Looking for some great toys for the holidays that are both fun and educational? Toy Insider Editor-in-Chief Marissa DiBartolo stopped by Good Day L.A. to show off some stealthy STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) toys that kids will enjoy so much, they won’t know that they’re learning. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for the complete rundown of the best toys of the holiday season, be sure to check our complete Toy Insider Holiday Gift Guide.
SKY TRACK ADVENTURE SET (MAGFORMERS)
- Enjoy racing adventures with the Magformers Sky Track 44-piece play set.
- Equipped with a sky shuttle and multiple track accessories, kids can create loops, peaks and valleys, and twists and turns for endless flight fun.
- Watch as your shuttle does a 360-degree spin and climbs the lift elevator.
- When your track is completed, the Sky Shuttle will go off-road in its sky car.
- Learn about force, gravity, and engineering skills with this set—all while playing and having fun.
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $99.99
- Available: Amazon, your local toy store
MY FAIRY GARDEN UNICORN PARADISE (PLAYMONSTER)
- My Fairy Garden is the first of its kind: A toy that’s also a real, live garden! Children love kits that allow them to grow plants at home because it gives them a connection to nature and a sense of satisfaction at having nurtured a living thing.
- My Fairy Garden takes it to a new, exciting level by allowing children to interact with it as part of an entertaining play set!
- Unicorn Paradise boasts a garden on and around an eye-catching cave where the glittery unicorn, Celeste, can rest and hang out with her fairy friend Dahlia and Dahlia’s pet turtle Pebbles! Like the rest of the My Fairy Garden line, this set includes soil and seeds to grow real plants and flowers!
- Kids will even learn about photosynthesis, plants, and biology.
- Age: 4+
- MSRP: $25.99
- Available: Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon
BEAKER CREATURES (LEARNING RESOURCES)
- Beaker Creatures is a new line of science-themed collectibles that combines the thrill of collecting with hands-on science experiments.
- The set includes two surprise Beaker Creatures characters hidden inside the Reactor Pods.
- When kids add water, the fizzing Reactor Pods will reveal the creatures.
- This play set also double as a working lab set, complete with included science experiments that encourage hands-on learning.
- Each Beaker Creature also comes with facts and quizzes about real- world creatures and phenomena that sparks curiosity in the world around us.
- Age: 5+
- MSRP: $24.99
- Available: Amazon
CRAYOLA COLOR CHEMISTRY LAB SET (CRAYOLA)
- With 50 different colorful experiments designed by real Crayola scientists, this lab set teaches kids the magic of science, math, and art through color.
- From an erupting volcano to glow worms and slime, kids can embark on experiments using core Crayola products and household items, stretching their imaginations while enhancing STEM skills.
- Includes everything kids need to conduct 15 experiments right out of the box, or to continue creativity, kids can use the included illustrative guide to conduct experiments again and again using household items.
- Age: 7+
- MSRP: $24.99
- Available: Amazon, Walmart, Crayola.com
LEGO BATMAN APP-CONNECTED BATMOBILE (LEGO)
- Speed to Gotham City crime scenes with the motorized LEGO DC Super Heroes App-Controlled Batmobile.
- This cool vehicle features two motors powered by a Bluetooth-controlled battery hub, an opening minifigure cockpit, four-wheel drive, and two dual-stud shooters.
- Kids can download the app to control the vehicle from their smartphone or tablet.
- Learn the ins and outs of RC and programming, while honing in on engineering skills.
- This set also includes a new Batman minifigure.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $99.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart, and shop.lego.com
SENSORS ALIVE (THAMES & KOSMOS)
- Demystify abstract physics phenomena such as light, sound, and heat like never before with this highly innovative, gamified sensor physics lab!
- The core of this science kit is an app-based video game in which kids use real-world sensor data that they can collect from your environment to generate a diverse array of creatures. Create, collect, play with and care for your creatures in the app.
- Kids will gain experience in measuring light levels, volumes, and temperatures with the three sensor pods, and learn about the physics behind light, sound, and heat.
- Sensors Alive works with a tablet or smartphone operating on recent versions of iOS and Android.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $149.95
- Available: Amazon
