Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts

Friday 24 May 2019

Our Visit to Enginuity - A Review

You may have read our recent blog post regarding a trip to Blists Hill Victorian Town, which is a great place to visit for some family fun. However, located just ten minutes down the road, another of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums, called Enginuity, also provides a great learning experience for families of all ages. Therefore whilst in the area, we travelled the short distance to Coalbrookdale, to see what Enginuity was all about.

This museum is great for some hands-on activities, as well as a great place to get creative and test out your design skills. There are plenty of experiments, puzzles and learning opportunities as you make your way around the attraction, which really makes learning fun and exciting.

On arrival we found there to be a large car park, so we were able to find a spot with ease and then had a short walk over to the entrance. You can see the majority of the displays as you arrive in reception, so my children immediately spotted some activities that they wanted to try.


The first activity Ben wanted to try was all about electrical energy. There were numerous different objects that can be found in most households and you needed to try and power them by spinning the handles fast enough to create energy. Each appliance required a different amount of energy and you could select a number from 1 to 8 to take up the challenge. Items included a radio, blender and even a television. Ben found this really interesting and kept trying to see how long he could keep an item working for.


Another favourite with all my children was the large water dam, which provided plenty of opportunities for water play, as well as a series of challenges. Ben particularly liked the area where you needed to shoot water from the pipe into an adjacent bucket, which would then gradually fill up with enough water to make it tip. The challenges also encouraged my children to work together in different areas, which they all found really enjoyable.


We all loved how interactive the majority of the exhibits were and 'The Boiler' seemed very popular with guests, including my son Riley. He loved putting the fuel ( plastic balls) into the boiler and then turning the wheel to create the energy and make the balls flow.


Riley's favourite activity was to build an arch, where you had to connect foam blocks together to make a freestanding arch. It was a little tricky and it did take three of us to complete this successfully. I will also be honest and say that the arch fell down literally two seconds after this photo was taken! I was quite annoyed with myself though that I hadn't noticed that the number 5 blocks were the wrong way round.


Just behind this arch, was an indoor soft play area for toddlers, which I thought was a great idea as it gave smaller children somewhere safe to play that was nice and quiet and away from the busier activities.

My daughter's favourite challenge was to try and build an earthquake proof tower, where using the materials provided you had to create a building capable of withstanding a simulated earthquake. The boards would remain still whilst you were creating, then once you were confident that your creation was finished, you simply pressed a button and the boards would begin to move from side to side. Despite Emma's best efforts, her building fell quite quickly and she became quite determined to make something that was strong enough.

After we had tried all the exhibits that were downstairs, we made our way up towards the mezzanine floor. As we walked towards the steps, there was a really interesting display of genuine Robot Wars vehicles, along with a video that showed them in action. My children had never heard of the programme before, so they enjoyed watching the display and having a good look around the robots.

On the Mezzanine floor there were more informative exhibits as opposed to hands on activities, so we took some time to read through some of the information that was on display. Riley particularly enjoyed the drawing area where there was a challenge to design a carrot powered rabbit vehicle for a bunny to travel around in. There were some clips on the board so that you could add your creation to the display and Riley loved having a look through everyone elses ideas and designing his own. All the tables were neat and very well laid out, so he enjoyed sitting there for a while so that he could draw and colour in his rabbit-mobile.


One really good aspect of this attraction is that it is very accessible. The majority of activities are all located on the ground floor and there is a large amount of space between each one, making it suitable for prams or wheelchairs. The mezzanine floor is also served by a lift if required.

Overall we really enjoyed our visit to Enginuity and I felt that the exhibits were suitable for the whole family to enjoy and not just the children. This meant that we were able to join in and have fun with our kids and help them solve some of the challenges. It was great to see them reading the information that was provided on the exhibits, which ensured that they were also learning whilst having fun with the experiments.

We visited for two hours, which was just the right amount of time to try out everything without rushing. We also combined our visit with a trip to Blists Hill Victorian Town in the morning, which meant that we had a full day out together as opposed to just a couple of hours and I felt that this worked really well. There was plenty to see and do and any staff that we came across were also really helpful. As well as being a fun place to visit for a couple of hours, I can also imagine that this is a great place to visit with schools or clubs, as it is ideal for an educational trip.

I also believe that Enginuity is currently undergoing a redevelopment of the site and are adding some new exhibits, so we look forward to visiting again in the future and seeing the changes that have taken place.

To find out more about Enginuity or any of the other Ironbridge Gorge Museums, you can visit their website or social media pages on the following channels:

Address - Enginuity, 10 Wellington Road, Coalbrookdale, Telford, TF8 7DX
Website - https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/explore/enginuity/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theironbridgegorgemuseums
Twitter - @blistshill


*Disclaimer - We were provided with complimentary admission for the purpose of writing an honest review of our visit. Our visit took place at the beginning of May 2019 and as Enginuity is currently undergoing some changes, it does mean that exhibits may vary in the future from those featured in our review.

Thursday 23 May 2019

Thames and Kosmos Engineering Makerspace Alien Robots Science Experiment Kit - A Review

Last week we were sent an Engineering Makerspace Alien Robots Science Experiment Kit from the Thames and Kosmos range for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. The brand was not one that I was actually familiar with prior to writing this review, but I have since discovered that they are very highly regarded in the toy and educational market, with an extensive range of more than 80 science kits on sale.

The Engineering Makerspace range explores the physics of force, motion, energy, levers and more, which means that children can build and learn for fun, as they play. The range includes Kinetic Machines, Geared Up Gadgets, Alien Robots and Off Road Rovers.

My eldest son absolutely loves anything involving science and technology. He has been involved with some great scientific experiments whilst in primary school, but cannot wait to improve his science and maths knowledge when he moves on to high school next year. This was therefore the perfect product for him to try out and really got his brain thinking as being powered by STEM it focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.


The Thames and Kosmos Engineering Makerspace Alien Robots Science Experiment Kit allows you to build 10 fun motorized models including a Walking Robot, a Flapping Bird and many more. It also features a battery-powered motor box which helps to bring the models to life.

The front of the box is really eyecatching with a large image of the Scorpion model on the front. There are also several further small images underneath this which show the motor and battery box, the Dragon Monster, Insectoid, Auto Robot and Frog Runner. This is great as it gives clear examples of some of the models that can be achieved. The top right hand corner clearly shows the age recommendation of 8+ which helps to clearly identify the suitable age range for the product.

The rear of the box features six further model images along with a picture of all the contents. I always like it when products do this, as it sets a clear expectation as to exactly what you will be receiving inside the box and doesn't leave it open to interpretation.


Ben couldn't wait to get started so he began to open the box and take out all of the contents, which he then laid on the table before he began. Initially he immediately thought that there were so many pieces that he wouldn't be able to do it, but when he started to look through the instruction booklet and saw how clear the instructions were, he was confident enough to give it a go.

Inside the box there were 30 different parts in varying quantities. This provided a total of 138 pieces along with the instruction booklet. This booklet provides not only the individual model guides, but also gives plenty of safety information, so it is important to read through this before beginning to build.

Ben decided to tackle the Scorpion first, which had really stood out to him on the front of the box. The guide images for the build are really clear and were much easier for Ben to follow than written words. He made one mistake when he got to part fifteen, but he soon realised his error and was able to figure this out and correct it with ease. This meant that he was also able to use his problem solving skills to find out where he had gone wrong.

Once he had put this right, he only had a few more steps until the model was completed. His elder sister had also become interested by this point, so she also helped him out with the final steps and it was great to see them working together so well.

It was then the moment to switch the Scorpion on which was loads of fun and it made us all jump as it began scurrying across the floor. We had expected it to be really slow, but it actually moved quite quickly and was quite loud too as the motor began to work. All my children then spent some time playing around with this and making it walk in different directions all over the kitchen floor.


Since then, Ben has gone on to build the Insectoid, Dragon Monster and Grabber Claw as he is working through the instruction booklet in order. He is now aiming to complete a new model every few days, which has made him feel like he has been given a new toy each week, even though they are all from exactly the same kit. You do of course need to dismantle the model to complete a new one, but this is also a fun process and Ben has enjoyed both elements of this.

Overall we all thought that this was an absolutely brilliant kit, that really encouraged my sons thought processes as well as giving him a great educational experience. He loved building the Scorpion and had a great sense of achievement once it had been completed and was so proud of the end result. He overcome some challenges in the build and was able to find out where he had gone wrong and rectify it, which helped him reach completion and also made the further builds easier as he learnt from his first mistake.

It quite literally kept him quiet for hours and he has since completed 4 of the models out of the 10. Therefore in terms of value for money (RRP £24.50) it is absolutely superb, as it is a product that can be varied and used over and over again. We have all been extremely impressed with this Thames and Kosmos kit and whilst I may not have known about them previously, they will definitely be my go-to brand going forwards when purchasing educational toys. In a word - FANTASTIC!

To find out more about the Thames and Kosmos range, then you can visit their website or social media pages on the following channels:

Website - www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk/product-category/engineering-makerspace 
Facebook - facebook.com/thamesandkosmosuk
Twitter - @thameskosmosuk
Instagram - @thamesandkosmosuk


*Disclaimer - We were sent this product on a complimentary basis for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Tuesday 6 June 2017

A Fun & Educational Experience at Glasgow Science Centre - A Review

Last week we were very excited to have the opportunity to visit the Glasgow Science Centre. If you are a regular reader to the blog, you may remember my post a few weeks ago regarding the company Letterbox Lab who send fun science subscription boxes through the post. The kit that my children received seemed to ignite a keen interest in the subject and a desire to learn that I had never seen happen with a single product before. Therefore when I found out that we were going to be in the Glasgow area for a couple of days, there was no doubt in my mind as to which attraction we should visit.

The Glasgow Science Centre is located on Pacific Quay in a wonderful building alongside the River Clyde. Their aims are to increase the awareness of science, as well as engaging, challenging and inspiring visitors. The website states that it is one of Scotland's must-see visitor attractions and so we couldn't wait to find out more and see exactly what it had to offer.

We had arrived by train into Glasgow Central at around 1pm and made our way to the Village Hotel which was located a short distance from the Glasgow Science Centre. The walk from the station took us approximately half an hour, but the area seemed very well served by trains, buses and taxis that could have made our trip much shorter. Once we had checked in at the hotel we made our way over to the attraction which was very easy to find and we also took a nice short walk along the River Clyde on the way.


On arrival we were greeted by Susanne who gave us a fantastic welcome and provided us with a map. Her enthusiasm and passion for the centre came across really well and I found her so friendly and happy that it actually made my day. Susanne made me interested in what she was telling us as if it was something she loved. We were told about specific areas on certain floors that the kids would enjoy and it was explained to us about how interactive the attraction is and that we could all get stuck in with learning, not just the kids! I couldn't wait to explore inside and we made our way up to the top floor.

Floor 3 is named Bodyworks, which is a huge hands on exhibit covering all aspects of the body, its functions and how everything works. There is so much to get involved with and my children began by making impressions of their bodies on the giant Pin Art board. They loved this, especially the boys and it helped them to compare their sizes in a fun and unique way.


The first area within the Bodyworks zone that we explored was all related to the cardio vascular and respiratory functions of your body. Each individual exhibit was fantastic and my children were fascinated to find out just exactly how your body looks inside. There were loads of experiments for us to try out including viewing our veins, monitoring our heart rate and watching how your lungs assist with breathing.


After this we learnt about how science can assist people with disabilities, or help to provide a new lease of life to people who have suffered an injury or amputation. Some of the mechanics behind these were amazing and my son spent some time trying to pick up a ball using a robotic hand as pictured in the exhibit below.


My son Ben found this area really interesting and it made us all think about how skilled scientists and surgeons are.


My daughter really enjoyed the competitive exhibits where you could test your body and then also compare it to other peoples scores. Everyone's bodies react at different speeds and we all have different strengths and skills, so it was great to be able to compare these and think about what makes us all different. In this game below you needed to watch for the buttons to light up and then press them as quickly as you could. My daughter had several attempts at this to try and beat her score each time.

There were plenty of exhibits to try that assessed both your physical and physcological ability and it was great to be able to test ourselves against one another. My youngest son Riley absolutely loved the sprint track and kept improving his time each attempt he made, much to his excitement.

My husband also enjoyed the grip test and took great delight in the fact that none of us could get even close to his score.


Emma spent some time on a really funny exhibit that shows you how your bones work when moving in a certain way. She began cycling on the bike and was then shocked when a skeleton appeared next to her that showed her exactly how her bones were working whilst pedalling.


The giant hamster wheel was also very popular with all guests and after a short wait my son and daughter both had a go at using their movement to create energy that would make the hamster wheel spin. Around this area we were also able to learn about our digestive system and find our more about DNA and what genetics are.

We absolutely loved Bodyworks and the fact that all the educational information was displayed and presented in such fun and interactive ways meant that my children enjoyed learning. They kept talking about what they had learnt and how they couldn't wait to tell their friends and teachers once they returned to school after the holidays.


Once we had finished in the Bodyworks area, we made our way down the stairs and headed to the Powering the Future floor where we learnt all about how energy is generated and what it can do. There were exhibits to teach us about the storing of energy and how it is transmitted, again using hands on experiments to help make the learning fun.



We were able to learn about how things are made, how things move and how energy that we often take for granted can be generated. We often switch lights on or plug things in without a second thought and so it was great to actually learn more about what happens when you plug something in and how that power is then created.

My youngest son Riley and I had a great time on the huge energy dance floor, where using our own bodies we had to generate enough energy to light up an on screen battery. My husband and eldest son Ben also had a wonderful time playing with the Scalextric track where they used hand cranks to power electric racing cars.




The lower floor was my kids favourite as it featured a large educational play area, scientific favourites such as pendulums and plasma balls, as well as a whole host of different optical illusions. My son Riley could have played in the water zone for hours and he loved watching how the water moved around. He could see where the water was generated and how different valves could change the flow or direction of the water. He also just quite simply enjoyed playing with the boats and moving them from one side to the other.


The crooked room also brought lots of laughter and confusion. This optical illusion made me feel really dizzy as my mind was telling me that the room was straight, but my feet were telling me that it definitely wasn't as I kept walking into the wall. My kids found this hilarious and also came up with fun ways to stand on the floor. If you look at the picture below it appears that the floor is straight and flat, however it is actually a steep slope. Very clever!


Another favourite was the optical illusion below, which made your body disappear using some very cleverly placed mirrors. We had so much fun trying all of these out and watching each other on the nearby television screens.


Overall we had an absolutely fantastic time and it will definitely be a place that we return to in the future. My kids haven't stopped talking about this attraction since we left and I am so pleased that they are so keen to learn at the moment. My husband and I also found out new things during our visit and so it was great as an adult to also be able to enjoy the experiments and interactive exhibits on offer. We found the attraction to be very accessible by car, foot and on public transport and full information on routes can be found here: Transport

There are also some additional attractions here that unfortunately we did not have time to visit which were the Planetarium and the Imax Cinema. For added convenience there is even cafe on site should you wish to have a bite to eat or grab a drink during your visit.

If you are planning on visiting Glasgow anytime soon then I would definitely recommend a visit to the Glasgow Science Centre! Fantastic!

Attraction Details

Address: Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1EA.

Opening hours: During the summer months the Science Mall will be open 10am til 5pm each day. Please check the website if visiting during other seasons.

Ticket Prices:
Science Mall Adult £11.00
Science Mall Child £9.00
Planetarium Add On £3.00
IMAX Documentary Add On £2.50
Glasgow Tower Add On £3.50
Glasgow Tower Only £6.50
Planetarium Only £5.50 (Applies to last show of the day only. Suitable for guests aged 7+)
Science Passport  Adult £27.00 (Valid for 12 months entry to the Science Mall)
Science Passport Child £21.00 (Valid for 12 months entry to the Science Mall)

All prices quoted include Gift Aid donation and VAT.

Children under 3 years of age are admitted free of charge.

Car Parking Charge for GSC Visitors: £3.00

For the most up to date information on ticket prices, events and opening hours then please visit their website here: Glasgow Science Centre

Disclaimer: I was provided with complimentary tickets for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.

Thursday 23 March 2017

Letterbox Lab Science Subscription Box - A Review

A few months ago a group of scientists visited my daughter's school and showed her class some fun experiments which really captured her attention. She developed a love for science there and then, and was keen straight after to show me some scientific experiments at home.

For her birthday last October, I purchased a giant science kit from the local toy shop that featured over 50 experiments. When she opened it however, we were disappointed to find that what the box actually contained was several pieces of equipment, an instruction booklet, and a shopping list of over 40 additional items that needed to be purchased! Had we gone out and bought everything on the list it would have cost over £120 which is ridiculous and needless to say, the box was soon packed away in the cupboard, where it is has remained ever since.

My daughter was understandably disappointed by this, so whilst looking online for some science experiments that we could do at home using products we were already likely to have, I accidentally stumbled across a company called Letterbox Lab. The name of the brand immediately caught my attention, and so I looked a little further into what the company offered. 

Letterbox Lab is a newly launched subscription box service, that can be purchased on a no-commitment monthly basis. It is the creation of Dr Bryan Hatton and Mia Hatton, who both run Hatton Science Communication Ltd, and they have clearly put a lot of thought into both the design and contents of the product. Each box contains full easy to follow instructions, and the experiments are all cleverly linked together as a story.


There are two choices available, the first of which is the Explore Box which is aimed at children aged 6+ and the second one is the Investigate Box which is suitable for children 8+. The boxes fit through most letterboxes making delivery of the product easy, but the best thing about Letterbox Lab is that each box contains everything you need (excluding the kitchen sink of course). This means no more disappointed faces when you don't have a particular item in your kitchen cupboard, no trips to the chemist having to spend more money, and no huge shopping lists! The kits are packed full of science experiments for kids, which not only offer fun, but a learning experience too.

Subscription boxes have seen a rapid increase in their popularity these past couple of years, with new ideas appearing on the market all the time, but this one really appealed to both me and my daughter. It was exactly what I had wanted for Emma, and so the company kindly agreed to send one of their Investigate Boxes out to us, to review prior to the official launch on the 18th April.

We received an email a few days later confirming that our box was on it's way, and sure enough a couple of days later my daughter was delighted to see the beautifully designed box waiting for her with the post on her return home from school. The outside of the box is visually eye catching with an array of scientific images displayed all over the purple background. 

The centre of the box features the large Letterbox Lab logo, and on the rear of the box was some safety advice and information regarding the contents. I thought that this was a good idea to highlight safety points prior to even opening the box, so as a parent you can gain an understanding of what is involved and it also acts as a reminder to keep the contents out of reach of younger children.

On opening the box, we found it laid out nicely with each experiment individually wrapped and enclosed within a paper bag. There were five of these in total. In addition to each experiment, there was also some gloves, scissors, safety goggles, a pencil, measuring cylinder, some paper cut outs, chromatography paper and instructions.


I had a read through the booklet, and was very pleased with its striking, child friendly design, which continued throughout the whole manual. The first two pages are dedicated to safety information, so it is important to have a good read through these first, and make a point of highlighting any necessary points to your child. There is also a useful piece offering advice for the supervising adults and another section offering first aid advice should it be required. I was glad to find that this safety information is right at the beginning of the booklet, as no experiment should be carried out without proper precautions being taken, and so this gave me reassurance as a parent, that the company had considered health and safety very carefully.

Next up in the booklet came the experiments. I thought it would be a good idea to have a read through each one first prior to attempting them, much to my daughters annoyance who simply wanted to get stuck in. However, I have no scientific knowledge at all, and so I wanted to make sure I had some idea of what was involved prior to getting everything set up. 


In addition to this, we both sat down and watched some YouTube videos that had been sent to use via an email link from Letterbox Lab. These videos showed us exactly what to do, and gave us a great understanding of what to expect. 

Each experiment provides a full list of what you will need from the bag, and so this also acts as a check list to make sure you have everything ready before starting. It provides additional questions for your children to answer whilst conducting their tests, and encourages a child to think and develop a good understanding of what they have just experienced. None of the experiments are simply do this and your done, they actually encourage you to test your knowledge further and provide suggestions on how you could also vary the experiment.

The booklet is bright and captures a childs attention, engaging their interest right from the beginning. The text is easy to read and follow, and the handy "messiness guide" located on the top of each page is very useful for supervising adults.


Once I felt confident in what I was doing, Emma began to unpack the first experiment and get everything set up in place. We decided to work our way through the booklet in order and so we began with the Incredible Inks experiment. This involved combining water with salt in the two bottles which were provided. Emma then drew a black line across some chromatography paper about 2cm from the bottom using a felt tip pen. She then placed some of the salt water into a petri dish, before beginning to dip the end of the paper into the water.


As the water began to rise up the paper, the black line began to get larger. As the line increased in size, several other colours also began to appear. My daughter was shocked by this, as you just assume that black ink is exactly that, and we both had no idea that there were hidden invisible inks within it too. After leaving this a short while we were left with 4 different colours on the paper. 


We repeated this experiment a few more times using the different coloured pens which were provided. These others revealed a couple of other colours, but our favourite was definitely the black as the invisible inks became very visible and looked quite striking on the paper.


Although this was only our first experiment from the box, we both really enjoyed it. It had given us something fun to do together, and not only that but we were also BOTH learning not just Emma.

We then tried the next part of the experiment where you place a sweet into the water and watch what happens. The salt water removes all the dye from the sweet, and when you then place another piece of chromatography paper into the water, you can see the dyes begin to move up it.

As I mentioned previously the booklet encourages you to take your science further and so after this experiment it suggested cutting out a shape bigger than the petri dish. We chose to do a triangle. You then draw some patterns on to the paper and placed the paper on top of the dish. We then added a drop of salt water onto the top using a pipette. This then turned the design into what looked like a tie dye print and my daughter was very impressed.

The next experiment we tried was Rainbow Glasses, this involved colouring in one side of the glasses and then sticking some diffraction grating onto the reverse using the items provided. After the first experiment, my son also began to express an interest in joining in and so he decided to attempt this one by himself. Once he had followed the instructions carefully and completed his glasses, he popped them on and looked at the light. Ben was very surprised to see numerous colours despite looking at what seemed like a single colour of white.



We learnt that diffraction grating is a material containing numerous tiny grooves, and these grooves make different coloured light shoot off an different directions. These colours are then all mixed up in white light and travel in the same direction towards your eyes when looking at the light normally however, with the glasses you begin to see the colours as tiny rainbows. This was a learning experience for all of us, as I had never even heard of diffraction grating until this point.


After this we tried the Rainbow Spinners. This involved getting a little bit crafty and using scissors to cut out the cardboard discs provided. Ben then made a small hole in each of the discs and placed the first coloured disc over the top of the spinner. 

Following along with the theme of colours, we found that when the coloured disc spun, it actually created white, which was the opposite of the previous experiment. This really confused us, but we learnt from reading the instructions that this is because the spinner bounced back the coloured light. These coloured lights mixed with the reflective light created white when it was spun. Well you learn something new every day!

Experiment number 4 was the one that we had all been looking forward to, and involved creating a Liquid Rainbow. This had a grading of level 3 for messiness and so we carried out this experiment in the box. We followed the instructions carefully, which involved combining sugar with food colourings in 4 separate bottles. We then added water to each of the bottles using the pipette and placed the lids back on the bottles before shaking them for around 30 seconds. This then gave us 4 different coloured liquids.


We then carefully reopened the bottles, and using the measuring cylinder and the pipette Emma carefully placed the liquids on top of one another. This created a mini rainbow in the cylinder, and we couldn't understand why the different colours weren't mixing together. The booklet helped to explain this though and we discovered that by dissolving something in the liquids we changed the way that they behave. This was fascinating!


Next up, was another one we had both been looking forward to, the Brilliant Breathless Balloon. This one was so much fun, and really easy to do as well. Emma began by putting on her gloves and safety goggles, before pouring half of the bicarbonate of soda into the big bottle. We then half filled the bottle with water and put the lid back on before shaking the bottle for 30 seconds. Emma then poured about half of the citric acid into the balloon, and carefully stretched the balloon over the neck of the bottle.

As she then lifted the balloon up so that the citric acid mixed with the bicarbonate of soda and water, there was a reaction that caused the water to start fizzing and in turn created a gas which then blew up the balloon.

It did make some noise and we stepped back thinking that the balloon was going to explode, but much to our relief it didn't. The great thing about this is that there was enough citric acid and bicarbonate of soda provided to do this experiment twice!





Lastly was Squirmy Worms, this was one that Emma was looking forward to, and Ben seemed keen too and so we decided to do this one altogether. We began by filling half a cup with water and adding the sodium alginate which was provided. We then had to stir it quickly until the powder was dissolved. We then had to leave it to stand for an hour, which Emma claimed was the longest hour ever! Once an hour had passed we filled a bowl with water and poured in the calcium lactate and stirred with another spoon until all this powder had dissolved as well.


We then filled a pipette with some of the sodium alginate solution from the cup and squeezed it into the bowl. We did this several times and initially thought that nothing was happening. Emma then placed her gloved hand into the bowl where she discovered Squirmy Worms! Ewwwwww.

By the time we had completed all of the experiments, both Emma and Ben were hooked and keen to learn even more. I personally enjoyed it far more than I ever expected to, and certainly don't remember science being this much fun when I was at school.


The boxes are due for release on the 18th April, however you can currently pre-order the boxes at a special discounted rate of only £7.68 for an Explore box and £21.26 for the Investigate Box. I believe that these prices offer extremely good value for money, as they have provided us all with a learning experience, equipment and activities to do at home together.

As all of the experiments are individually packaged, we found it easy to put time aside to do an experiment every couple of days, and work at a pace that suited us. There was no need for us to get absolutely everything out and sort out the equipment that was needed for each experiment as this was already done for us. It was simply a case of picking it up when we had the time to do it together which worked great. 

We had initially planned to do an experiment each night over the week, however in the end we completed the box in around 10 days. This took us longer than originally anticipated, because as my son became interested we did some of the experiments twice, such as The Breathless Balloon.

Overall, my family and I cannot recommend this subscription box enough. This isn't only because of the actual product and the fun we have encountered, but also because of the people behind the product. The customer service we have experienced has been second to none, and any emails I have sent with a query or question has been replied to with both enthusiasm and knowledge. 

Dr Bryan Hatton and Mia Hatton clearly have a strong passion for science, and are keen for children to enjoy what Letterbox Lab can offer. Their knowledge and business skills have allowed them to create a fun packed science subscription box, that offers something for the whole family to enjoy and learn from. We have been very impressed with Letterbox Lab and if you would like to find out more then please visit their website or social media which can all be found here:

Website: Letterbox Lab
YouTube Channel: Letterbox Lab
Twitter: @LetterboxLab
Instagram: @LetterboxLab

Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary Investigate Box for the purpose of providing honest and impartial feedback. All opinions and photographs are my own.