Little Passports is a subscription box that helps kids explore the world through fun and educational activities and is one of the best subscription boxes for kids as voted by MSA readers. They offer a range of subscription options for ages 3-8+, as well as "Individual Activity Kits" that can be ordered along with any subscription at the time of purchase.
This review is of the Little Passports: Science Expeditions (recommended ages 8+) for $27.95. This box includes science experiments, plus a comic book related to the monthly theme.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Science Expedition: "Hydrology"
As a current educator, and a "retired" Clinical Lab Scientist, science is my favorite subject. That being said, one of my favorite ways to spend my summer vacation is doing sciencey type experiments with my kiddos. Thanks to Pinterest, we have come up with some pretty neat ones, though gathering the supplies, and explaining the science behind the experiments can be tough. Little Passports: Science Expedition has made it easy by delivering awesome kits complete with supplies, a comic book, and an educational background to go along with it. We couldn't wait to dive into this month's theme of Hydrology. Read below to see just what we discovered.
Hydrology Comic and Activity Book
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Every month, Little Passports sends our monthly activity along with a really fun comic and activity book pertaining to the monthly theme. For our Hydrology theme, we read an exciting comic, and discovered a bonus "Archimedean Screw" activity. This booklet is not only informative, but really teaches students the specific content using colorful and engaging story lines. Always impressive!
This month's comic was really cool and described exactly what we needed to know for the projects. We would have preferred to snuggle up in the hammock outside to read this, but alas it was still drying from the latest rain shower. Though not as fun, the dining room table works too. After checking out the comic book, the boys couldn't wait to dive into this month's projects!
Hydrology Instruction Guide
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After our wonderful prelude to the world of Hydrology through the comic book, all three of us were excited to check out this month's activities. Included is an instruction guide for each of the projects/experiments, with tips, techniques, video links, and supply lists. As a warning, this subscription sometimes calls for supplies that aren't included in the kit. I suggest reading through the instructions to make sure you have all of the necessary items before actually starting. This month's projects just needed some household items we usually have on hand, but other kits have called for strawberries and lemons, which you may or may not have.
Project 1: "Water Filter Column"
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Our first project of the month was to create a water filter column. The boys were so excited to see the components included. They couldn't wait to rip open all of those cool bags of sand and rocks! Using Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, and Chemistry, we followed the instructions of this project to visualize just how water treatment plants and natural processes clean water.
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Hank started off this experiment by first reading through the directions. Charlie was elicited to get some dirty ditch water from outside, and then was distracted by a Dragonfly nymph. After getting back on track, they followed the directions and filled each plastic section with the necessary sand and rocks. One piece of advice I have regarding this experiment is to do it outside. I was a dummy and couldn't find a pair of scissors to cut the baggies of sand, so I thought I could rip it open - ha! Silly me, 3 packages went fine, until we got to the porcelain sand.... the entire side blew out and we had little pebbles of porcelain sand EVERYWHERE. Lesson learned. Once the tower was set up, the boys poured the dirty ditch water into the top and watched it filter through the different gradients of sand, discovering cleanish water in the container on the bottom. Neat!
Project 1: "Spinning Sprinkler"
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For our next project, we received straws, string, and a stick. Needed from home was a bowl of water, tape, scissors, and a ruler.
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Using Hydraulics, Physics, and Engineering, this project had us build our very own manual sprinkler. Because we are really big into gardening, I have used my fair share of sprinkler systems, but never thought of a manual one. Here the boys cut three straws, threaded them onto a string, tying them into a triangle. Using the excess string and tape, they added a stick to the middle, creating a simple pump. Going outside with a bowl of water and our newly created sprinkler, we placed it in the water and spun, which forced the water to swirl, making it rise along the outer edge of the bowl until it found an escape route by going up through the straws and out the open ends, creating a sprinkler. For such a simple project, my boys were absolutely enthralled and ended up watering my lilies, so I didn't have to!
Project #3: "Rainbow-Colored Acid Test"
Working in a lab, I used a lot of filter paper to test pH, so I didn't think the kids would be very excited about this last experiment, but boy was I wrong! Hank and Charlie read the instructions and gathered a ton of different liquids to test the pH of, documenting their findings along the way! Yay for science!
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This experiment was very simple but taught the boys that everything in the world has a pH value, and that all substances can be classified as an acid, base, or neutral substance. In regard to Hydrology, scientists test pH levels to make sure the water is within a safe range for drinking. We chose a variety of substances to test and wrote down all of our guesses and the actual results. Had we had more cups, I don't think they would have ever stopped! What a neat way to expose kids to this type of science!
Hydrology Badge
After we completed our activities, we were awarded the Hydrology Badge, as a tribute to our hard work and play!
Verdict
It's been a few months since we have received a Little Passports kit, and speaking for all three of us, we really missed it! With a theme like Hydrology, we weren't sure what to expect project-wise, but they were all well designed and perfect for a Minnesota summer day. Coupling science and fun into something that kids want to do outside of school can be difficult, but this subscription makes it easy. I still think the $27.95 price point is a bit steep, but feel with these supplies, the educational aspect, and the ability to re-use some of these models, it aligns with other similar kits out there. I can't wait to see what theme we receive next month!
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To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You'll start with the Forensic Science box in the first month, followed by a different themed box each month thereafter.
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