(StatePoint) Want to deepen children’s understanding of the world around them? The holiday season is the perfect time to do that. Educational gifts and toys can extend the learning fun throughout the year, and embolden them to make exciting discoveries every day.
• Starry-eyed: Bring the night sky closer to the little ones in your life. With the Magic Adventures Telescope from LeapFrog, fledgling astronomers can focus on the moon at night or nature during the day at up to 110x zoom, and even capture and save images of what they see. This real telescope is accompanied by twenty Cosmic Cards featuring images and fun facts about objects in space, and more than 100 videos and images courtesy of NASA and the European Space Agency on such topics as the solar system, the Moon, star life cycles, constellations, space discoveries and more. A detachable tripod allows for steadier scientific exploration, and its adventure game will have kids dodging planetary hazards, powering on satellites and rebooting robots.
• Coding building blocks: Many of the newest hands-on coding kits don’t even require a screen to get started. With block-based programming tools, young engineers can get problem-solving experience while beginning to develop the computational mindset needed to code. What’s more, the featured games and challenges can make the learning process fun, versatile and interactive.
• Tiny worlds: Help kids realize just how cool science and the world around them can be with the Magic Adventures Microscope, which offers 200x magnification. Budding biologists can zoom in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using eight double-sided smart slides that activate amazing BBC videos and images to discover answers to curious questions like: What do plant cells look like? What is sand made of anyway? Kids can then make their own discoveries by finding things around the house and getting a closer look using the reusable slides or large sample tray. This innovative take on a classic microscope allows kids to save on-screen images, and even features a quiz game to put their new STEAM skills to the test.
• Mini masterpieces: Inspire little ones to express themselves through the visual arts with a comprehensive, mixed-media art supply kit. Whether you buy a ready-made kit or stock it and package it up yourself, be sure it includes all the age-appropriate essentials: markers, crayons, colored pencils, paints, brushes, paper and pencil sharpeners. Pair this present with an easel, so that kids will have a dedicated place to create and display their artwork.
• Globe-trotting: Young explorers can travel the world and see everything in it with the Magic Adventures Globe. Using the stylus, children can tap on the 10-inch interactive learning globe and experience new places, languages, cultures, animals, geography, habitats and more through high-quality BBC videos. Its integrated 2.7-inch video screen immerses kids in the curriculum through animations and live-action videos, providing a better understanding of the world. They can also play interactive games to explore the globe, challenge a friend and solve mysteries.
This holiday season, encourage a love of knowledge and self-expression. With so many fun learning tools and toys to choose from, you can make the jolliest season of the year a time to get inspired.
