Thames & Kosmos CHEM C2000

Ages 11 and up Most chemistry sets for kids are a handful of fizzing tricks. This one is a real bench course: 250 experiments laid out in a 128-page manual that explains what happened and why, with proper glassware and an alcohol burner that opens up the heated reactions cheaper sets skip. A middle schooler who works through it learns to measure, separate, heat and record like a lab student, habits that carry straight into high school science. It is the most supervision-heavy pick here. An adult must be present, the household supplies the ethyl alcohol for the burner, and at around $160 it is a gift for a child who already asks for more than slime kits.