Enhanced – Watch: the review video
Curriculum Consultants
Gina Burmeier & Amber Garcia
or kids that love science related activities, Dissect It! ® Lab kits [1] by Top Secret Toys offer a variety of dissection labs targeted for students in Grades 5–8. These labs provide future scientists with a fun learning experience with more choice and less mess compared to preserved specimens. Following the basic instructions, children cut through the gel-like skin to view the interlocking bones and organs. Once completed, each kit includes additional refill packs to recreate the experience. The kits also include safe instruments and interesting information about the animal and its bone structure and organs.
Gina Burmeier & Amber Garcia
or kids that love science related activities, Dissect It! ® Lab kits [1] by Top Secret Toys offer a variety of dissection labs targeted for students in Grades 5–8. These labs provide future scientists with a fun learning experience with more choice and less mess compared to preserved specimens. Following the basic instructions, children cut through the gel-like skin to view the interlocking bones and organs. Once completed, each kit includes additional refill packs to recreate the experience. The kits also include safe instruments and interesting information about the animal and its bone structure and organs.
Science Kits by National Geographic™ explore meteors, chemistry, or worms [2]. Mold together polymers to make two bouncing balls that glow like a real meteor in the meteor kit. Make solutions to see different reactions in the chemistry kit. The worm kit includes making worm eggs, bursting a giant worm egg, making glowing worms, color changing worms, and zombie worms. Adult supervision required.
Thames & Kosmos has two interesting science labs that are just plain fun! Make gummy candy with the Dino Gummy Candy Lab [3] or instant snow with the OOZE Labs Instant Snow Station [4]. All the supplies you need are included, minus a few household items to complete your experiments. A full color illustrated booklet shows you exactly what to do.
Thames & Kosmos has two interesting science labs that are just plain fun! Make gummy candy with the Dino Gummy Candy Lab [3] or instant snow with the OOZE Labs Instant Snow Station [4]. All the supplies you need are included, minus a few household items to complete your experiments. A full color illustrated booklet shows you exactly what to do.
ave your children been interested in pottery, but you just don’t know how to get then started? Mini Pottery Studios [1] by
A Flower Power Pottery Kit [2C] (Wishcraft™) by Bright Stripes allows you to make beautiful creations without a pottery wheel. Simply roll out and shape clay coasters, pendants, paperweights and more, and then press the flower and leaf-shaped molds into the clay as desired. Once the clay pieces are dry, use the paints to add bright colors to the pieces. Real leaves and flowers can also be used.
If you would rather try your hand at constructing an outdoor project, MindWare® has several Make Your Own Kit [3] options. Do you enjoy watching birds or butterflies? Create your own birdhouse, bird feeder, or butterfly house. Adorn your flower garden with a bee, dragonfly, or ladybug wind spinner kit. Make some music by creating wind chimes. Build a toolbox to store your handy tools in. These do-it-yourself projects come with real pine wood and metal, paints, brushes, glue, and connectors. Full-color instructions include extras like paint techniques and color mixing guidance.
you prefer more of a hands-on puzzle, check out the durable Shashibo® [1] puzzle toys by Fun in Motion Toys. These magnetic puzzle cubes transform into many different geometric shapes within one cube! Made of recyclable ABS plastic, each Shashibo® has four different art designs and measures about 2.4 inches. There are so many different patterns to choose from and you can collect and connect several to build larger structures and create more possibilities as you add cubes. Use as a stress reliever, sensory experience, creative enhancer, or a fun activity during travel. Use the free app to get some tips and inspiration or free style and see what you come up with!
Challenge yourself on the go with a 3D Addict-A-Ball [2] maze puzzle! These compact and portable puzzles by HQ Kites and Designs USA come in 14 or 20 cm. sizes. Tilt and turn the transparent sphere to navigate a steel ball through 100 numbered sections, overcoming tricky obstacles along the way. Perfect for ages 6 and up, this maze ball toy provides hours of entertainment whether you’re on a road trip, waiting in line, or simply looking for a fun way to pass the time.
reate your own marble-swirl jewelry with a Marbled Moon Jewelry Kit [1] (Wishcraft™) by Bright Stripes. Mix multiple colors of air-dry clay together to get a swirl look, and then roll or press them into molds to get the desired shape. Make 5 beaded bracelets, 2 pendant necklaces, a charm bracelet, and a ring. Includes 4 colors of clay, gems, string, and more!
Dial A Design Bracelet Maker [2] by Bright Stripes is a friendship bracelet kit featuring a dial loom with 6 different pattern options and 20 colors of floss, enough to make up to 20 different bracelets! Additional bracelets could be made with the loom by purchasing additional floss.
Rainbow Loom® Cutie Cubes [3] by Choon’s Design, Inc have cool-themed kits including tie-dye, sweets, and solar. “Tie-Dye” has a mix of cheery bright and dark moody-colored bands, “Sweets” has silver sparkles in the brightly colored bands, and “Solar” has color-changing bands. These kits include all you need to make several bracelets—a plastic loom, 1200 elastic bands, 100 C-clips, and instructions.
You can also use the un-themed Rainbow Loom® Bracelet Craft Kit™ [4]. By following the step-by-step loom patterns, you can loop lots of cool rubber band bracelets. The reusable cardboard storage container includes an original Rainbow Loom, a Mini Rainbow Loom, 1,800 assorted latex-free rubber bands, an 11″ display rack, a metal hook, 75 C-clips, 12 gift bags, and 8 bracelet instruction pages with pictures. The box features a hook and loop clasp and a travel handle. Comes with everything you need to make around 40 bracelets.
Say Yes! Alphabet Bead Bracelet Set [5] by Make It Real!™ allows you to spell out your friends’ names, team names, pets’ names, and even good wishes to wear on your wrist! Includes a pretty tray full of over 1000 assorted beads in a bright and cheerful color palette and almost 10 yards of elastic cord and instructions.
aybe your child wants to dabble in painting? Bob Ross for Kids™ offers Happy Lessons in a Box [6] kits to paint just like Bob Ross with look-alike tools (4 brushes, palette, and yes, there’s a plastic painting knife!). Also includes 6 water-based paints and an easy to follow instruction booklet for 5 painting projects. The boxed set includes three 9”x12” canvas boards, so you’ll need to supply more to do all 5 projects. A combo kit includes the boxed art kit with a collectible PopTater ™ Bob Ross® PotatoHead [7] from Super Impulse USA, Inc. Art enthusiasts will enjoy the cute characters along with some fun art to make!
Become a master painter with this Canvas Painting Kit [8] from Klutz!™ Everything you need is in this complete painting kit. The instruction book features professional techniques used by artists and shares inspiration that will have you painting like a pro in no time. The kit includes 18 art starters, 6 blank canvas sheets, 3 canvas boards, 6 tubes of acrylic paint, 3 paintbrushes, palette knife, paint palette, and display easel for your finished art.
Paint pouring is a messy technique that creates cool marbled effects on a canvas board. Never fear! This washable Paint Pour Art Set [9] by Crayola contains the mess and allows the young artist to explore different tilts of the canvas. Layer the paint in the beaker and slowly pour through the strainer. As you tilt the board, the paint flows. It’s the tilt-tray design that makes this kit a winner! Includes all you need for three 6″ square masterpieces (with 5 paint colors). Get more supplies and create even more on your own!
hildren of younger ages can experience the fun of GraviTrax [1] with these Junior Sets from Ravensburger North America, INC, featuring similar aspects of the original sets, but with larger and more colorful pieces that are simple to assemble. This creative, expandable system is especially designed for younger children, challenging them to use their imagination to build their own marble runs! STEM-friendly concepts build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Expansion sets are easily added for even bigger fun. Ages 3–7.
Enjoy snapping together bright magnetic pieces to assemble a one-of-a-kind, colorful marble run with Picasso Tiles Magnetic Marble Run Sets [2] by Picasso Tiles ™. After you create your course full of tubes, channels, slopes, funnels and U-turns, watch your marbles race through your twisting, turning racetrack! Marble runs challenge kids to create a course with stability, building problem-solving and planning skills, while expressing unique creativity. From swirling to stair-stepping pieces, there are several unique obstacles in each set. Sets come in 50, 100, 150, or 200 pieces. Weighted marbles are included, and the 200-piece set also includes 2 LED light up marbles. Sets are compatible with each other so feel free to keep adding to your collection!
tudents of all ages who enjoy the décor, construction, architecture, and miniatures will get satisfaction from completing one of these DIY Miniature House [3] kits by Robotime USA. Each element has to be built using the pieces provided. What an exercise in patience! True model-builders will want to do them all! You can select from a variety of levels, from a wee kitchen-corner setting to a complete greenhouse build. Instructions are image-based with very little reading. The kits seem close to the 1:12 scale (one inch in the dollhouse equal one foot in real life). While the separate kits do not assemble to create an actual dollhouse, you could display them on a bookshelf and create the sense of a dollhouse-type project. You could have a high school art student add a kit as an element of an art credit.
Create a mouse mansion with miniature furniture and accessories sets from Sam & Julia [4] DAM, LLC. Also available are cardboard rooms that can be used to stage the tiny furniture! These are fun and imaginative kits that can be used to play with or display as a decorative piece in your home. The furniture is made from laser-cut pieces of wood. Once pieces are assembled, they can be decorated and painted for a realistic look. The mini assorted accessories include various food or dishware items. The die-cut set includes posters, boxes, and other small paper accessories. Assembly required. Mice not included.
Build tiny replicas of animals, historical figures, buildings, and even landmarks with these Miniature Brick Sets [5] from Impact Photographics, Inc! Each set contains anywhere from 96 to 1177 pieces and includes a base to display these scaled-down creations. These make a great gift idea for the brick builders in your life! Average assembled size is approximately 6” x 4” x 3”.
our little learner will love staying engaged at home and on the go with the Buckle Toys® Busy Board [1]. These unique learning centers go beyond buckles, incorporating real-world elements like shoelaces, easy-glide zippers, clocks, and buttons. The boards from Super Fun Store are made with soft, lightweight foam and have a cut-out, toddler-sized handle. Each of the colorful buckles has a different clasp style, which adds an extra challenge, and the zipper reveals hidden shapes inside. The variety of buckles is not only entertaining but also educational. Kids will love to open the snap pocket and practice tying shoelaces like a big kid! Busy Boards are also tools for therapeutic and occupational therapy, helping children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving abilities and sensory awareness.
Bath Stickers [2] from Buddy & Barney LLC provide fun playtime and make getting clean more enjoyable! Each set contains a variety of different stickers that are thick, durable, reusable and can easily be stuck to the side of the bathtub or bathroom wall. Children can enjoy creative play as they mix and match the pieces of the larger sets to make fun and silly designs.
Paint & Stack Puzzlers [3] from BeginAgain are versatile toys that combine fine motor, painting, and puzzling all in one fun project for your child to complete. Each puzzle includes several pieces that form one animal. Paint each piece, and when dry, stack pieces on top of one another and glue them down to create your finished animal masterpiece. Includes everything you need: wooden pieces, paint, paintbrush, and glue. Pick from three adorable animal options—elephant, lion, or panda—and let the fun begin!
ina Burmeier and her husband homeschooled their three kids using many Charlotte Mason and classical programs. Realizing all three kids were very different, taking an eclectic approach gave them a great opportunity to meet all their children’s needs. For years, they traveled together as a family to homeschool conventions representing Rainbow Resource Center. She has thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with many homeschoolers over the years. With all three kids now college graduates, she is a consultant in the office at Rainbow and continues to enjoy helping homeschoolers with curriculum questions. She is very passionate about researching curriculum and learning styles as she helps other homeschoolers find the best fit for their children.
mber Garcia studied Elementary Education and music at Bible college. There she met her husband and began the journey of ministry and family. Giving their four children a Christian education became the focus and they purposed making that happen by putting them in a Christian school where they were teaching some years and homeschooling other years. Now Amber is a homeschool consultant at Rainbow Resource Center helping other homeschoolers with curriculum questions. Amber loves finding the key to help each student learn in their own way.