I probably could have burned the house down had I not smelled the melting plastic on the set. What happened was that I had learned at school how to make an electromagnet out of a battery, a coil of wire, and a nail. Well, I did the same thing with the set when I got home, but then left it on for about an hour. As you well may know, connecting the two terminals of a battery without any resistor can cause the batteries to overheat, and most likely rupture. I think I probably caught the thing just before the batteries broke, because they were very hot. Anyway, I'm rambling, but you get the idea: I learned to love tinkering with electronics as a kid, and now am majoring in Computer Science.
The only way to tell the difference between a hamster and a gerbil is that the hamster has more white meat.
and challenge them to make a working breeder reactor. I hear they do that sort of thing in the boy scouts.
The Galileoscope is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators. No matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago
priced at U.S. $20 each plus shipping
https://www.galileoscope.org/
Get them self defense classes.
Snap Circuit Kits make good introductions to electronics. Think circuitry LEGOs.
http://www.elenco.com/snapcircuits.html
Fools ignore complexity; pragmatists suffer it; experts avoid it; geniuses remove it. ~A. Perlis
Maybe they'll grow up to be Quantum Physicists.
Goddammit, the deadness of a dead cat can be determined classically. Like with a stick, say.
Way to kill the kids' dreams.
Actually, the way physics has gotten so fucking esoteric, Schrodinger's cat is passe. What you do is get them a box with no cat in it. Then they can argue about whether there is a parallel box in the next county that does have a cat in it, or whether there is currently a dark, unobservable cat in the box. Or whether there is actually a box at all, or if we've invented the whole thing.
Before you know it, they'll come up with something so dumb they'll be offered tenure.
I've had good luck and good service from http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ Home Science Tools. I got presents for my nephews there this year, they have all sorts of fun kits and things, (including a very nice rockhound kit) and the prices seemed pretty competitive. Even ordering last week I got the stuff pretty quickly.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way, just a satisfied customer.
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.
Whatever you do, find something where there's real teaching and interactivity and creative thinking going on -- not just polishing some rocks or a step-by-step Lego project. And furthermore, interacting with your child while they're using whatever science gift you pick is also extremely valuable.
Ages 7 and 9 may be a bit young... but we know that 11-year olds do well with getting introduced to electronics and programming, and the interaction that it offers with the physical world through various sensors and actuators. In our experience at NerdKits electronics kits, our youngest customers tend to learn the fastest, because they are the most fearless! They're able to try building something, get something wrong, but just keep working at it until they succeed. Our various free video tutorials help teach various electronics and programming concepts as well.
Here's an 11-year-old's NerdKits "Kid Review" in Make Magazine, or a reading by the author of the review.
Challenge them a bit -- with a bit of guidance, they're capable of taking on more than you might think!
Great for engineering and then for programming. There are also a number of cool books that can go along with the set.
A decent microscope that you plug into your TV. The kids have had theirs for a year and still play with it all the time.
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
Why are you asking Slashdot? Have you tried, like, asking THEM? I know you're nerds and all, but geez.
Swiss army knife
Magnifying glass.
Soldering iron.
Don't fall for anything made of plastic that says "Educational!" on the package. Science toys don't teach kids anything. Parents do! Look for something that you can do and learn together. Steer towards gifts that have wider applications, e.g. don't get a telescope, get binoculars! Don't get a microscope, get a hand magnifying glass! Don't get a nature DVD, get a bird book!
You should check out They Might Be Giants' newest album "Here Comes Science" (a CD/DVD combo, available at Amazon for $13).
And if things don't work out in the science field, they can use it to weigh their drugs.
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
Don't just go out and get a telescope without a good book to go with it.
I've been using one of David Levy's books with my kids... something similar to:
David Levy's Guide to the Night Sky
that I found in the bargain bin some time ago. It has great introduction and background, plus points of interest to look for in every constellation. Much better than the rudimentary charts that come packaged with most telescopes.
Also, it recommends first starting with a good pair of binoculars before moving on to telescopes. Which are also more practical for virtually any other kind of natural sciences pursuit as well.
...Ages 7 and 9 may be a bit young... but we know that 11-year olds do well with getting introduced to electronics and programming
11?!? What the Hell are you talking about?
My 8 yr old has worked for years in BASIC and the Mindstorm's awful visual environment, has passed SnapCircuits (which rock) and starting raw wiring comps. Even my 5 year old is starting to work in Logo. Sure, they're quick, but statistically speaking I bet most of the kids of Slashdot readers are!
Don't ever assume something's too hard. Throw them in the deep end and see what happens, you'll be surprised, and you can always give 'em a hand if they're drowing. Expect a lot and you'll get a lot.
For the microscope, get them interested with a "toy" one for about $30 and if they find that fun, move on to a more serious unit for $300 and up.
Binoculars. I've been happier with binocs I picked up for $25 than I have been with a pair I bought for $150. Once you start spending over $50, you're best to do your research and buy a pair around the $200-$300 from a reputable brand. 7x50 is best for astronomy. Anything over 10x isn't suitable to hand hold. Zoom binocs are more fragile.
Telescope. DO NOT pick up a department store telescope. Start them off with a dobsonian. (Good for everything but deep sky photography). What counts most in a telescope for deep sky observing is diameter. 8" is a good compromise. These days you can larger telescopes that collapse so you might be able to go up to about 12" but price increases with size. Make sure it fits in your car.
Hiking GPS. One that does mapping. I'm partial to Garmin.
Camera. Often overlooked, it can be used for a wide variety of things. Low power microscopy, bird identification. Something that does PASM. Ideally something that has decent macro and has at least 10x zoom. You can pick up brand new cameras that fit this description for around $200. They won't match much more expensive camera, but they do well. Next step up is an SLR.
Radio scanner. Becoming less of a good idea as transmissions are moving towards encryption. But still an excellent tool for plane spotting. Take s snapshot with a good zoom camera and you'll be able to look up the plane's registration in a publicly available database which will give you make, model, owner etc.
Chem sets might be disappearing but electronics kits that teach the basics are still around.
For younger ages a good mechano set isn't a bad place to start learning basic engineering principles.
Kites and remote control aircraft are excellent for teaching about aerodynamics. Anyone can fly a small kite but if you want to learn to fly r/c aircraft be sure to join a club and do it right or you'll waste time and money and have frustrated kids. Best idea these is to start on a simulator.
Never forget the value of a good book or documentary. Carl Sagan's Cosmos is a little bit dated but still excellent. Universe. Walking with Dinosaurs....lots of good science stuff available. Your kids don't need to be cartoon and fairytale drones. You can set up one day a week to watch a series. If it's available for free on TV all the better.
Check out some of the excellent scientific software around. Some of the most amazing stuff is free. From planetarium software to math software, it's all there if you're willing to spend time learning and teaching with it. Don't discount web sites as well. I can think of a couple of incredible web sites including NASA and Hubblesite. There's a lot of stuff that's out of copyright but still relevant. I just downloaded some out of copyright birding books the other day. Check out open library. There may even be value in university level Open Course Ware depending on the subject (but remember your kids don't know calculus so keep math topics light).
If there's a local library, get your kids a library card and take them there when you can.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Your Time. Don't just give them the kit (any kit) and leave it at that. Sit with them and YOU start making stuff with them looking and get them more involved as you go along. I remember my first geek activity. It was when I was 4-5 years old . My father took apart an antique clock apart and cleaned it and later asking me to do small things to do. That is what got me hooked to DIY. Later when I was about 7-8 years old my mom used to read short Sci-Fi stories to me and that's what got me hooked into reading. Spend time with your kids, they will be far more involved with whatever you do. As for the kits, anything from Chemistry kits to making models are equally simulating the important thing is getting started at an early age.
Galileoscopes are $15 and have the added benefit that they are kits. Buy a couple. They are better and cheaper than toy-store variety. The best scope is one that gets used. (https://www.galileoscope.org/) I did a lot of research and a great, low cost, entry level microscope is something called a "My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope". It sounds fishy but is sturdy, well made and not horrible optically - it runs about $60. Give "The World of the Microscope" book to go along with it. The Eyeclops(http://www.eyeclops.com/) is good for some things too if you have a TV to plug it in to. We buy a lot of equipment from Homesciencetools.com (http://www.hometrainingtools.com/) and American Science Surplus(http://www.sciplus.com/). Then best chemistry sets are the Thames and Kosmos sets. They are the least watered-down sets available now.
I suggest checking out the Galileoscope:
https://www.galileoscope.org
a cheap ($20) telescope designed as part of the International Year of Astronomy to meet or exceed the specifications of Galileo's original telescope.
I've got a number of them -- they're great for kids and adults.
Microscope is the best. Decades of fun. They're old enough for a real one but even one of the cheap $25 kiddie scopes open up the world if the little things. Get one that is both optical and digital to connect to the computer. We got a National Optical Model DC-128 and love it.
Next is a telescope.