Toy Insider Senior Editor Madeleine Buckley joined NECN in Boston to show off the best new STEM toys to keep kids brains sharp ahead of the new school year. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for the complete rundown of the best gifts of the season, be sure to check out The Toy Insider’s Spring and Summer Gift Guide.
REEL BIG CATCH GAME
Players use a fishing pole to catch nine telescoping fish. Then, they use the measuring tape on their catch to explore the correlation between size and measurement and the concept of small, medium, and large.
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BIG ADVENTURES BY LITTLE TIKES
These toy vehicles are designed to encourage outdoor, STEM-based play. The line includes a space rover, a safari SUV, and a submarine. Each vehicle comes with three tools, some of which detach, such as the binoculars, flashlight, and compass on the SUV.
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MELISSA & DOUG LITTLE DOCTOR GIFT BUNDLE
This gift bundle is perfect for kids who want to play doctor. The bundle comes with a 25-piece Doctor's Kit Play Set, an 8-piece Doctor Role Play Costume Set, and a Water Wow! Occupations Activity Pad. The Doctor's Kit Play Set includes activity cards, medical tools, and patient care items. The Doctor Role Play Costume…
Product Facts
- MSRP:
- $74.99
- Age:
- 3+
- Battery Requirements:
- 2 AAA Batteries
- Manufacturer:
- Melissa and Doug
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SPY LABS: FORENSIC INVESTIGATION KIT
Kids can perform experiments on evidence using chemical and physical techniques. They can analyze solids and liquids, make a fluorescent solution, and more using chromatography to solve make-believe mysteries.
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VR DINOSAURS, OCEANS, & ANIMALS GIFT SETS
Kids can learn about oceans, animals, or dinosaurs with three separate gift sets. Each set comes with an interactive book from DK publishing, virtual reality goggles for educational experiences, and scratch art or fossil activities.
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SMITHSONIAN PLANETARIUM PROJECTOR
When kids aim the projector at a light-colored wall or ceiling, it will project a rotating star pattern of the northern sky. The set includes three disks with 24 space images that kids can project alongside the stars.