Holiday Gift idea: science kits from the young scientists club

***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

My husband is on vacation this week, which is awesome, since it was long overdue. But a week vacation for Dan means that now I have 4 kids at home, since he, my teen, and the little ones really tend to get riled up and end up making a mess of the house. Not to mention, they eat junk food all day and yell and scream incessantly. I love the fact that my littles love their Daddy Time, but I have to admit, it makes it a bit difficult for me to concentrate and get anything done. 

So I told him that every day he's off, he and the littles had to spend at least an hour doing something structured and well....sane. A little break from climbing on furniture and jumping all over the place would be quite nice and allow me to keep my own sanity and get some work of my own done.

So when I got the opportunity to revisit the great children's science kits from The Young Scientists Club, I was very excited. There are several wonderful kits to choose from, such as Rainbow Science, Kitchen Science, and the Wonders of Nature Kit. These kits feature some of kids' favorite characters from Clifford the Dog and The Magic School Bus, so it definitely adds to the fun and keeps kids engaged while learning. After all, learning should be fun, right?!

Last time around, we checked out Clifford's Bubble Science. It was a huge hit with both of my preschoolers! This time, I chose The Magic School Bus Exploring the Wonders of Nature Kit. 

This kit contains everything you need to do a wide variety of experiments that revolve  around a nature theme. There is even a really cool Scavenger Hunt! We plan to take this challenge when we go to one of the nearby state parks! 

Today, Dan and the kids headed out to the back deck to do some fun nature experiments. They tried to do the Scavenger Hunt in our yard, but that didn't go to well. The park will be much better. 

Finally, they decided to make leaf rubbings so that all the veins and lines on the leaves showed through onto their white paper. This is something that is very neat to watch, and also something that is well within my preschoolers' capabilities. 

Sophie and Xander thought it was amazing that just by coloring, they were able to see individual cells and veins throughout their leaves. They even noticed that no 2 leafs are exactly the same! 

The kids probably spent about 45 minutes trying this out with leaves of different shapes and sizes. They also experimented with color, making pink, purple and blue leaves, too! 

Overall, we have really enjoyed exploring the natural world with the kiddos. These experiments were loads of fun, and kept my kids very engaged. They were very interested in seeing how many different things they could do with just a few simple items, most of which are provided in the kit. They also loved the fact that the colorful instruction book featured Mrs. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus characters. This definitely added to their experience!

I also loved this  kit because it comes very neatly packaged and includes almost everything needed to make nature come alive. The only other things I needed were things that were already in my pantry, or could be found by heading outdoors.

These experiments are meant for kids ages 5+, but I found that most were simple enough that even my 2 year old could participate. My husband, AKA "The Big Kid" enjoyed it, too. So really, it's great for kids of all ages and stages. 

I would definitely recommend The Young Scientists Club if you're looking for ways to keep your kids entertained while helping them learn more about the world around them. These kits are fun, easy to use, and definitely can cure the rainy day blues. They'd even be wonderful supplements to homeschooling lesson plans! 

how to connect :

You can check out the awesomeness of The Young Scientists Club on their website.

You can also connect with them on Facebook and on twitter to stay on top of their latest products and promotions!

Also, be sure to look for some science inspiration on their Pinterest page!

They offer fun, weekly science experiments on their Facebook page, so definitely check it out!