If your kid starts showing an aptitude for science and education, it’s probably a good thing to encourage. This young person could advance humanity, and potentially land a full university scholarship in the process. Here are some of the best ways to begin to develop that natural curiosity into a lovely Nobel Prize.

If your children have embraced learning and science, it’s the perfect opportunity to teach them why batteries are rubbish, and introduce them to better alternatives. Using solar power and hydrolysis, this kit produces hydrogen that powers this RC car. It’s clean, renewable, and you’ll never have to buy another Duracell pack again. £90 from Amazon.

Before they’re old enough to handle a soldering iron, you can foster your child’s interest in electronics and tinkering with this building set that teaches the basics of circuit design. Instead of wires and solder, all the components safely snap together and easily come apart again, letting them build over 100 different projects from this kit alone. £49 from Amazon.

Lego is already the best toy you can get your kids. But Lego that lets you design, build, and program robots? You’re pretty much guaranteeing them a successful engineering career with the NXT 2.0 set. And if they get good enough, you can encourage them to build a tiny robot assistant to help them keep their room clean. £230 from Amazon.

A passion for unlocking the secrets of the universe doesn’t have to wait until your offspring go off to university. With up to 54X optical zoom, this handheld microscope turns your entire garden into their first laboratory, letting them study everything from insects, to plants, to whatever geological treasures they can unearth. £69 from Amazon.

Why wait until your new arrival is crawling to introduce them to the wonderful world of science? These plush planets will fill their cot with all the wonders of our local galaxy. Instead of growing up with some random stuffed bear, just imagine them wandering through the house dragging Saturn, Mercury, or Mars behind them. Adorable. From £15.

On their own, lasers are inexplicably entertaining. But incorporated into a board game, they’re even more awesome. Who cares about amassing a monopoly when Khet has you strategically placing mirrors and obstacles around a board to bounce an eye-safe laser towards your opponent’s token? Pew pew! £29 from Amazon.

Even science-minded children have trouble resisting the allure of video games. But thanks to the developers at Valve, that’s ok. One of the most entertaining characters in Portal 2 was the PotatOS you had to carry around. And with this kit, your child can make their own potato-powered sidekick that lights up and talks. £30 from Amazon.