Gifts Under $50: Ideas from $25 to $50

Choosing by the person

For him

If he likes to see physics in action, the Gyroscope Toy ($27.99) is launched with a string and can spin on a fingertip; base, string and oil are included. If he'd rather think, the wooden Math Puzzles Brain Teaser ($39.90) asks him to turn its circles until the numbers add up to 50, and it will keep him busy for a while. For the wall or the edge of a shelf, the Salvador Dali Wall Clock ($29.99) drapes its quartz dial over the side, like Dali's soft watches.

For her

Choose something she'll enjoy looking at every day. The Storm Glass Teardrop (from $34.99) holds crystals that change their look inside a glass teardrop; they react mostly to temperature, so it's a lovely object to watch, not a forecasting tool. The Flat Hourglass (from $39.99) fits a sand landscape into a flat, photo-frame format, in five sand colors. The Galileo Glass Thermometer (from $39.99) reads the room temperature, from 64 to 82°F, with six colored balls that rise and sink.

For a kid

This range opens the door to fuller kits. The Electronics Kit for Kids ($44.99) contains everything for electricity and magnetism experiments, except 2 AA batteries, with an illustrated manual. From age 6, the Dinosaur Egg Dig Kit ($49.99) hides 24 dinosaur figures in an egg to dig out with a hammer, two scrapers and a brush. From age 8, the Da Vinci Catapult Kit ($44.99) is built from 98 wooden pieces after Leonardo's sketches, then launches small projectiles over 13 feet.

For a teen

The Science Rubik's Cube ($28.99) is a 3x3 cube whose faces carry famous equations, with a display stand. The Magnetic Stress Balls ($29.99) come as a set of eight in a hard case, each with its own texture, held together by magnets: a quiet way to keep the hands busy while studying. The Magnetic Globe ($49.99) floats its globe above a magnetic base, with a soft light in the base for the desk.

For a grandparent

The Wooden Sudoku ($39.99) brings the number game into wood, with 81 pieces and a booklet of grids, for quiet moments alone. In the Storm Glass Weather Predictor ($44.99), crystals appear and fade, mostly with the room temperature, on a wooden base. The Cool Newton's Cradle ($34.99) shows action and reaction with every click of its five balls.

What you'll find between $25 and $50

Gifts under $30, and making this budget count

For a gift exchange capped at $30, stick to the first row of the table: cubes, gyroscopes and Newton's cradles start there. Before you check out, read three lines of the product page: power, age and contents. The Perpetual Motion Kinetic Art Science Toy ($36.99), for example, runs on 4 AA batteries not included, and the Magic Spinner ($29.99) is recommended only from age 14. Some objects come in several sizes too, so check the price of the version you choose. If two ideas tempt you, combine them: there's free shipping on orders over $59.90, and our gift boxes offer ready-made sets. For a tighter budget, see our small-price selection or our Secret Santa ideas; to aim higher, move to the next range up or to our high-end gifts.