MEL Physics is the newest subscription box for kids ages 8-14+ from parent company, MEL Science. Each month you'll receive all of the materials you need to successfully complete physics experiments in the comfort of your home. This is perfect for kids who are interested in science or for homeschool students!
This is a review of MEL Physics (for ages 8-14+), which costs $34.90 per month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
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This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
These boxes are so neatly organized. They even sort the pieces for each experiment into bags that are numbered making them easy to locate when you need them. This month it looks like we are working with Nitinol which is something I have never heard of before!
What's Inside the Box
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The back of the box has a contents list for us and this month they included a separate sheet with our safety manual.
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They always include a bonus experiment that we can access via the MEL Science app.
Speaking of the app, if you prefer to use technology, you can access everything you need on the app including safety and disposal information. The directions are sometimes animated, and they provide scientific descriptions and further educational materials which I definitely recommend checking out!
Experiment 1: Nitinol Paper Clip
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This month we are experimenting with Nitinol so they provided us with some regular paper clips along with a nitinol one, some plastic tweezers, a paper cup, and a metal dish.
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The nitinol clip is much bigger than the regular. The first step was to add our thermal stickers to our cup and dish, then I opened the paperclip and bent the nitinol one into a heart shape.
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Then I poured some boiling water into the paper cup and placed the metal dish on top. When the sticker turned yellow, I added the paper clips to the top. Then I watched as the nitinol clip began to return to its original shape just like magic!
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Next, I tried a more complicated shape and tied it into a knot. My kids were amazed to watch it unfold!
Then we had some fun making funky shapes and this time we used the tweezers to dip it into the water and it immediately went back to its original shape. My son had fun playing around with this for a few minutes! It really was such a cool experiment. Simple, but amazing!
Experiment 2: Nitinol crane
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Next, we made a nitinol crane.
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They provided some wooden pieces, foil, string, a plastic bottle, and a button attached to alligator clips, and a battery pack (but no batteries...womp, womp).
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I assembled the wooden pieces, filled the bottle with water, and then closed the lid with the string partly inside of it before adding the crane on top of the foil over our box. Then I stretched the spring between the two ends of the crane with one side attached to the bottle.
Then I added some heat to the spring and watched it return back to its original shape and pull the water bottle up with it.
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Next, I stretched the spring back out and added the alligator clips to either side of it. I began pressing the button and watched as my spring slowly returned to its original shape again and pulled the water bottle back up. Pretty cool!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $34.90 per month
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
CODE: FREEBOX
This box was pretty cool and my kids and I definitely enjoyed watching the items return back to their original shapes, but overall, I think I would have liked to see just one more experiment to make this feel like we really got a full lesson out of it! I also wish they would have included the batteries for us so that we really didn't need anything from home (other than the water and matches or lighter).
Key Takeaways
I do think these boxes are a great way to learn about physics safely in the comfort of your own home. The experiments were engaging yet not overly difficult and the box itself was well organized with just about everything we needed tucked inside.
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, it is possible that you will receive this set. From MEL Science:
"The topics are looped such that the start date of your subscription does not matter; you will eventually receive all the experiment sets."
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
CODE: FREEBOX
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