Great Gizmos have a wide range of toys and kits for kids, mostly with an educational or science focus. Z was sent a couple of Spy kits for kids to try out, and went for the 4m Spy Science Secret Message Kit and the Science Museum Finger Print kit
The finger print kit is recommended for age 8+ and the spy for 5+, but I would say both are better for ages 8+ as they will be difficult for younger children. Z is 8 and the concept of both of these kits grabbed his attention straight away as he loves the idea of secret messages, codes and all things spy related!
Each kit includes various activities, along with instruction leaflets. You do have to put a lot of it together yourself, which can be a bit fiddly and I thought it would have been better if for example the spy notebook would be provided ready bound as you have to put all the pages in order and then bind it with the spiral yourself! (a bit tricky to do neatly!!)
The content included on the pages and in the kit is fun though, with morse code, a code wheel, secret messages on the x-ray secret message sheet which can only be read using special decoder lens, invisible messages with secret markers, and more.
The fingerprint kit contains a special folder to keep everything inside, which is quite handy and I would have liked to see this in the spy kit too.
You get sheets to keep a record of the finger prints you take, powder and ink to take the finger prints, and transparencies to pick up and transfer prints, along with a magnifying glass to help you examine them.
You can also make your own detective ID card which is a nice little extra.
The kits are quite fun, and are a bit different from other toys and kits that we have. I like the educational aspect of it and how they encourage kids to develop their curiosity and investigation skills, although I would have liked the contents of the kits to be a little bit more sturdy and substantial – particularly for the spy science secret messages kit. The kits are available for £12.95 for the finger print kit, and £11.95 for the secret messages kit.
Do take a look at the full range from Great Gizmos to see what else they have, as they offer a good range of gadgets for kids and there are different sets to suit all interests!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.