2014 Best Science Gifts for Kids: Scientific Toys for Smart Kids

With this forensic science gift for kids, your child gets to play a no nonsense crime scene investigator who's trying to piece together the gory details of an unfortunate misadventure. Your child will learn all about how to create impressions by taking molds and analyzing the clues to solve the crime. In the kit you'll find a footprint stamp, plastic gloves, bite mark mold, plaster, a folder and many more tools to help with the investigation. This is one cool science toy that will develop your child's confidence and feed their inquiring mind. It also racks up a lot of street cred points. Recommended age: 10 years and up.

In 2005, this science kit received an award from Dr Toy for being one of the top 10 best educational products on the market. The kit also won the parents Choice Approved Award. I always like it when I see an award given to a product I'm considering buying. It provides an extra level of reassurance that the item is of a certain standard. This kit practically contains all the raw materials your child will need to conduct science projects; such as making an erupting volcano, creating a sunset in a test tube, growing crystals and a whole bunch more. This is the sort of well rounded science kit that will provide your child with a nice introduction to a number of different science phenomenon. It's also selling for a very reasonable price too, so you can't really go wrong with this kit. Recommended age: 4 to 8 years old.

How cool would it be if your child had access to their very own moon - right in their own bedroom? The moon has always been a major point of fascination for many children, so this gift will most definitely captivate them. But this is much more than just a glow in the dark picture of a moon. It's a remote control operated 3D lunar landscape. Oh yeah baby! Your child can control each of the 12 main phases of the moon either manually or automatically. There's also a downloadable audio tour that talks your child through each phase of the moon; providing them with an incredible amount of information on the workings of the moon that will inspire them to want to read and learn more on the subject. And when your child falls sound asleep looking at the moon, an automatic timer kicks into action, turning it off (after 30 minutes of non activity) and preserving the life of the batteries; saving you from having to constantly replace them. The Uncle Milton Moon in My Room happens to be one of Amazon's most popular astronomy toys with a whopping 61% of reviewers giving this 5 out of 5 stars. If your child is a bit of a stargazer, then this IS one of the best kids science toys around. Recommended age: 6 years and up.

Just as the title suggests, this science kit is disgusting with a capital D! Your delightful little angels get to work on gross projects such as growing mold cultures, making fake blood and creating lots of other icky science projects. You'll hate it, your kid will love it, as one happy recipient clearly demonstrates: "This was a gift from my mom and I loved it. I did a science project with it and had soooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun. If you are thinking of buying I would say yes buy it..." - N. Sokolovich - Amazon reviewer. NOTE: Don't get this if your kid is squeamish. Recommended age: 8 to 12 years.

This kit provides a hands on way for you child to learn about alternative energy sources. Your child gets to build real electrical circuits and devices that demonstrate different sources of electricity. The set is very similar to a Lego set in that you have to snap the pieces together in order to build your circuits. The added bonus being that not only does your child have fun building the basic components, but they get to create their own energy sources too. With over 40 parts to this set, and the scope to conduct 125 energy projects, your child will be kept amused, educated and entertained for hours. This particular set has proved extremely popular with Amazon consumers who rated this 4.9 out of 5 stars. A very good science toy that comes highly recommended. Definitely worth buying as you and your child won't be left disappointed. Recommended age: 8 to 15 years (although purchasers of this set have bought this for kids as young as 5 years old).