It's the season of giving, and GE Vernova is giving back in more ways than one. This year, the company set a new Guinness World Record for the largest online toy drive in 24 hours, collecting more than 70,000 STEM toys total including partner donations from Hasbro and Mattel, according to a press release. And the fun continues this morning on the North Plaza with GE Vernova’s Innovators Toy Land — an experience created to inspire budding scientists and engineers through larger-than-life STEM toy exhibits.
Why STEM toys? Kate Biberdorf, better known as Kate the Chemist, stopped by the Innovators Toy Land to teach us about the science behind these life-size versions of four nostalgic favorites: Lite-Brite, Snap Circuits, the Slinky and the Rubik’s Cube. While these screen-free toys may look simple, they teach big lessons, she explains — how to experiment, how to think differently and how the first spark of curiosity can turn into real innovation.
You can get in on the fun at home by shopping the STEM toys below! And, if you're looking for even more ways to give back, consider making virtual donations to GE Vernova's Toys for Tots Box and TODAY's Toy Drive Spectacular.
STEM toys seen on TODAY
Biberdorf says that Snap Circuits are the gateway toy to engineering. With this pick, kids can build real working electronics using switches, lights and motors to see how electricity flows. They can also learn how to create closed-loop circuits — the same foundation for how every electronic device functions, including your phone. This toy is all about logic, sequencing and problem-solving skills, which provide kids with a better understanding of how the world works.
Lite-Brite is sneakily scientific, blending creativity and science into one bright idea. So how do kids create using light and color? The plastic pegs act like tiny light pipes that capture white light from behind the board, while the colored peg filters the light to create a recognizable image. Biberdorf says that this helps kids learn color theory, how to think spatially, how light behaves and how patterns come together. They also get to practice the four components of engineering design thinking: imagine, create, test and revise!
If you’ve ever tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube, you’ve gotten your hands on a puzzle that blends geometry, mechanical engineering and mathematical algorithms. With 43 quintillion possible configurations, Biberdorf explains that kids learn important visualization skills like how pieces move through space, how rotations affect position and orientation and how to plan several steps ahead (like in Chess or Checkers). By solving the Rubik’s Cube, they’ll learn pattern recognition, logic and perseverance — breaking a big challenge into smaller steps until everything clicks. Those are the same skills behind breakthrough ideas in engineering, design and innovation!
The Slinky may look simple, but it’s loaded with science. It's practically a physics class in toy from, with kids learning how energy moves, how waves work and how forces interact all through intuitive play. Have you ever walked a slinky down the stairs? This demonstrates what Biberdorf calls one of physics’ coolest ideas: potential energy turning into kinetic energy. Potential energy converts to kinetic energy when an object is released and starts to move — like releasing a stretched rubber band, or when a roller coaster gains speed as it rolls down a hill.
Meet the expert
Our team features a range of qualified experts and contributors in our broadcast segments to reveal the latest in trends, remarkable sale events and all things shopping across a variety of categories. Products were independently chosen by members of the Shop TODAY team along with Kate Biberdorf.
- Kate Biberdorf is a Ph.D chemist, chemistry professor, bestselling author and podcast host of Seeking A Scientist.
How we chose STEM toys
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers. For sponsored content, the Shop TODAY editorial team independently chooses products to recommend. The brand (in this case, GE Vernova) does not review or approve the content. Learn more about Shop TODAY.
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