National Geographic STEM Kits Review

This half term, we have been busy excavating and learning all about shark teeth and the precious gemstones thanks to these National Geographic STEM educational kits from Bandai. These kits are a great hit in this household and have added to our ever growing collection!

What I like about these kits is that they provide genuine items and not those cheap copies that you sometimes find. Both my children were so excited as both of them love collecting shark teeth and rocks. Whenever we visit the Sealife Centre or a museum, they both like to buy these types of souvenirs!

All these kits are suitable for aged eight and above. It comes with excavation tools, a magnifying glass and a learning guide. These are the kits available (RRP£9.99): Crystal Growing Kits, Dino Dig Kit, Bug Dig Kit, Shark Dig Kit, Gemstone Dig Kit, Geodes, Build Your Own Volcano and Ultimate Play Sand. There is an assortment of mini dig kits (RRP£4.99) including Treasure, Gemstone, Dino Poop, Shark Tooth and Fool’s Gold that are a perfect introduction to the series. For more information, please visit www.bandai.co.uk.

We were so lucky to have the Shark Dig Kit and Gemstone Dig Kit as both kits are my children’s favourites! First, let’s start with the Shark Dig Kit. Hidden inside this beautifully decorated shark face dig brick are three genuine shark teeth: Otodus shark, Crow shark and Sand Tiger. Before we excavated, we made sure that any surface is well protected from the brick dust and had our tools within reach. As an extra precaution, you might want to get your child to wear eye goggles.

We didn’t need to use any water to soften the brick as it was quite easy to chip off. Mr K did lose his patience a little and managed to break the Sand Tiger tooth apart. Nevertheless, I used superglue to patch it back and you can hardly notice it. He is delighted with the result and happy to add it to his collection!

Next is the Gemstone Dig Kit which contains Quartz, Tiger’s Eye and Amethyst. I love the pattern of the dig brick, which is so well decorated and coloured. Again, we protected the have the surfaces before digging. I did need to show Ms C how to excavate. But once I got her going, she managed to do most of it by herself. Once all gemstones are uncovered, she gently washed it and allowed it to dry. The gemstones are very beautiful and petite. Later that day, we all had a read through the learning guide together to learn more about the history behind these gemstones.

They both love these National Geographic kits and they are great to educate the children and keep them entertained this half term. I would definitely recommend them. They are available in good retailers, online, Very and Amazon.

Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.  We are a Bandai STEM ambassador.