MEL Science Review July 2024

Let’s face it, science class can sometimes feel…well, a little snooze-worthy. But what if learning about physics, chemistry, and beyond could be…fun? Like building a mini volcano, launching a rocket (in your living room!), or even dissecting a worm (gummy worm, that is)?

If you (or your curious kiddo) are looking for a way to ditch the boredom and ignite a passion for science, then buckle up, because today we’re diving into the world of MEL Science! MEL Science is a kids educational subscription that offers 100+ hands-on projects delivered monthly, and 50+ digital experiences available anytime.

They kindly sent us these boxes for review.

MEL Science Subscription Details

MEL Science is an educational subscription that offers 100+ hands-on projects delivered monthly and 50+ digital experiences available anytime. A fun way for your kids to learn real science. Get a monthly dose of discovery, valuable bonding time, and fun, with over 100 hands-on science kits. But safety first: All our kits are tested in labs and certified as child-friendly and safe for home use.

Each box includes different hands-on kits for every subject. Pick a topic, or mix and match them as you please. Together with hands-on kits, your kids get access to immersive experiences, including an interactive mobile app, and virtual and augmented reality. Let your kids immerse themselves in the world of science. Every subject has a recommended age range. When subscribing, you can choose subjects based on your kids’ age.

MEL Science ships worldwide and starts at $39.90 USD per month. Shipping to the US is $4.90 and varies to other locations.

MEL Science Discount Code: Get 50% off your first box with code AYOBMEL HERE!

MEL Science Kits

MEL Science has lots of kit options on their site to choose from, depending on age and interest – there’s literally something for everyone. This month, they sent me three kits to share with you to give you a feel for what kinds of things are included in each one. We received a Chemistry kit, a STEM kit, and a Physics kit.

Unboxing the MEL Science Chemistry Kit

To start, each new Chemistry subscription comes with a Starter Kit. The Starter Kit contains all the equipment you’ll need to make your own “laboratory” at home. The MEL Chemistry Starter Kit comes free with all new subscriptions.

This includes things like beakers, safety goggles, and other supplies that may be necessary to perform the experiments in current and future chemistry kits. You’ll want to keep it in a safe place in between boxes as you’ll refer back to the materials in this kit with each Chemistry kit that you receive. The materials in the Chemistry Starter Kit were high quality and durable. I appreciated that the safety goggles were well made, not flimsy, and seemed very protective and safe.  The beakers were made of glass, and there were other items in abundance.

The Starter Kit also included a booklet that outlines important safety information, details about what to expect with the subscription, helpful getting starting tips, and information on how to access the app for support when completing the science experiments. I thought this was very helpful for parents and kids to understand what to expect and how to manage their subscription if they need to. I wish more subscription boxes would include booklets like this.

The booklet states that the Chemistry kit is ideal for kids between the ages of 10-14.  They’ll be working with real chemicals that can pose a safety concern if kids are not responsible or careful, so it’s important to evaluate the maturity of your child and for adults to be available to supervise and help when completing the experiments.

One other important note though is that all of the kits do conform with the EU and US safety standards. That means that the safety kits are safe for use, with the right precautions.

The chemistry kit we received is the Alchemy kit. There are 3 experiments included in the Alchemy kit. Including:

• Copper Mirror (which takes 6 hours)
• Alchemy (which takes 50 minutes)
• Copper Dendrite (which takes 2 hours)

Each of the experiments has a bi-fold card that lists out the safety measures, how to dispose of chemicals when done, the difficulty and danger level, and the duration it will take to complete the experiment. It also includes directions on how to complete the experiment and discussion notes for further learning.

On the bifold card, there is a website link you can visit to watch a video of the experiment being done and to access the same info that’s on the card.  I actually found this link to be quite helpful. In some instances, watching the video associated with the experiment really brought it to life more clearly and helped to illustrate what we were hoping to achieve through the experiment. I think that’s a helpful addition.

The Copper Mirror Experiment

The purpose of this experiment is to use chemicals that will create copper on the wall of a bottle.  In the end, the bottle will look like it was made of copper instead of glass.

The kit included all of the materials necessary for the experiment, including empty bottles, sodium acetate, sodium ascorbate, a funnel, a spoon, and gloves.  The booklet included the directions to follow, using a mix of images and text prompts. Again, I appreciated the video lesson that was accessible by the link on the card.  Here’s a look at the bottle after the experiment is complete:

This experiment is also a great way to learn how mirrors are made. They explained this in the video lesson and showed an example of a similar experiment making a mirror.  Tying it into a real-world, tangible example like that made it more interesting for my kids. That was a well throughout out idea!

Alchemy Experiment

In the Alchemy experiment, kids learn how to turn copper into silver without using magic!  They were given a copper “penny” and with the materials included in the kit, they would learn how to turn the penny silver. Here’s a closer look at the materials we received to complete this experiment:

Once the experiment is finished, results will look similar to this. You can see the silver ring in the center of the image, that ring was previously copper and is now silver as it oxidizes through the experiment.

This is a fun activity that doesn’t take very long (the directions listed 50 minutes and some of that is setting time), but it’s a cool way to see the effects of certain chemicals on a copper penny, and how it turns from copper to silver.

Copper Dendrite Experiment

Can metal grow like a tree? Let’s find out!  This looked like a really cool experiment where kids can observe how the reaction of certain chemicals can form metal “branches.” These are the materials we received for this experiment:

Everything in all the MEL Science kits is very nicely packaged and easy to identify. That is much appreciated especially when there are lots of bits and pieces to the experiments.  It’s all labeled clearly so that we can grab exactly what we need to be successful.

Here’s a look at the end result of this experiment:

This is a fascinating example of what can happen in nature over centuries. When dendrites (found on the surface of limestone) and other minerals mix with water rich in metal ions, the result can look like a metal tree has grown. It’s a beautiful and intricate process!

Unboxing the MEL Science Physics Kit

The physics kit was themed Colors and there were three activities inside. The kit included a booklet that outlined the safety info and directions for how to conduct each experiment.

Colors 101

In Colors 101, we dive into the world of color mixing and its underlying principles. The first part of the project involves creating a white screen, which serves as our canvas for experimenting with light. Next, we use the penlights included in the kit to establish a light source. With the light source and white screen prepared, we can start exploring the effects of colored optical filters.

These filters allow us to experiment with basic and primary colors, observing how they combine and interact. By layering different filters, we can see firsthand how colors mix to form new hues and shades. This hands-on approach is great for helping kids to understand the theory behind color mixing and to also experience the practical application of optical filters in manipulating light and color.

Colorful Cube

In this experiment, kids can explore the intricacies of color subtraction. Using the color filters and cubes from the bag we’ll assemble a color cube. Here’s a look at the material for this experiment:

Through the color cube experiment, kids learn how the subtraction of color components works. For example, when exposed to white light, the yellow filter absorbs the blue, the magenta filter absorbs the green and the cyan filter absorbs the red.

Multicolored Shadows

In this final experiment, kids will learn about how light rays move in a straight line. When they hit an opaque object they don’t pass through it – and this is how a shadow appears.

They’ll experiment with different penlights and different positions to see how different placements result in different shadows and colorful shadows called penumbra.

Unboxing the MEL Science STEM Kit

Lastly, we received the STEM kit which is geared for kids ages 5+. We received the Spectrum Goggles kit which came with a cute little book that includes the directions for building our spectrum goggles.  Here’s a look at the materials we received to build the goggles.

Assembling the goggles was simple and the directions were very straightforward.  Everything was labeled nicely and the materials were cut properly so that everything fit into place the way it was supposed to.  This kit is meant for younger kids, and I do think that with a little bit of parental guidance, most kids could assemble these goggles on their own.

I absolutely love how the book included in the kit starts out with a story and then guides us through building the goggles. It’s almost as if the instructions are part of the story. What a fun way to engage children!

Once the goggles were assembled, we could turn back to our book to discover optical illusions, solve puzzles, and learn more about colors in a young, age-appropriate way.  There were so many different activities inside the book. I thought this was a fantastic experience and I really love how it was a simple project (assembling the goggles) and then one place (the book) to be able to complete all the activities. There weren’t a lot of lose papers to have to contend with, everything was compact and easy to access in the book. So smart!

After the first mission was complete, the book continued on to guide little learners through 9 additional activities using the goggles. These activities span topics from anaglyph 3D, color vision, animal vision, mirror vision, and more. Here’s a closer look at some of the activities in the book:

MEL Science July 2024 Review – Final Thoughts

I definitely think MEL Science kits would be absolutely perfect for explaining complex subjects to kids in a way that gets them engaged and actively participating. These kits would be especially helpful for homeschooling families or families with kids who are interested in learning in alternative ways.

I absolutely loved the STEM kit for younger kids (5+) and the way the activities and experiments feel like part of a story. It was just so creative and simple to follow. As a mom, it’s nice that everything was contained in that one book. I really loved the concept of not having a bunch of papers to work through for each activity. That was a huge benefit and something that really sets MEL Science apart. I would highly recommend this one if you’ve got little kids!

The Chemistry and Physics kits were also jam-packed with learning.  I do wish that they included more specific details about the purpose of each experiment on the bi-fold cards just to help give the kids an understanding of what they’ll be accomplishing with each experiment.  Especially for kids with neurodivergence, I think that would help alleviate a little overwhelm.

Overall, I think it’s a tremendous value for what you receive, and the directions are very clear and easy to follow, which I really appreciate as a mom.  MEL Science has quite literally thought of everything and is doing a great job of making science a lot more fun and exciting.

If you’re thinking of giving MEL Science a try, don’t forget to use our discount code AYOBMEL for 50% off your first box!

-AYOB Jessica