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<div class="bvseo-review" itemprop="review" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Review" data-reviewid="202393434">
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Rated <span itemprop="ratingValue">1</span> out of
<span itemprop="bestRating">5</span>
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<span itemprop="author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope><span itemprop="name">QCParent</span></span> from
<span itemprop="name">Better off with a book of kids experiments</span>
<span itemprop="description">The kit is a bit of a glorified baking soda & vinegar experiment for $45. Notable ingredients in the kit include baking soda, cornstarch, some food coloring (possibly not food-grade), popsicle sticks, balloons, rubber gloves (for handling baking soda, I guess), lots of plastic containers, a few green dry beans, a few straws, some pipe cleaners I think there was also a plastic syringe, a funnel, and a plastic pipette. A pair of disposable lab gloves. Some cheap safety goggles. Just a lot of pretty generic kind of stuff (seems to me to be far from a $45 value). The kit's packaging is quite big, but it could have been fit in a box 1/3 the size.
The booklets contained a lot of experiments that required ingredients not included with the kit. One experiment for making sugar crystals instructs you to weigh out something like 200g of white sugar (sugar not included in the kit) and combine it with water in a pot on the stove, then to discard most of it, keeping a small amount to leave out to evaporate the water. Why would it make me waste my sugar like that.
Another experiment instructs to make sclupting clay, and it's a really just a very basic playdough made of just water + flour (flour not included in kit).
Another experiment instructs the kid to test the pH of liquids using a solution made from purple cabbage (cabbage not included, of course). How can you count that as one of the kit's experiments if the clutch ingredient is not included?
The science info booklets are not exciting to read - the explanations of concepts come across as superficial. The packaging states that the booklet is written by "real scientists" -- it seemed more like it was copy-edited by some science undergrads.
--> If the kid who might be getting this kit is already kind of crafty, curious, creative
-->if they already make baking soda & vinegar volcanoes or magic mud
--> If they live in a home where they hang onto yogurt and ice cream containers, plastic utensils, etc etc because there's always a demand from the kids for materials and supplies for their experiments....
...Then this kit will not enable those kids to do anything that they weren't doing already without the $45 kit.
Pros: my child did seem quite happy to get his own stash of plastic containers and doodads.
There's bound to be a few interesting bits in the kit for everyone, but they are few and far between. So many experiments call for ingredients not supplied with the kit.
For the most part, this kit has been a disappointment in my family. I guess I ought to have looked at it more closely before buying. If you're thinking of getting it for your own child, a nice book of kids' experiments absolutely beats the heck out of this crummy kit. (The book will likely be cheaper -- use the money you save to get the kid their own cornstarch, baking soda, vinegar, purple cabbage, etc). One book I recommend is Kitchen Cabinet Science Projects by Dr Michelle Dickinson (I have no affiliation with the author or book; someone gifted it to my child, and it has lots of neat experiments)
I almost get upset every time I think about this kit. I swear I can see my kid trying to make the best of the kit when playing with it - but really actually concealing his disappointment with it - maybe to spare my feelings.
Will avoid items from the same company. This product seemed to me more about creating something that "passes" as a science experiment kit (a huge kit in a huge box!) than actually being an inspiring, fun, educational toy.</span>
<div class="bvseo-pubdate">Date published: 2022-03-01</div>
<meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2022-03-01" />
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