Every year I try to add a new gift guide that focuses on something new.  You can also find lists of the Best Gifts on a Budget, our Favorite Gifts for Kids, our Favorite Books for Kids, and our Favorite Art Supplies for Kids here on the site.  This year we've really been all about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at our house, in large part because of the release of our new science book, but also because I'm a science teacher!  So I thought I'd focus on a science gift theme for 2015.  :)

Ideal ages:  Toddler through second grade

Tinkerlab has 55+ activities that encourage tinkering, curiosity, and creative thinking from Rachelle Doorley of Tinkerlab.com.  This book is a great way to get kids inventing!

What they are learning: Engineering, tinkering, and inventing skills, perseverance and patience

Ideal ages:  Preschool and up

What they are learning:  Where to place wheels and connectors to make a functioning vehicle (engineering), how different configurations of vehicles change how easy/quickly the vehicle moves (physics), how to create a stable structure/building

These things are amazing!  They are classified as ages 8+, but if you are willing to sit with your child while they work through these activities, I've found that kids around 4-5 years old can easily play with these and learn a ton.  I also love that you can creatively use the pieces to invent your own circuits!

Ideal ages:  Preschool and up

This activity is most ideal for spring/summer, but it's such a wonderful (and beloved) activity, that you could always gift a certificate for the kit to be used later.  There are many ways to raise butterflies, but my favorite are the kits from Shady Oak Butterfly Farm because they send you actual host plants.  You will need to keep the host plant alive, and because your caterpillars are feeding on actual plants, there are usually slightly fewer caterpillars than the store-bought kits.  I love that they also send you seeds to plant host plants for the butterflies in your state.  As a science teacher, I love that kids get to learn the added information about host plants and it's really cool to watch the caterpillars eat through the leaves!

What they are learning:  Basic biology -- host plants, butterfly life cycle

If you're on a budget or don't want the added responsibility of caring for host plants, these kits are also quite fun.

What they are learning:  Basic engineering (how to create a stable structure), patience and perseverance

A microscope is a big investment, but it's one that can grow with your child.  I am a very big proponent of purchasing a stereo microscope vs compound (or regular) microscopes.  Regular microscopes magnify a TON (which can be kind of overwhelming for little ones who don't quite understand what they are looking at anymore because it looks SO different) and they also require thin slices of flat items.  They are challenging for little ones to focus - often because they really aren't sure what they should be looking for.  Stereo microscopes (also called dissecting microscopes) are my favorites with little guys because you can look at darn near anything.  Your finger?  Sure!  A toy?  Absolutely!  A worm?  Totally.  As long as you can fit it under your microscope, you're almost sure to be able to see it.  It does not need to be flat or thinly sliced.  It magnifies a lot, but not so much that you can no longer tell what you're looking at.  My daughter got hers at age 5 and could reliably focus on items herself because it's so much easier to tell what you're looking for!  You can still look at slides if you'd like, but you aren't limited to slides.  Here are two versions of stereo microscopes (one is less expensive because it offers less magnification; we have this one which offers more magnification -- both are great microscopes though):

What they are learning:  About magnification and the structure of various items