Curiosity Box is a subscription box from VSauce - a popular YouTube channel featuring topics such as science, philosophy, technology, gaming, and culture. As of 2022, they have joined forces with MEL Science, maximizing their impact on brain health. This limited-edition box ships quarterly, and once it sells out, you can't get it again.
(Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
I am a complete science nerd. With a degree in medical technology, I sought out all of the science classes I could as a student and enjoy helping out in those classes as an ISA at my school! Because I have such a passion for science, I am always on the lookout for ways to incorporate it into my daily life (along with my boys' lives). So when I stumbled upon Curiosity Box I just had to see what it was all about! Awesome for adults, a typical box includes premium science toys, experiments, and collectibles. What did I think about this curation? Read below to see!
What's Inside The Box
Up first, we received a postcard with all of this month's contents presented. Utilizing real life photos of each item, it includes a short descriptive blurb and funny phrases.
Also included was a booklet containing in-depth info on each of the included items. With short bursts of information followed by scientific explanations, this guide is packed with really good stuff!
Bezold-Stroop Shirt
I always look forward to the Curiosity shirt of the season, and this month’s tee did not disappoint. The light mint color is fresh and eye-catching, but the real showstopper is the design as it cleverly combines the Bezold and Stroop effects in one visual! At first glance, the letters appear to be different colors, but they’re actually all the same—your brain just gets tricked, thanks to the Bezold effect. And the Stroop effect kicks in when you try to read the color of each word aloud instead of what the word says. It’s surprisingly difficult and makes you realize just how hardwired certain brain processes are. Super cool to look at and think about! Beyond the design, the shirt itself is great quality. The fabric is a bit thicker and stretchier than a standard tee, which makes it extra comfy without feeling heavy. It's true to size for a unisex fit, making it easy to wear right out of the box. All in all, this was a standout inclusion in this season’s box—fun, nerdy, and surprisingly stylish!
History of the Earth Helical Jigsaw Puzzle
The next item we received was the very first helicoid jigsaw puzzle ever! With 328 pieces, it includes a black plastic track and a storage cup. Featuring one of the most important shapes in biology, this puzzle is truly unique and super cool. My kids loved the illustrations of organisms along the "helix of life" and were fascinated by the small, detailed pieces. Truthfully, puzzles are usually a winter activity for me - summer is just too busy to sit inside and work on one, but we did start this project, and it's been a lot of fun so far. The pieces are good quality and fit together nicely. Overall, this was a really fun and unexpected item to receive!
The edge pieces were fairly easy to match, thanks to the evolving color scheme along the outer edge, but the inner pieces have been a bit more challenging! We haven’t finished the puzzle yet (we’ve been spending hours out in the garden), but we definitely haven’t given up!
Slide Rule Chopsticks
Chopsticks aren’t a tool we typically use often in our house—but that may have changed now that we have a high-quality, food-safe stainless steel set in our utensil drawer! These unique chopsticks feature a built-in scale that functions like a slide rule, allowing you to perform multiplication, division, and even calculate square roots, cube roots, cubes, and squares. Now you can learn while you eat! My kids were really intrigued by how they work and appreciated the extra help with multiplication facts. We’ve already used them to enjoy our pheasant stir fry on more than one occasion!
Puzzle Me Twice Book
The next item we received was a fun puzzle book. This hardcover edition features mind-boggling puzzles that are not only fun to try on others, but also a great challenge for yourself. With engaging illustrations and interesting facts, it’s a unique book that makes a great coffee table conversation piece. Just a warning, though, you might feel a little silly at how many you get wrong!
Prism
I absolutely hated geometry in high school, but my elementary teacher made it really fun by incorporating real-life objects into our lessons. When we were first introduced to prisms, we were greeted with Toblerone chocolates as their boxes are prism-shaped! The last item we received in this season’s box reminded me of that lesson, though not in a chocolatey way. Instead, we received a K9 optical borosilicate glass prism! It's both an optical prism that creates a light spectrum and a geometric prism, making it a fascinating and educational piece. My 10-year-old loved it so much he had to put it in his room immediately. A very cool way to wrap up the season’s box—high quality, maybe not strictly necessary, but definitely neat!
Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $60
Curiosity Box is a deep-thinker's dream, and this was a really interesting curation. Including 5 intriguing and high quality items, this box never leaves me bored! While it didn't seem to have a particular theme in mind, the mix of functional, fun, and educational items really rounded the box out well. While it is geared towards adults, my son had a really fun time checking out the items and reading their scientific definitions as well. I especially enjoyed the prism, puzzle, and shirt, but the other items were fun too. Overall, this was a great curation, and I appreciated all of the items, especially when coupled with the scientific background. This box is a really fun experience, and I can't wait to see what's included in the fall quarter. Bring it on, Curiosity Box!!
More You Should Know
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Possibly. Only a certain number of boxes are created, so once they are gone, they are gone!
What do you think about Curiosity Box?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.