AD – GIFTED | As regular readers of my blog will know, one of the perks of being a mummy blogger is receiving delightful activities for Flora, our daughter. And occasionally for Alan too, but today is not that day. Flora’s favourites are definitely her fabulous KS2 kids science subscription boxes from Letterbox Lab. Tailored to the KS2 National Curriculum for STEM and STEAM, these fun science experiments are a brilliant way of supplementing at home what kids learn in school, as well as an absolute boon at the current time.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein.
Honestly, hands-on science has never been so much fun – so what did she think of Over The Top?*
Letterbox Lab
For those who haven’t seen (or can’t remember) our previous reviews, Letterbox Lab is a series of 12 linked science kits with full instructions and tools (you only need to add water for some of the experiments). Online resources and videos accompany every box, plus some suggestions for further fun science experiments and extension activities. The Explore box (for age 6+) and the Investigate box (for age 8+) both support the UK primary school curricula, and one off boxes start at £11.00 including P&P.
Over The Top
Over The Top is the seventh in the Investigate box series, looking at air pressure, resistance, and flying. Once again, we had seven different fun science activities, with the always welcome Messiness star rating at the beginning of each one. Flora had so much fun with her previous box, Inner Space, she adored her Robo Hand, aka THE CLAW (Toy Story, anyone?). Even her cat got roped in! So she couldn’t wait to find out what was inside this new box and get started.
- Pico Pult – 7 x lollipop sticks, 4 x elastic bands, wooden spoon, pom pom, googly eyes.
- Para Pico – Pico pom pom from Pico Pult, string, sheet of parachute material (plastic), plastic egg, pencil.
- Under Pressure – 2 x balloons, plastic tube, plastic clip.
- Gloveophone – safety glove, straw, sticky tape, plastic tube, scissors from Box 1.
- Spring into Action – the spring.
- Elasti Copter – propeller, lollipop sticks, elastic bands, glue dots, paper clips, 2 x helicopter templates, card, pencil, scissors, sticky tape.
- Pico Pult II – elastic bands, cup, screw, metal nuts, drawing pin, 4 x small wooden blocks, 2 x larger blocks, 6 x long wooden rods, 3 x short rods, throwing arm, screw driver from Box 4, scissors, Pico pom pom, the box.
- A 24-page instruction booklet, a safety sheet, and a Fantastic Flyer badge.
Pico Pult
Flora had to stack the sticks, fasten with elastic bands, create a support stack, and slot the spoon into position as a throwing arm. All very straightforward. The hardest part was peeling the wretched backing paper off the googly eyes to stick them on the pom pom. After 5 minutes of us both trying, we gave up and used some larger googly eyes from our craft cupboard – ta-dah.
When you pull the arm of the catapult back, you work against the elastic, so you end up storing potential energy. And when you release the arm, the stored energy hurls Pico through the air. Depending on how far out you pull the spoon, or how many sticks you keep in the support stack, will affect how far Pico flies. Fun fact: catapults were invented in ancient Greece and were originally weapons of war. STEM isn’t just science, technology, engineering and maths, the first of our fun science experiments had history as well 🙂
Para Pico
This experiment was to do with air resistance which, as an ex RAF-pilot, Alan knows all about. Flora had to make a parachute with the plastic sheet and four pieces of string. After fastening the strings through the plastic at one end, she found it impossible to keep the other ends and Pico in one place and close the egg too. So, employing her amazing problem-solving skills (which she obviously inherited from her mother) she stuck the string ends down with masking tape.
When something tries to move through air, air resistance will slow it down. Anything wide and light, like a parachute, will encounter high air resistance and move very slowly. Which is why pilots have huge silk parachutes. Silk is very light and very strong – think spiders’ webs. Pro-rata, silk has the tensile strength of steel (giving “steel knickers” a whole new meaning for chastity belts…) Anyway, on to flight testing!
Under Pressure
The next of the fun science experiments in Flora’s box was testing air pressure. She blew up a balloon, clipped it shut, stretched the end over a tube, and stretched another balloon over the other end of the tube. What do you think might happen when you take the clip off? The big balloon stays the same? All the air goes into the second balloon? You get two balloons of equal size?
Well, we both guessed wrong, but it was all to do with how hard it is to blow up a rubber balloon in the first place 🙂
Gloveophone
Flora had to make an instrument that let her see as well as hear sound. But we couldn’t hear anything sadly, no matter how tightly we stretched the glove over the end of the tube, or how hard we blew into the straw. Blowing air into the glove creates pressure and vibrations, which you should both see and hear. Perhaps our glove membrane wasn’t tight enough, or we had an air leak, who knows. All we ended up with were red faces and a soggy straw! And an object lesson that not all experiments yield the results you want 🙂
Spring into Action
Following on from Gloveophone, we had to stretch and release the spring to see what happens to potential energy when it’s released (like Pico Pult). And to see how sound travels, namely in pulses or waves.
Sound waves happen when particles in the air bounce against each other, like the spring coils, to transmit wobbles from things to our ear drum membranes.
Elasti Copter
Flora made a card and paper version of each template, so four models in all, to see which one would fly best. Do you remember in Box 4 we learned Newton’s Third Law? That for every action there is an equal and an opposite reaction? The same applies here: the blades push down onto the air and the air pushes back up on the blades. But the weight of the helicopter pulls it down and determines whether it spins, sinks, or flies.
She experimented with using two elastic bands as well as different sizes of helicopter. Our templates mainly spun or fell, but she did manage a few short flights, much to her glee. And discovered that, yes, size really does matter…
Pico Pult II
When the instructions said the catapult was “a little tricky to build,” they weren’t joking! We were still struggling even after watching the Letterbox Lab online video so we had to call in the big guns. Luckily, Alan is also an engineer, so he made short work of assembling the catapult and its potential elastic band energy.
Time to give Pico another flying lesson…
The bonus with the last of our fun science experiments is that, with only a few changes, you can turn the catapult into a trebuchet. Another weapon of war, which works against the forces of gravity by using weights (rather like a see saw) to launch missiles (or Pico) through the air.
Poor Pico, here we go again…
Of the two military contraptions, Flora preferred the trebuchet, pronouncing it ,”...way more fun!” Hmmmn.
Final thoughts
Once again, we carried out all the experiments over the course of a weekend – although I’m sure you could easily complete this box in one day as well. Flora’s favourites science activities were definitely Para Pico and Pico Pult II. Certainly she’s been in no hurry to pack either of them away. So, once again, a big thank you to Letterbox Lab for our seventh Investigate box. And she (if not me) is very much looking forward to getting wet and wild with Bubbles Ahoy next time.
Have you learned anything new about how air pressure and gravity works? Which experiment is your favourite? Do you know any kids who’d love to go Over The Top – or discover more about science in general – with one of these fabulous subscription boxes?
* This post features gifted items but all opinions are our own.
This looks like so much fun! I defo need to check this out for my many Godchildren, I’m sure they’d love this. Can’t beat a fun way to learn science!
Jessica
They are soooo much fun, and yes, a brilliant way to learn, it doesn’t feel like you’re even learning!
These are great subscription boxes – I love reading about the different ones you’ve tried with your kids. The videos are a nice touch!
They really are – and thank you, I think the videos do give more of a flavour!
These are great! I think the catapult one would be my personal favourite. But they all look fun and super educational too which is a great balance. 😉 Helen
The catapults were a lot of fun, if a little hard to control, haha!
Oh wow, I’ve heard of similar boxes but not this one specifically – the activities look really lovely.
They’re a great series of boxes, so much fun, and so engaging too 🙂
Great post! These experiments look fun and interesting!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
These look fantastic! I have a 6 year old son and he loves science and experimenting. Anything that helps make home schooling more fun is a winner at the minute!!
I think any 6 year old boy would adore these boxes, especially right now, they really do make learning so much fun!
Looks like another fun and educational box from Letterbox Lab! Loved watching the videos of the experiments too! I didn’t know Alan was an ex RAF pilot either! xxx
Oh it was, it was! And thank you for watching the videos, we thought they added an extra touch 🙂 xxc
Wow, these look so fun! I am probably gonna use them myself 😛
That’s how I feel too!
This looks like great fun, love getting the science experiments going, we’ve got some kits that I keep meaning to do with the kids.
Love the videos too.
They really are – takes Learning Outside The Classroom to a whole new level 🙂
I love that these activities involve science! It is so important for kids to learn about science and know why things work. All of these different activities seem pretty cool! Big plus that you don’t need to rely on school to do this too. Thanks for sharing this box!
Nancy ♥
Yes, that’s it exactly. And you’re much more likely to remember something if you’ve tested it out yourself with some very cool activities 🙂
What a fab box to have, I would have loved this as a kid! Definitely have to have a look at getting this for my niece when she is a bit older. It’s a great way of making science and learning fun isn’t it?!
Thank you for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
It’s such a good way of making science accessible and interesting, I don’t know any kids of Flora’s age that aren’t curious when she talks about her Letterbox Lab boxes!
This looks like a lot of fun! I don’t have kids yet but I can’t wait to have them so I can help teach them about the world and learn myself!
Thank you – and it’s arguable who has the most fun with these boxes, Flora or me, so I totally get you!
I love that you included mini videos throughout! The catapult experiments do sound like fun; I remember when my brother made a catapult that was about two feet by three feet and used it to launch rocks around our yard . . .
I feel you on struggling with getting googly eyes off their paper; some are so tiny, the eyes just keep sticking to your hands or the paper itself refuses to peel off. There is something to be said for creativity when it comes to getting something to work. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this; I especially love that you are so honest about the results of each experiment.
Wow, that was some catapult, respect to your brother! And I’m glad you understand about googly eyes, haha. Thank you for your lovely comment, Jaya, and yes, even when things don’t go to plan, we still have fun and learn – a proper life lesson, not just STEM 🙂
This looks like such a fun box! My daughter would love something like this.
It really was, thank you!
Wow these look like such cool things to do with kids; learning but keeping it fun and enjoyable! My brother and I would’ve loved this when we were children🤟🏼
They are such good boxes, I learn just as much as Flora! And yes, I so wish they’d been around when I was her age too.
I love reading these posts and have actually recommended letterbox lab to my step daughter and she loved them.
Oh thank you, Kelly, that’s so good to hear, yay!
These look like so much fun!!! I wonder if there’s something like this over here in Canada. I know that my nieces would have a blast with all of these. I am 110% in support of anything that is both fun AND educational!
They are sooooo good! I don’t know if Letterbox Lab ship to Canada but it might be worth asking? Anything to support STEM girls!
Great ideas, I love the videos too! I’m forwarding this post to my friend, her kids would love the creative projects here 🙂
Anika
Oh that’s great, thank you so much! 🙂
What a great collection! I remember doing a few similar experiments when I was a kid. Letterbox Lab sounds like a great initiative to help kids learn at home! Thanks for sharing.
Letterbox Lab is brilliant! Flora was already keen on science but now she’s even more of a fan thanks to these boxes 🙂
This box looks amazing fun 🙂 These would be perfect for my nephews, thank you for sharing it 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
You’re so welcome, I’m sure any boy would love these, whether they’re into science or not! 🙂
This looks like such a fun but educational tool. My brother is still doing school work and I think the box would be a really helpful tool for kids who are learning from home. Thank you for bringing this to my attention 🙂
Em x
They’re all such brilliant boxes, perfect for homeschooling or just for fun. I hope your brother will love them too, if he gets one to try 🙂 x
This sounds fun! Great experiments and perfect for kids 😀
It is and they really are! 🙂
I love experiments like this (even as an adult!) 🙂
Ha, I do too! 🙂
This is awesome! I’m definitely sharing this with my sister and sister-in-law. They need to read this 😁
Thank you so much, I hope they’re as impressed as you! 🙂
Oooh these are so much fun! All of these ideas are amazing!
Love, Amie ❤️
The Curvaceous Vegan
They really are, such good value too 🙂
This looks like a great way for kids to do experiments and learn in a fun and creative way. A couple of years ago we bought our son some science kits when we visited a science center and he had a blast doing them. I think we’re overdue for getting some new ones.
This is it exactly, Flora has so much fun while she’s learning. Some stuff she knows already so it reinforces her knowledge and gives her a boost, but others are brand new!
I love science and experiments. I have a few that I devised on my website, too. Thanks for sharing this kit.
http://www.susanberkkoch.com/blog
I’ve seen some of your science experiments, they are great too, really fun!
Wow – I don’t even have kids at home but I want to try these out! Great post. Thanks for sharing!
Haha, I know what you mean, I love these boxes as much as Flora! 🙂
Wow! I have been looking at these for my science mad son but I didn’t expect them to be so full of wonderful things to try!
Thank you for sharing, I think I definitely need to try these out, I think we’d all have a lot of fun x
They are amazing, perfect for any science fan, and you build on stuff you’ve learned in earlier boxes too, it’s really clever! I hope he enjoys them as much as Flora does if you do try some! x
This all looks so fun. I know I’ve said this a million times before but I live seeing Flora get blogger mail. Kits like this are amazing in general but they sound like an absolute lifesaver now everyone is attempting to homeschool. Such a fantastic resource to help incorporate education time at home, and in a way that they actually want to do it. I love how creative these boxes are with the little experiments x
Sophie
Flora gets the best blogger mail, haha. And yes, having something like this to do as a break from homeschooling is just wonderful. It feels like playing even though she’s learning, which is just the best thing ever. These boxes really are a godsend 🙂 xx
I used to love things like this as a child they would excite me so much and keep me entertained for hours!
I wish they’d been around when I was Flora’s age too!
We do boxes like these for our kids too but they only have one experiment in each kit-these are so nice!!They would actually keep them entertained longer than a half an hour!
Only one experiment? Wow, they’d be entertained for a LOT longer with these boxes, although you might have to step in and help from time to time too!
These are such great ideas, and original too. I work in a nursery and I’m back again this coming Monday after being off for lockdown. I’m going to suggest trying some of these to make it interesting for the kids 🙂
Fy
https://cultureeighteen.wordpress.com
I think a lot of these activities could be scaled down for pre-school too (as well as some of the ones in our previous reviews) – good luck on Monday, will be thinking of you x
Never mind the kids these look awesome fun and a great way to learn various areas of science too. Thanks for sharing.
Ha, I know exactly what you mean, I love them too! 🙂
This is awesome! I like how you can even learn from them and not only enjoy and pass time. I have read about the previous review as well.
Thank you, Jack, that’s very kind – and I’m glad you’re enjoying our reviews!
Very cool! I would have loved these toys when I was a kid! I’m not a mom, but I have 2 nephews and a brand new niece. They aren’t old enough to appreciate these sort of toys yet, but they will be getting all of the science toys when they are!
Oh I would too, I would have enjoyed science so much more! And I’m glad to hear your nephews and niece will be getting science goodies when they’re older 🙂
This looks like such a great learning experience for Flora, whilst having lots of fun. Especially with home schooling with the current situation, what an added bonus! It looks like you had a lot of fun with these experiments. Such a great way for children to learn and play! Thank you for sharing Lisa xxx
If you can combine learning with fun it’s sooooo much more enjoyable and these are definitely some of the best fun we’ve had! Thank you, Lauren, glad you enjoyed the post 🙂 xxx
These are some really fun ways to teach small kids especially at this time when they are at home. I love the small videos you posted. 🙂
Via | https://glossnglitters.com
Yes, they really are – thank you, Via, we had fun making the videos too!
This looks like fun! My niece & nephew would love it 🙂
It was so much fun, I’m sure they would 🙂