Cool STEM Gear Your Boys Will Love

If you are looking to add some cool STEM (science, technology, engineering and match) gear to your after school or homeschool collection, you have got to see these.

We rounded up some very neat technology-based STEM learning items that you totally have to check out.

This awesome gear will make him dive in to something new and he will expand his horizons and maybe even find a new hobby.

These are really great for gifts but also to surprise him with something new!

You can also take a peak at our gift guide for boys page for more ideas.

 

This post may contain affiliate links which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. All opinions are our own and we share things we think would be of interest to boys.

STEM Gear

To take LEGO up a notch try LEGO Mindstorms EV3 for programming and robototics. This is one great “toy” with a community of enthusiastic people trying new and exciting things, and sharing what they are doing so your boy can do it too. Worth the money.

If your boy is not yet ready for LEGO Mindstorms, then try LEGO Boost! It is wonderful for around up to 12-years-old and involved building and simple coding.

What is super rugged, waterproof, takes pics and video and will get your boy outside and moving? The GoPro HERO! The price on this neat camera is reasonable and it is one nifty thing to get for your boy. Consider this – boys like tech. They like being on the computer. With this device you can get them making videos (outside!) and then working to create some different types of presentations, YouTube vids and more makes this a great learning tool. Videography

Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity Wristband is a tool for activity and sleep tracking Have your boy use it to track activity and try to beat his records and to create charts and graphs – throwing in a little practical and useful math is always a good idea. Pair it with apps to do even more. Heath, and fitness.

Does your boy like fiddling about with electronics? Order this Raspberry Pi kit (Raspberry Pi 3 Complete Starter Kit with WiFi) and he will be thanking you again and again. Once you have this kit there are a lot of different projects you can do. Here are a few examples.

If he is not fond of Pi – you could try The Arduino Starter Kit .This kit has everything you need to do a lot of projects and includes a 170 page project booklet. Electronics.

See this article for info on deciding which platform is best for your boy. Let him read the article and look at the different projects to decide which he would like to try.

I really like the idea of the littleBits and if you can afford them you should get them. I have heard they are awesome for building and electronics. (this is the kit that is pictured in the graphic)

We have the Snap Circuits SC-300 Electronics Discovery Kit. It is much more reasonably priced. We really enjoy this set and get it out every once and a while to play around with the projects and try to build our own. This electronics set has over 60 pieces and you can build a radio, a doorbell, use switches etc. There are a lot of projects and tweaks to the projects featured.

Have you seen Ozobot? This little (and it is indeed little) robot is so neat. What I really like about this choice is that while it comes with an app it also is hands-on. Ozobot follows colors on either a tablet or a piece of paper. You can code him by using different color combinations. Probably best for someone starting out. Watch the video below for more details. Coding, robotics.

The other cool coding ball is Sphero. It is also app controlled and a whole lot of fun to play around with.

This is a neat little invention from which boys can make their own neat little inventions – gotta love that! Makey Makey turns about anything into a keypad.  I would try to explain but you are really better off clicking through and watching the video located on the left hand side of the page. Inventions, and engineering.

Build your own remote control vehicles. I don’t know about your boy, but mine really enjoys remote control vehicles. With this Remote Control Machines set you can build up to 10 different models that move. Be sure to suggest he use his imagination to build many more. Building, motors, and mechanical engineering.

The Plugable Handheld Digital Microscope plugs right into a USB 2.0 port and provides 10x – 250x magnification. If your boy likes science this is an inexpensive tool that he will enjoy using. Click through the link and take a look at the second video under reviews to see the possibilities. It does a great job for a starter digital microscope for kids. Bonus – it takes pictures. Science.

Last year I got my son a tablet and it has been a wonderful tool for him to use. Stick with a sure thing and go for the iPad .  Apple has a lot more educational games than Android does, by far.  We often see games we would like to try but they are only available for Apple devices. All the subjects!

Check out Fun Math Video Games and Apps for Boys and Coding Apps

This is a seriously cool way to add some technology to your home – your whole family will love it. Have you heard about Echo Show? I am very keen on trying this as a tool in our homeschool. You can ask it questions so if you are working on a project you don’t have to stop to go to the computer and look things up. You can also ask for help spelling a word or getting a word definition. Plus it plays music, checks the weather and so on just like the Echo does but this one has a screen and can also show you things. It is giving me flashbacks of watching The Jetsons cartoon lol.  All the subjects.

When deciding what you are going to purchase . . .

• Look at your son’s interests
• Find things that match his passions
• Look at the types of things you would like to see him learn in the future.
• Throw in a surprise item or two that are just simply cool

Do that and you will have a great selection of things for you and your boy(s) to use throughout the coming years.

Check out our Homeschool Science Equipment: The Essential Tools if you are looking for more wonderful things to add to your homeschool and The Very Best Hands-on STEM Toys to Engage Boys for more cool ideas!