Product Reviews

Looking for Buiding Toys For Girls? Check This Post Before Buying

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STEM concept has really given a great edge to girl children. Yes, as a parent of two daughters, I am glad to work on this concept that helps girls to understand science in a practical way. In that order, I have posted several experiments for your benefit too. In this section I am going to take you through different building toys for girls. Building blocks allow kids to learn number, color, improve their fine motor skill and concentration as well.

I have collected 16 best building toys for girls across the age group. This ranges from newborn baby till they become an adult. Trust me you can find one for your girl even at their teenage and make them think creatively to construct using these building toys.  

  1. Toys – One Two Squeeze Baby Blocks

 

Manufactured by ‘B. Toys by Battat’, this set of blocks features numbers, shapes, animals, and textures. Hence it is appropriate for children of 6 months to 3 years of age, providing learning experiences to toddlers and preschoolers.

 

The set contains 10 stackable, soft blocks in a reusable bag. The blocks are even chewable as they are made of plastic that is BPA-free and phthalates-free. This is convenient as children in this age-group do tend to put everything in their mouth and have teething problems. These blocks are a learning aid for colors, numbers, names of animals and hand-eye coordination.

 

Pros

The blocks are easy to stack, the colors bright and animal designs attractive for children. Squeezing them makes sound and this feature is useful for building some muscle strength for toddlers. The material is safe for babies.

 

Cons

The range of colors could be better, having fewer shades of orange and more green. The blocks can be wiped clean but cannot be washed even though the material is washable. Water can fill up in the blocks, making them unsafe for children. The size of blocks could be too big for six-month-olds to handle.

 

Rating

1347 customers have reviewed the product, 84% giving it a five-star rating and 10% giving four stars. Overall rating is a very high 4.8.

 

  1. Uncle Goose Classic ABC Blocks

This is a product of Uncle Goose, for two-year-old children, as it is meant to engage with the English alphabet so as to learn it, numbers as well as pictures of animals with the animal name printed below the picture.This makes it an appropriate and interesting learning-aid for children of that age group. Blocks are a popular play and learning aid and this particular set have its own interesting designs and pictures to attract children.

 

The set contains four full alphabet set, numbers, and pictures of a range of animals with their names. Two sides of each block have detailed embossing, giving an experience of texture. The blocks are made of wood that is sourced responsibly and the printing is with ink that is safe for children.

 

Pros

Children can learn to spell, sequence, and stack; sort, build and match. All this is achievable with this single set of blocks, making it a convenient and interesting learning aid. The embossing is a feature not usual on blocks, hence giving a new experience of design and texture.

 

Cons

The wood is quite soft and hence prone to chipping and denting, especially if handled roughly as children are prone to do often.

 

Rating

103 customers rated this product, 87% of them giving it a full five-star rating, making the overall rating a very high 4.7 out of 5.

 

  1. Hape Fantasia Building Blocks Toddler Push and Pull Train Set

A building block set from Hape, this product is suited for children who are two years and over. Children need to be given new toys and experiences all the time to stimulate their learning and this set fulfills that need by adding train car pieces that also have rods for stacking different sets of blocks together. These blocks can develop motor skills and cognition that are more advanced as compared to just stacking blocks. Children also learn about shades of colors that may go together.

 

This is a set of 17 pieces that are made of Maple wood with bright rainbow colors and different patterns. Three of the pieces are train cars that also need to be joined together. All material used is non-toxic.

 

Pros

The train cars and rods for blocks create several possibilities for children to explore and try out. The shape of the blocks is also unique and not a cube, making it a novelty for children. The need to push the blocks through the pegs so as to stack them may be a new learning dimension for some children.

 

Cons

The blocks have holes through them which are required to stack them on the pegs. These can be a hazard as children may have their finger stock. Rough play may reduce the durability of the block.

 

Rating

Of the 48 customer reviews, 86% have given a five-star rating, the overall rating being a high 4.3 out of 5.

 

  1. K’NEX Kid Ocean Pals Building Set

This product by K’NEX is quite a toy for children in the age range of 3-5 years. It is an interesting way to familiarize them with life in the oceans, the different life forms, such as fish, sea horse and penguin, and their particular features. It can be great for a child to play with an adult, discussing the animals they create and building stories around them. Children can develop their imagination this way.

 

The set contains 65 colorful and flexible pieces and 20 ideas with step-by-step procedures on colorful sheets to get children started. The pieces are made of non-toxic material, appropriate for children. Some pieces are small and hence not recommended for younger toddlers.

 

Pros

The unique designs of pieces and their flexibility can aid in developing finer motor skills. The pieces being of different categories of shapes serve different purposes, thus developing higher-order thinking and recognition. Playing this with adults or older children can greatly support in learning about the creatures they make.

 

Cons

There is only a possibility of pieces being missing, which will lead to limiting the possibilities of creatures that may be formed.

 

Rating

27 customers have rated this, with 89% giving it five stars, making the overall rating a high 4.6 out of 5.

 

  1. LEGO – DUPLO Brick Set

This is a product by LEGO Education, for children in the age-group 3-5 years. 
Perfectly suiting this age-group, the pieces have bright colors, slightly rounded edges and sizes that are easy for children to stack. As children need to explore the different shapes and try different combinations of fixing them together, it is useful for developing their creativity and fine motor skills. 

The set has 160 pieces and six double-sided building cards. The cards can give initial ideas to children to get them started on their own. Online videos are available for more ideas.

Pros

Besides encouraging free-form play and self-expression, the design and concept have several other advantages. Equally suited for both genders, it also allows for group-play for up to six children, helping children to learn to interact with each other and learn from peers. Quite a ubiquitous game, it hardly has any disadvantages.

 

Cons

There is only the possibility of pieces missing.

Rating

47 customers have reviewed this product, with 96% giving it a five-star rating, making the overall rating a high 4.7 out of 5.

 

  1. Treehaus Wood Castle Blocks

 

This set is provided by Treehaus and should be appropriate for boys and girls above 3 years of age. The blocks of different shapes and designs need to be put together to build a castle and bridges, thus helping children in this age group to learn to read and follow instructions, familiarize with a range of shapes, build structures from smaller units.

 

The set has 60 or more pieces that are made of all-natural wood. These are BPA and phthalates free. The pieces are of different shapes and sizes, that can be put together to make a castle.

 

Pros

This set serves both, educational and entertainment purposes for a wide range of age-groups. It can hone qualities of patience, individual or group play, fine motor skills, cognition and inference as children are required to look at the picture of a castle and build that with the given pieces.

 

Cons

Some pieces may be too small if there are younger siblings in the house. Not all pieces have windows actually carved out from the wood, but have them only as a darker shade. This makes it less interesting.

 

Rating

101 customers reviewed this and 81% gave it a five-star rating. The overall rating comes to four stars out of five.

 

  1. Kids First Amusement Park Engineer Kit

This building set by Thames and Kosmos is designed for children 3 years and above. Since it is designed based on the STEM framework, it may be effectively used even by older children, to explore different concepts as per their age, learning level and interest.

 

Packaged in a convenient storage case, the kit consists of 97 colorful and bright pieces. It comes with an instruction manual where instructions are creatively narrated as a story, making them interesting and easy-to-understand for young children. Twenty different models may be built using the pieces. The models depict some common rides that may be found at an amusement park and assist in exploring concepts of Science.

 

Pros

It can be a great starting point to get even children as young as 3 years curious about how things work. The toy thus hones skills of observation and questioning. A little adult guidance can really help in this, allowing for parents and children to play together. The manual teaches them how to follow written instructions.

 

Cons

Since the building is required, there can be problems with how well pieces are fitting together, being too loose or too tight for young children. It has small parts, so those with even younger siblings will need to be careful.

 

Rating

48 customers have reviewed this product, with 65% giving it a five-star rating, the overall rating being an average3.7 out of 5.

 

  1. KEVA Structures 200 Plank Set

Brought to you by MindWare, this is a set of simple, wooden planks suitable for any age or gender five years and over. Based on the age, interest, and imagination of children, they can start with simple structures and then move to more complex and varied designs. With some guidance, older children may even explore concepts such as gravity, 3-D geometry, etc. This is also useful to build fine motor skills

 

The kit consists of 200 precision-cut planks made of pine wood. Also included is a 24-page colored booklet with ideas for children to get initial inspiration and start out.

 

Pros

The planks are cut quite well for easy and sturdy stacking. This allows children to explore even complex designs without being limited by the design of planks. The free-form play allows for multiple learning possibilities, individually or in a group, independently or with guidance. There are examples of these planks being used for STEM summer camps.

 

Cons

Being a somewhat modified version of building blocks, this is a ubiquitous and widely popular game, with hardly any downsides. Only problems could be with the quality of planks – they may be prone to chipping or cracking.

 

Rating

Out of the 315 people who rated this product, 86% have given it five stars, making the overall tally a very high 4.7 out of 5.

 

  1. LEGO Education Community Starter Kit

This is a product of the popular LEGO Education. Based on a specific theme and a slightly higher order of thinking, this set is quite appropriate for children from four years onwards. The elements in this set aid children in exploring different aspects of community life. Possible components and different roles that community members may have can be understood by playing with this kit. Besides this, it serves all the other purposes of all building sets, such as coordination, motor skills, and creativity.

 

This large set has 1907 pieces, with the hallmark colors and range of LEGO. The pieces are of different shapes and sizes, including some that depict specific things, such as plants, wheels or lights.

 

Pros

Being a set with many pieces, it allows for group play for up to six children, hence aiding in peer-learning. The interesting variety of pieces gives multiple possibilities to think about different aspects of a community. The theme may match with some topics of the curriculum and hence may be used for hands-on learning.

 

Cons

In some cases of purchase, there may be a possibility of missing pieces. Since there are some quite small pieces, children with younger siblings will need to be careful while playing at home.

 

Rating

There are only 11 customer reviews, with 79% giving it five stars. The overall rating is 3.9.

 

  1. Klutz Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit

Brought to you by Klutz, this is a Lego product that is meant for children who are 8 years old and above. The caption ‘Teach your bricks new tricks’ says it all. It is a set of building blocks but with additional components that can transform these into ten different possible machines with moving parts. Hence, school-going children begin to understand the basic concepts of mechanics and get some hands-on experience.

 

The kit contains 33 LEGO pieces, 80 pages of detailed instructions for 10 modules, 6 plastic balls, string, paper ramps, and other components.

 

Pros

It is a creative way for children to progress from simple building blocks and start exploring how simple machines work. The theme may match with some STEM topics of the curriculum and hence may be used for hands-on learning. Besides this, it serves all the other purposes of building sets where specific things need to be created, such as coordination, motor skills, ability to independently follow instructions.

 

Cons

The material used for some of the components, such as balls and ramps, may not be durable enough to allow rough handling by children. Some pieces may not fit well together leading to the created machines not being sturdy enough. To build more things, extra pieces may be required.

 

Rating

1177 customers rated this product and 62% of them gave it a five-star rating. Overall rating is 4.1 out of 5.

 

  1. Pepper Mint in The Great Treehouse Engineering Adventure Science Experiment Kit

This award-winning product is by Thames and Kosmos, for children who are 8 years old and above. This is a STEM experimental kit. It is a character-driven set that covers lessons in physics, engineering, and electrical science. After the experiments and projects in the manual are complete, the finished treehouse becomes an independent playset. This is a creative way to get school-goers started on some science concepts. They also learn how to engage in experiments and follow instructions.

 

The kit consists of parts to build the treehouse and add the experimental components. The instruction manual is in a creative storybook format and has instructions for building the treehouse as well as for conducting the experiments.

 

Pros

It is a creative way for children to progress from games based on building blocks, to start building something specific and conduct experiments. The theme may match with some STEM topics of the curriculum and hence may be used for hands-on learning. Although the theme is specific, it still allows a lot for free-form play and creativity as any number of possibilities may be added based on interest and learning level of the child.

 

Cons

Meant for a higher cognitive level and complexity, it may require a lot of patience from children and adult help. Instruction may be difficult for children to follow in their own.

 

Rating

There is 40 customer review, 53% of them being five stars and 28% four-star. Overall rating is 4.1 out of 5.

 

  1. Electronic Music Inventor Kit

This is a product of ‘littleBits’. It may be suited for children who are 8 years and above, both boys and girls, especially those who show some inclination towards music. Based on the STEAM concept, it guides children to build, customize, and play an electric synth guitar, while getting accustomed to some of the concepts involved. It is an App-based product. It is a good method to explore this potential in oneself and work on it during holidays, without having to enroll in music classes or buying music instruments.

 

The kit includes 9V battery, tech sensors, keyboard, oscillator, paper templates, stickers, and free inventor app. The app includes play instructions that are in a video form.

 

Pros

Since the instructions are video-based, they are comparatively easy to understand and little adult help may be required. The kit is designed in such a way that it opens up opportunities for children to get familiarizes with other musical instruments as well and even develop their own, once they understand the basics.

Cons

Smart device required for video instructions, either iPhone (iOS 10.0 or later) or Android (5.0 or later). There may sometimes be technical issues with the app. The cardboard material of the guitar may seem inappropriate, given the cost of the kit.

 

Rating

44 customers have reviewed the product with 61% giving it a five-star rating, overall rating being 3.8.

 

  1. LEGO DC Super Hero Girls Eclipso Dark Palace

A product of LEGO, the company recommends it for children 9-12 years of age. It suits this slightly older age-group as these children are more likely to be familiar with the comic heroes the game depicts. Though suitable for both boys and girls, it may be especially attractive to girls because of the girl superheroes used and accessories included. Taking inspiration from the given characters and spaces provided, the players can use their imagination to build new stories around them, thus spending holidays creatively.

 

The kit includes a foldout palace, opening tubes to hold LEGO DC Super Hero Girls characters, powering station, planning room, vanity cabinet, weapons cabinet, a Kryptomite creation section. There are three mini-doll figures: Wonder Woman, Eclipso and The Flash, plus 3 orange Kryptomite figures. Accessory elements include a staff, sword, flail, Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman’s shield, laboratory bottles, lipstick, brush, perfume bottles, pickaxe, hammer, anvil, and crystals.

 

Pros

It is a good way for children to spend long hours during the holidays. Working on stories, girls may play in pairs or small groups, thus learning group-play, exchanging ideas for stories.

 

Cons

Since the theme is very specific, some children may not have the inclination towards it and hence not finding it interesting enough.

 

Rating

24 people have rated this kit and 84% have given it a five-star rating. Overall rating is 4.4 out of 5.

 

  1. LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall

A product of LEGO, the creators recommend the kit for children 9 years and over, both boys and girls, especially those children who are familiar with the Harry Potter series. This is also the reason for the recommended age, as these older children are likely to have read the books or watched the movies. The kit consists of parts depicting Hogwarts and several characters of the series. It is a great stimulus for children to use their imagination and build new stories around the characters, thus spending vacation time, playing together with friends.

 

The kit includes 878 LEGO bricks and features 10 fantasy figures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Albus Dumbledore, and Nearly Headless Nick and Professor Quirrell. It even includes house banners, movable spiral staircase, potions room, treasure room, and magic items.

 

Pros

It is a good way for children to spend long hours during the holidays. Working on stories, children may play in pairs or small groups, thus learning group-play, exchanging ideas for stories. The accessories included making the kit even more interesting.

 

Cons

Since the theme is very specific, some children may not have the inclination towards it and hence not finding it interesting enough. This may be a case when giving it as a gift.

 

Rating

348 customers have reviewed the product and 89% have given it a five-star rating. Overall the product has a very high rating of 4.8.

 

  1. ROBOTIME 3D Puzzle Music Box

This is a product of ROBOTIME. It is best suited for children 10-12 years of age as it is a do-it-yourself kit, requiring assembly of parts that lead to the creation of a robot-structured hand-cranked music box. Children learn how to understand given instructions and join pieces accordingly. Those with curiosity and questioning mindset may use it to understand some basics of electronics.

 

The kit consists of laser-cut wooden pieces. It has a whopping 221 pieces and also some electronic parts.

 

Pros

The pieces fit together quite well, making the finished product sturdy and durable. As the suggested age-group is slightly older, these and even some younger children are able to assemble the robot easily. The finished product is a robot, it catches the attention of most kids.

 

Cons

The required batteries may not be included in the kit. Depending on the kit received, some customers had the opposing experience to those who liked the product, thus they had problems with the very things that were stated as advantages by others. They said the pieces were missing or did not fit well together.

 

Rating

246 customers reviewed the product, 70% giving it five stars and 20% giving four stars. The overall rating is a high 4.5 out of 5.

 

  1. LEGO Architecture London Skyline Collection

This product of LEGO is a building set appropriate for children above 16 years of age. The pieces and design being intricate, it is more suited for older age-group to face the challenge and enjoy the kit. North American children may especially relate to it and use it as a stimulus to explore its architecture or history. In this regard, it may be a good gifting item. Once the product is assembled, it can be used as a symbolic show-piece of the Statue of Liberty.

 

The building kit consists of 1685 pieces and a user guide.

Besides the Statue of Liberty kit, this range has kits for several other well-known structures. These could be bought together to create a set of self-built show-pieces.

 

Pros

This set serves both, educational and entertainment purposes for a wide range of age-groups. It can hone qualities of patience, individual or group play, fine motor skills, cognition and inference as children are required to look at the picture and build that with the given pieces. It brings with all the advantages of a building toy, as well as the possibility of exploring its history, architecture, travel, related places, etc.

 

Cons

Being a building toy, it is mostly liked and hence popular. Meant for a specific end-design, it does not allow for much free-play; however, serves its own purposes. One disadvantage could be the possibility of missing pieces.

 

Rating

1450 customers reviewed the product with 85% giving it a five-star rating. The overall rating is a very high 4.7 out of 5.

 

Finally, I have made a great attempt and feel successful. However, would want all of you to contribute to this list and add more based on your experience. Let all of us together empower our girl children.

Disclaimer : This post contains affiliate links from Amazon. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

STEM Toys for Girls : 2019 Topmost Toys for Curious Girls

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Today I am feeling to share something important to all parents of girl children. Did I mention feeling? Yes, because I want to connect emotionally with you to make you realize about girl children. Without our knowledge, we start becoming biased with our kids. Hey! Don’t get offended, but the statistical fact says that majority of the parents don’t provide the same importance in education to boys and girls. However, I am not going to debate this topic. I would like to talk about STEM toys and in specific for girl children.

What are the STEM Toys?

STEM means Science Technology Engineering and Math. STEM toys are the toys that allow kids to play with and also make them understand one or more concepts including science etc.

How is it important for girls?

It is certainly important for both genders. But we emphasize on girls because still, we find girl children requires more support from society. As a first step, let us start with getting them STEM toys to make their foundation strong. Every educated girl can, in turn, teach their kids when they become a mom like you and me at some point in life.

Let us use the STEM concept with girl children right from birth and improve their critical thinking ability.

For that, I have decided to present you with top 3 STEM toys that can be used by girls of age 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on till 14. I have listed 3 products for each age which will help you parents to purchase from Amazon based on your kid’s age. I have also provided the features, pros, and cons of the product. Continue reading or choose your kid’s age and check the review of toys.

 

Best STEM toys for girls

We have listed 3 best toys under each age group highlighting their best features. However, we also wanted to provide you with 3 best toys across age group. You can purchase these toys based on your girl’s interest and age. Find how they are helpful to you and share your feedback. Also, get into other toys details listed below this section and keep purchasing as a gift for kids.

 

  1. LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train Building Set 10558

858 customers on Amazon have reviewed this and 773 have given rating 5. Do I need to recommend this product? Kids of age 1 to 5 can play with this toy train. How does this provide STEM education? There are 10 blocks of different colors, a dog toy, 3 wagon bases. Kids can learn colors, numbers. Their fine motor skills and critical thinking skill is stimulated when they try to build a dog house, tunnel, etc. Above all, kids at this age love train toy and hence you can get closer to their heart and make them learn concepts in a playful way.

 

  1. Snap Circuit

This toy is a great one for kids above 5 years who can learn about problem-solving with the help of the detailed manual. There are 14 parts and more than 20 activities can be done using the electronics concept. Circuit engineering is now at their desk with this snap circuit kit. Let them know how light glows and switches work with this practical kit. 200 customers found this useful and have given a 5 rating.

 

  1. Smart Lab Secret Formula Lab

Chemistry is taught with this kit. Kids above age 8 can get benefitted with this toy. You can make them do more than 40 experiments with the chemicals given with the kit. Also, use easily available kitchen ingredients to add more activities to the list. Trust me, kids will give you more ideas. This kit is an inclusive package of the plunger, valve, base station, test tubes, spill trays, snap clips and much more. 231 customers have purchased this from Amazon for gifting and for personal use and found it useful. You can try too as kids can learn several chemistry concepts.

 

STEM Toys for Toddler Girls

 

Toddlers need some fun at home. They spend their time only at home at this stage. They will start speaking a few words at this time. Will stand up and walk with help first and then walk independently. At this stage toys that best suit them are not the small blocks or something. But go for toys that are big but not heavy so that there is no fear of choking hazard. Let us understand what Amazon has in store for STEM toddler girls. Colors will attract kids at this age.

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Lego Duplo

Colorful Lego Duplo toy. Big blocks and hence kids can assemble them quickly. 92% of customers who used this has given rating 5

 

 

Animal train toy with 4 animals to be built on the wheel. Can be fixed easily and kids will love to watch them move with the wheels. There are 34 pieces packed in a box.

· This toy improves girls fine motor skills, language development, and counting numbers.

· The instruction manual helps parents to read and instruct kids

· Huge blocks and hence no fear of choking hazard

Grippies Builders

 

Bright colored STEM toy for toddler girls which gives more an introduction to Engineering concepts. 84% of customers feel great about this toy.

This toy gives an exploratory experience to kids. There are 30 pieces and can be combined to make a tactile exploration. Geometry is introduced to little ones with this toy. It is a magnetic play toy

· Bright colored attracting kids

· Soft plastic toy with no fear of any injury

· Kids will learn to construct as these are easy to use

· Metal balls might cause a choking hazard and we request parents to be aware.

Bath Blocks

Babies always have a fuss to take bath and these bath blocks area, great entertainer, to let kids take bath with fun. 61% of customers have recommended 5 ratings to buy this product for kids.

 

The purchaser suggests kids of age 3 and above to play with this toy. But I feel with parents support toddlers can play with this. Creating ball runs and waterfalls are really fun for kids

· Children can learn math and engineering with this toy

· They can observe the colors

· Kids play in the water and have fun as well

· No choking hazard, these are made with bacteria resistant EVA and does not have PVC

 

 

STEMs toys for girls 1-year-old

 

Girls of age 1 need toys that are bright, interactive and which will improve the fine motor skills. It is the time they start talking and hence STEM toys that are interactive will allow them to communicate and enjoy. Let us look at 3 best toys for age 1

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Spinagain Toy

89% feel satisfied with this toy for their kids. Stacking is fun for little girls and they see them spinning once they are done with stacking.

Kids can stack and learn about arranging in order. Then have fun looking at them spinning. Finally, become naughty to pull the corkscrew pole from the base and make them all tumble.

· Discs are colorful and come in flower and star-burst shapes. Kids can learn about size, shape, and color.

· ABS plastic is safe for kids and is free from BPA

· Improves hand-eye coordination for kids, and enhances visual-recognition skills.

3D puzzle construction set

Kids can learn about magnetism and explore attractive and repulsive properties. 84% of the buyers rated this product 5 and recommended to purchase.

There are 24 plastic bars but has a strong magnetic attraction. Further, the 16 lightweight balls that are made up of steep and are hallow. Kids can take help from elders to construct 3D structures.

 

· Bright color to activate the kid’s brain functioning.

· Sense of proportion is developed for toddlers

· Kids can learn about basic shapes, physics, and construction of 3D architectures

· Improves problem-solving ability.

Explore and Grow Busy Gears

73% of buyers are happy about this product. It is a musical and light-up toy.

Helps kids to improve their motor skills and they can play the music by pressing the button and along with music kids can see the spinning and swirling gears.

· Many colors and size enable little ones to understand counting.

· They can clutch the gears to activate the fine motor skills.

· Convenient carry handle will let kids move them handy from one place to another.

 

STEMs toys for girls 2-year-old

Girls at the age of 2 develop very important milestones like walking, running. Socialization, imagination power which are an integral part of one’s life begin to develop at this age. So, the toys that allow them to imagine, think and bring on creative ideas should be introduced. My recommendations for this age will include.

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Picasso Tiles


91% of customers rated this product with 5 stars. It helps to improve creativity and builds imagination power.

There are 100 pieces of magnetic building tiles which can be arranged to create a 3D masterpiece. Children can develop a strong sense of color, shapes, numbers and magnetic polarities as well. Can develop recreational ideas in children

· Can be used for multiple parties, so help to develop socialization, confidence.

· Encourages the development of creative ideas.

· As the tiles are magnet-based, easy to construct and store.

· Can help to develop child-parent bonding

Melissa &Doug Deluxe Jumbo Cardboard Blocks


70% of buyers were completely satisfied with this product. Brings out imagination and helps develop creativity

This includes 40 blocks in three different sizes made up of extra thick black cardboard with extra strength to uphold 150 pounds. Colorful graphics to enhance interest and develop creativity

· Lightweight and easy to stack

· A great option for screen-free fun

· Easily cleanable surface. Help to develop a sense of identity by flexing every muscle of developing a child

Melissa & Doug Geometric stacker Toddler Toy


70% of people were fully satisfied with this educational geometrical toy. It helps to strengthen hand-eye coordination

It Features 25 colorful wooden pieces of rings, octagons, and rectangles that can be stacked on three rods by matching them

· Durable child-safe material

· Helps to build multiple skills.

· Develop a sense of color shape and size differentiation.

 

STEM toys for girls age 3

Toys for Girls at the age of 3 years should develop shape recognition, imagination, building and motor skills, socialization. Let us see the three best toys for this age group.

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Magna-Tiles


89% of buyers are fully satisfied with this product

Building toys with 32 pieces of magnets in attractive colors. Can be converted into various 3D geometrical shapes

· Develop Tactile, spatial skills

· Open-ended play

· Develop imagination

Toy shine Magnetic Fun Way to Learn Numbers and Drawing Board with Cue Cards


You must be the first one to provide a review for this multicolor educational toy. Worth purchasing per my opinion

Includes magnetic canvas with 46 magnetic shapes that can be stuck on the panel

and 164 pattern booklet

· Helps to learn about shapes.

· Develop mathematical skills

· Compact and portable

· Learn with fun

Play22 building toys


86% of buyers are fully satisfied with this product.

Multicolour robot kit allows kits to assemble different engineering sets with 40 connecting bolls, squares, triangles and other shapes. Non-toxic plastic safe for kids

· Develops Literacy and spatial awareness.

· Increase understanding of building and improves fine motor skills

 

STEM toys for 4-year-old girls  

 

Toys for 4-year-old girls should focus more on learning activities including various mathematical skills and motor skills. The 3 best toys for this age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

The first step with Numicon kit


100% of buyers rated this multicolored paper and board toy with 5 stars

Includes 3X threading laces, 1 baseboard, 0-10 number cards, feely bag, book number, 32 shapes and much more to help kids improve their

· Introduction to basic mathematical skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication.

· Develop fine motor skills.

· Help to learn about patterns, number counting, sequencing

LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Mini Game Greatest Hits


71% of customers rated this educational toy with 5 stars

Action-packed arcade-style gaming experience. Includes 2 sugar bugs, monkey soccer, 2 jewel trains, and number bash.

It requires batteries.

· Improves basic mathematical skills like addition, subtraction, problem-solving

· Introduction to dental hygiene

Creative’s Practice Maths At Home Addition, Multicolor


No reviews found but a great toy and worth the investment

 

It includes 1 board game, 4 pawns, and dice along with play rules and addition practice book

· Develop an understanding of addition and how to sum two numbers.

· Restricted to only one mathematical functionality i.e. addition

 

STEM Toys for 5-year-old girls

 

Toys for girls at the age of 5 years should focus on motor skills, analytical skills cognitive skills, development of vocabulary and imagination power. The best games with these features for the age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Smartivity Edge Jungle Safari


This product enhances smart learning

Contains 6 augmented reality coloring sheets and a free android and iOS app.

Characters come to life with the colors and texture used by children. Includes educational games and quizzes for smart learning

· Improves vocabulary, spelling skills, general awareness.

· Enhances creative skills, motor skills, and analytical skills

· Act as a bridge between the physical and digital world

BeGenio Easy Fun learning


87% of users have given 5-star rating.

This board game allows kids to learn mathematics presented by BeGenio. Wonderful dice game.

· Develop a better understanding of addition.

· Helps to understand basic facts regarding addition.

· Helps to find the sum of two numbers

The Thames and Kosmos Kids First Aircraft Engineer


69% of the buyers were fully satisfied with this product.

Contains 70 colorful and chunky pieces and simple assembly instruction to build 10 different models

· Aircraft Engineering for preschoolers

· Helps to develop a common sense in children to understand how and why

 

STEM toys for 6-year-old girls

 

Toys for girls at the age of 6 years should be more attractive and focus on spatial awareness, stimulate creativeness. The 3 best toys for this age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Magformers


85% of customers considered this product as 5 stars.

There are 12 pieces of triangles, 18 squares with a total of 30 pieces. Made up of BPA free ABS plastic. Can be converted into 2D and 3D models with these magnet-based pieces

· Includes more complex shapes so help develop the brain.

· Colorful high-quality magnet develops reasoning, spatial awareness, scientific thoughts.

Zephyr Mechanix- Robotix

 

Contains 8 models, 114 pieces, motor and gears, screwdriver and spanner. Flexible metal motors and gears. Robotix motors and gears that can be meshed together in different ways.

· Provides insight into the child in the subject of the motion.

· Helps to understand how gears can be used to create different motions

Start Right – Flash Cards


91% of buyers were completely satisfied with this product

Help recall important and basic concepts of basic math. Used by all leading schools worldwide and parents all around the world. Having 52 division cards with a binder ring. This ring helps a kid to handle the cards. Best way to learn to count.

· Remove common math misconceptions.

· Helps to build a foundation of basic math.

· Contains pictorial representation and definitions.

 

STEM toys for 7-year-old girls

 

STEM toys for 7-year-old girls should be able to develop visual discriminations, understanding of more complex mathematical concepts like multiplication, division.

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Creative Educational Aids Learning pack

 

Contains 4 sets of flashcards namely 144 cards. 4 different boards helping kids to learn many tricks.

· Helps to develop concentration, visual discrimination.

· Helps to improve eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills.

Learning resources geometry/math helper


63% of buyers were fully satisfied with this product

16 piece set with various multicolor geometrical shapes along with simple instruction manual. Helps to understand various 2D and 3D shapes

· Teach mathematical skills in a very interesting way.

· Helps to understand the concept of edges, verticals, sides, perimeter, and area

Say Cheese Multiplication tables Math Game STEM Toy Math Manipulative and Resource for Kids Age 7 Years and Up


49% of users have given thumbs up for this toy

 

It consists of 100 glossy cheese coins numbered from 1 to 100, coin bags and plays arena

· Improves skills at time tables.

· Can involve both kids and Parents.  Helps to retain the learned concepts in a better way

STEM Toys for 8-year-old girls

 

STEM toys for 8 years old girls should develop advanced mathematical skills, strategy, problem-solving and quick thinking. The best three games for this age group are as follow:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Chalk and Chuckles Long Legs

 

Includes 4 wooden rulers with sliding monsters, 2 wooden number dice, 24 cards, instruction sheets

· Helps to develop basic mathematical skills like counting, basic operations.

· Increases creativeness

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100


88% of customers were fully satisfied with this product

Contains 30 parts, instruction for about 30 different projects like flashing light, volume siren

· Provides knowledge about electric circuits.

· Can build more than 100 different projects.

TeDCo Bio Signs Human Anatomy-Torso


50% of buyers rated this product as 5 stars

Includes various systems of the human body like respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary. 8piece model with magnified and cross-sectional detailing of the torso

· Helps to develop basic knowledge about human anatomy.

· Develop an understanding of the functionality of various systems.

STEM toys for 9-year-old girls

 

STEM toys for 9-year-old girls should include more complex science principles and develop analytical, motor and practical skills. The best toys for this age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Smartivity Roller Coaster Marble Slide

 

Multicolor 131 puzzle pieces, instruction booklet, learners log helps to understand fundamental principles of STEM subjects

· Develop analytical skills, motor skills, and practical skills.

· Introduce to gravity, momentum, centrifugal force and various other principles of physics.

Smartivity Knock ‘EmRock’EmKubbs

 

220 puzzle pieces of high-quality engineered wood, instruction booklet, learners log helps to understand fundamental principles of STEM subjects

· Develop analytical skills, motor skills, and practical skills.

· Introduce to gravity, momentum, trajectories, centrifugal force and various other principles of physics.

Logic Roots Math Builder Manipulative Number Scrabble Board Game with Equations and Arithmetic Skills


53% of buyers have given a rating of 5 stars

126 play tiles made up of cardboard, terrain board, cement bag.

Best for math learning and education

· Helps to master 4 basic arithmetic equations.

· Improve strategic thinking to make bigger equations and implementation of BODMAS

 

STEM toys for 10-year-old girls

STEM toys for 10 years old girls should be able to improve problem-solving skills, observational skills, hand-eye coordination. The best STEM toys for this age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Math game Shifu Plugo count


89% of buyers were completely satisfied with this product

Fun memory matching game/app with attractive multicolor to understand mathematical concepts

· Improves hand-eye coordination, visual discrimination, observational skills

Annie 7- in-1 Educational Rechargeable Solar E Kit

 

Contains 1 motor with pc board, 4 wheels, 1gear with the shaft, 1 shaft, 2 sponges, 1 solar panel, 1 battery case, 2black sponge and 2 trays of plastic parts.

· Easy to assemble.

· Can work on both batteries and solar power.

· Helps to understand the working of solar energy and advantage of natural resources

Educational card game – Geometrical riddles


67% people have voted 5 stars to this game

Helps to build conceptual clarity of algebraic identities. Fun-filled riddles help generate interest in mathematics

· Hands-on in assorting the patterns, geometrical puzzles and teaches math to the brain as well tickles the funny bone

· Overall, develops the mathematical concepts

 

STEM toys for girls age 12

 

STEM toys for girls age 12 require including more complex topics of science and mathematics. The 3 best toys for this age group include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Toysmith Liquid Motion Bubbler Toy


65% of buyers rated this with 5 stars

On flipping the bubbler the liquid elements inside it squeeze, slip and float to the bottom. This soothing view is the source of entertainment

· Multicolor made up of unbreakable plastic

· Easy to handle and crack-resistant design

Elenco 2-in-1 Gearbox


36% of users have found this toy best for their kids

 

Contains 2 gear sets for different speeds. It is perfect for robotic projects.

· Builds the basics of mechanical engineering.

· Does not require any soldering.

ElencoAmerikit learn to Solder Kit


68% of customers rated this as a 5-star product

Includes Solder, soldering iron and wire cutter.

· Help to develop the concept of mechanical engineering.

· Helps to understand the soldering process clearly.

 

STEM toys for girls 14 years old

 

STEM toys for 14 years old girls should include complex concepts related to STEM subjects for their better understanding. The 3 best toys in this class include:

 

Product name

Features

Pros and Cons

Pantheon Circuits STEM electronics


72% of adults have found this useful for their adolescent aged kids

Best fit for kids up to 15 years. Contains 64 pieces and allows kids to do 600 projects.

· Introduces electricity concepts to kids.

· STEM way of teaching electronic science to teens.

Toysmith Magnetic Levitator Science Kit


More than 200 purchasers have shown complete satisfaction with this product

Contains antigravity magnets. Repelling magnets make levitator to appear as if floating

· Teaches about basic concepts of magnetism.
Demonstrates the antigravity concept

Tedco Magnetic Sand Timer Science Kit

Contains magnetic sand sculptures, glass globe, and metal base

· Teaches about basic concepts of magnetism.

· High-quality packing

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links from Amazon. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

 

Engineering Toys for Girls : 2019 Ultimate List for Little Geniuses

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Toys are the ultimate playmates of children. There isn’t a single child on this planet who wouldn’t love to mess around with those pesky little objects. And though they might appear pesky to us, they are a haven for children. A lot of parents consider toys be a perfect opportunity for some time away from their toddlers. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Parents often fail to realize the potential that toys have in building their child’s future. With the right set of toys, parents can set their children towards a career path which they feel might be suitable for their children. However, they will require the right sort of toys to do so. One such category of toys which can perform all of the aforementioned are engineering toys.

Engineering toys are the ideal toys for children if you want them to acquire an aptitude for the sciences. Apart from being highly enjoyable, these toys also bestow children with important skills, such as problem-solving, analysis, critical thinking. Also referred to as STEM toys, these toys can generate, perpetuate, and retain the ingenuity of a child.

Importance of Engineering Toys For Girls

In the fast-paced lives of today, engineering toys have become more important than ever. Today the engineering workforce suffers from a gender inequality like none other. The vast difference between the proportion of girls to that of boys is outrightly outrageous. And the major cause behind this is the discouragement that girls encounter while choosing engineering as their desired career path.

Since forever, girls have been guided towards the field of arts and culture. While this may necessarily not be a bad aspect, it is often done on the pretext that girls aren’t good enough to be in the engineering workforce. However, such discrimination affects the workforce vastly in the long term. As time passes, the lack of girls in the workforce leads to a lack of innovation, voracious wage gaps, and such. This creates a gigantic amount of opportunity cost that could have otherwise been used.

Engineering toys can greatly facilitate to prevent such setbacks and obstacles. With their help, you can start to influence your daughter since an early childhood period. Even when the concepts of engineering are unbeknownst to them, your daughter will start to develop an aptitude to comprehend certain paramount engineering skills, required in our practical lives. As she grows, her aptitude will steadily transform into their passion for the field. 

 

Best Engineering Toys for Girls

Although engineering toys are purchased keeping the age of a child, there are certain toys which suit and galvanize girls of all ages. A few such toys are:

  1. Boxels Build Your Own Video Game

This is one of the most innovative STEM toys out there. The Boxels Build Your Own Video Game lets your daughter’s innovation flow freely as she develops games on her own accord. By animating play spaces, characters, and various other objects in the game, the Boxels Build Your Own Video Game transforms your daughter into an artist, a game designer, storyteller, and a programmer. The Boxels set comes with physical components that can be digitized and put on a screen to be played.

 

  1. Osmo Genius Kit for iPad

The Osmo Genius Kit is an award-winning game system when it comes to fostering creativity within your children. Designed to facilitate problem-solving, the kit provides you with games that your kids can interact via actual hands-on components. The games present within the kit are designed from beginners to expert levels, depending on the ages of children. These games are perfect for teaching about shapes, designs, drawing, counting, spellings, etc.

 

  1. Step2 Build And Store Block And Activity Table

Another toy appealing to children of all ages, the Build, and Store Block and Activity Table is perfect for girls who want to foster their creativity while learning valuable STEM skills. This toy is perfect for kids who seem intrigued by building and drawing. Being pre-equipped with massive storage spaces and removable blocks, the toy ensures that kids face no limitation while creating their haven.


  1. Osmo Coding Jam

The Osmo Coding is the most powerful toy when it comes to conjuring the powers of potential programmers. With the help of tangible blocks, children can code patterns and sequences within the game and discover exciting worlds. The kit also features controllable characters which can be controlled with the help of magnetic blocks. A few such movements are walking, jumping, looping, sleeping, and such.


  1. Emido 40 Pieces Jumbo Nuts Bolts Toy

The company Emido truly believes that the learning process was meant to be fun. And it was their belief that propelled them towards launching a STEM toy capable of attracting children, heightening their curiosity, and completely immersing them. Designed for small hands, the 40 Pieces Jumbo Nuts Bolts Toy acts as a fine medium for the development of counting, sorting, mathematics, and even motor development.


Best Engineering Toys For Toddlers

  1. Shape Mags

Product Description: Shape Mags are the perfect STEM toys for your child for learning about magnets, geometry, and engineering structures. Developed with patented magnetic technology, these toys teach your various mathematical concepts associated with geometry. Furthermore, the toys also help to elevate your child’s imagination and creativity.

Features: Shape Mags come with a 100-piece set that includes 98 magnetic tiles, 1 car base, 1 stabilizer, and 24 Stile Mags.

Pros:

  • Teaching several STEM concepts such as geometry, structural engineering, magnetic properties, etc.

Cons:

  • The toys contain various small parts. Therefore, your child will require adult supervision while playing.

  1. Fisher-Price’s Think and Learn Code-a-Pillar

Product Description: Coding has become a huge part of the technology arena today. Code-a-pillar ensures that your child is a part of this arena by teaching them the basics involved in programming. By programming and arranging the segments of the toy, your child can designate a path for the toy. This helps them to learn skills such as solving, planning, experimentation, etc.

Features: The Code-a-Pillar comes with 8 easy-to-connect segments along with a motorized head that can be programmed to move as decided by your child. As the toy springs to life, all the segments glow up representing a ready mode.

Pros:

  • Cheaper than alternatives.
  • Help in teaching a myriad range of skills.

Cons:

  • The lack of volume control for the music.
  • Not durable enough.

  1. Bugnoculars

Product Description: The Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Bugnoculars is the best STEM toy that you can gift your budding entomologist daughter. The toy helps children to carefully catch a particular insect, observe it with magnification, study it, and then release it safely again.

Features: The Bugnoculars are produced with a clear, plastic bug collection container. There are soft, rubber handles on the sides which support the snap-lock lid with air holes. For observation, the lid contains a 3x magnification setting while the sides are equipped with 2x magnification settings.

Pros:

  • A fun and educational toy that keeps children entertained.
  • Teaches kids to be aware of nature’s inhabitants, allows them to study them, and emphatically release them.

Cons:

  • Lack of durability makes it easily susceptible to damage.
  • Alternatives are available which are at par.

Ranking

Keeping in mind the features, skills taught, pros and cons, we have ranked the toys from the best to worst, by:

  1. Fisher-Price’s Think and Learn Code-a-Pillar
  2. Shape Mags
  3. Bugnoculors

 

Best Engineering Toys For 3-5 Year Olds

  1. The Kidz Labs Crystal Mining Science Kit

Product Description: This is the perfect tool for budding geologists. This kit enables kids to dig up treasures from the ground. With a magnifying provided along with the kit, kids can study their dug up earthen components and set them up for display.

Features: Within the kit, there are several components provided that include a plaster rock and eight individual crystals, a digging tool, a drawstring pouch, and a magnifying glass for storing crystals and examining them.

Pros:

  • A worthy toy for its price.
  • The digging tool is perfect.

 

Cons

  • The pouch provided is quite small.
  • The paintbrush is essentially useless.



  1. Snap Circuit Beginners

Product Description: Circuit-related STEM toys are usually reserved for kids of ages 8 and above. This, however, isn’t the case with the Snap Circuit Beginners. Set for kids within the age of 3-5, the Snap Circuit Beginners provide a deep-dive into the world of problem-solving, the workings of switches and circuits. Additionally, it also comes along with included projects that ensure that the kids are fully occupied with the toy.

Features: The Snap Circuit Beginners come along with easy-to-follow color diagrams. To ensure safety for the younger engineers, there are various safety features provided. Moreover, there are 14 parts for building over 20 projects.

Pros:

  • Kid-friendly.
  • Easy to follow.
  • Detailed illustrations.

 

Cons:

  • An obnoxious beeping sound is emitted.

  1. Botley The Coding Robot

Product Description: Referred to as the next generation of STEM toys, Botley is a peculiar coding robot. For it in itself lacks a display. To program the toy, children need to utilize a remote control that is provided along with the toy to tackle challenges and navigate through obstacles. Moreover, children also learn a lot of crucial coding concepts that include the if/else block, looping commands, and such.

Features: Botley The Coding Robot is completely screen-free. It comes with a remote so that your kid will be able to transmit commands to the toy and move it through obstacles. Apart from a robot, Botley also comes along with detachable robot arms, coding cards, double-sided tiles, obstacle building pieces, and a guide.

Pros:

  • Easy to set-up.
  • Coding activities are included for children to get started with immediately.

Cons:

  • The toy has a choking hazard warning. Therefore, your child should always be under adult supervision while playing with this.
  • Takes a while to learn to program.

Ranking

Keeping in mind the features, pros and cons, offerings, etc., we rank the above toys in the following order:

  1. Botley The Coding Robot
  2. Snap Circuit Beginners
  3. The Kidz Labs Crystal Mining Science Kit

 

Best Engineering Toys For 8-9 Year Olds

  1. E-Blox Circuit Blox Builder

Product Description: While growing up, children often thirst for more challenging projects. The E-Blox Circuit Blox Builder is a toy which aims to quench such requirements. By designing mildly complex circuits, linkages, and blocks, children can bring various creations to life. This helps to simulate a child’s imagination, creativity, reasoning, and structure creation.

Features: The toy comes along with 120 project ideas for your child to use and build models with the 46 parts provided. Some of these models are radios, magnetic switches, motors, sirens, etc. The toy comes along with wire blocks, lamp switches, press switches, LED, motors, volumes, FM Radio, and such parts.

Pros:

  • Highly innovative project ideas.
  • Greatly compatible components within the age group of 8-9.

Cons:

  • The orientation and markings on the body are somewhat difficult to discern.

 

  1. 4M Crystal Growing Experiment

Product Description: The Crystal Growing Experiment is the perfect toy for middle-aged budding geologists. With this toy, children will be able to visualize the beauty and complexity of crystal growth. Moreover, as the crystals grow, they can be enjoyed by everyone for an indefinite period.

Features: The Crystal Growing Experiment comes along with equipment such as a display case, crystal growing compounds and mixtures, stirring supplies and instructions that are required for observing crystal growth experiments.  

Pros:

  • Simple steps for 8-9-year-olds to comprehend.
  • A beautiful and simple process for observation.

Cons:

  • The crystals often don’t take shape even when the directions are followed.

  1. K’NEX Imagine

Product Description: K’NEX is a perfect, motorized building toy for young engineers. With the help of motors, the toy brings entire models to life and helps you to construct 50 different models ranging from a carousel, rescue chopper, basketball game, and much more.

Features: The K’NEX Power and Play toy come along with 529 pieces of varying sizes that include different sizes of connectors, rods, wheels. Combining all these can help to form a myriad range of 3D configurations. The included motor ensures that all the creations that your child things are brought to life.

Pros:

  • One of the highest-rated motorized working models.
  • Inclusion of an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide for easy instruction following.

Cons:

  • Provision of a single motor limits the possibilities that could have been explored with this toy.

 

Ranking

Based on the features of the STEM toy, the pros and cons, and the skills propagated by the toy, we rank these toys in the following order:

  1. 4M Crystal Growing Experiment
  2. E-Blox Circuit Blox Builder
  3. K’NEX Imagine

 

Best Engineering Toys for 10+-Year-Olds

  1. littleBits Base Kit

Product Description: The littleBits Base Kit is an award-winning toy which has won numerous awards for its ability to combine coding, electronics, and creativity. Your daughter can integrate the toy alongside various components of her room to produce original and exciting inventions. Moreover, it comes preloaded with 8 different applications and challenges so that your child can provide an exciting makeover to your room.  

Features: The toy comes along with circuits that your kid can customize and combine to build creations as far as they can imagine. Moreover, the kit also comes with a step-by-step instruction manual that can help your child to ease into the world of the projects.

Pros:

  • The kit is highly versatile.
  • There can be limitless creativity with the kit.

Cons:

  • Certain parts are fragile in nature.
  • Parental guidance is required.

  1. Wonder Workshop Dash Robot

Product Description: The Wonder Workshop Dash Robot is another great tool for learning programming. The robot can be coded via the means of a smartphone. With the help of innumerous built-in challenges, the robot can easily teach your kids how to code while they are playing with it.

Features: The robot comes in a preassembled manner. Therefore, you will not have to spend hours assembling the robot. All that you will need to do is charge it via the means of a USB cable. The robot is equipped with several coding challenges that can help your child to design complex routes and challenges for the robot.

Pros:

  • Durability owing to its preassembled nature.
  • Controlled through smartphone applications.

Cons:

  • Limited scope for kids who have the basic idea of coding.

  1. Lego Mindstorms EV3

Product Description: The Lego Mindstorms EV3 is a perfect toy for those kids who know the basics of programming and would like to gain more knowledge by learning somewhat complex skills. Being somewhat complex, you will be required to build the robot and instruct them on the tasks that you want to be done. Once your child solves all the programming challenges provided with the toy, she can move on to bigger challenges.

Features: The robot comes with various infrared sensors via which it can be easily controlled. To code the robot, you can use the coding interface offered by LEGO which is available on Macs and PCs or you can also use apps for Android and iOS.

Pros:

  • Suitable for children who have basic skills in advanced programming.
  • Unique projects which are available within one set.

Cons:

  • There are no storage boxes provided.




Ranking

Based on the features of the STEM toy, the pros and cons, and the skills propagated by the toy, we rank these toys in the following order:

  1. Lego Mindstorms EV3
  2. littleBits Base Kit
  3. Wonder Workshop Dash Robot

 

Best Robotic Engineering Toy

Our choice for the best robotic engineering would certainly be the 4M Tin Can Robot. It is the ideal gift for bringing out a child’s creative side. Filled to the brim with motors and components, all it requires is for an empty soft drink that will serve as the robot’s body. Moreover, to work on the robot, your child won’t require any prior knowledge in robotic engineering. The kit provided will include a soda can, a Phillips head screwdriver, and a single AA battery. Know more about the 4M Tin Can Robot here.

Best Coding Engineering Toys

For the best coding engineering toy, our choice would be the Anki Cosmo Coding Toy. This is one toy that comes with the feature of Artificial Intelligence, justifying the steep price. With this feature, it can generate various emotions that will ensure that your child is constantly around it. Being equipped with a code lab, Cozmo is an ideal platform for programmers to unlock their potential and become familiar with the field of technology and bring the toy to life.

You can know more about the toy at: Anki Cosmo Coding Toy

Factors To Consider While Buying Engineering Toys

It is important that engineering toys can truly serve their purpose and propagate the exact skills required for your daughter. To do so, you need to buy the right toy as well. This is easily done simply by considering certain factors, such as:

  1. The skills that the toy is capable of teaching

Engineering is a vast field. There are various departments in its confinements, of which, you can choose one for your daughter. To ensure that your daughter drifts towards this particular department, you need to choose a toy accordingly as well. There is a vast range of toys that you can choose-out from such as, board games, robotic equipment, coding apparatus for models, etc. With your reasoning, you can deduce the perfect toy that can teach your child the skills required. Additionally, you should make it a point to keep away from toys that lack accessories or those which are useless in teaching your daughter the valuable skills.  

  1. Toys with a perennial nature

Once you have figured out the category of toys that you need, choose those toys that can teach your daughter for a long period.  As your child grows, it is natural that their mindset will change and so will their problem-solving abilities. With the help of a perennial toy, you can keep your daughter engrossed with a single toy for numerous months, sometimes even years. And they would still keep on learning new concepts from it. Furthermore, choosing a perennial toy will also help you save a fortune on the toys that you would have otherwise required to buy.

  1. Whether the toy is compliant with your daughter’s age

In the case of traditional toys, it is easy to choose those toys which fall beyond the age range of your daughter. The same, however, cannot be said for engineering toys. Engineering toys are devised, keeping in mind, various factors such as the age of the child, their mentality, etc. Pick a toy that is too complex and your daughter will become frustrated and discard it before she learns any skills. Conversely, if you pick a toy that is too easy you will be robbing your daughter of her valuable time. As a result, all that you will be doing is wasting their time.

  1. Pay attention to the creative nature of the child

Engineering is often misunderstood to be a stone-cold machine from whom all traces of creativity have been completely eradicated. However, this statement couldn’t be more wrong. Engineering and creativity are akin to yin and yang; they go hand-in-hand with each other. The foundational requirement for any engineering project is the need for something to be built. Creativity is what decides what is to be built and how it is to be built. Engineering further implements processes that bring creativity to life.

Be it codebases, structures, electronics, etc. every project originating in the engineering department needs to be built. And this is what requires a lot of creativity. By choosing toys that require children to conjure up their creative side, you will be offering them the means to understand engineering problems. In doing so, you will be providing them with the opportunity of building creative solutions that facilitate problem-solving abilities.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links from Amazon. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

Geomag Panels – Review

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GoScienceGirls' Review of Geomag Panels

GoScienceGirls' Review of Geomag Panels
In this review article, I would like to share my personal opinion about the Geomag panels. I have two daughters aged 7 and 4 respectively. I used to spend a lot of time playing with them but in an educative manner. I make sure to gift them toys that not only make them feel happy but give them some knowledge as well. That is how I came across these Geomag panels. In one word I can say that this toy is the best replacement for LEGO blocks. Let us understand in detail about Geomag Panels and feel glad that you identified the best gift for your kid aged 5 and above. I assure that this toy can be played by anyone and there is no upper age limit. Playing with toy enhances the fine motor skills and improves hand eye coordination. Only because of some small parts we suggest kids under age 5 should not use this.

Get your Geomag Panels here.

Brief Intro About Geomag

Switzerland based Geomag company is keen on producing magnetic toys to kids. This will allow the models constructed to get fixed easily with the help of the magnetic attraction. They are a pioneer in manufacturing magnetic toys for more than a decade.

 

About Geomag panel

 

This is a toy that contains panels made in plastic, steel non-magnetic balls, and magnetic rods. Previously there were many rods colorful, shining with metal balls but few panels produced by Geomag. The purpose of this product is to allow kids to make solid shapes with the help of the panel

 

This comes in a set of 32, 50, 68, 83, 114 and 92 pieces including magnetic rods, steel balls, and panels. I will be giving you details about the 68 piece set which I bought to play for my elder kid. Let me also tell you how it turned to be a useful gift for my younger one as well.

This 68 pieces set consist of 24 rods and these are not colored but silver rods. Both the ends of these rods are magnetic representing north and south pole. The 20 steel balls are nonmagnetic. Remaining 24 pieces are the panels which are made up of plastic material and they come in different geometric shapes. These are in different colors and to be precise there are 5 triangles red in color, 12 green triangles, 10 baby blue square panels and 2 blue panels which are larger in size.

 

What can be done with this product and how kids can use it?

 

  1. With the help of the panels, kids can learn colors, shapes and fundamental geometry. My toddler can identify shapes and color. Yes, there is spherical balls, cylindrical rods, square, triangle, pentagonal panels. Red, blue and green colored panels. You can buy more sets to get a mixture of colors and shapes.

geomag panels construction of 3d structures pyramids

Image Credit: Aldo Cavini Benedetti

  1. Grown kids above age 5 can use this toy to construct simple structures and thereby understand geometry dimensions like height, length, diameters, etc.
  1. Elder kids can construct 3D models and panels giving them a solid shape. Rods and steel balls help them stay fixed. The creativity and logical thinking ability of kids develop and they can master the art of constructing different models. This way it is better than the LEGO block.
  1. Older kids can be taught magnetism, gravity, and geometry. Yes, when they try to fix two rods few may repel and others may attract. SO there they understand the invisible force called magnetism. The polarities north and south can be understood. They will know that opposite poles attract each other and like poles repel.

Then now coming to gravity it is the force from the earth that pulls things downwards. This can be learned by constructing a maze game and move steel balls on the plate by keeping the rods below.

They can construct architectural buildings like bridges with the help of the panel and rod thus has a greater scope to become engineers and architects.

geomag panels construction of architectural shapes bridgesImage Credit : Karl Horton

  1. With all these activities, kids can develop spatial thinking skill and learn to make different shapes. For instance, they will know the number of sides of a square, triangle, and pentagon. They can relate pentagon and triangle in one way and square and pentagon in another way. So they will become experts in fixing shapes.

 

Best Features of Geomag panels

 

  • As mentioned in the uses section Geomag panels can be used to learn concepts and play as well. Kids are fond of playing and we adults want to teach them concepts. Using this toy both the purpose gets resolved.
  • Many numbers of rods, panels, and balls open an avenue to construct different models at the same time it can engage more kids.
  • It is not necessary that one full pack is used by a single kid at one time and the concept of sharing is taught to kids.
  • They become responsible when they deal with many parts and develop the habit of counting and collecting them to keep them in one box
  • They can identify different metals and nonmetals with the help of the magnetic rods.
  • Kids can understand STEM concepts using this toy that include Science, technology, engineering, and Math.

 

Things to be improved

 

  • Having spoken about the benefits and the best uses, let me also tell you the tough time I faced with the toy. The plastics are not sturdy, but they form the base for fixing the rods. Therefore the plastics break easily which must be considered by Geomag and provide a better quality plastic.
  • However, their magnets are extremely strong that sometimes they disturb getting fixed to the not required part of the construction and makes kid lose interest in the game.
  • The packing can have some boxes for the steel balls as kids find it difficult to deal with the rolling balls.
  • The provider can also consider providing polyhedron shaped balls which will not roll as the steel balls.
  • The polarity of the magnet can be marked to help kids handle them quickly for making their construction easy. But this is not mandatory as it will help kids to learn the polarity better when they test with each rod.

 

Caution note for adults’

 

I agree it is a play toy but that does not mean you can allow kids to handle them alone. The small balls cause a choking hazard and monitor kids not to swallow. Similarly, the magnet rods should not be put in the mouth as they may get attracted in the intestine and cause serious health issues. Do not use any broken panels which may hurt kid’s hands.

 

Finally, make sure not to keep magnets near computers and magnetic media which will cause interruption and lead to malfunction of the systems.

 

5 more similar products for you to compare

 

I do not want you to go choice less and hence adding these 5 products letting you compare with Geomag to purchase the best. Also, you can consider gifting a different product to kids if you already have Geomag Panels.

 

  1. Happy Genius Magnetic Blokcs – Amazon Link – This contains 110 pieces and all are magnetic blocks of different shapes with an instruction manual. There are no steel balls and magnetic rods so kids of any age can play it safe. Different size, shape and color combinations are there within the 110 pieces and hence kids can learn construction plus magnetism.
  2. Magz Electrobix – Amazon Link – There are 40 blocks magnetized and consist of lights. Apart from the usual building concepts and magnetism now kids can be taught about light as well. Feel great to include one more science lesson in a playful way with the help of Magz Electronix 42 piece magnetic light upset.
  3. Magnetic Stick N Stack – Amazon Link – 72 pieces including 60 magnetic tiles, stile mags – 12, and these are made with powerful magnets. These are marketed with the aim of allowing kids to make a model of car, airport, etc. The powerful magnets are 3 times strong when compared to the usual magnets. The stile mags help in adding letters, pictures, and shapes to the creation.
  4. Goobi Juniors – Amazon Link – This is best suited for toddlers as they contain magnetic rods but encapsulated in plastic molding with steel balls fixed inside. So no choking hazard and kids can make any model with magnetic force. However, the magnetic force is strong enough to allow the construction to remain fixed.
  5. Exasticks Magnetic Blocks – Amazon Link – With 32 square and 32 triangular panels’ kids can construct even a car model as they also provide wheels with this set. The magnetic colorful panels stay fixed letting kids think logically and make different models. Also, the exclusive bag offered with the set makes the life of parents easy to collect and store them for future use.

 

I am glad to recommend you all to choose the Geomag Panel as the fundamental magnetic toys as they are worth the price and develop the critical thinking skills of kids.

Disclaimer:This post contains affiliate links from Amazon. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

Book Review : Ivy and Beak Break the Fossil Record

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Go Science Girls Review Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record

I love reading books and so do my daughters. It is because right from their young age I started reading books aloud for them. My elder daughter 7+-year-old has started reading on her own small books and my younger one still reads the book looking at the pictures. So once I came across this book Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record, I was fascinated at the cover looking at two little girls at the age of 7 with their smiling face reminded me my two daughters. I purchased the book to read it for my kids. As usual, I just wanted to share my opinion about the book with you all.

Let me give you a brief intro about the author, then a short summary about the story, and then a few benefits of gifting the book to kids. Finally, I will share my honest review about the good, better and the bad allowing you to decide whether or not to buy this book.

Go Science Girls Review Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record

Author

Annie Barrows born and raised in San Diego (California) is a professional writer and is well-known for her Ivy and Bean series books. She has written books for adults too. From 2003 she began her journey in writing books for kids and before that she was working as an editor and has written books for adults. From 2003 to 2018 she has published 11 books in Ivy and Bean series. She knows palmistry and written about fortune telling as well.

Sophie Blackhall has been the backbone in illustrating pictures for Ivy and Bean series. She is an Australian living in New York. She has illustrated more than thirty children books. Her illustrations are really flawless and make the kids dwell into the book for hours together.

Check Ivy and Bean series of books here.

About Ivy and Bean break the fossil record (August 2007)

 The storyline of all the books in this series revolves around two little friends Ivy and Bean. In this story, the two little girls try all possible things to make a world record by searching for the fossil of a dinosaur in Bean’s backyard. This is the 3rd book in the series. It all begins when the two little girls find an opportunity to read books in class. Bean reads “Book of world records” and tries to get her name in the books by attempting several things including inserting straws in her mouth etc. She is indeed naughty. At the same time, Ivy was engrossed to read about Mary Anning the paleontologists who discovered the fossil of an ichthyosaur. This inspiration of Ivy on Mary Anning and the fire of Bean to make a world record combine together and soon these two little girls start looking for fossils in Bean’s backyard. They discover bones, and much more to break Mary Anning’s record.

And now, I want you to read the book to know what happens in detail.

How does this book make the best gift to kids?

This book is written in simple English and kids of age 7+ can understand. Also, it will help them improve their vocabulary. The illustrations are neatly crafted to let kids imagine how the children in the story play their characters. It includes fun and naughty activities of kids which will attract kids for further reading. Finally, the science of paleontology can be emphasized to kids easily. Good to have this book at home to enthuse kids reading habit.

Best Better and Bad about the book

The best part of the book is, kids will feel glad to read books that contain characters of the same age. It will be easy for them to relate to. Therefore here in this book, they will understand about word record. Certainly will need your help to know how one can get their names in a world record.

Next, they will develop an interest in Paleontology as Ivy and Bean in this book spend most of their time in the backyard looking for bones and fossils. Paleontology is a vast subject and feel glad that you can teach them easily with the help of this story.

Parents can educate kids about basic discipline by comparing the act of Ivy and Bean. Best way to let kids know about good and bad along with the consequences.

However, the author could have focused a bit more on polishing Bean’s role as she was portrayed to be a bullying child with her sister. This sets a wrong example for the kids who read the book.

Since it is girls dominated book, boy children might not show interest is another drawback.

Finally, the bad point about this story is giving importance to witchcraft, spells, and ghosts. It might be required to keep the book moving but target audience being kids the author could have handled the story in a different way.

Caution Note to Parents

In case you decide to buy this book for kids, then you need to be around and explain to them about Paleontology. Do not allow them to experiment anything alone like Ivy and Bean did in the story. Also, educate them about bad behavior and let them understand the outcome of such an attitude.

Alternatively, for older kids ask them to read the book and then sit with them to know if they understood things correctly. Provide inputs wherever required and make sure they interpret the right things rightly.

My Rating

I would give 8 / 10 for this book. The only issue with the story is the bad behavior of the kids, mean attitude with siblings, and the witchcraft. Otherwise, the story was good that will ignite the kids to understand about Paleontology. A good book to improve kid’s vocabulary.

I would personally suggest you purchase the book only when you know your kids are matured enough to interpret information. Hence I would make a choice of gifting this book to elder kids above age 9. You can still read the story to younger kids and do not emphasize more on the bad attitude part.

Get your copy today on Amazon and share your thoughts with us to help other parents like us.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All the opinions are either mine or of my kids.  This post contains affiliate links. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

Review: Magic Science for Wizards Only Science Kit

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Review Magic Science Wizard Only Kit

Review Magic Science Wizard Only Kit
We would like to provide a review of the magic science kit for the little wizards at home. Yes, you can now make kids do magic with the help of this kit.

In actual, there is a science concept behind every activity done using this kit. However, to fascinate little ones we call it as magic. This is just not a usual review but more.

We have collated the experience of several of our readers from online who purchased this kit for their kids. Therefore we have not hesitated to list down the good and the bad points in using this kit. You can read this review to make sure this will suit your kids need.

Come let us get into the review.

Magic Science Kit

Before directly knowing the good and the bad let me first tell you what is this kit all about, how to use this, and the uses of this kid. Then we will share the plus and the minus and finally, we will also suggest similar kits available in the market.

I am sure you will benefit from reading this and that is the very purpose of my efforts.

All About : Magic Science for Wizards Only Science Kit

As the name implies, this is a kit with a set of items packed along for making some activities. You can feel glad to teach science for your little ones using these experiments. They can feel happy about playing prank with you using these magic tricks. Yes, for them it looks magical and for us, it is science behind.

Scientific Explorer is continuously offering these kinds of activity-based kits for kids. All these experiments develop the imagination of kids. Make them explore and nurture critical thinking. Also, it encourages children to learn more concepts in a fun-filled manner.

 

What does the kit contain?

 

  • Baking soda – 2 ounces
  • Wizard wand (1) and Cap (2 nos)
  • Citric acid – 3 ounces
  • Clear tube wand – 1 no
  • Color tablets – 12 nos
  • Measuring scoops – 2 nos (1 each small and medium)
  • Polyacrylate copolymer (cross-linked) – 1 ounce
  • Purple paper – 1 sheet
  • Red cabbage powder – 0.25 ounces
  • Start stickers – 1 sheet
  • Test tube Stand
  • Test tubes – 4 nos
  • Vegetable oil – 2 ounces
  • Zinc sulfide – 0.07 ounces
  • Instruction Manual

Magic Science Wizard Only Kit

How many activities can be done? And what are they?

 

There are 9 nine activities which can be done using this kit and that is why there are items like zinc sulfide and others.

 

  1. Magic Hat – Make a magic hat to get the look for a real wizard. Maybe you can start with this activity first to give a feel to the kid that they are real wizards and then make them do other activities as a wizard does.
  2. Magical Wand Lava color-changing froth can be made.
  3. Use baking soda, citric acid and the test tube for getting foam. This is the chemical reaction between the acid and base. However, kids will feel proud of making a simple white powder into a foamy solution.
  4. Color change of powder can be done by making use of the Hocus Pocus Powder. Another magical trick for kids.
  5. Feverish Fizz of bubbling frothy foam is done to just show that the magical power is increasing day by day.
  6. Color changing potion that is frothing and also boiling just before you can be achieved with this kit.
  7. Go deep into science and magic in parallel by making a Glow-in-the-Dark Bubbling Potion.
  8. Test tube crystal balls can be created. Put the crystals in the wand and fill water to see them grow big in a few hours.
  9. Wizard Wand Creation – It is now possible to make a wizard wand for casting spells. Little black magic fun for kids. Finally, there is an effect of watching a horror movie.

 

Best, better and bad

 The best part of the kit

 Let us begin with the good things first

Science

Kids can learn science concepts not in the usual monotonous fashion but with some thrill, excitement, and fun. These days making kids study is a challenge indeed and hence you can opt for this kit and enthuse them for education. Tell them they can become a real wizard by doing these magic’s and slowly teach them science concepts as well. Trust me, this small effort of yours can make your kid a future scientist.

Contents of the kit 

There are so many things provided with which you can do 9 activities following the activity guide. But it can be more if you can search online and teach them additional experiments using the items provided with the kit. Even though these things are available at home and you can use a glass tumbler in the place of a test tube, still kids will love to have their own materials. That way this kit is really a purposeful and motivating one.

Motivation

This kit is the best inspiration for kids to learn science. They may think it is magic and will start using it. Later they will master the science concepts. Yes, you need to go in their way to engage them but take them along by providing a practical education.

 

Better but needs improvement

 

Always, remember when someone likes a product they will just say good and I like it. So is our review as general feedback in the good section. But, in this section, we will provide a detailed input of why this product is just better and what needs to be improved.

 

Age group

The color potion experiment is slightly underwhelming for kids of age 7 and above. So maybe the label should not say 6+ years and kids between 4 and 6 will have real fun. Grown-up kids know the concept and hence do not have fun. It is not a bad kit but can be used by a smaller age group than mentioned in the box. Magic lava experiment and glow in the dark activities really worth making but again well suited for kids of age 6 and below.

Experiment Duration

The fizzy frenzy experiment gets over quickly as the reaction between baking soda and citric acid will happen for a few moments. However, we can supplement with baking soda and vinegar available in our house to continue the fun and teach them science. For the product cost, the ingredient quantity provided is less. This can be improved.

Product Quality

The purple paper can be thicker as the purpose of it is to make a hat. The paper provided is the usual paper and hence not very strong.

Activity Guide

The guide can be more elaborate as well as contain more experiments. With the given items it is certainly possible to make much more than the 9 activities alone. Instead of letting the purchaser look at the search engine, the provider can expand the experiment list. Even the instructions are not in detail and we had to search online for more details.

Packing

The idea of providing ingredients is well-appreciated but the packing needs improvement. Either it should be presented in a small box or in a re-sealable bag. Once opened it is not possible to keep them as the covers are torn to open and there is no way to re-seal them. A ziplock cover would be the best option that can save space but re-sealable as well.

 

Cons 

  • Magic potion part in the manual has typos and instructions are not complete.
  • The experiments are almost similar and hence count 9 is not the real count.
  • Glow in the dark could have been brighter.

 

Caution Note for Parents

There needs supervision by the Parents as the kit contains chemicals. Baking soda, for instance, should not be consumed by kids raw they have not developed tolerance at this young age.  While making the magic lava experiment exercise caution and kids must not go closer as the chemicals affect their eyesight. The overall presence of elders around is mandatory to help kids understand and play it safely.

Why it is the perfect gift

Kids always look for fun. They are curious about the magic shows. They want to become magicians too. Such kids can be presented with this kit and they will feel excited to become a wizard. At the same time science behind the magic can be taught to them and that way they will grow their knowledge.

To do away with the Smartphone mania you must certainly consider gifting kids with this kit. Best way to spend quality time with kids.

 

5 Products similar to “Scientific Explorer Magic Science for Wizards Only Kit” available on Amazon

 

  1. Playz Kaboom! Explosive Combustion Science Lab Kit – 25+ STEM science Experiments. Kids of age 8 and above will enjoy and do hands-on science activities.
  2. Scientific Explorer My First Fizzy Foamy Science Kit – 7 activities and almost similar to the product we reviewed in detail just now.
  3. Scientific Explorer My First Science Kit – STEM way of learning and kids can construct, explore, engineer and learn science.
  4. EPlayz STEM A+ Kids Chemistry Juniorxperiments & Reactions Science Lab Kit – Contains more than 32 experiments and the instruction manual is detailed allowing kids to master STEAM activities.
  5. Scientific Explorer My First Chemistry Kit – 14 chemistry activities can be taught and children above age 5 can get benefitted.

[*Product links are affiliate links. Your support is highly appreciated]

Disclaimer: All the opinions in this review is my own (or my kids’ 🙂 ). This is not a sponsored post. This post does have some affiliate links. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees without any extra cost to you. I high appreciate your understanding and support.

Book Review of Ada Twist, Scientist

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Book review of ada twist scientist
Product Reviewed: Ada Twist, Scientist

Author: Andrea Beaty and David Roberts(Illustrator).

Reading level: 5 – 7 years olds

Star Rating: 4.0 / 5 stars

The Strength: Awesome fiction story, well narrated, written and illustrated with beautiful pictures with the portrait of the main character as female who is very curious about everything around her and questioning it.

Our Opinion: A wonderful picture book for the kids to bring out the scientists in themselves.

Its been 4 months since I heard about this book and wanted to present one for my daughter. Coincidentally, one of my neighbor had bought it for her daughter and lent me once she had completed it.

The same day I started reading it for my daughter and both of us were more curious and interested in going through each chapter and finally we finished it so soon and I must say it was “Awesome”. from then on I was wishing to write a review of Ada Twist, Scientist and here it goes.

Ada Twist Scientist

Our review of Ada Twist, Scientist

What if a little girl starts to find answers for her “why” and “how” questions, is all about Ada Twist, Scientist. Sounds familiar? An awesome fiction story with the simple line of what if a kid starts to find answer for all her “why” questions through her endless curiosity for science.

The heart of the story, main character, “Ada” is portrayed young, black, school going female, who is endlessly curious, and firm to find out the “why” of everything around her, she just can’t help questioning and conducting experiments to test her theories for, Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? and so on. When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada gets read to find the source. But unfortunately her experiments lead to increase the stink and get her into trouble. She finds the solution or not, but her way of approach for the problem, her thinking, testing, questioning and eliminating is all about the book.

But her parents fail to understand her curiosity and send Ada to the Thinking chair for the mess she had created. Distressed Ada, keeps thinking as much possible and makes it an even bigger mess. Finally, the parents get to understand that their daughter is not naughty, but much curious in finding solutions for all the questions around her.

The best part is when Ada’s parents understands her daughter and starts encouraging her by helping her find solutions for the everything she questions.

This book is indeed a book for parents to get to know the curiosity in their kids and to encourage them when they question on something. at the same time helps kids to understand that not everything will turn out perfectly in at the first try.

Let me discuss some of the things which could have been better in the book

We observed that the writer seems to accomplish so many things in the book at the same time. I think, because of this, the intended meaning gets carried away by “progressive” paragraphs with different messages.

The stress on being a troublemaker seems that kids can only become scientists if they become troublemakers.

Though the writer’s intention is to celebrate black girls’ achievements, the writing does at times provides more positive thoughts towards the two white boys while suppressing the goodness in Ada.

The book is too wordy for anyone below 5 years of age. For preschoolers, I would say, Parents should read out to them. 

My daughter’s view:

Cool Book to learn science. 

Ada Twist Scientist Book Reivew
How to buy Ada Twist Scientist (* Affiliate Links)

You can buy this book online from Amazon.com (US Link) or from Amazon.co.uk (for UK ). You can also get this from famous book repositories or book stores. 

Comment in this page and let us know if you have read any other book for science protagonists. We would love to read and review about them, so that the knowledge can be spread to other readers as well. 

Disclaimer:All the opinions in this review is my own (or my kids’ 🙂 ). This is not a sponsored post. This post contains affiliate links. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees WITHOUT any extra cost to you. I highly appreciate your understanding and support.

Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinare: Summer Set In Motion : Book Review by GoScienceGirls

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Halley Harper - Science Girl Extraordinaire summer set in motion book review

Book Reviewed: Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinare: Summer Set In Motion.

Author: Tracy Borgmeyer.

Age Range: 7-10 year olds

Star Rating: 4.7 / 5 stars

What we liked: This is a chapter book that shares the adventures of an awesome 9 year old little girl who loves science and curious about science, at the same time introduces many scientific concepts in a fun and appropriate way for the kids to fall in love with the science.

Could have been better: Story line is very much predictable. There is not much of varieties in the characters. Girls who love science are portrayed as not-normal and weird, like a square peg in a round hole in this story.

Our Verdict: This is pretty simple and easy to read book, filled with lots of fun that will make anyone giggle, encourages a love for science and most specially, female is portrayed as the main character, who is a science-loving girl, which will help the young girls to relate easily. Hats off to Tracy!!

Our review of Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinaire: Summer Set In Motion

This book starts with a mischievous 9 year old girl, Halley Harper, who creates a mess while trying to attempt a science experiment at home.  In order to avoid such mess and keep her experiments out of their home particularly kitchen, her parents decide to send her to some science camp. She also overhears someone calling her a square peg in a round hole and almost believes it to be true. At the same time a science camp is happening and they send her for the summer. Halley accompanied by her best friend Gracelyn goes there, where the real adventures and mystery begins.

She must work along with the fellow camper and try a series of challenges with her love for science involving Newton’s Laws of Motion. But a series of “Mishaps” lead Halley to believe that the camp is being destroyed and more likely to be closed forever. Will Halley use her science knowledge to uncover the mystery? Will she make her experiments to turn ordinary into extraordinary and save Camp Eureka from closing forever?

Book Review of Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinare: Summer Set In Motion

This is simply a book fully packed with scientific concepts and detailed explanation for your little ones to understand in an easy way, at same time helps in demonstrating these concepts through varies ideas which in turn can be replicated anywhere(Home or school or camp). Believe me, the kids will surely try at-least an experiment at home and hope parents encourage!!

The main character, Halley, is completely a science-obsessed girl and looks at the world through her curious mind with her interest and quirky love of science, while her best friend, Gracelyn, though not much interested in science, is always happy to tag along with Halley to science camps and support her friend, Gracelyn is a great counter part and her energy when low. Cameron, a girl teenage counselors is a person that the two younger girls admire and respect. Ms. Mac, one of the leaders of the camp,  is very lovable and adorable, one who is very supportive of Halley’s passion. Nathan, one of the male character indeed the main male character, who at times supports the girls at camp, is not quite good and talks inappropriate. Most importantly Halley’s father, who is very much supportive on her love and passion towards science, helps her practice and perform her science mess as much as she wants, has in fact, built a tree-lab at home specially for her and keeps encouraging her. Such an lovable father, right? The book also has a number of other female role-models who are science-loving, which in turn will help bring out lot of women scientist to the world.

It also makes me question as to why Halley is portrayed as a “square peg”, and it bothers me that Halley’s mother is more concentrated in a clean house then her daughter’s love for science and fails to encourage her daughter. Slowly women have started conquering the world in all fields and soon such real girl characters will be noticed and hope to see weird portray of girls who love sciences will be seen something cool in the near future. This book certainly provides a similar role-model for any girls who do love science,  if not, will make them fall in love with science.

Though the story line is very much predictable and could notice a lack of diversity among the characters, this is a “must read” book for the kids to enjoy and cherish the fun with the science and to develop their love for science specially, girls 🙂



11 Experiments That Failed Book Review

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a go science girls book review of 11 experiments that failed by jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter

Book Review of 11 Experiments That Failed

Product Reviewed: 11 Experiments That Failed

Author: Jenny Offill & Nancy Carpenter.

Age Range: 4 – 8 years olds.

Star Rating: 4.6 / 5 stars

Our review of 11 Experiments That Failed

An awesome book which is well written with lot of humor and introduces the kids to the scientific way of thinking and performing experiments with the available things in the home with loads of fun.

This is simply an hilarious story book where a little girl tries to do the 11 experiments and each one turns to be funnier than the next. It is really wonderful that the main character is a young, little, curious girl who thinks herself as a scientist, gets dressed up like a scientist with her pink goggles, gloves, lab coat and performs various experiments which fails spectacularly.

She tries to experiment the questions like : Can a kid make it through the winter eating only snow and ketchup? Do dogs like to be covered in glitter? Can a washing machine wash dishes? What makes fungus grow?and so on. And she decide to find out the answer for those by performing scientific experiments. That is, to try eating only ketchup and snow and observe the results. Sprinks glitter on her dog and checks for the results. Trying to put the dishes in washing machine to see what happens. Trying to experiment on how fungus grow with her brother’s shoes. And the most funny part is she documents all the facts from the experiments, though each one of it fails. All of the experiments have a question, a hypothesis, step-by step instructions (like what is needed, what to do) and results (what happened). For Example : “Question:What makes fungus grow? Hypothesis: If left in a closet, food will rot and become a colorful fungus garden.

What You Need:

Brother’s shoes, Bread and cheese, Water.

What to Do:

  1. Place food inside shoes.
  2. Sprinkle with water.
  3. Hide shoes in back of closet.
  4. Return in two weeks.

What Happened:

Experiment is still under way.” (Accompanying drawing shoes a tennis shoe with mushrooms growing out of it.) Looks silly but awesome right? Budding scientists will surely find plenty to laugh aloud in this book, along with new ideas for experiments to perform on their own.

Each experiment is unique and though we could guess on the results we enjoyed reading and  kept on laughing throughout the book. Illustration along with the mix photographs and drawing makes the book more appealing

An awesome “must read” books for the budding scientist and to be read in the classrooms too. Any young scientist will love this book, at the same time if your kid is already inquisitive, curious, insatiable, and you have had enough, then probably you can hide this book as this might create new ideas in them 🙂  (just kidding). This is an hilarious book for the kids ages 4-8!!

My Daughter’s verdict

“It was funny and humorous and I loved the experiments and the pictures in the book. Would like to experiment on something with the things available from the home”, she said. And as a mother I was very happy on hearing her say so.

Where to Buy

The book is available across all online book shops including Amazon.com (for the US) and Amazon.co.uk (for the UK). It was also available in local book depositories. You can also try checking at your local book store. I just wish you look to find it in stock.

Check out our other book reviews:

Disclaimer:
All the opinions in this review is my own (or my kids’ 🙂 ). This post does have some affiliate links. An affiliate link means that when you purchase using the link provided in this page, I would get a small referral fees without any extra cost to you. I high appreciate your understanding and support.