MEL Kids is a subscription box for children ages 5-10 that delivers a hands-on science experiment to your door each month along with an AR (augmented reality)-powered lesson to accompany it which is accessible from their app.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About MEL Kids
The Subscription Box: MEL Kids
The Cost: $24.90 per month
The Products: A science-themed project and an AR lesson to go along with it, accessible through the app.
Ships to: The U.S. for free (shipping may open up to other areas in the future)
MEL Kids "Dungeon Projector" Review May 2020
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On the back of the sleeve for our box was a contents list and a quick description of our product. Underneath was a plain cardboard box that contained all of our items with a nice little blueprint on the inside flap.
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Mystery Planet Map
In your first box, you will receive this Mystery Planet Map. It is a nice large, colorful map on some heavier stock paper and it is very detailed and fun! There are transparent rectangles located throughout the map which provide a spot for us to add stickers as we complete different projects each month.
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Inside our box was this booklet which contained all of the information we needed. The first page contained a list of the contents along with pictures. The next few pages began our comic story which would lead us to our project. This is such a creative way to get kids engaged in their learning!
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Several of our pieces came neatly organized inside of this box which is similar to the one featured in the story illustrations. This is always such a fun touch that makes it even more engaging!
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The directions feature large colorful illustrations and numbered steps making it easy for my 5-year-old to follow along.
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The first step was to add the stickers to the marked spots on this paper template.
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Then she flipped it over and added one of these little plastic pins to each hole facing up.
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Then she lined up this main wooden piece and the gears, matching them to the template and fitting them over the black pins.
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She then added the large wooden piece over top of those and added the little triangular pieces to the sides by sliding them into place.
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Next, she folded up the plain white piece and stuck the piece with a circle over it.
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Then she added a lens over the hole and added pins to the round wooden piece before sticking it over the top to hold the lens in place.
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She then got to work coloring the printed sheet before folding it up and adding the other wooden piece to the end of it.
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Then she added this translucent piece over the top of that wooden piece and secured it with rubber bands that fit right into the notches on the side.
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Then she slid the two assembled pieces together and fit them into the top of our stand that we made at the beginning.
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This is what our projector looked like when we finished.
Here she is looking through it and then turning the little gears on the bottom to adjust the focus. We weren't quite sure what we were looking for here, or if we were looking at the right end, but the next steps made it a bit clearer!
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They provided some information on light and lenses and described how it was working. '
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Then we added the heart paper and I created a white screen on my husband's phone which we pressed up against the heart and secured with a rubber band. To the other end, we added the other lens. When we looked through we could see the heart right side up! The other paper was so that we could play a video and see it clearly inside of our projector. There are lots of possibilities with this one!
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With this project completed, it was time to add our sticker to our map!
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The rest of our booklet was filled with information about vision and how it works. Then there were some activities including a connect the dots picture and a fun dungeon maze.
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My daughter always really enjoys these monthly activities. They are perfect for her age level and just the right amount of a challenge for her!
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To check out the AR (augmented reality) portion of our project we just scanned this little card with our MEL Kids app.
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It looks like they haven't released the latest project for the VR app, but this is what it looked like for us last month. This portion of the project is so unique and always very educational! They show you exactly how your project works and what happens, making sure to explain it in scientific terms. It is interactive and provides a great visual for kids to engage with. They also have a nice congratulations message for them when they complete the lesson.
Verdict: This month's MEL Kids project was pretty cool! The directions were so easy to follow and they made it so simple to get started by providing that template. I love that my daughter can complete this mostly independently and she really loves the extension activities at the end of the booklet. I also thought it was nice that they allowed for some coloring and creativity for our projector. Overall, it provided a lot of great educational information and a fun activity!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, this box is still available. From MEL Kids:
"Your first package will arrive within 2 weeks of registration. Subsequent monthly packages will be delivered within 2 weeks of each monthly charge."
Check out our other MEL Kids reviews and our list of the best subscription boxes for kids, as recommended by MSA readers!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add MEL Kids to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of MEL Kids?
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