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MEL science generously sent us one for their science kits to give a try. I’d seen the adverts and read how popular these science kits are so I was very excited when we received a kit in the post. We have just completed our first set, the ‘Spectrum Goggles’ and I am happy to say we all enjoyed it 😊
If you’ve not come across MEL Science, it is a science subscription box for ages 5+. Each month you get a new kit to explore and play with; choosing from STEM, Physics or Chemistry.
Just opening the box to discover all the little bits inside was fun and impatient little fingers were desperate to pull everything out. I just managed to get a photo before everything got pulled out.
Inside the box was everything we needed to make some wooden glasses with different coloured lenses and mirror lenses. There weren’t any separate instructions so we opened the book. It jumped straight in with a story, the characters of which are on a mission. Shortly the spectrum goggles are needed to solve a puzzle and instructions are given for their construction. The instructions for building the goggles were clear and straightforward.
There were a lot of parts to stick or put together and the kids helpfully shared each part out. This particular kit is labelled as 5+ and I only had to step in and help when the protective plastic was tricky to remove from the lenses.
It wasn’t long before the glasses were assembled and the kids were fighting over whose turn it was to have a go looking through the coloured lenses!
The story in the book continued and the kids had to use the glasses to help in the story.
The book also contained several information pages on how we see colour, going into detail about rods and cones, talking about seeing 3D images and how our right and left eyes see different images. Although I read the information out loud most didn’t land as the kids were more interested in experimenting with the different coloured lenses. They were fascinated at how the lenses changed the colour of their Lego. We’ll come back to the science behind seeing colour another time.
The last part of the kit was to make mirror lenses; these show what it is like to have a different field of view. The book describes several animals and how their field of view is different from ours. This was also very popular with the kids, again squabbling on who could look around like a chameleon first!!
Important notes:
The box and its contents all felt high quality and sturdy enough to survive the kids playing with it all.
Straightforward and clear instructions. No prep is required in advance, you can literally just open the box and go.
Click here to find out more about MEL Science and to get your hands on your own kit to play with.
Or check out the Science resource page for more inspiration.
