With the holiday season fast approaching, you may be stumped on what to get the amateur science sleuth in your life. Look no further than Mini Museum's Best Science Gifts for Kids! From prehistoric sea creatures to the breadth of human history, Mini Museum has got you covered. There's also our Holiday Gift Center linked below so you can knock out your entire shopping list!
Something bite-sized...
MIGHTY MOSASAUR POCKET FOSSIL - $10.00
If you're looking for something to start someone on their fossil-hunting journey, then this is the perfect gift. The mosasaur wasn't actually a dinosaur, but with its dozens of sharp teeth, these aquatic reptiles were still very fearsome. The mighty mosasaur pocket fossil is a great gift for someone who wants to show off these predators' chompers!
For the bookworm...
RELICS: A HISTORY OF THE WORLD TOLD IN 133 OBJECTS - $29.00
Looking for a little reading material? We've got you covered with Relics, Mini Museum's first full-length book. Covering four billion years of history, from the meteorites that formed in the early solar system to the breadth of human history. Relics is a great gift for any science fan and is also a fantastic introduction to the specimens sold here at Mini Museum!
For your knight in shining armor...
MEDIEVAL CHAIN MAIL SPECIMEN - $29.00
Chain mail was the standard armor of Europe for about a thousand years, from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. These pieces were built to last—even 500 years later, our late 15th-century chain mail is still bound together. This is a great gift for anyone interested in arms and armor of the past!
Nine specimens in one...
MINI MUSEUM, FOURTH EDITION SMALL - $149.00
This Mini Museum may be bite-size, but there's still a lot of history in store, from amino acids that formed in the early solar system to a piece of the supersonic Concorde. The MM4 is a fantastic gift, nine specimens from across the history of solar system, our planet, and humanity itself.
Look at those chompers...
MEGALODON TOOTH - Starting at $39.00
Some say the mighty megalodon is still swimming the world's oceans. Unfortunately for them, this colossal shark is extinct, but you can see why they still capture our attention. With teeth topping out at seven inches, these predators ruled the sees, chowing down on everything in their path. The megalodon tooth is a great gift for anyone interested in these enormous predators!
To the moon and back...
APOLLO 11 COMMAND MODULE FOIL - $69.00
Looking for an out-of-this-world gift? This Kapton foil was recovered from the Apollo 11 command module after its return to Earth. It's a piece of a pivotal moment in human history, when we first touched down on another celestial body. If you know someone who's obsessed with the Moon landing, this is the gift for them!
FOR THE DINO NUT...
TRICERATOPS BONE - $29.00
The Triceratops was a lot more than just T. Rex food! With a complex dental battery of constantly replacing teeth, Triceratops was able to chow down on tough plant material. Its long horns could fend off an attack from a predator or be used in ritual displays to communicate with its own kind. This is a great gift for anyone who loves this fearsome vegetarian dino!
Giants of the ice age...
WOOLLY MAMMOTH TOOTH - $29.00
Not so long ago, humans walked alongside towering megafauna like the Woolly Mammoth. With long tusks used in attacks, a thick coat of hair for the cold, and mortar-sized teeth for eating, Woolly Mammoths ruled much of Eurasia during the Pleistocene. This is a great gift for anyone who's a little impatient for a mammoth to get cloned and need something to hold them over.
Straight from the roman empire...
ROMAN BATH, HYPOCAUST FLUE BRICK FRAGMENT - $49.00
To the ancient Romans, bathing was a serious matter. Public baths were hubs of social life across the empire, with facilities maintained by complex technological innovations. Hypocausts were hollow bricks that carried warm air from furnaces, keeping the baths hot, an advancement that vanished when the empire fell. This is a great gift for someone obsessed with the Roman Empire.
Natural spirals...
PERISPHINCTES AMMONITE - $49.00
Don't let the pretty shell fool you, ammonites were vicious cephalopod predators that ruled the oceans during the Cambrian Period. Inside the shell, chambers called camerae held gas and fluid that could be adjusted to control buoyancy, allowing for quick mobility. This is a solid gift for someone who knows not to mess with these aquatic hunters!
For the amateur paleontologist...
SHE SOLD SEASHELLS: THE CURIOUS MARY ANNING. RE-IMAGINED - $15.00
Last but certainly not least we have She Sold Seashells, a picture book about Mary Anning. Anning was a foundational figure in early paleontology, discovering some of the first plesiosaur and ichthyosaur specimens. Best of all, Anning started her work when she was just a girl, making this a great gift for the budding paleontolgist in your life!
Looking for something else?
Didn't quite find what you were looking for? No worries! Mini Museum has got you covered with our Gifts For Future Scientists guide!
If you head over to the Holiday Gift Center you'll also find Gifts for Astronauts as well as Gifts for Paleontologists. Or if you're looking for something for Mom and Dad, we got you covered with Gifts for Moms and Gifts for Dads!