Club SciKidz Labs is a subscription box for children ages 7 and older. Each month your box will be filled with lab equipment and hands-on STEM activities, science experiments and engineering projects.
The first box that you will receive is the Welcome Box which includes an exclusive Lab Notebook you can use for experiments in future boxes.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Club SciKidzLabs
The Subscription Box: Club SciKidz Labs
The Cost: $29.95 per month + free shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% off your first box!
CODE: NEW17
The Products: Each monthly lab kit includes hands-on STEM activities, science experiments, engineering projects, nature crafts, lab equipment and various other items.
Ships to: U.S. and Canada
Club SciKidz Labs April 2018 Review
Included in the box is a card titled “What’s in the Box?” which lists the items, experiments, and activities included in the box. This month’s box is about Weather science.
The included Welcome Activity Guide includes an introduction to weather, a lab safety checklist, and a table of contents. They also include some science vocabulary related to the specific experiments and projects in the box. All of the information is incredibly useful and they even have a chart on the back describing Experimental Design which is a great reference to have.
The book details the experiments and projects in the box and includes several extension activities in the back which I think is great! There is a section of 20 Micro Experiments and Observations that provide fun ways to explore the projects further if you wanted. In your Welcome Box, you will receive a Lab Notebook that you can use to record these observations. The last section of the booklet is entitled Scientists That Inspire and this month they featured Captain Robert Fitzroy, a pioneer in weather forecasting.
Each month they include a “science surprise” in the form of a candy and a little toy. This month we received a soft ball in what looks to me like a galaxy patterned fabric and a pack of wintergreen Lifesavers. These fit in well with the theme of weather and they even have a little activity to try with the Lifesavers as one of the micro experiments. (See 20. Lightning in Your Mouth in the above picture with the riddles- we tried it out, but it wouldn’t show up on video for us!)
Experiment #1: Making Frost
The first experiment in the book was Making Frost. They provided the cup and ice cream salt, but we had to provide the water, ice, spoon, aluminum can and thermometer. Luckily these were all household items that we could easily locate. This was really simple, just filling a cup (or can) with ice, adding a little water and then adding the salt. It was fun to watch the ice melt and check out the frost forming on the outside of the can and cup.
We used the thermometer to check the temperature throughout our observations. We set this aside while we did our Nature Project, but were able to go back and observe the frost forming. As usual, the directions were clear and easy to follow and the experiment was simple enough for a kid to do it on their own. enough that a kid aged 7 or up could easily do it on their own. This was a good project to learn about weather and transitioned well into the nature project about clouds.
Nature Project: Weather Window
The next activity was our Nature Project which was to make a weather window to use for identifying different types of clouds.
The pictures of the clouds themselves were really nice photographs with crisp, clear images. They also had a sheet that named and described all of the clouds in detail. We cut a hole in the center so that we could hold up our window and look at the clouds and try to identify which one it is. I thought this was a great weather activity that kids could make personal connections to and apply in everyday life.
Equipment: Mini Weather Station
The last real piece of our kit this month was this weather station. While there wasn’t a specific experiment to go with it, this is something that can be mounted and used again and again to record observations about the weather like rainfall, temperature, wind direction, etc. While I thought this was really cool and it’s something that kids can get a lot of use out of, I almost wish that they had included another mini experiment or even just the bar of soap so we could make the cloud from the Secret Formulas section.
It seemed like there were a lot of other cool extension activities in the Secret Formulas section this month that will really add to the fun and learning. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the materials necessary like the soap or shaving cream, but these are super easy and I think they are great ideas for this box.
Verdict: This month’s Club SciKidz Labs was not quite as exciting as last month’s or as our Welcome Box, but I think it was a great one to explore something we can observe in our daily lives. I do wish we’d had one more experiment in the box to amp up the excitement factor, but overall it was very educational.
Everything was well organized, clear and easy to follow, which I appreciate as a parent. I love all of the scientific information that is included and kids are sure to love the science surprises, which are just a bonus on top of the activities. This box costs $29.95 and I think that for this month’s experiment and nature project that it’s a little high, considering there weren’t many materials, but as a whole, I was still pretty happy with it.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? All subscribers will receive this Welcome Box to get their labs started! Each month after there is a different themed box. Spoiler: see here for a complete list.
Coupon - Use code NEW17 to save 10% off your first box!
Check out all of our Club SciKidz Labs reviews and more activity boxes for kids ages 5-8 and ages 9-12 in the Kids Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of Club SciKidz Labs?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.