Gift ideas to encourage a 7 year old interested in space?

[PullyDog]

My 7 year old is obsessed with all things space at the moment, I've not seen him this enchanted by anything for a long long time. Solar systems, black holes, all the planets, solar eclipses, the moon. He's forever googling new things to read about it.

Really want to buy him a couple of gifts to encourage. I've seen a cute crystal ball he can have on his bedside table, a book, but I would like something more engaging for him.. any ideas?

Are you anywhere near the Midlands? National Space Centre in Leicester is great, and paying once allows you repeated entry for a year, so you could have lots of days out there. My kids loved it there when they were younger.

What about a telescope? To help with attempting to star gaze?

Down south unfortunately!

Telescope is a fab idea I love that, thank you

Sounds like a good interest and lovely that he’s so keen and you are encouraging his learning.

https://www.brightminds.co.uk/products/science-lab-super-space?variant=54869125333374

https://www.wickeduncle.co.uk/childrens-presents/space-torch-and-projector

https://www.wickeduncle.co.uk/childrens-presents/science-snippets---all-about-space

https://www.wickeduncle.co.uk/childrens-presents/solar-power-space-exploration

Lego space themed sets.

A trip to a planetarium. London planetarium, combined with a trip to the science museum?
Use a star gazer app on your phone with him to identify the stars and planets you can see

Download a star app as the previous poster suggested, also the ISS (and other satellite) apps so you can see it go overhead.

One of those cool light-up mobiles of the solar system, with them all hanging in the correct order etc.

This book is delightful (as are the rest)

https://amzn.eu/d/0idz7F7Z

My husband works in astronomy and loved reading this with my son

If you’re down south near Winchester the Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium (previously called Intech) is a fantastic day out.

There’s also an observatory at Clanfield, near Petersfield, that has open evenings where you can use their enormous telescopes. Children are made very welcome.

I know ‘down south’ is a huge area but both of these are really accessible from the M3.

Stellarium App is excellent but there are loads of others that show you exactly what you’re looking at and could be looking at.