Astronomy Christmas Gifts for Kids

Is your child, or a child you know, aspiring to be an astronomer? Do you want to encourage their star-gazing endeavors this Christmas? Well, with this list of child-oriented astronomy gifts, you can do just that!

1. Discovery Space Projection Alarm Clock ($29.95)
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-65891.html?endecaSID=116BBF47FC98
Let your child wake up to space! This alarm clock projects the image of a starry sky, full moon or the planet saturn on the wall and superimposes the digital time overtop of it! Along with the normal 9-minute snooze button and date/time display, it also has 3 exciting sounds to choose to wake up to: "transport", "ping" or "analyze" - all spaceship oriented!

2. Fisher Chrome Bullet Space Pen ($19.95)
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-66112.html?endecaSID=116BBF8D77C4
The ultimate pen for going back to school in the new year! This pen is the most reliable you'll ever seen. It rights upside down, over grease, and even underwater! Designed by NASA for astronauts going into space, this pen is something your child will love to show off. Due to a hermetically sealed pressurized ink resevoir, this pen also lasts three times as any other pen!

3. Laser Star Projector ($169.99)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/8ed4/
Who needs TV when you can watch the universe as you fall asleep! This nifty device projects green star lazers in combination with blue gaseous clouds to make your child's room look like something out of this world. This piece of equipment is especially expensive, mainly for the DPSS technology used, but if it's in your price range it's a must-have!

4. Hubble - Deep Field Poster ($21.99)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/posters/7b49/
This poster isn't just any old picture of space. It's the oldest! This is the latest and best picture of star's as they appeared 13 billion years ago, as capture by NASA's hubble space telescope.

5. Astronaut Ice Cream ($2.99)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/9e07/
Now this is a stocking stuffer that every aspiring astronomer just HAS to try! This freeze-dried ice cream designed for consumption by astronauts in space comes in 3 delicious flavors - chocolate with chocolate chips, mint chocolate chip and the classic neopolitan.

6. Moon In My Room ($29.95)
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3085072
Now you can make your little enthusiast feel like (s)he's sleeping under the open sky every night, with this portable moon! The moon is built to be an accurate representation of the real moon and hangs on your child's wall. It even shines moonlight just like the real one! The accompanying remote lets you choose different phases to depict, and it even comes with an audio CD filled with facts about the moon to fall asleep to!

7. Pocket Telescope/Microscope ($7.95)
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3105300
This combination 8x11 telescope and 30x microscope is great for a kid on the go! Perfect for school field trips or just random bouts of scientificy goodness!

8. Glow in the Dark Stars ($6.95)
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3081935
Every kid likes to do crazy things to their walls and ceilings. But this time it's okay! Let your kids go crazy with 600 glow-in-the-dark stick on stars and comets for their room! Expose the pieces to light and they'll glow nearly all night long. The kit also comes with a star and solar system chart for those who want their room to be a perfect representation of the outside!

9. I Dig Mars Space Rock Dig ($5.95)
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3036973
Who doesn't want their very own space rock? This dig kit allows your child to dig out their very own authentic meteorite tektite from an accurate representation of a mars red rock. The actual tektite inside is real, and could be from a meteorite falling to earth, a piece from a volcano erupting on the moon, or many other astronomical natural disasters.

10. Celestial Globe ($119.95)
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3053594
What better way to learn about Earth's place in the solar system than with a model like this? This model depicts our own Earth, with an adjustable sun and outer-globe that depicts the major constellations and objects in our night's sky!