To kick off this coming Easter half term, we received this National Geographic Geode STEM set as part of Bandai STEM Ambassadors. In case you didn’t know, National Geographic makes a huge range of STEM sets which allow your child/children to explore, create and discover something amazing about the natural world! There is so much out there for us to discover and learn about our amazing world!
We have previously reviewed the Gemstone and Shark Tooth STEM kits and this month, we have been reviewing the Geode set. Both my children love collecting stones and they still don’t believe that these stones are real! In fact, all National Geographic kits contain genuine items and not those cheap copies that you sometimes find. I love the amazing stones, and so do my family. The kits are brilliant tools to get children to explore the world in the comfort of their home.
This Geode kit comes with two geodes, safety goggles, learning guide, magnifying glass and display stand. Before we excavated, we made sure that any surface was well protected from the dust and that our tools were within reach. On this occasion, you will need to get your own hammer and chisel. As an extra precaution, they have included a pair of eye goggles. We didn’t have a chisel and had to use the hammer directly onto the geode. It is not ideal but we had to make do with what we had.
We did find the geodes very hard to crack and had to use a lot of force. To prevent the geode from exploding everywhere, I had placed it inside a sealed plastic bag or you can use an old sock to contain it. The geodes did explode into very small pieces as we hit it too many times. Nevertheless, we still managed to save a few big pieces that we can display on the stand. Mr K is delighted with his geodes, especially as it sparkles when light bounces on it. Later that day, we all had a read through the learning guide together to learn more about the history behind these geodes.
The kits are suitable for aged eight and above. They are great to educate children and keep them entertained this half term. I would definitely recommend them. They are available in good retailers, online and Amazon.
If you are looking for something to do this Easter, why not try out the National Geographic STEM kits. There are: Crystal Growing Kit, 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.
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.