(Gifted) We were sent three of the BANDAI Mini Dig kits this month as part of our STEM Ambassador duties.  Treasure, Dino Poop and Shark Tooth were the ones we had.  You can also get Gemstone and Fool’s Gold.  So, a good bit of variety to choose from.

If you ever have a dull moment in the holidays or you just want the kids to focus on a calm activity for awhile these kits are for you!  We have already reviewed the bigger National Geographic dig kits but I like the mini size of these ones.  Nice and portable to take away for a UK break.  You can never entirely trust the British weather so its good to have something like this in case of a downpour!

They are great value and each kit comes with a genuine specimen whether it’s a fossil or gemstone.  You also get the digging tool!  I love how one end has a brush so they can delicately remove the dust when you get closer to finding your specimen.

These are very collectable.  Children will enjoy the activity and afterwards treasure their fossil!  Although I was a little freaked out that we now have a fossilised poop in the house!  Mind you the kids think it’s hilarious.  It’s certainly quite novel.

Each set comes with a little information about the specimen.  It’s all very educational.  For example, fossilised poop gives palaeontologists clues about the dinosaurs eating habits.

My youngest liked finding the Pyrite in the Treasure set.  It was so shiny and looks precious hence why its nicknamed “fool’s gold”.  I would buy more of these kits for something to keep children entertained at birthday parties.  Kids can get a bit lively at times, so I like to give them a quiet peaceful activity to focus their attention on.

We did our digging outside as its very dusty!  But you can just use newspaper inside.  Then when you find your specimen give it a rinse so its nice and clean.  You can cheat a little if your children are frustrated with all the digging and still haven’t found the specimen.  By adding some water to the dig brick its much easier to get into.  Mine didn’t do this but its handy to know for younger children.

The mini dig kits retail at £4.99 which is a bargain for how long it kept my two quiet!  I was feeling a bit frazzled today with week one of the summer holidays under my belt.  These kits did improve my day no end.   It gave them purpose and me some peace!