Thames & KosmosI Dig It! Rocks - Real Minerals Excavation Kit | Science Kit | Dig Up Real Mineral Specimens | Learn About Mineralogy & Geology | 2018 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner

A couple things should be noted about this product. I bought this for my little siblings and I had to help them with finding the treasure don’t get me wrong it was a really good activity but at some point after just hammering and stabbing the block I had to step in and bring a knife and try to help them. I find it best if you submerge the block underwater for a couple minutes that makes it even more soft and that gives it the best use otherwise will just be there with a plastic hammer for a while

Given as a present. Person liked it. Very fast service.

Gave this as a gift to a rock-lover turning 5. It was A HIT. It was hard enough for him to keep his attention but easy enough to make progress that he didn't get frustrated. It took 2 days of solid (quiet! solo!) work. I was concerned for a bit about the quality of the plastic tools--he bent them trying to pry some pieces out, but he finished it without breaking them. He unearthed 8 rocks in the end when we expected 5, so was delighted.

My 8 and 11 year old kids enjoyed these kits as much as I did! It was very gratifying to chip away at the dirt and find the hidden gems, of which there were many. We just put some newspaper underneath the kits as it gets a bit dirty but cleans up easily. The gems are very good quality.

My grandson absolutely loved doing this! Going to purchase another one for him. What to see if the rocks are different. Worth the buy!

We've bought many dig kits from other companies, so my kids thought they knew how do do this and didn't look at the directions. This kit has much harder plaster than some other kits (like National Geographic brand) and they were getting really frustrated with how hard it was to break through. But when we saw the instructions that they'd tossed aside, it showed that this kit involved using water and a sponge to soften the sediment! Once they did as it showed, the kit was much easier and more enjoyable to break through. We got all five types of stone listed on the box, as, well as two smaller stones of the red jasper. (The scraping tool has a metal edge and could be dangerous for a smaller child to use.)

My six year old loves these. She can spend the whole day and never get board. This was her second one. Gems are good size and never disappointed.

I love how long these I Dig It kits keep my five year old busy! He was SO excited when he finally got to the first gem, and even more excited when he realized there were more to find.These kits are such a fun hands-on way for kids to learn about geology and paleontology! They are perfect for a home or classroom setting with kids split into small groups.My biggest issue with the kits is that they are pretty expensive for a one-time use thing. I love the educational value and fun kids can have, but it’s not something I’ll buy frequently for my kid to do because the cost adds up so quickly. I bought a couple of different kits for my son, but after he’s done all the different sets I don’t think they’ll hold his interest as well to redo them.Overall, I really do like these for their educational value. I think it’s a great way to get kids interested in science and scientific careers.