1. Maker Lab | $20

Becoming an engineer means looking at the world with resourceful eyes—particularly when spying a shelf full of office supplies. With help from the Smithsonian Institution, author Jack Challoner has assembled 28 awesome STEM-inspired activities that involve only household items. When life gives you lemons, make a battery.

2. Osmo Coding Kit | $75

This iPad accessory turns coding from an abstract intellectual exercise into a playful, intuitive one. Kids manipulate colorful command tiles to build a program that controls a friendly onscreen monster, helping him on his strawberry-gobbling quest … or just making him run around in circles.

3. Anki Cozmo | $180

A mind-blowing amount of engineering—from AI to computer vision to sound design—is packed into Anki's adorable palm-size package. Cozmo recognizes your youngling's face and develops a complementary personality. Play learning games with him—he'll remember your favorites. Can a puppy do that?