Desert Biodome
Manufacturer: DuneCraft
Recommended Age: 4 years and up
Retail Price: $24.99
Buy it here:  amazon.com
On the web: www.dunecraft.com

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WTS Rating:


(4 out of 5 stars)

SUMMARY

DuneCraft's Desert Biodome allows kids to create their own desert scene.  The Desert Biodome comes with a variety of cacti and succulents including the Giant Sagauro, Pincushion Cactus, Golden Barrel Cactus, Joshua Tree, Century Plant and others.  Also included is natural desert boulders, sand and gravel as well as a germination mixture and drainage pellets.  The plants should begin sprouting in a week and are expected to last for years.

 

Also included are growing instructions and care information.

 

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS

EASE OF USE
First and foremost - the parents on our review team loved the fact that the Desert Biodome required watering only once every 6 months.  Pretty easy to use for sure.

Now the downside.  The Desert Biodome is recommended for children ages 4 and up.  For children that age - and for a few years beyond - there definitely needed some serious parental supervision in set-up.  And here's where the trouble comes in.  When our parents started getting their hands on the directions and working step-by-step through the process one thing became apparent quickly: these directions were not as easy to understand as they should be.  Plus, there were items listed on the box that weren't listed on the directions themselves.  Needless to say - this caused quite a bit of confusion.  We never like to point out difficulties like this - but truth be told this was more difficult to set-up than the team would have liked.
DURABILITY
Succulents sure are hardy!  That's what we would have said - but in all honesty we didn't have enough time in the review period to see these guys grow.  Seedlings sprouted, and the junior (and senior) botanists on the review team were definitely excited at the progress.  And they had high hopes for the cactuses to come!  Other than the somewhat fragile nature of plants themselves - there was no cause for concern with durability.  The Biodome is made well and the whole system should last well with proper care!
VISUAL APPEAL
It's awesome!  It really is.  And we didn't even have a fully grown Biodome at the time of review.  But there is no question - the dome is cool, the hopes for a full cactus garden are exciting, and the entire review team thought this project just looked great!
FUNCTIONALITY
On one hand, once you put together the Desert Biodome there isn't much left to do - but that is sort of the point!  And the planting process (if you can get through the directions) is definitely fun to do.  Some of the kids on our team had never even planted a seed before - so this was more than they could have asked for!
COST EFFICIENCY
In a blind survey our parents estimated the Desert Biodome to fall in somewhere between $25 and $30.  With an actual retail price of a hair under $25 - the team couldn't have been any happier!

ORIGINALITY
There are other kits out there that give children a chance to plant and learn - but none quite this sophisticated.  With that in mind the team kept the Desert Biodome on the high side of the scale. 
OVERALL RATING
Everyone really did enjoy putting the Desert Biodome together - that is when they weren't too flustered by the directions.  And believe us, when our review team saw a sprout there was plenty of excitement.  It's priced well, fun to work with and just imagining what it will look like in full bloom had the gang happy.  If the directions were a little bit easier to follow this would have probably earned our highest rating.  If you've got the patience to work through the step-by-step, you'll love the Desert Biodome.