Tis the season of giving, and whether you’re trying to please the budding engineer in your life or subtly incorporate learning into your child’s play time, STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) toys make great gifts.
We asked Base 11’s fellows what their favorite toys were that encouraged their love of STEM — or what they wish they’d had as a kid. A theme quickly emerged: they love to build things themselves. “For me as a kid, I wish I was given toys to put/assemble together because I would have learned about the engineering aspect before-hand,” says one of our engineering fellows.
Here’s are a few of their gift ideas:
Physics Workshop
Imaginations can run wild with hundreds of pieces that allow you to build a windmill, two-speed crane, force scale, sail car, mars robot, hammer machine and more. A Base 11 Fellow says he received a similar kit as a kid. “I didn’t really understand what it was at first, but once I started building all of the different projects and machines I could build, it was so amazing!” View the Physics Workshop (for ages 8+).
Snap Circuits Jr. Kit
Snap Circuits kits introduce electrical circuits to kids as young as 8. These are “an introduction to circuitry for kids that are very simple that you can put together and see how the circuit would function,” says a Base 11 Fellow. “This would have just helped me in the long run of knowing circuitry techniques.” View a Snap Circuits kit (for ages 8+).
Arduino Starter Kit
A more advanced option, the Arduino Starter Kit provides everything you need to get started with and teach yourself electrical engineering. “A kit like this is a perfect entry-level gift for somebody to explore programming and circuits while providing an inexpensive tool-set to help them further develop their ideas through the understanding and experience they’ve gained,” says our Base 11 Fellow. Some of our students used Arduino for the their summer engineering projects. See the Arduino Starter Kit (for ages 10+, with some adult supervision).
Middle School Moguls
Trying to encourage a young girl to get into coding? The Middle School Moguls doll and book sets include “coding queen” Sunny. She and her four friends at the Mogul Academy, are all budding entrepreneurs with different specialties. A great option if you simply must have a doll for the stocking. Check out Middle School Moguls (for ages 6+).
Euler’s Disk
Sometimes it’s worthwhile to sit back and be awed by science. This is the beauty of Euler’s Disk, a beautiful display of light and sound that stems from a specific physics phenomenon. See Euler’s Disk (for ages 8+)
Mini Quadcopter Drone
It’s no surprise that a student who spent the summer designing and building his own drone wants to give the gift of flight to others this holiday. This small, miniature quadcopter from Cheerson “has a very short battery life, but it’s very fun to fly” and can be used indoors for beginners. See the mini quadcopter (for all ages).
Radio Controlled Airplane
What better way to get an introduction to aviation than with a radio-controlled airplane? Kids can learn first-hand about the basics of aerospace science like lift and drag. Our Base 11 fellow, who’s done aerospace research at USC, says he and his nephew “would have a blast playing with the airplane!” View an RC Airplane (for ages 15+).
What STEM-ulating gifts are you planning to give this year? Tell us in the comments!