Spring fever is in the air and if you live anywhere other than our most northern latitudes, you’re no doubt starting to feel it as well. Some of the most fun educational toys out there are perfect for taking advantage of any nice weather in your area. The following are just some potential ideas for having a great, and also educational, time with your youngsters.

Build a Kite. Most all of us have flown kites in our lives, but how many of us have actually made our own kites? Thames and Kosmos offers a great kit called “Kite Dynamics” that teaches all about the physics of kite flying. Or just as fun, research a couple of sites on how to build your own from scratch and see where that leads you. I found a pretty simple example on how to make your own kite at skratch-pad.com.

Build a Rocket. Model rocketry is a serious hobby for a lot of kids (and adults) but those of us old enough will no doubtedly remember the original baking soda and vinegar versions. While a bit messier, these rockets can be pretty fun as well and are probably a bit safer. Plus, you won’t likely lose your rocket after the first launch as often happens with the solid-fuel types. Scientific Explorer makes a couple of the nice vinegar and baking soda versions, and they even have one that is a “Rocket Car.” Great fun.

Go bug hunting. Insect collecting is a great hobby and requires almost no equipment to start. A magnifying glass (for observation only!) and a clean jelly jar are about all a kid needs to get started. Make sure you wash the jar completely, unless of course, you’re trying to collect ants.

Speaking of ants, buying or building your own ant habitat can be a lot of fun. As commonplace and as many varieties of ant habitats there are out there, it’s much simpler to buy one, but for that extra bit of fun, consider making your own. Two pieces of plexiglass from your local home improvement retailer, some cardboard and strong tape are all it requires. If you’re not that adventurous, Uncle Milton makes the original ant farm and their Ant Farm Gel Colony is one of the most fun science toys ever. My new favorite is one called Ant-lantis by Wild Science. This includes a fairly standard ant habitat, but also a pond complete with tubes and areas for plants as well. What kid wouldn’t like to build a moat around his ants’ home?

Microscope Fun. Another great activity is to look at pond water under a microscope. If you’ve never looked at all the creatures swimming in a single drop of pond water your kid (and you) will be in for a treat. Of course this is an activity you can do any time of year, but it’s much more fun collecting pond water when it’s warm out.

While these are just a few ideas of fun and educational activities you can do with your children, there are countless more. Just use your imagination. Science is all around us. Take a walk in the park, or the backyard. Look down, look up. Look under the rocks and in the bushes. Encourage your child to ask “why?” And even better, ask why with them and come up with the answers together.

© Atomic Elephant Science & Toy Co.