LabRatGifts sent me product for inclusion in my gift guide. All opinions are my own.

I have a 10-year-old niece named Ava who is so smart and curious. She loves exploring new things and trying to find her own answers. For the most part, she doesn’t play with toys much anymore which has made getting gifts for her a bit more difficult.

This shopping season, I found myself struggling to come up with a gift idea for Ava. I even asked some other family members if they had any ideas and what I heard back was basically “I have no idea! I’ve been struggling with ideas for her too!”

So I was thankful that LabRatGifts.com reached out to me. I started browsing their site and I found not just one but three items that stood out to me as ideal gifts for Ava. They have a wide selection of creative and educational kits that are great for kids who like to create or explore.

Ava is interested in pretty rocks. She’s been to museums that have gorgeous sparkling rocks that she’s spent her own money on. So when I saw two crystal science kits I knew they would appeal to her.

The Crystal Jewelry project kit is suggested for ages 8+. It guides you through 4 different experiments that result in pretty crystal jewelry. In the past Ava has enjoyed making her own jewelry (remember those rubber-band bracelets that were so popular a few years ago?) and this combine with her love of “pretty rocks” made this kit a perfect idea for her, I thought. It sells for $19.95.

Ava has loved animals for as long as I can remember. She’s actually my boyfriend’s niece so I didn’t meet her until she was almost a year old, when Ryan & I started dating. Even back then she loved animals! Her first birthday she was all about cats and dogs. From about two to six she adored horses. Now at 10 she loves bears and wolves. The Magnificent Crystal Animals kit is a perfect combination of her interests. This kit involves two experiments. It allows you to create a crystal penguin or a crystal polar bear! In the process of making your crystal animal kids will learn how and why crystals form using the manual included. It’s sold for $9.95.

My last pick was quite different. It was the Fun & Interactive Plaster Sculptures Kit. As I mentioned before, Ava loves animals which is a big part of why this one stood out to me. She likes doing some 3D crafts that are hands-on, but she doesn’t like coloring, painting, etc. She enjoys clay and moldable dough, so I thought a new form of sculpting might be a fun way to introduce her to a new craft that is similar to the others she already enjoys. This kit involves 2 experiments and helps introduce kits to sculpting on a deeper level than traditional children’s clay or dough kits. For this kit you start off by designing a piece using wire and balloons. Then you use paper and plaster on the outside to create a more visually appealing piece. I took a sculpture class in high school and this is quite similar to our first sculpture projects in that, so the fact that she’s going to get introduced to this years before I did is exciting. This kit is recommended for ages 8+ and sells for $14.95.

These are just a few of the fun and educational craft or toy kits available for kids at LabRatGifts.com. The site also has a lot of “geeky” gifts for people of all ages. If you know an adult who is a proud geek or is interested in science be sure to check out the site for all kinds of unique science themed gifts.

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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