Meteorite Dig Kit by National Geographic

My son and I really enjoyed this dig kit! He's a HUGE fan of space exploration and learning about the solar system

My 8 year old son LOVES space! We recently went on an overnight trip to Space Camp with our Cub Scout Pack. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is located in Huntsville, Alabama and we had a blast! He's always loved rockets and learning about the solar system and space exploration. When I bought him this meteorite dig kit, he was really excited to try it out. We're both really happy with the small specimen we dug out, and I'm impressed with the book! Very educational! When we found the little meteorite (well, I think it's a tektite, since what we found looks like the image labeled "Tektite" on the back of the book). We didn't find a second piece in the chunk of plaster, but it may have been hiding in the bits we threw out. LOL

He was happy with his chunk of space rock, and we were done enough, so I tossed the mess out. haha

The kit comes with a little plastic tool to dig the meteorite out of the plaster. If you want to REALLY get the job done faster, get a hammer or chisel out of the garage if you have those items. I found that it was easy enough to break the plaster into chunks once you got started. My son got the meteorite (Tektite?) out and asked me to help him try to see if there was anything else in the plaster. His hands were getting tired. My advice: Newspaper laid out on the sidewalk or patio cement and prepare to get messy. Even better if you add goggles for eye protection! There will be some plaster dust as you chisel away, so you may want to have your child wear a dust mask if they have asthma.

Pros:
1) Real meteor (or is it a Tektite?!) LOL
2) The plaster is really cute before you dig into it. It has a spray painted design of a meteor falling into the atmosphere with red flames shooting out. FUN!
3) My son loves his little chunk of space! He has it up on a shelf in his room, and the book is proudly displayed next to it. Adorable!
4) It gave us something to do on a summer day for a little while that wasn't video games or TV. Yay! Learning!

Cons:
1) It really is an outdoor activity. We were on the back patio, because I know what to expect. I used the plastic form that came in the box as a tray and it contained the worst of the mess.
2) We didn't really understand if there was supposed to be TWO items in the plaster or just one. When we were doing it, and could not find the second piece, I told him it was an "either/or" situation and to look at the picture and figure out if he had a Meteorite OR a Tektite. I'm not really bothered by it, he is satisfied enough. We liked the kit.

Overall, I think this is a fun kit, and the book makes it even more worthwhile. It's really important that the educational piece of it was provided.

You can find this item on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/1Sbs4Yx

Amazon item name:
Meteorite Dig Kit - A Space Science Adventure by National Geographic
by National Geographic

Disclaimer:
I was very happy to receive this Meteorite Dig Kit at a discounted price in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (   / editor  )