Nancy B's Science Club Kits
Although designed especially to appeal to girls, we love these kits because they include tools for observation along with a guided journal that helps them to use the tool and apply it to their own investigations. The viewers are all a step up from just a toy, with decent-quality plastic optics (or glass, in the case of the telescope) and additional tools built in to aid in observations (like a compass on the binoculars and a ruler on the aquascope). Each viewer is also packaged with a full-color, 22-page activity journal, which helps kids use their tool for a variety of guided observations and activities.