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National Geographic Crystal Growing Kit
by broxi3781 I'm sure every reader here immediately recognises the National Geographic brand. They have published magazines for since 1888, and the name to me conjures up images of exploration. The society which produces this magazine has supported a vast array of scientific or geographical projects including - Jaque Costeau's undersea exploration, ... Jane Goodall's work with chimpanzees, Peary and Henson's North Pole exploration of 1905 and much, much more. Of course they had a few snafu's as well - the biggest embarrassment being a falsified story of a tribe with no concept of violence , aggression, or hatred - just pure joy and innocence - a shame they never existed. But overall, the National Geographic society is known for quality exploration and research. In addition to the main magazine, they also produce a children's magazine, a television channel, an array of books of and dvd's and a line of educational toys for children, and in general, I would associate the National Geographic line with high quality products. This time however, this was not the case. WHAT'S IN THE BOX: 10 bottles of crystal growing salts plaster of paris 2 plastic molds 2 measuring cups 2 measuring spoons eyedropper goggles plastic tweezers funnel display stand thread magnifying glass ( poor quality so I would advise using a better one) blank labels 15 pieces of granite as starter bases - but these are too small to work so just bin them. Instructions WHAT IS NOT IN THE BOX: You will need growing dishes - preferably small and round - glass jars cups etc -- I do keep a science box so this was not a problem. You will also need several rocks, at least as big as 50 p coin, which should have rough surfaces and not contain large calcium deposits. Do not use any type of flint or metamorphic rock with a glass like surface. You'll also need a pot to heat mixtures, and plenty of newspaper, kitchen roll or cloths about. If possible, larger chunks of granite would be ideal. This was not our first crystal growing set. We had previously picked up a Smithsonian set from ebay and the results were pretty good. Smithsonian is not widely available here though, so I chose National Geographic as a replacement set, expecting even better results from such a well known brand. It is a very good thing we had grown the Smithsonian crystals before hand, as we had some idea how this was meant to work, and had learned the hard way that only rocks with a rougher surface work. Thankfully, the Smithsonian set had an excellent set of instructions, which were very clear and well detailed. I actually ended up pulling these out and attempting to read both sets of instructions in trying to figure out how to do these. I may not be a rocket scientist, but I would normally find following instructions intended for a 10 year old a fairly easy task. The National Geographic sets instructions can only be described as horrid. Well I can think of a few better words - but I don't think we are meant to use them on dooyoo - and in all honesty - I may think them but I don't ever say them. Not only could I write a far better booklet myself. I expect my 7 year old child could write something far more clear and concise as well. You get 30 pages of information, but only a small amount relates to actually using this product. But you will get plenty of other "activities". For instance you may discover ice crystals in your freezer - slightly interesting yes - but I really want to grow the crystals. Despite the horrid instructions, we made the best of things and attempted to grow the crystals. Thankfully, my science box has a number of containers of all shapes and sizes, and we collected various rocks to get started. In short you heat up a batch of chemical salts and water dump it over your chosen rock and wait about 2 weeks for it to evaporate. Please be advised that this is very messy, and the solutions can stain. Dress the children in old clothing and wipe up any stains immediately. If you would be upset by having your fingertips stained various shades for a day or two, you might consider gloves as well. Once mixed the crystal growing containers must not be moved as any disturbance effects the growth so think carefully where you are going to put them beforehand. Keep in mind if this spills it may stain. You may also find tiny crystals grow up the sides of your container and can manage to create some staining around the container. I advise placing the cups on takeaway lids. If a cup cracks and leaks expect staining so bad you may need to redecorate. We have now made most of the crystals, but I'm afraid our results have been very poor. In fact I am so disappointed I will be writing the company. I never really expected anything like the crystals shown, but having used the Smithsonian set, I was expecting so much more than what we got. We have 3 sets left to make, but out of 7, I only have two reasonably decent crystals, and even these are poor by comparison to the other set. We did use our own rocks for most, but I used the enclosed tiny rocks for two crystals. One was a total flop, but the blue is remarkable. It is incredibly fragile, and I don't think it will survive being removed from the growing dish - so it can not be displayed - but it is exceptional. The crystal is very fine needle like spires, but it has a luminescent metallic sheen which I can't describe. I don't honestly think it was meant to come out like this, but it is unique. I only wish I had grown it on a larger rock as the tiny rock that came in the kit is just a pebble in the middle of the cup, and I feel a larger rock might have made this crystal a bit easier to remove from the cup. In spite of the poor results, my sons still had some fun with this set. We did get a couple of usable crystals, and we still have the plaster of paris molds and geode shaped crystals to make. Although this kit is intended for ages 10+, I see no reason a younger child could not use this as long as parent actually handles the heating and pouring of hot liquids. These are of course chemicals though and should be used only with adult supervision as well as being stored out of reach of any child young enough to possibly eat any of these chemicals. I do feel these kits in general are a grand idea. They allow children to learn new things, are a great way to spend quality time together as a family and are just plain fun. I believe exploration and discovery are the very best ways to learn - and these kits are a great way to facilitate this. I am giving this two stars instead of one, in case the poor results are my fault for not understanding the instructions completely, but I do think the company producing this should provide good instructions as well so I simply can not go any higher than this. If I had not grown several crystals before, I would just think these kits do not work, but having used another brand, I know they can work, and in fact will be looking to buy more. I will avoid any kits with the National Geographic brand name though, and as it appears this kit was made by Trends for National Geographic - I will be trying very hard to find a kit made by another company. I only wish the Smithsonian sets were more widely available here. Read the complete review |
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Trends UK National Geographic Explorer Kit
by wyvern9lb My daughter loves to dig around in the garden, looking for all sorts of creepy crawlies. Her hands are always covered in mud as she scratches around in the dirt looking for new specimens. Whilst I was our shopping in Home Bargains, I came across the national geographic kits, (as in my earlier review these were the explorer kit, Mineral ... Dig (fantastic) and Night vision goggles (rubbish). At just £2.99, compared to the retail price of £9.99, I decided I would get both Mineral Dig and Explorer Kit, as I thought they would be perfect for my little explorer back home. Inside the box was a small black plastic water bottle (not exactly sure how long they expect your children to be exploring). The bottle feels quite sturdy with a screw top lid. Warning thou, it is not suitable for a dishwasher. The bottle comes with its own bright yellow carry cord; long enough to hand around the child's neck while the dig for more worms for the kitchen table. The cord feels quite strong, but I could imagine after constant use this could start to fray around the edges. As for the amount of fluid the bottle can hold is approx 150ml, about the same amount as a Robinsons fruit shoot (my daughter favourite). The next item I came across was the little black torch. As usual, I had to my own exploration for an AA battery as the kit didn't supply you with one. I was very disappointed with the amount of light produce, barely enough to illuminate just in front of you. On closer inspection, I noticed that the directional arrow to twist the torch on and off where pointing the wrong way, not that my daughter noticed. The one good point of the torch is considering the amount of times it has been dropped on the kitchen tiles, despite have a bright yellow wrist cord, the torch has managed to stay in one piece. The bug viewer scares me half to death, especially with a plastic spider inside it when I opened the box. My daughter loves it. I hate it, as I have to look at the bugs she finds as well. I can do without seeing a woodlouse under a magnification, not a pretty sight. My skin still crawls at the mere thought of it. The viewer is made of a clear strong plastic container, with an integral magnified bright yellow eye piece on the top. The bottom of the viewer clicks off, so you can place your specimen in, and then click the bottom back to secure it inside. Don't worry, the viewer has built in air holes, so nothing is harmed while you are observing, recording and measuring. Inside the bottom if the viewer is a printed ruler, so they can compete against each other on who found the biggest spider and scared me the most. Last of all you have the tool clip. A bright yellow, chunky, Swiss army style tool. On the top is a fair sized compass with clear white markings on a black dial. On the other side is a little mirror, what for I have no idea. Then you have your pull out spade, tweezers and rake. All three are made of black sturdy plastic and look like the ones you get when you buy a bucket and spade at the beach. The tweezers are pathetic at picking anything up. The spade is far too small for any serious worm gathering. As for the rake, same story, not much use at all. You also have a pull out magnifying glass with adequate magnification. The tool boosts of a secret compartment with a mini spy scope. I don't think much of this either. The eyepiece is far too small, about the size of a small pea. The magnification is extremely poor. To be honest I am glad I only paid £2.99, although I still feel ripped off. I would have been furious if I had paid the full retail price. The only item in the whole kit that was of any use was the bug viewer. Which lets face it, at the end of the day; it is only a plastic container with a magnifying glass on the top. I cannot believe that National Geographic would put their name to such a pathetic toy, especially when in comparison; the Mineral Dig was a brilliant buy (which I have also reviewed). Read the complete review |
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Trends UK National Geographic Mineral Dig
by wyvern9lb During my usual trip to Home Bargains, I came across a section filled with National Geographic kits. Amongst them were the Mineral Dig, the Explorer Kit and Night Vision Goggles. I decided to pass on the goggles, as I had read the reviews on Amazon saying they were rubbish. "You can only see something 1m away, any further and they ... didn't work". The sonic ear listening device was useless, "you could hear more with your own ears". The retail price on Amazon for these are £9.99, so when Home Bargains had them advertised for £2.99, I decided to buy the Mineral Dig and the Explorer Kit (which is rubbish, just read my review on the explorer kit to see for yourself). A word of advice, before you let your children (or yourself) start to excavate the stones from the plaster block. Make sure you have something underneath, as it can make quite a mess. I didn't get the chance, as my daughter decided she would do her excavating in her bedroom, on the carpet. I took me ages to hover up all the mess. Inside the box you have: * 1 x Plaster Block * 1 x Dusting Brush * 2 x Digging Tools * 1 x Display Stand * 1 x information booklet * 1 x Goggles * 1 x Magnifying Glass * 13 x Specimens The first thing you will notice when you pick it up is the weight of it (nearly 1kg). It is quite heavy. Most of the weight is the plaster block containing the stones. I was quite surprised at the dimensions of the plastic block (approx 20cm X 10cm X 4cm). I probably should have known it would be a messy job as the plaster block had a chalky feel to it. I will tell you this thou, the stones are well hidden inside the plaster block. I was very impressed with the quality of the tools. They were very sturdy and not too sharp, but I would recommend supervision with younger children. There are 2 digging tools, a small hammer and a chisel. My daughter invited her friend to take it in turns gouging out the stones and take the blame for the mess. At first one person would use the digging tools to excavate a stone, then the other would use the little dusting brush to remove the rest of the plaster (all over the carpet again). They were so please with their efforts they had to come and show me. It was at this time I realised the mess, but it was too late. Never mind, they were enjoying themselves. It was impressed by the actual size and quality of the stones (if a bit chipped at times were they had hit it too hard with the chisel). It took them most of the day to uncover all the rest of the stones, so quite a long activity to keep your child occupied. I must admit, I had to have a go myself. It was reasonably easy to chisel little pieces of plaster away and fun too. I was actually glad they supplied the goggles with the kit as pieces can fly up at you. The information booklet was very helpful at teaching you facts about the minerals you have uncovered. The booklet itself was very bright and colourful, appealing to the child's interest. Inside the layout was very easy to find information about each stone. Throughout the day, I had my daughter running to me saying "did you know that...?" I found this amazing, as she was having fun and learning at the same time. After they had finished excavating their stones, the kit provided you with a presentational display stand. I must admit this is the only thing I thought was a bit tacky. A piece of black moulded plastic, but it proudly displays my daughters hard earned gem stones on her bedroom side table and that's all that matters. At least they neatly displayed, and not all over the place. Overall I would recommend the Mineral Dig as it was well worth its money. I even wouldn't have been upset if I had bought it at the full retail price. So £2.99 was an excellent bargain. I just wished they had the National Geographic Dinosaur Dig in Home Bargains, which is a similar excavating product. This time you unearth various dinosaur bones to build a model of a velociraptor. So I will just have to buy it at full price at Amazon at £12.99. It will be worth it if it is as satisfying as the Mineral Dig. This time, I will make sure she put down some newspaper underneath the plaster, so it a lot easier to clean. You can't go wrong with anything that it fun and educational at the same time. Read the complete review |
Trends UK Child Development |
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2 reviews Manufacturer: Trends UK / Type: Child Development - Science |
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1 review Manufacturer: National Geographic / Child Development / Type: Science / Age: 6 Years+ |
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1 review Manufacturer: Trends / Child Development / Type: Science / Age: 8 years |
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