Best science gift for a 12 yo DS

[kajs22]

My son who is in 7th grade is really into science since they started doing chemical experiments in class this year and I want to find him a cool science gift for Christmas. We have had those prepackaged science kits and they are usually pretty lame. Anyone know of something better?

 

[TLuvsD]

We got our D an actual microscope with slides...she loved it.

You might tryfatbraintoys.com (I know they have physics, not sure about chem) or thinkgeek.com

If you have a science or natural history museum nearby, the gift shops often have good science stuff.

 

[lauradis]

You could make your own kit up with better micro scope, beakers, couple of books on advanced experiments, empty slides.

http://www.microscope.com/microscope-packages/

 

[LockShockBarrel]

sciplus.com

 

[nighttowll]

Exploration Education
It is actually a homeschool/ private school science curriculum. What's nice is that it covers a variety of topics, has all hands on experiments, and comes with everything you need right in the kit. There is a cd you watch that acts like a virtual interactive text book to walk you through all the experiments. The curriculum comes in elementary, middle, and high school levels. We have found it to be a lot of fun, with the kids asking to go back and finish it even though we aren't homeschooling anymore. The website has sample lessons you can view to see how it works. If he is really into science and experiments, it is worth looking into. The website also has a page that lists other experiments that be can done at home with household items.

Elenco Kits
These are electronic kits that come in different sizes for creating all different projects. Each kit lets you create a number of different things while learning about circuits and switches. There is also a Green kit that teachers about green forms of energy. Some kits do more than others. You can find the kits a number of places including amazon.

Kids science camp / program
I'm not sure where you live, but there are a few different science programs near us hosted by the zoo, children's museum, and the local colleges. I'm sure there are probably ones near you as we'll, maybe a voucher to a science camp, or some type of special science program offered nearby. We have one that runs in the summer called camp invention the kids seem to love.

Lego robots
The ones you can build and program. We've never done these, but I've seen them at ToysRUs and thought they looked awesome.

A microscope or telescope

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Snap circuits

 

[gillenkl]

Snap circuits

these are pretty neat. - my teens really like the projects.