Many people recall the days when chemistry sets were the only educational alternatives to conventional toys. However, today’s science toys are designed to suit many different scientific applications and fields of study. Kids and adults can choose from toys that focus on basic natural science like geology, biology and chemistry, or more advanced topics such as meteorology and geography. With such an amazing variety of science toys available, kids can always find an interesting and exciting alternative to watching to TV. Plus, parents gain valuable insight into their children’s intellectual preferences, allowing them to tailor activities and learning materials towards a specific area of interest.

Macro Microscope This microscope lets you see everything from butterfly wings to plant cell walls.	Ant Gel Habitat Observe ants in action as they tunnel through a nutrient-rich gel.
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Science toys that depict natural processes are incredibly popular amongst children. Such toys allow kids to see changes occurring before their very eyes and they enjoy the feeling that they’ve contributed to the transformation. Most natural transformations are difficult to witness in the wild, but science toys like Discovery’s Frog Pond Habitat allow children and adults to watch those transformations occur within the comfort of their own home. Also, since many natural processes, such as the formation of mountain ranges or the erosion of rocks, require hundreds or thousands of years to take place, capturing visual representations of them is the next best thing. For this reason, science toys like Discovery’s Next Generation Rock Tumbler are perfect gifts for science-minded children. The tumbler is essentially designed to polish the rock in the same manner that would otherwise take nature hundreds of years to accomplish. Plus, the end result is a beautiful stone that can be admired forever.

Even though there are plenty of science toy options for kids and adults to choose from, many people still value the microscope as one of the best on the market. Microscopes can be incredibly valuable for examining the building blocks of life, such as the structure of a leaf or the development of a sea monkey. Discovery’s Macro Microscope is a very popular model, mainly because it is easy to use and comes with a wide array of slides to examine.

Science toys that focus on geography are beginning to incorporate more interactive functions. Most people have owned a map or a globe at one point, yet many people have difficulty identifying foreign countries, let alone describing their local customs and traditions. Discovery’s Talking Odyssey III Interactive Tabletop Globe makes all that possible by illuminating specific countries and providing accompanying audio, which plays national anthems and gives details about the capitals and landmarks.

Unlike most conventional toys, science toys make a lasting impact that remains long after the boxes are shelved away. Science toys are wonderful for children and adults of all ages primarily because they are designed not only to entertain, but also to educate and to draw on the user’s creativity. Watching educational shows may be beneficial for a child, but nothing beats the first-hand experience of experimenting with science and forming observations of how the world around us works.