(StatePoint) Shopping for kids this holiday season and looking for gifts that offer some educational value? The good news is that you don’t need to sacrifice fun! Here are five awesome gift ideas that will get school-age kids excited about learning outside the classroom.
1. With the Magic Adventures Microscope, young biologists can explore tiny worlds full of huge discoveries, zooming in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using eight double-sided smart slides that activate amazing BBC videos and images. Inquiring minds can discover answers to curious questions like: How do leaves changes colors? What do plant cells look like? What is sand made of anyway? They can also make their own discoveries by finding things around the house and getting a closer look using the reusable slides or large sample tray. With up to 200x magnification on this real microscope, kids will be amazed by what they see. A capture-and-save feature allows for documenting findings, and included games and quizzes add to the fun and let kids put their knowledge to the test.
2. Reading enthusiasts will love a subscription to a book of the month club offering selections for their reading level and interests. This is not only a great way to promote a lifelong love of literature, it can help a young reader build their home library.
3. Fledgling explorers can travel the world and see everything in it with the Magic Adventures Globe from LeapFrog. Using the stylus, children can tap on the interactive learning globe and experience new places, languages, cultures, animals, geography, habitats and more through high-quality BBC videos. Featuring an integrated video screen, animations and live-action videos fully immerse kids in the curriculum to provide a better understanding of the world through more than five hours of videos. They can also play interactive games to explore the globe, challenge a friend and solve mysteries. With its focus on curriculum-based content and important foundational skills, LeapFrog toys offer experiences that make learning fun.
4. Encourage kids to become informed citizens of the world with a subscription to a news magazine designed just for them, such as “The Week Junior.” This is an excellent way to build vocabulary, while engaging kids on a wide range of subjects -- from culture and arts to science and government -- in a way that’s appropriate for their age.
5. Foster a love of fine arts by gifting kids an all-in-one sketching, painting and coloring set complete with everything they need to unleash their inner Picasso. Pencils, markers, acrylic and watercolor paints, along with brushes, paper pads and canvas boards, will give artists of all ages the foundational tools they need to try their hand in various mediums.
