How to Buy Science Kits

If your idea of a science kit is a little, white, metal case containing litmus paper to dip into beakers and test tubes for mixing vinegar and baking soda (over and over), think again. Science kits have come a long way!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Slime Primer
• Geology Rocks!
• Amazon Fragrances
• Volcano Kits
• Bugs Vue Outdoor Insect Observation Unit
• Go Solar
• Go Weather
• Slime Birthday
• The Original Ant Farm
• Women In Science: Earth Kit
• Women In Science: Life Kit
• Science Kits
• Gems, Geodes, & Cave Drippings

1. Consider the purpose of your gift - to feed an existing fascination or to attempt to spark a new interest?

2. Identify your budding Einstein's interest, if he or she has one - query teachers, parents, siblings and friends if you need to.

3. Identify the non-scientist's reluctance, if this is what you're up against. Does she think science isn't for girls? (Barbie has a lot to answer for: "Math class is hard," indeed!) Does he think only nerds are interested in science? (He needs to hear about George Lucas, obviously.)

4. Check out the amazing variety of options even if you've got a strong feeling that chemistry (or geology) is the way to go. Science kits run the gamut - from "build your own volcano" to "brew your own root beer" - with everything you can imagine (geology, weather, solar power, insects and ants) in between.

Tips & Warnings

• If special effects have any appeal, look for the Slime Primer, a kit of hands-on chemistry experiments that ooze and foam to create blob-like creatures and creations worthy of Jabba the Hut.
• Got a would-be fashion designer? Show him or her that science and beauty are not mutually exclusive with the Amazon Fragrances kit, which introduces noses to the exotic scents and medicinal possibilities of the jungle and then invites the hands to mix recipes as diverse as Amazon Warrior Perfume and vampire bat repellent.
• Have a "but science is for boys" problem? Track down Loose in the Lab's Women in Science series (available in physical, earth, and life sciences) - from Marie Curie to Sally Ride, they (and experiments based on their work) are all here.