Are you looking for free or low-cost science materials for your children to use at home? Last year we discovered the Spark! and  Little Spark! Discovery Boxes (AU). The Spark! Discovery Boxes are for children 8-12 years+, and the Little Spark! Discovery Boxes are for children  3-5 years+. 

At our local Libraries (Randwick, NSW) the Spark! Discovery Boxes can be loaned using our standard library card (free). The Little Spark! Discovery Boxes require a Toy Library membership (low-cost, free for those with relevant concession cards). But check with your local library first for their conditions, if they don't have any Spark! Discovery Boxes put in a request. It might just be the encouragement your library needs! 

Topics for the Spark! Discovery Boxes (8-12yrs) include:

• Amazing Animals - with animal x-rays
• Mini Beasts
• Light & Colour
• Plant Science
• The Human Body
• Precision Microscope
• Rocks & Minerals
• Magnetism
• Dobsonian Telescope

Topics for the Little Spark! Discovery Boxes (3-5yrs) include:

• Sound
• Measurement
• Lifecycles & Classifying
• Magnetism
• Light & Colour
• Patterns & Classifying
• Coordination & Balance

This is an incredibly affordable and earth-friendly way to explore science at home. Along with lots of tools and materials, each box comes with an easy to follow parent's guide. You can use the guide to learn alongside your child, you don't need any prior knowledge to use the boxes with your children! It's easy, I promise. 

My children range from 4 to 14 years, so the boxes have a wide appeal in our home. Let's take a look at some of the Spark! Discovery Boxes we've borrowed.

The Light & Colour Spark! Discovery Box. 

The Sound Little Spark! Discovery Box. We used this a lot! Above is the xylophone but it also contains Talking Tubes (AU) and Sound Matching Gem Blocks (AU).

Otto (4yrs) loved the Mini Beasts Spark! Discovery Box! 💕🐞🐛🐜. He enjoyed the books, resin insects, the butterfly life cycle set and the butterfly net.

No need to leave them at home, we can take the materials out and about. Otto is attempting to catch 🦋!

This is the Attracted to Magnetism Little Spark! Discovery Box, which we still have on loan. The parent's guide contains additional ideas and ways to use the materials using household items.

Yesterday I noticed the Coordination and Balance discovery box at the Margaret Martin Library (Randwick, NSW), if I had a free hand I would have taken it home! 

Look what I found at the Dennis Johnson Library (Blacktown, NSW), they also have the Little Bang Discovery Club (ages 4-5yrs).

We enjoyed the Spark! Discovery Boxes and wanted to try more science activities so we ordered the Little Bang Book of Discovery, also made by the Children's Discovery Museum. It is full of engaging experiments that can be safely and easily conducted at home using items that are already on hand. The Little Bang Book of Discovery encourages children to make their own discoveries through observation, investigation and experimentation. For children 3-8 years. 

More information about the Spark! Discovery Boxes can be found at the Children's Discovery Museum. You can also follow the Children's Discovery Museum on Instagram here.