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 May 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 Crime Scene Investigation and Forensic science.
The included Welcome Activity Guide includes an introduction to crime scene investigation and forensic science, 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 Frances Glessner Lee who is considered the “mother of forensic science.”
Each month they include a “science surprise” in the form of a candy and a little toy. This month we received four little science tattoos and two blood splatter gummies. It might seem a little morbid, but I thought it was a cute/fun treat for a crime scene box!
Activity #1: White Powder Lab
The first experiment in the book was a White Powder Lab. As usual, all of the materials that we needed for this experiment were neatly packaged together in one bag making it easy to get set up. This time they also suggested that we get out our safety goggles and lab notebook from our Welcome Box. Everything was labeled clearly and there were plenty of materials to complete our experiment with and even a set of plastic gloves to wear. We didn’t need to provide any materials ourselves for this experiment.
For this experiment we were given four bags labeled 1-4 and three bottles with vinegar, iodine and water in them and a fifth bag which was our mysterious powder. Our first step was to fill 3 wells of each row with each of the 4 powders. Next, we added 2 drops of iodine to one well of powder 1, 2 drops of water to the second well of powder 1 and 2 drops of vinegar to the third well of powder 1. We repeated this step for each of the four powders.
They included mixing sticks that we used to mix up each powder after adding the liquid and we observed the reactions. Then it was time to add our mystery powder to three wells and test those out with the added liquids. We were able to compare it to our other powders and make a guess as to which powder we thought it was. Then to check our response we got to check our top secret yellow envelope to see if we were correct.
This was really fun and since my daughter is only 3, I had to do most of the experiment myself, but we had a good conversation about the reactions of the powders. The powders were all harmless kitchen ingredients, by the way! An older child would easily be able to complete this on their own and record observations in their lab notebook.
Activity #2: Chromatography Butterflies
The next activity was our Nature Project which was to explore the idea of chromatography by making butterflies out of coffee filters.
Our first step was to draw a circle in the center of our coffee filter. Next, we folded it into a cone shape and then we dipped the center of the cone in a cup of water. We had to provide our own cup, paper towels and water for this, but I actually used the cup that we received in a previous box to hold our water. The water then moved up our coffee filter and started to spread the color.
Once we observed what happened, then we got a little creative and used the included markers to make our own designs on the coffee filters so that we could create butterflies. We let the water spread the color and then we set them out to dry. Once they were dry, we folded them up accordion style and used the pipe cleaners for the center. They included little googly eyes for us to put on and even these had sticky backs already so again, we didn’t need any extra materials which was great. This was a fun, easy activity and something that we can easily recreate at home anytime!
Activity #3: Fingerprinting Kit
The next activity was our fingerprinting kit. This was cool because I think it’s something you see on tv all the time, but never actually get to explore or try yourself! The first step was to make a set of our own fingerprints- my daughter wanted me to do mine, which I was fine with since it was much easier. I appreciated that they included an entire ink pad for us to use and the ink washed off incredibly easy leaving no mess on my hands at all. They also included a sheet about fingerprint patterns so that we could compare them and identify patterns in our own fingerprints. FYI- my 2-year-old scribbled on the sheet sometime in between experiments, but luckily it didn’t affect our ability to see them!
Next, we were going to get fingerprints from the cup, so first I had to rub my finger over the tip of my nose to try to collect oils. Then I put my fingertip on the cup and we poured the cocoa powder over top of it. They included a brush so that we could brush the excess powder off and then we used the clear tape that they provided to stick it over the fingerprint and remove it. We then placed it on the sheet for dusted fingerprints. You can see it worked pretty well, but it’s still a little difficult to see. I think it’s because the brush was a little bit stiff. But again, I’m so pleased that they included everything that we needed for these experiments.
Verdict: This month’s Club SciKidz Labs box was great! There were so many activities for us to do and they included everything that we needed to complete them. I thought the range of activities was pretty great, too! As usual, 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 it was definitely worth it for all of the fun activities and the wealth of information that they provided on forensic science this month. Plus, I love that we can easily recreate these activities using supplies from home now that we understand the techniques and have these materials in our home lab kit! This really is such a perfect box if you are homeschooling and want some fun scientific activities or if you happen to know someone who enjoys science!
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!
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