My kids go to a little school… as in less than 500 students between Kindergarten and 12th grade.  My son has 23 kids in the ENTIRE grade… eek.

It has pros and cons.  The major con is that the school doesn’t have options for after school programs (outside of daycare).  They don’t have some of the STEM programs like Destination Imagination, robotics, no art classes during the day etc…

Because of this I try really hard to bring things into our home.  I thought I’d share some gift ideas- some that I’ve purchased in the past, just purchased for Christmas or some that are on my list for 2016 birthdays.

(p.s.  If you don’t know what STEAM stands for:  Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and math).  Focussing on these drives the learning needed to be creative AND innovative.  This post is about gifts that are along those lines but still FUN.

This one I bought from Amazon:  I love Amazon prime- free shipping on everything.  That made it cheaper than buying from a catalog I received where I first saw this item…

MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Big Box  This is a marble run set- where they build a marble run with a variety of fun, colorful pieces that have their holes in different spots.  sometimes the hole is only on the bottom, sometimes on the sides etc… so they have to think about the pieces they are lining up and where the marble will go.

This one is on a birthday list for my son…

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit  I remember having to learn electrical circuitry in my Physics class…  why not start them out young!

LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box  – We purchased this as a joint gift for both kids and I can tell you I paid more in Target than the current Amazon price ;(   .  We waited and waited for a sale since we missed the Black Friday sale at Walmart that had more than double the pieces for the same price.  Then I decided 484 was plenty since I would probably end up stepping on them anyway!  My kids LOVE legos but they are getting tired of trying to find all the directions when something comes apart.  We went with the generic blocks instead of a specific kit, to push their mind into imagination mode to build their own structures instead of following directions.

Darice 80-Piece Deluxe Art Set  I bought a similar art set last year that cost me almost double what the price is on Amazon right now… $15.25 for this 80 piece set is pretty darn good!.  Then you can use your 40% off  Hobby Lobby or Michaels coupon to buy some good art paper.  My kids LOVE to draw and paint so I add to their “art box” every Christmas.  We stock up on paper, paints, refill their colored pencil and marker bin to replace broken/ dried out supplies.  It’s always a favorite gift!

So – If you’re still trying to figure out the last few gifts for your kiddos… there are some fun, educational, STEAM supporting gift ideas.

I went with all Amazon ideas because currently… I am finishing up as much online as I can.  I am working full time right up until Dec. 23 and I’ve hit the local stores as much as possible… but lets face it… sometimes they just don’t have what you’re looking for.  OR- it just plain costs a lot more.  The prices in the photos I posted are for items that are currently a good $8-10 cheaper than in the stores(except the qba maze.  It’s the same price as in the MindWare catalog.  Just free shipping on Amazon for Prime members made it worth it to order there.)