I always wanted this kind of "science stuff" as a kid but never did much with it when I got it. Usually it was kinda boring. One exothermic reaction or pond-water-under-a-microscope or whatever is pretty much like any other. In the case of microscopes, thats doubly true now that you can see better images of just about anything you'd care to on the Internet. None of the equipment seemed to be in service of any goal, and I didn't find it interesting in itself. Just going out and watching animals or bugs do animal or bug stuff required little or no equipment and was more fun.
OTOH I got really into collecting fossils, so what do I know about what is and isn't fun?
OTOH I got really into collecting fossils, so what do I know about what is and isn't fun?