S.T.E.M. Toys for Kids

Everyone is talking about S.T.E.M. right now and schools are spending extra time focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  As a homeschool parent, I love that my children's exposure to these subjects can be through playtime.  My kids loved helping me put together this list of amazing toys that spark curiosity and teach great concepts.  They're wish list is now a whole bunch longer.

DNA BUILDING TOY- I think I've wanted this toy for most of my life.  It's on my list for the near future.  I can't wait to explore the amazing traits of DNA and RNA with this toy.

BUTTERFLY HABITAT- Growing a caterpillar into a butterfly is also on my wish list.

EXPERIMENT KIT- This looks like it would be a good set for homeschoolers as it contains a bunch of different experiments.

MOLECULE BUILDING SET- Build molecules and learn about basic chemistry.

FLOATING MAGNETS- A simple toy that allows kids to explain the power of magnets.

NEWTON'S CRADLE- An object in motion will stay in motion... test it with this toy.

CRYSTAL GROWING KIT- Explore molecules by growing crystals.

BUG NET- Send the kids in the yard to catch bugs for studying.

STRAWBERRY DNA EXTRACTION KIT- Extract and analyze fruit DNA with this kit.

FOSSILS-  Set of fossils for collecting and studying.

VOLCANO- This classic science toy is a must in every home.

SMITHSONIAN MOTOR WORKS- We picked this toy up at a yard sale and are anxiously waiting for the kids to be old enough to build our own engine.

CODE AND GO MOUSE- This is a coding game for preschoolers.  Move the tiles to make the mouse move as the cards show.

CAN ROBOT- Turn an ordinary tin can into a simple robot.

SNAP CIRCUITS- We also have a set of used snap circuits that we're excited to grow into soon.  Put the pieces together to create complete circuits and make things happen.

HEXBUG SCARAB- This little robots look amazing.

CODE-A-PILLAR- Take off and snap together pieces of this caterpillar to code him to do different things.  There are even other pieces to buy and add.

DOT PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT- Use your tablet to make this robot do different things.  It can even fly.

KINDLE FIRE KIDS EDITION- There's so much for kids to do and learn on a tablet.  We love our Kindle Fire and especially the kid-safe "Freetime" mode.

LEARN TO SOLDER KIT- My husband solders pretty often.  This toy for teens teaches an important part of computer and robot building.

ROCKET- This classic toy should be done at least once by every child.

NANOTECHNOLOGY KIT- Explore nanotechnology with a series of experiments.

PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT- A different type of robot.  Looks interesting.

LEGO BRICKS- I don't think it's possible to have too many plain Lego bricks.  We've been working on our collection.

BRAIN FLAKES- Use these interesting plastic pieces to build all sort of things.

MAGABUILDER- These magnetic tiles hang out together to create.

WITKA MAGNETIC BARS-  Build towers and bridges with these magnetic rods.

MIDDLE EASTERN ARCHITECTURE BLOCKS- Even the youngest kids can learn to appreciate architecture with these neat blocks.

BRIDGE BUILDING KIT- Explore physics with this bridge kit.

CITY PLANNING TOY- Pretend to be an architect with this city planning kit.

K'NEX FERRIS WHEEL- K'nex have a reputation for making cool engineering toys that really work.  It was hard to pick just one.

STRAW BUILDING KIT- What could you build with a simple straw and a few connectors.

TAKE APART AND BUILD CAR- Early elementary kids can practice using tools as they build this car.

LINCOLN LOGS- For over 100 years, this toy has been an imagination-inspiring toy.

MARBLE RUN- Build a maze for marbles and experiment with physics.

FRACTION CUBES- Explore fractions and find equivalencies.

STACK AND COUNT PARKING GARAGE- This is a counting toy for preschoolers, but it could also be used for basic addition and subtraction facts to 10.

SUM SWAMP GAME- I keep hearing good things about this game.  It's on our list.

CASH REGISTER- Make calculations and count money with this toy.

ABACUS- One of the oldest math tools, the abacus continues to be a great learning tool.

WOOD TETRIS PUZZLE- For a screen free was to play tetris, check out this game.

PATTERN BLOCKS- A stable in classrooms, these tiles are good for patterns, fractions, symmetry, and more.

TANGRAM PUZZLE- The possibilities are endless with this ancient Chinese game.

RAINBOW BLOCKS- There's something so beautiful about this toy.

GEOMETILES- These pieces snap together to create 3D geometric shapes.

BASE 10 BLOCKS- Another classroom classic, which help kids understand many math concepts.

COUNTING COOKIES- Pretend play disguised as learning!

PRIME CLIMB GAME- Multiply and divide to win this game.

GEOMETRIC SHAPES- This set shows the why behind geometric formulas.

MATCHING AND COUNTING EGGS-  Match colors and numbers with these plastic eggs.

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