My four year old daughter Samantha enjoys playing. One of my main goals is to help my daughter’s play be important to her education, which requires her to have focused learning activities as a part of her daily routine. Because I earned my M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt University along with K-6 teaching certification in two states, I know that kids need to explore and make discoveries to learn science. Well-planned discovery lessons, such as lessons where kids can explore magnifying objects, help children construct meaning to make ideas meaningful to them.

Preschool Science Toys: Smart Toys for Smart Kids

When I received a GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope and the GeoSafari Jr. Underwater Explorer Boat from Educational Insights, I was excited that reviewing the products would be an educational experience for my daughter. In the past year, I reviewed two telescopes from Educational Insights. Now, reviewing a microscope was a neat way to introduce my daughter to a new scientific tool.

Preschool Science Toys

 

Having my daughter work with a microscope reminded me of when I was a child. I remembered seeing microscopes in my eighth grade science class and I was dying to own one. For some reason, I thought I would have gotten so much more out of science equipment if it was in my home because I would have had more time on the task of learning how to use the equipment.

Providing Samantha with science equipment makes me feel that she will do better with science content when she learns it in school. I noticed that my daughter made connections that taught her how to use the microscope for a purpose. When Samantha finished examining the seashell, I had her draw a picture of what the shell looked like when magnified.

kids preschool toys

Click on the picture to see it bigger.

 

Another cool toy we got was the Underwater Explorer Boat, which magnified things underwater. To try the toy out, I put some waterproof magnetic toys under some soapy water and I let both of my daughters splash around. After a while, we took the water and the toys to the deck to get one last bit of sun before the weather turns cold soon.Educational_Insights2

Obviously, a toy boat will be awesome in the summer when we can use it at the ocean and the pool. For now, the boat is a must have for my daughters’ bath time. A neat feature is that the boat has parts that move, which I found really appealing.

Giveaway

I’m excited to announce a giveaway of both products! One lucky winner will receive both toys. The total approximate retail value would be $37.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure

I received a free item for writing the review.

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9 Responses

  1. Brianne Rushing

    My daughter (also Samantha) is 14 months old and I can’t wait for her to start building her laboratory supplies!! I loved science as a kid and can only hope she’s as excited about investigating things microscopically as I was and still am! Great giveaway, thanks!

    Reply
  2. Hillary

    Thanks for this review! We have a budding scientist as well, so it’s great to hear about these toys. Science toys can be pricey, so a parent wants something good, educational, but affordable! We’ve started small with a measuring tape but I KNOW LO would love the magnifying boat. When he’s a little older, I can see many things being examined under the microscope by him & Daddy!

    Reply
  4. Erin Ellis

    I have two little girls that would absolutely LOVE these! They are always looking for new ways to explore and learn. We would take these to our local tide pools to discover all sorts of new things! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
    Erin

    Reply
  6. Stacy D.

    I’d like to take random stuff around the house to explore with my little guy. He would really enjoy it!

    Reply
  7. Emily Smith

    I would love to use these to let my three boys learn and explore things with science.

    Reply
  8. Amy B

    I work at an Early Childhood Center and this would be amazing for free exploration at center time!

    Reply

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