Learning about geodes with National Geographic

Last month we told you about the new kits from National Geographic which are great for exploring STEM subjects at home. We’ve already tried The Shark Tooth Dig Kit and the Gemstone Dig Kit. They were fun for my children to crack open and discover what treasure was hidden inside.

National Geographic Break Open 2 Geodes kit

A few weeks ago we received the National Geographic Break Open 2 Geodes kit. To be honest I hadn’t heard of geodes before but geodes are naturally forming volcanic rocks that contain amazing crystal formations inside. Crack them open and discover beautiful minerals!

The kit contained 2 premium quality geodes, a pair of safety goggles, a learning guide, magnifying glass and display stand. My 9 year old already has a collection of semi-precious stones so he was very excited to see this kit. Fortunately it contained two samples so both of my children could get hands on with geodes.

The information booklet said there were two ways to open the geodes so we tried the chisel and hammer method. This broke open the geode and exposed all the crystals inside.

The second was a lot more difficult to open. The chisel and hammer seemed to have no effect on it at all! Fortunately my husband has an angle grinder so he used that to slice it in half. Then he polished it with his Dremel so we could see what was inside. The children washed all their samples to see how the crystals sparkled.

I thought this kit was a fun way to learn about geodes. The information booklet was packed with facts which my 9 year old enjoyed. The protective goggles were useful but the magnifying glass was quite small and I thought there should be more than one display stand included. I also liked the fact that all the packaging was recyclable.

The STEM educational kits from Bandai are fun and budding scientists will love the authentic appeal of The National Geographic range of experiment-based kits. The range of National Geographic™ Kits includes Crystal Growing Kits, Dino Dig Kit, Bug Dig Kit, the Shark Dig Kit, Gemstone Dig Kit, Geodes, Build Your Own Volcano and Ultimate Play Sand. There’s also an assortment of mini dig kits including Treasure, Gemstone, Dino Poop, Shark Tooth and Fool’s Gold that are a perfect introduction to the series.

Suitable for ages 8+, National Geographic™ Kits (RRP: £9.99) and National Geographic™ Mini Kits (RRP: £4.99) are available from all good toy shops. Visit www.bandai.co.uk for further information.