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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Non-Toy Gift for Kids: DIY Science Kit

Non-Toy Gift for Kids: DIY Science Kit

By Kristian Klebofski   Published: May 22, 2023    Updated: May 23, 2023

Stand out from the crowd with a non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science Kit! This budget-friendly gift is easy to assemble and will wow the whole party.

the materials for the non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science kit sit on a table and in the background is a balloon that spells "birthday." The supplies include 5 bottles of vinegar, one bag of baking soda, one box of food coloring, one box of plastic spoons, three boxes of cornstarch, one roll of paper towels, and a plastic storage bin in the background.

Be the hit of the party with this non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science Kit

We’ve all seen it before: a child tears through gifts on a birthday or holiday, the packages all get opened, chaos ensues, and the pile ends up in the closet.

Don’t bring that gift. 🤣

Instead, curate this easy, cost-effective science kit that kids will play with for hours once the other toys are broken, missing, and forgotten about.

Related: Our giant 10-foot coloring banners also make spectacular non-toy gifts for kids!

A plastic container has baking soda in the base and colorful vinegar spooned on top in red, yellow, and blue. A hand holds a spoon and is spooning on blue vinegar. In the background are five bottles of vinegar.
One of the three science experiments from the kit: baking soda and vinegar explosions

Hours of open-ended fun in this non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science Kit

With materials like baking soda & vinegar, cornstarch, and paper towels, creativity is at the recipient’s fingertips.

Kids will be invited to make gooey, ooey, awesome oobleck, colorful baking soda & vinegar explosions, and tie-dye towels.

Oh, and the best part? You can get all the supplies from one trip to Target or somewhere similar.

Looking for more non-toy gifts for kids? Look no further!

  • 10 of the BEST non-toy gifts for kids under $30 – Friends Art Lab
  • Books by age range and interest – Happily Ever Elephants
  • National Geographic Kids Books – Amazon
The materials for the non-toy gift for kids: DIY science kit sit in the plastic container. Visible are three boxes of cornstarch and the bag of baking soda.

Materials

Friends Art Lab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

There are two ways to go about this:

IDEA 1 – RECOMMENDED: Include the materials listed below and attach the FREE downloadable gift letter to attach with your gift. This way, when the child + family open the gift, they’ll know exactly what to do with the materials.

IDEA 2 –  Create a DIY Science Kit based on the supplies you love the most. Make sure to create a letter explaining what to do with the supplies so people aren’t confused.

Note: For option 1, you can choose how many of each item to include. I’ll share the quantity I have shown, but you could include more or less of various supplies for different budget sizes.

For example, I included five bottles of vinegar, but you could include two.

  • 1 three-pound bag of baking soda = $3.19
  • Food coloring = $3.69
  • 5 bottles vinegar (5 @ $0.69 each) = $3.45
  • 3 boxes of cornstarch (3 @ $1.99) = $5.97
  • 1 roll of paper towels = $0.89
  • Box of spoons = $3.69
  • Plastic cups = $3.29
  • Plastic storage bin = $3.75

TOTAL: $27.92

A bag of arm and hammer baking soda.

Baking Soda

This 3.5 pound bag will make kids’ eyeballs fill with hearts! There’s the perfect amount for lots and lots of science fun.

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon
Bottle of white vinegar.

Vinegar

The Robin to baking soda’s Batman – vinegar is one of the best science experiment materials ever. It’s stinky, makes things bubble, and feels magical – just what kids want.

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon
Box of cornstarch

Cornstarch

This + water makes for a classic science experiment: oobleck. No matter how many times you make it, it’s a mesmerizing science project.

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon
Roll of paper towels

Roll of Paper Towels

Paper towels are helpful for cleaning, but they shine in the kit for DIY tie-dye towels. Kids will learn a lot about color theory when mixing colors, plus no two pieces are exactly the same!

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon

Box of clear plastic spoons - text on box reads "premium spoons."

Plastic Spoons

These are small bit mighty and are used in all three of the projects! You could gift the entire box, but you could also just as easily throw a handful of spoons in and save the others for more science kits (which also brings your budget down).

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon
A pack of clear plastic cups.

Clear Plastic Cups

Just like the spoons, all three projects can use the clear plastic cups! Sometimes when I gift a DIY Science Kit I include the whole pack, and other times I include a shorter stack. You can’t really go wrong either way.

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon
Four bottles of food coloring in red, yellow, green, and blue.

Food Coloring

Color brings all three experiments to life!

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A clear storage bin with a white plastic container.

Storage Bin

Not only is the bin functional for storage, but it’s actually used for the science experiments to contain the mess. Additionally, I love spending $3.75 on a bin that can be used over and over instead of on a gift bag that gets used once and thrown away.

See on Target
See Similar on Amazon

Directions

Throw all the goodness into the plastic storage bin, add the free gift letter, and sit back and relax knowing you have the most incredible gift EVER.

Note: if all of your supplies don’t fit in the bin (I Tetris-ed my heart out and couldn’t get it all to fit), stick part of it on top of the bin and tie it with the ribbon.

I tied the paper towels to the top of the box, and I actually love it because it will get people talking!

A paper towel sits on a purple table with red, yellow, and blue patches of color. Next to the paper towel are three cups of colorful water in red, yellow, and blue. Behind this are bottles of vinegar for other parts of the kit. A hand spoons red color onto the paper towel.

What are the projects included in the kit?

When the materials mentioned above are included, kids have what they need to make:

  • Tie-Dye Towels
  • Colorful, Ooey, Gooey Oobleck
  • Baking Soda & Vinegar Explosions

The bin that the materials are gifted in is used for the projects, too.

Two hands are suspended over the plastic bin and they're covered in yellow oobleck (resembles slime).
One of the three science experiments from the kit: colorful, ooey, gooey oobleck

What to get for a child with everything?

Something like this.

It’s unique, hands-on, engaging, educational, and really, really fun.

Plus, you won’t have to worry about three other kids showing up to the same party with the exact same toy as you. (Well, unless they follow Friends Art Lab, but there’s no such thing as too many science kits!)

A screenshot of the free downloadable letter to include with the kit.

How do I get the free letter?

It’s at the bottom of the post (just a few scrolls away!).

You’ll get it delivered right away and it’s ready print off and attach.

(Plus, it’s super cute!)

the materials for the non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science kit sit on a table in a plastic container and in the background are balloons that spell "happy birthday." Visible include 5 bottles of vinegar, one bag of baking soda, one box of food coloring, one box of plastic spoons, three boxes of cornstarch, and one roll of paper towels.

This non-toy gift for kids: DIY Science Kit is going to be your new go-to

And we love this.

Say ta-ta to giving the same old boring gift and hello to upgrading to this incredible gift of science and joy!

FREE Letters for Non-Toy DIY Kits

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    Kristian

    Hi, I’m Kristian!

    I love all things early childhood. Having earned a master's degree in education, I love sharing my passion and knowledge both as a classroom preschool teacher and college professor. Friends Art Lab is my heart and I'm excited to share with you! LEARN MORE

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