When it comes to getting educational gifts for little ones, we're spoiled for choice. But what about adults? We love science too!
We shopped around so you don't have to, and found some creative and unique science-themed gifts for the grown-ups.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Friendly angler fish book light
Do you know a bookworm who just can’t be convinced to switch to an e-reader? Nothing compares to holding a real book, the texture of the paper, the smell of the ink…
With this little book light, they’ll be able to read in all conditions - even when it’s as dark as the deep-sea habitat of the angler fish.
Get it from GiftAGeek for £14.99
Galileo thermometer
This unique decoration works on technology from 1666, when natural philosophers figured out that fluids change volume with temperature. The colourful bulbs in this globe thermometer will rise and fall as the temperature changes.
Buy from Present Indicative for £26.99
Adopt a mini black hole
Big, round eyes make everything adorable. Even terrifying things with gravity so strong that nothing can escape from it. You can now gift someone a ‘baby’ black hole, complete with adoption certificate.
Get it from independent seller ButterflyLove on Etsy for £13.50
Women in STEM jigsaw
The missing piece in your puzzle collection. Check out this brilliantly illustrated 500-piece jigsaw featuring designs of outstanding women in the history of science, from Ada Lovelace to Rosalind Franklin.
Find it on Buuks for £7.19
Make your own counter
Whether it’s keeping track of your knitting rows or your Scrabble score (or perhaps tallying up your Christmas sherries), a counter always comes in handy. This one makes the perfect gift for engineering fans as they’ll have to build it from scratch. It’s also a great environmentally friendly choice as it contains hardly any plastic.
Get it from Amazon for £12.99
The Cloudspotter’s Guide
In one of the best-received Ri talks of 2022, author Gavin Pretor-Pinney illuminated our audience on how different types of clouds are formed, and how to recognise them. If you know someone who loves to look up at the sky, this gift will provide them with useful knowledge and endless entertainment.
Get a signed copy from the Cloudspotting Society for £12.99
FROM THE Ri
Limited edition merch
After the massive success of last year's Christmas Lectures merch, the 2022 limited edition prints feature an original design inspired by forensic science. The perfect gift for the true crime podcast obsessed, or the police TV show fan. Explore the collection here
Our online shop features a breadth of science-inspired designs for adults and children, from Schrödinger's cat to the periodic table. New designs are added throughout the year, made in-house at the Ri.
Becoming an Ri Member opens up a whole world of science engagement, from exclusive events to better-than-half-price lectures and heaps more benefits.
Get tickets for our 2022 science talks
Our spring programme of events is now live and ready for booking! Treat yourself and a friend to an evening in Mayfair with the world’s leading science communicators.
Name a seat in the Ri Theatre
The ultimate luxury gift for the science lover in your life: write their name in history by sponsoring a seat in our historical theatre, where Faraday lectured hundreds of times and where ground-breaking technology, from radio to TV, was first demonstrated in the UK.
Funds raised from this campaign will help us continue our mission of science engagement for a further 200 years - and even more, we hope!
All items and stock are correct at the time of publishing. The Ri does not profit from the sale of any items featured in the “From around the web” section of this article.
Revenue from items in the “From the Ri section” raise funds for our charitable activities, like providing free tickets to science talks to low-income adults, and bringing science shows to underprivileged schools.