Fun & Exciting Science Kits for Little Scientists from The Young Scientists Club #Review & #Giveaway

One of the neat things about doing Pre-K prep at home with my three-year-old son, is that I get to select the lesson plans. I try to focus on a couple of different subjects every day. We don't work super long- maybe two hours each morning, or sometimes in the afternoon, and when I have the right teaching tools on hand, B often doesn't even realize that we're having an actual 'lesson,' because he's having so much fun!

It came as no surprise to my husband and I, that our son is interested in science. Most kids are super inquisitive, and love to know how and why things work the way they do. B enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together at an early age, and once he realized that mixing different ingredients together in the kitchen could make something entirely new, he was completely fascinated. I wondered if I might be in trouble, as I'm a creative mom, but not so much when it comes to math or science. Luckily, the help I need is right at my fingertips, thanks to The Young Scientists Club.

The Young Scientists Club has been around since 1999, with a mission to engage children across the globe in An Educational Science Adventure that lasts a Lifetime! The Young Scientists Club offers quality scientific products that spark a child's interest, and bring the wonders of scientific discovery right into their own home, or back yard! All of the products and kits available from The Young Scientists Club are created and put together by a team of Harvard graduates, scientists, educators, and parents. Their goal is to combine fun and fascination with quality and learning in each and every product.

The Young Scientists Club is now in its 15th year, and to celebrate this exciting anniversary, they've added some new science kits, which promote S.T.E.M. learning. If you aren't familiar with S.T.E.M., my guess is that you will soon be hearing about it, or seeing it for yourself, as it's popping up everywhere, and gaining encouragement, even from the White House! S.T.E.M. focuses on the subjects of: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It's been said that students who excel in these subjects, will be the leaders of tomorrow's innovations and ingenuity!

As I mentioned earlier, I could use a lot of help teaching the S.T.E.M. subjects to my son, even at this young of an age. When we were offered the opportunity to try out one of the newest Science Kits for kids, available from The Young Scientists Club, I jumped at the chance!

Our special package from The Young Scientists Club arrived, and B was ever so curious as to what was inside!

So excited to find the Clifford Animal Science Kit (for ages 3+)!

B is a huge Clifford fan! We have been cuddling/playing with a Clifford plush toy, reading Clifford books, and even watching the Clifford cartoon from time to time, so I knew this special Clifford Animal Science kit would really excite B! We were blown away by the colorful easy to carry box that the kit was packaged in, and couldn't wait to see what was waiting for us inside!

Kit box with its own handle for easy carrying/storage!

As we opened the lid to the kit, we found all sorts of neat things!

Here's a better look at all that was included in our Clifford Animal Science Kit from The Young Scientists Club! Wow! Looks like we'll be busy!

I noticed right away, that this kit included a special guide for parents. The guide started off with a special introduction and note to adults, from Esther Novis, Founder and President of The Young Scientists Club. The note explains the idea behind this fun kit for children, as well as important things for parents to note, like experiments are meant to be performed under close parental/adult supervision, and many experiments will require an adult's help. There's also a note that lets adults know that even more great experiments and ideas await your little scientists at The Young Scientists Club website, with parental supervision.

A special note to adults from Esther Novis, found on the first page of the guide book.

The guide book that comes with the Clifford Animal Science Kit is so handy! Every single item that comes with the kit is laid out in photos, so you know what you're supposed to have. There's also a special introduction page for the children, by Emily Elizabeth and Clifford, inviting them to have fun doing the experiments as they explore animal science together! The guide contains about 14 experiments, and each experiment page contains colorful photos, and instructions for parents. There is also an outline of what you'll need from your kit, and what you'll need to use from your own home, for each experiment. A small house icon denotes items you will need from home.

Activity #1- Camouflaged Animals

We incorporated a lesson on camouflaged animals into our daily home school lesson, and followed the activity in our Clifford Animal Science Kit!

We used both the cut outs, and the little plastic animals included in the kit...

...and played Hide and Seek in our house! This blue camel blends right in with B's blue lid on the cup. He was quick to find it, regardless!

Here's B, taking a 'closer look' at the tiny plastic animals that came with our Clifford Animal Science Kit!

Activity #2- Bug House

Instruction page for making our very own bug house!

Our kit included special stickers to decorate our bug house...

B loves stickers, so he had a blast placing the stickers on the see through plastic cup and see through plastic lid!

Ta-da! Beautiful bug house, ready for some inhabitants!

After our bug house was decorated, we headed outside to gather some grass and dirt...

...and then we put them in the bug house, and went on a bug hunt!

B really loved the bug house activity! We found tons of worms in our flower beds, since it had just rained. We had a great time looking at the worms through the magnifying glass that came with our animal science kit. We even put a small worm into the bug house, and watched it slink into the dirt from the top of the soil! It was such a neat experience for B! We set the worm free, and took the bug house inside, so we could save it for our next bug hunt!

Activity #3- Animal Tracks & Fossils

The tray that came with our kit had a mold to use for making animal track casts!

We used play dough that we already had at home to make this bear track!

Activity #4- Bird Feeder

I was so excited to see a special bird feeder activity in our guide book! We used the tray that came with our kit, and turned it into a makeshift bird feeder!

We talked about the different types of things that birds need to survive, like food and water. We discussed the different types of things that birds like to eat, like seeds and fruit. We then filled some of the small pockets in the tray with sunflower seeds, and 'cutie' slices.

Birds love and need water, too, so we filled the large area with fresh water.

Then, we headed outside to the back yard. B places some rocks around the tray, to keep it from blowing away.

We placed the bird feeder tray on a small side table in our yard, so the birds could find it, and made sure it was in a place that we'd be able to see from our back porch, or kitchen window for our observation!

We have been having so much fun with all of the different animal science activities that came in our kit! I love that the activities are perfect for B's age, as it can be hard to find age appropriate science activities that will pique his interest and thoroughly engage him. There are lots of other activities that we can't wait to work into our home school lessons, like going on an animal scavenger hunt, discovering what's inside an egg, learning about the life cycles of animals, making a habitat diorama, and so much more!

Having the Clifford Animal Science Kit by The Young Scientists Club, is a huge help to me! I'm not so math/science savvy, so having these easy to follow instructions for hands on activities that we can do and enjoy together, is wonderful! Just about everything we need for the activities/experiments are included in the kit, and if not, they're things we already have lying around at home! Science at home doesn't get much better than that! My son has truly taken an even greater liking to science, because of these fun learning activities!

We can't wait to add even more wonderful learning products from The Young Scientists Club to our at home learning resources!

Check out some of these other great products by The Young Scientists Club...

Bubble Science

Magic School Bus Math Explosion

Set 2 - Weather, States of Matter, Volcanoes

The Young Scientist Series Weather Kit

Science on a Gardening Adventure

There are so many wonderful, award-winning science kits to explore, available from The Young Scientists Club! I truly appreciate there being a series of kits geared toward ages 3+, 5+, and beyond! B is at the age where he is absorbing knowledge like a sponge, and I feel blessed to be able to expose him to even more scientific activities and experiments through the Clifford Animal Science Kit!

I personally give the Clifford Animal Science Kit two thumbs up, and encourage you to check it out, if you have kiddos around the age of 3, or older. If you happen to have older children, the other kits by The Young Scientists Club look amazing, and I would highly recommend checking those out, as well! Any one of these kits would make a fun, unique, educational gift for the budding scientist in your life!

Want It? Buy It!

Head on over to The Young Scientist Club website to learn more about the club, and all of their wonderful products and science kits for kids! You can also find additional activity and experiment ideas and instructions! The Young Scientists Club is social, and would love to connect with you through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and you can check out their YouTube channel, as well!

Want It? Win It!

One lucky MBP reader will win their very own Clifford Animal Science Kit from The Young Scientists Club! How wonderful! Just use the handy dandy Rafflecopter entry form below, to enter for your chance to win! Giveaway is open to US residents, ages 18 and older.

Special thanks to The Young Scientists Club for allowing us to explore one of their wonderful science kits, and for offering this special giveaway for our readers!

Good luck!