Groovy Lab in a Box is a STEM-themed education subscription box for kids ages 8 years and older.
Each box focuses on a child’s chosen topic of interest. It details various experiments, including a monthly design challenge.
STEM education focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math because technical and scientific skills are becoming increasingly important in modern society. These skills are proving to be in high demand in the workforce.
Currently, only 26 percent of women hold STEM jobs. Groovy Lab in a Box’s mission is to introduce STEM education to your children – boys and girls alike – in a fun and exciting way.
It also aims to ignite and sustain their interest in this area of learning throughout life.
If you don’t believe your child’s school is meeting their practical-science needs, this educational tool may be especially important.
Table of Contents
How Does Groovy Lab in a Box Work?
Each month, Groovy Lab in a Box sends children fun projects and an engineering design challenge.
These experiments focus on the STEM theme of the month.
Children receive a notebook for jotting down their activities and findings. The boxes help them investigate, build, plan, test, and redesign their creations.
Besides the subscription box, children have access to the “Beyond … in a Box” online learning portal.
It gives children more information to learn about the month’s topic via interactive activities and videos that complement the subscription boxes.
What’s unique about Groovy Lab in a Box is that you can choose only to include what your children need.
Your kids will also receive protective equipment, and the materials are recyclable.
The boxes have engaging retro-designs and colors, and many of the materials perform more than one function. For example, children can use the ruler as a bookmark, and the keychain doubles as a hole-punch!
Each box has bonus supplies to solidify learning. Every child gets a notebook to jot down their thoughts and findings, but they don’t receive all the answers!
They must use critical thinking to discern the solutions to the problems presented. By doing this, they genuinely learn from their STEM experiences.
Types of Kits Available
The range of kits available is impressive.
Some of the STEM-themed subscription boxes available on the Groovy Lab in a Box website include:
- Blowing in the Wind – a lesson in wind energy
- It’s Electric! – an experience in electricity
- What Goes Up – a lesson in how rollercoasters work
- Good Vibrations – a lesson in sound
- What’s the Matter? – a lesson in ice
- Fly with Me – an experience in aeronautics
- Here Comes the Sun – a lesson in solar energy
Pricing
The Groovy Lab in a Box pricing structure delivers excellent value for the money and is highly flexible.
Parents and children can choose from:
- Monthly subscriptions at $29.95 per month, billed monthly
- Quarterly subscriptions at $28.95 per month, billed every three months
- Biannual subscriptions at $27.95 per month, billed every six months
- Annual subscriptions at $24.95 per month, billed every year, in advance
- Individual kits sell for $39.95
Subscriptions of longer than a single month ship free within the U.S. and international shipping is available at a cost. Subscription boxes ship to your door.
The packages are sturdy and robust, ensuring that the contents don’t get damaged in transit.
What’s more, new subscribers receive a coupon at checkout.
Company History
Parents, educators, scientists, and business owners are the founders of Academics in a Box, the parent company to Groovy Lab in a Box.
They are professionals who work in the science community and private sector and formed the company when they realized that the education system was failing to harness children’s innate creativity.
One of the co-founders, Elaine Hansen, is the mother of an elementary-school child.
She realized there are constraints on standard school science curricula. Students were not getting enough time to brainstorm new ideas, retry experiments, or ask follow-up questions in class.
Ms. Hansen and the other founders believed that creating the opportunity to extend learning beyond school would solidify scientific learning in students and motivate them to adopt a STEM mindset and lifestyle.
The main goal of creating the subscription box was to give children the opportunity to acquire STEM knowledge early on to fulfill their highest potential in the long run.
The founders believe in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) strategy and want to give the next generation valuable STEM skills that can help prepare them for future scientific and technical careers.
Alternatives
Similar kids’ subscription boxes in the market include:
- Boss Club is a business-themed subscription box that caters to kids ages 6-14 years old by teaching them life-long entrepreneurial skills.
- Playtime by Eimmie is a doll-themed playtime pack complete with themed outfits, accessories, and playsets for children and their dolls. These play kits foster creativity by encouraging children to engage in imaginative play with their “babies.”
- Kid Wonder is a monthly subscription activity box for kids ages 3-6 years old. Each month, your children receive a new theme to engage, entertain, and educate them.
Pros
- A perfect product for homeschoolers or parents looking to supplement their children’s science learning.
- Subscriptions are flexible with monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual billing to suit your needs and budget.
- All materials are eco-friendly and recyclable.
- Your children get a wide range of STEM topics from which to choose.
Cons
- Not suited to children under 8 years of age, though subscription boxes catering to these younger kids are in the pipeline.
Our Verdict
Science for children doesn’t have to be boring, and Groovy Lab in a Box ensures that it isn’t. The STEM topics are vast and varied – 18 in all – so there’s no risk of your child losing interest.
Plus, they will have all the time they need to explore the scientific and technical subscription boxes.
The subscriptions are also flexible: You can choose to subscribe to monthly, quarterly, biannual, or annual plans, depending on your budget.
If you would rather not subscribe, you always have the option to buy each of the kits one at a time, on your schedule.
With Groovy Lab in a Box, your child will start to look at science from a fun perspective—and who knows?
You could be mentoring the next Neil Armstrong, Elon Musk, or Diane Fossey in your home!
