One of my earliest memories is of staring up at the night sky and marveling at the stars. I suspect that I am not alone in this, since a fascination with the stars seems to part of our basic make-up as humans. It is therefore a delight that there are currently a host of excellent toys available to teach kids about how ‘life, the universe and everything’ fits together. Here are some of the best:
1. 3-D Animation Projector (Uncle Milton) ““
Ever wanted to turn the walls of your bedroom into a working model of the night sky? This nifty little device is just for you! It projects images of space onto a wall or ceiling and then varies the display in line with an Audio-CD describing the different views. This is especially valuable in areas where light pollution makes it very difficult to learn about the stars by simply looking at the night sky.
2. Talking Telescope (Geosafari) ““
This brightly colored ‘telescope’ is focused squarely at the younger (5+) market. By looking through the viewfinder you are actually seeing one of twenty slides that are then described in great detail. Some of the slides are about animals but about half of them focus on space phenomena. The space photographs were supplied by NASA.
3. Motorized Solar System (Geosafari) ““
What better way to learn about the solar system than by having a working model right in your room? This Geosafari model clearly shows how the planets rotate around the sun and what the effects are in terms of light and darkness. It also contains realistic representations of the different planets in line with current scientific knowledge.
4. Moon in my Room (Uncle Milton) ““ ‘
Moon in my Room‘ is a very detailed representation of the moon that can be affixed to a wall or ceiling. It highlights 12 different moon phases as well as some of the most important topographical features of the moon.
5. ‘Glow in the Dark’ Solar System (Educational Insights) ““
Turn the ceiling of your bedroom into a map of the solar system by hanging the sun and the planets from it. It comes with a precise guide for placing the planets as well as interesting fact sheets.
6. Vega 600 Telescope (Geovision) ““
If you want to take your stargazing to the next level a good telescope will be essential. The Vega 600 is an excellent entry level model as it is relatively inexpensive, yet it offers magnifications of 30x to 150x. It also boasts a lightweight construction which means that it is very easy to move around in search of the perfect view.