Toysmith Nature Kaleidoscope Kit

I remember being completely amazed by kaleidoscopes when I was a child, and with kids nowadays having every flashy electronic toy on the planet, this unique gem was a breath of fresh air. I bought a couple for my little cousins as Christmas gifts, and immediately regretted not buying one for my son (I will remedy that this time around!). The whole concept of building your own kaleidoscope makes this, in my opinion, a really cool gift for ANY age. And customizable too? You can't beat that!Everything was of good quality when they arrived, and my cousins were absolutely fascinated with them! They spent most of Christmas Day assembling the kaleidoscopes and looking around outside for leaves, pebbles and objects to use in them. Apparently they are STILL playing with them after all these months, which tells me that not only have the kaleidoscopes held up well, they've also remained a fun and interesting toy. Anyone with kids knows how often toys are played with at first then forgotten, and that isn't the case with these. I will definitely be purchasing one for my 7 year old this Christmas, then I can play with it too!

This Kaleidoscope kit from Gemini has been so much fun: not only for my 7 year old son I got it for, but for the whole family. You get to make the kaleidoscope from scratch (very easy to do), which teaches a bit of science (prisms, reflections, refraction, fracturing, light, etc). With minimal guidance, my 7 year old constructed it entirely himself.We have all had good, and lasting fun recreating the collection of bits and pieces put inside the 'cup' at the end of the tube. It is so interesting to look through the tube, then identify which bits are making up the images within. It is simple to change up the mix, including any small objects you add yourself, which makes holding a child's interest for longer than a minute or two.Besides a plastic insert in the box, the packaging is, overall, environmentally friendly (lots of paper and cardboard). The bits within are dried flowers and plant stems, small crumbled crystals, and 8-10 glass beads (not a single bit of plastic!). It includes two separate printed nature-images on paper to be colored and used to decorate the tube (includes six 3-inch long colored pencils, made in the USA).Unquestionably money well spent.

This product is cardboard and plastic...At first I was disappointed because the materials were cheap, but well i had bought the kaleidoscope so lets see what it really is...It turned to be very effective and fun, the "mirrors" of course are not glass but plated cardboard, but they work really well.There are several things included (marbles, little stones, etc) to put inside the transparent chamber and is fun to put whatever thing you like...Lets note that this could last long with care but not with children: changing the materials of the chamber will, certainly, degrade the fitting of the chamber and eventually deforming all the kaleidoscopeI would like it to be better in its construction materials, however is fun, educational and could be a starting point for a better one, or even for a do it yourself project (using this as guide...)

I purchased 12 of these kaleidoscopes to use in helping clients identify and process how perspective was essentially a choice in their lives. The kaleidoscopes have been a hit with all ages and gender. I modified it a little bit and added glue to make it hold together better. The eye piece sometimes goes in really easy and other times not. I was very satisfied with the price and content of supplies for the money. I am, however, extremely disappointed to find that the price has been raised considerably since my initial purchase less than a week ago. And, not just a little bit, a full $3.00. I wish to purchase more, but its really a shame that Amazon or the toy company appears to have capitalized on a large purchase to jack the price up.

This Kaleidoscope Kit is so cool! I purchased it as a birthday gift for my six year old daughter. I almost didn't buy it after reading the reviews but am so glad that I decided too. It comes with a little pamphlet filled with all sorts of information about kaleidoscopes and the flowers, marbles, minerals and gemstones that they include. You get to build the entire kaleidoscope and then experiment endlessly with what you want to put in it to view. She thought it was so fun and I did too. Pretty amazing actually. I'm sure she'll be getting this out many times to experiment with and I'd put this at the top of my list when it comes to buying gifts to give to kids 6-10 years old.

This is intended to be a gift. The packet of items to place in the scope do not appear as full as pictured in the advertisement. The polished stones have spilled and are scattered throughout the package. I'm going to open it and repackage the stones. It is a simple fix. The package is only held closed by two small pieces of tape. I am a little disappointed though. I attached pictures of how the scope looked when I received it and after I repackaged it. The contents do not appear to be damaged. I was worried that the loose rock might have scratched the mirrors but they appear to be fine. I still think this is going to be a fun gift.

Though a little spartan for the tube covering, since the theme was nature (natural), it was to be expected. But you can do anything you want to decorate the tube, so really this is a great kit. Simple and even my French sister-in-law was able to follow the instructions and guide the kids in the project during the holidays. The only improvement from the company could be to add a few sheets of already decorated paper with nature scenes as well as the coloring page ones.