Does your holiday shopping list include an adventurer yearning to explore a wider world? A science-curious friend or significant other?
Behold, our Annual SciStarter Gift Giving Guide!
Holiday Cheers!
The SciStarter Team
Make it easy for loved ones to learn about and engage in citizen science, a movement that’s sweeping the globe! The Field Guide to Citizen Science from the experts at SciStarter is packed with inspiration and step-by-step guides to convince even the most science-fun averse Grinch on your gift list.
Location: Global
Lo, a star shines brightly over Bethlehem! But is light pollution near you preventing you from seeing it? Find out with your own Sky Quality Meter! At $119.95 plus S&H, it may not be the cheapest stocking stuffer, but it’s the perfect tool if you want to be a top-level Globe at Night contributor to help scientists around the world monitor light pollution.
Note: The Sky Quality Meter is not required to participate in Globe at Night.
Location: Global
Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when That Special Someone finds you’ve given them the gift of their own poop report! Swab included! For just $99.95, they (or you! You know you want one!) will learn exactly what bacteria and who knows what else is living in their guts. Fun for the whole family!
Location: United States
Designed to help children expand their creativity while exploring nature, these wonderful “nature passports” Consider pairing your gift with magnifiers, nets, minerals, or whatever you think might spark excitement.
Location: Global
The Pocket Lab opens the door to hundreds of data-based science projects and citizen science opportunities. It is too awesome to describe in words. Check out the video on their website to see how it measures motion, acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic field, pressure, altitude and temperature and, with the associated app, tracks and graphs your measurements over time.
Location: Global
Has Santa’s journey down your sooty chimney filled your living space with lung-threatening fine particulate matter (FPM)? You’ll know for sure with your AirBeam, a device that sucks in air and measures the sort of FPM produced by diesel engines, construction sites and fireplace visits from Santa. With Airbeam, you can join the Aircasting project, and help track air quality worldwide.
Location: Global
Everyone talks about the weather, and now a lucky person on your gift list can do something about it: Join CoCoRaHS and become a weather watcher! Joining is free, but you’ll want to include an official rain gauge or other project-appropriate gear, available at Weather Your Way.
Location: United States and Canada
If 2020 is the year that the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute finally finds ET, this SETI swag will fly off the shelves, or whatever its currently sitting on. Get it now, for you and your lucky loved ones, while you still can!
Location: Global
Why spend money when you can give the gift of yourself, joining your lucky giftee in the important hunt for ZomBees: honeybees afflicted with the Zombie Fly parasite? Together, you’ll build a ZomBee Hunting Kit and then help track this bee-killing scourge.
Location: Global
Check out SciStarter’s online and printable monthly calendar of events and holidays (like the popular Christmas Bird Count) linked to relevant citizen science projects.
Podcast: Citizen Science in Libraries and Museums
In this podcast episode, learn about how natural history museums and public libraries have involved members of their communities in projects that can contribute to local, national, and global understandings of scientific questions. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your local library or museum!
Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!
