A Woman Remembers: 10 Best Holiday Gift Ideas from The Mind Museum

It's the time of the year when everyone needs extra help in finding that special holidays gifts. I'm also thinking and looking for the best gifts especially for kids. Are you also looking for gifts to give your kids and your "inaanaks" this Christmas?

Year after year, people rush to stores for that last minute gift shopping with hope of finding something extraordinary. We all want to give our loved ones, especially the kids, what they wished for or something more remarkable.

Mind Museum, the first world class science museum in the Philippines, doesn't just provide a whole new learning experience for kids, it also has great educational toys for children of all ages. It even has the best and most unique gift suggestions that kids of all ages can enjoy and learn from.

Check out these ultimate gift guide that will add twist to your usual holiday flavor. They also inspire learning and lets you celebrate the season of giving.

1. The Scientific Date

Surprise your loved ones and the young ones with All Day Passes or gift certificates to The Mind Museum!

With over 250 hands-on, minds-on exhibits and live experiment demonstrations that unveil the remarkable science behind living and non-living things, a date or two in The Mind Museum is definitely a unique and exciting way to spend time together this Yuletide season.

It's great to have a date in a science-themed gallery, or stargazing in cozy couches in a custom-made planetarium with the entire family, right?

(The Mind Museum tickets all day passes Php750/php)

2. Name the Stars after Your Loved Ones

Leave your names or your loved ones’ on digital exhibits found in the different galleries in the Museum, through a fixed donation that come with e-certificates.

Imagine the delight of seeing your family’s name imprinted on the virtual stars that make up a constellation, or name a specific kind of dinosaur that inhabits a virtual era in history. What’s more heart-warming is that all proceeds for this program go to supporting the institutions’ project of giving free museum visits to public school kids.

(Virtual exhibits’ price ranges from Php1,000 to Php5,000, depending on your choice of show. For more information, visit http://exhibits.themindmuseum.org.)

Perfect! I can name a star "Skylah" (my daughter's name) and name the dinosaur "Brent" (my son).

3. The Key to Endless Discovery

This is a year-round, all-day admission to the first world-class science museum in the country.

The Mind Museum’s Unlimited Science Pass also gives free admission to over 300 worldwide science museums, discounts on travelling exhibition tickets, birthday packages, and purchases inside The Mind Museum Store. Also, this unli-pass directly supports free museum passes for underprivileged kids.

(For a group of four or more, avail the Unlimited Science Pass for only Php2,250/pax. Visit https://www.themindmuseum.org/science-alive/63/membership-program for more information)

Wow this unlimited Mind Museum pass is something that my kids would love to have!

4. All for Science, All for Love

Why not sponsor a trip for public school kids this Christmas to celebrate the holidays in a meaningful way?

You can even ask your family or friends to join you in spearheading this project to further enrich the sense of wonder of these young ones. Don’t worry, The Mind Museum’s doors are open to plan and accomplish this advocacy of embracing and sharing the true spirit of the season.

(To inquire about this project, please send your email to inquiry@themindmuseum.org.)

Doing this is truly heart-warming!

5. If these shirts could talk:

Let your friends “wear their wit” with these design shirts that are exclusively available in The Mind Museum Store! These shirts come in different colors and are tastefully designed with vibrant graphics and statements that will truly make science a cool fashion statement of choice this holiday season.

(Prices range from Php379.75 to Php499.75)

Really cool shirts for all kids!

6. Of Puzzles, Papers, and Pencils:

Give the young ones (or even your family and friends) these funky Human Anatomy Notebook and Science Alphabet Notebook! They’re, indeed, a safe space for random thoughts, important lists, or mind babbles. Here’s a tip: pair these notebooks with Puzzle Color Pencils and let its colorful tips become their wand to create their DIY-diary.

Human Anatomy Notebook and Science Alphabet Notebook Php379.75
Puzzle Color Pencils Php649.75

I love fancy notebooks just like these!

7. Own the Universe

While the kids are taking baby steps towards their dreams, show them the momentary short-cut in seizing the universe, literally, through the Star Planetarium! Projecting 3D stars, planets, and constellations. This amazing contraption also includes 3D glasses for a more mesmerizing virtual representation of what’s above and beyond the world we’re living in.

Star Planetarium set Php2,579.75

Wow! I'll wish this for my kids! :)

8. Unearthing the Dinos

Let the kids experience being a paleontologist and travel back to the era of dinosaurs with the special edition Dino Excavation Kit.

Dig for the bones hidden in the gypsum block, assemble them and enjoy your very own miniature dinosaur skeleton replica. Top it off by learning more about the fossils you have just uncovered.

entire Dino Excavation Kit Php 2,699.75

Great activity for curious kids (and parents)!

9. Tricks and Treats:

Have fun teaching your kids using playing cards that are exclusively sold at The Mind Museum store.

There's What’s GNU?—a 3-letter learning game deck or go for a game of speed and visual tricks with Hyperswipe! Grab these cards now, be the learning and game master at the same time, and let the enlivening game itself, too, serve as an added gift to these kids!

What’s GNU Php 949.75, Hyperswipe set Php 1,349.75

My kids have a game deck like GNU... now, I want to try Hyperswipe with them!

10. Build Your Own, Learn on Your Own

Teach your young ones the basics of gardening, without having to worry about landscaping your backyard, with these innovative plant miniatures!

Let them grow the Sweet Leaf, which grows leaves that be used as a natural substitute for sugar; the Mini-Melons that will actually produce sweet mini cantaloupes in less than 2 months; or get really out-of-this-word with the Curious George Outer Space Adventure Garden that will even allow them to experiment right in their mini pots!