Learning by doing and hands on exploration have been researched to bring enormous benefits to children’s learning. That is why we constantly search for ideas and projects to keep kids busy in a fun and engaging way.
There are lots of ideas out there, from blogs to educational platforms, subscription boxes, Tik Tok videos, you name it. So, it’s no wonder that finding the right activities sounds intimidating at first.
Some tips to help you sort through all the activities out there:
- do not assume that if some other child enjoyed it yours will too
- match the activities chosen to your child’s interests, learning styles and abilities
- find reviews and see what other parents think about them; ask around
- try a free sample first (if possible); if not, look for swap/rent/borrow opportunities with other parents
- find out who are the minds behind the product and how they came about making it
- opt for toys and materials that are evergreen and offer space for further exploration
- having an online component as well as hands on could help more in the long run
- make sure that the activities offer accurate information
We are fans of any type of learning activities, but we sieve them through the steps above. Lots of the ones we discovered are extremely beneficial and worthwhile, with a long-lasting impact. Amongst these, we discovered the MEL science kit, a fun way to bring difficult learning into children’s homes. And classrooms!
This post has been written in collaboration with MEL Science. This is my honest review, all opinions are my own.
I am writing this article to give you my honest impression and thoughts about MEL science kits in the hope of helping others make an informed decision before starting a subscription. I will talk to you about:
- the people behind the name
- the subscription boxes
- prices for each category
- my own experience with the MEL science kit
Who are the people behind MEL science?
Mel science was designed by experts in science, parents and children alike, to make sure that what they offer is what children really need (and like!).
Their mission is to make science fun through hands-on experiments, VR and AR immersive lessons and live online lessons. So, they are here to help home schooling parents, parents and teachers. Read more about them and what they offer on their official website MEL Science.
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The people behind MEL science want science to become fun, easy and interesting. What is more, they took part in a research study conducted by New Jersey Institute of Technology and apparently MEL lessons helped children score higher grades and supported their future progress by 20,3%.
Very impressive!
It has received numerous awards and is followed by millions, and there are great press reviews that mention its innovative take on science learning.
The subscription boxes
MEL science offers kits for: STEM, Chemistry and Physics.
STEM subscription boxes are suitable for children between 5 and 9+ and include over 30 science projects you can do at home. Some amazing experiments we discovered in the MEL kit are: space rocket, microscope, pneumatic press, infinity portal. All these seem very hard to build and quite complicated, but the instructions are clear, they take you through simple steps towards the final result that will teach kids an amazing science lesson by seeing and doing.
The STEM box includes:
- 30+ STEM sets
- educational platform
- live lessons
Chemistry kits are designed for 10- to 16-year-olds and offer over 50 experiments for kids to learn amazing scientific facts. Each experiment includes all the necessary tools and reagents, and what is more there is a free starter kit that includes a lab kit and a VR headset. Amazing!
This Chemistry subscription box includes:
- starter kit with VR headset
- 20+ chemistry sets
- educational platform
- live lessons
Physics kits are recommended for children between 8 and 14+ and there are over 30 physics experiments to choose from. Some of these amazing experiments teach children about electric motors, vacuum chambers, alternative energy, and luminescence.
The Physics box includes:
- 20+ physics sets
- educational platform
- live lessons
Prices for each MEL science kit
A MEL science kit is good value for money. The materials are really good quality, and you are paying not only for materials and reagents, but also for access to the educational platform and for live classes where you can talk to professional teachers and get answers to all of your questions.
A subscription box starts at 18,90 pounds per month, and you can decide if you want 1 or 2 boxes sent over. Delivery takes about 2-3 weeks, and you can pause or stop the subscription at any time.
If you opt for yearly billing it is much cheaper than paying monthly. For example, regardless of the type of subscription box chosen, if you pay yearly, the box is 18,90 pounds /month. But if you choose to pay monthly, you pay a bit more per box, 25.90 pounds /month.
If you feel that one MEL science kit is too expensive, let me tell you some exciting news: soon you will be able to order individual boxes, a feature they are working on now. Or if you are a school, you can bulk order a box of your choice.
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Our own experience with MEL STEM
All this seemed impressive, and I was convinced, but I still wanted it to pass the hardest test: my son’s reaction!
And I am pleased to tell you that my son loved it! Because my son is almost 5, we got the MEL STEM box and the first experiment we got was a hydraulic lift. Amazing and yet so simple!
We learned so much while playing with our MEL science kit! There is also an app, MEL Kids, that makes learning interactive and so much more fun! The children can access online lessons with all the experiments they receive and get to see the characters in the booklet brought to life. My son loved to see his hydraulic lift in 3D format or in AR mode.
What my son really loved was the fact that the experiment he got could also be found in a story book and the characters were trying to build it too. He also loved playing with the project once we finished building it. He used it to save people in his games, he opened bits and put them back together again, he gave new purposes to the toy, which is something I love in any kind of toy.
What I loved most about our kit though was the fact that my son was able to follow the instructions independently and almost built it completely by himself, with the exception of some bits that needed more strength to be assembled. Overall, we were both very happy with our new experiment!
Final thoughts
From a parent’s and child’s perspective, the MEL science kit proved to be incredibly fun, easy to assemble, educational and innovative. We learned many things while making it and had fun with something that seemed too hard for me to approach before.
My son is hooked and is eager to see what his next experiment will be. Until then, he plays with our hydraulic lift, and he doesn’t seem to have lost interest in it yet.
The fact that learning is made child-friendly and fun through the use of booklets, characters and interactive lessons makes MEL science stand out from the crowd. And they surely do an amazing job in pursuing their mission: science doesn’t have to be boring; it is in fact quite fun!
Hi. I am Monica, an experienced ESL teacher and early years student, mother to a preschooler and passionate reader.
The MEL science kit sounds really great! My daughter is only 4 years old, so I think she is a little too young for this, but I might try out the MEL STEM box as a starter. Thanks for sharing this post!
I love this! We’re big fans of all things STEAM in our house!
I love this idea for a subscription box! My nieces would go crazy for this. Their dad works in a science field and they love learning from him.
Sounds like an amazing science kit!