I was never a "science kid." I don't want that for mine.

Science was my worst subject growing up. Not because I was bad at it. Because it was boring.

Textbooks. Worksheets. Memorize the parts of a cell. Forget everything by Friday.

I checked out early. And I don't think I ever checked back in.

But now that I'm a mom (married to an engineer, no less 😅), I keep thinking about how different it could've been if someone had just put something real in front of me.

Not a worksheet. An experiment.

Not a textbook. A box of actual lab equipment and a reason to be curious.

That's the thing I want for my kids. Not to become scientists. Just to stay curious. To look at something and wonder how does that work? instead of that's not for me.

A Gallup study found that 75% of kids say they're interested in STEM.

But only 29% actually choose it when it's time to pick a path.

Something gets lost between "this is cool" and "this is for me." And I think it's the hands-on part. The doing. The touching. The watching-something-actually-happen part.

Most kids aren't getting enough of that in school. And most of us don't know how to give it to them at home.

(I definitely don't. I married the engineer for a reason. 😅)

It's called MEL Science.

Every month, a box shows up at your door with a real, hands-on science experiment inside.

Everything included. You don't need to be a science person. You don't need extra supplies.

Your kid opens the box, follows the steps, and does actual science at the kitchen table.

Not baking soda volcanoes. Real stuff.

Growing crystals. Building electric motors. Experimenting with light and chemistry. The kind of thing that makes a kid go quiet because they're so focused.

My husband looked through their kits and was genuinely impressed. And this is a man who is very hard to impress when it comes to anything science-related. 😅 He said the experiments teach real concepts the right way, not the watered-down version most kids' products settle for.

That was enough for me. If the engineer says the science is legit, the science is legit.

And it covers quite the age range:

Ages 5+ → building projects, space rockets, little-kid-friendly STEM

Ages 8+ → math and physics kits (think gyroscopes, hydraulic lifts, aerodynamics)

Ages 10+ → real chemistry with actual lab equipment (beaker, safety goggles, the works)

Ages 14+ → medical science kits where your kid can learn to suture, explore pharmacy, and make real vitamin C tablets. Wild.

One subscription. You pick the subjects. Mix and match for different kids. Pause or cancel anytime.

See the kits by age →

Here's what the research keeps saying: hands-on science is what makes kids want to keep doing science. Not lectures. Not apps. Not videos. Doing it with their own hands.

STEM jobs are growing at nearly 3x the rate of everything else. The average STEM salary is more than double non-STEM jobs. But honestly, it's not even about careers for me.

It's about raising a kid who knows how to think. Who isn't afraid of hard problems. Who stays curious instead of checking out the way I did.

That's worth a box on the kitchen table once a month.

If your kid is curious and you want to keep that alive.

If you've tried the Pinterest science experiments and ended up with a mess and no actual learning. 😅

If you want something real for your kid's time. Not another passive app. Something where they use their hands and their brain.

If you're a homeschool family looking for quality science that doesn't require a science degree.

Or if you're like me and you just want your kid to have a better experience with science than you did.

If your kid's schedule is already packed and this would feel like one more thing instead of something fun.

If your youngest is under 5. (The kits start at age 5 and go all the way through high school.)

You know what I mean.

The thing that pulls your kid away from the screen without a fight. The thing that sparks something. The thing where you walk by and they're so focused they don't even look up.

I think this might be it for a lot of families.