BoxyPig Logo

MEL Science Review + Exclusive Discount

MEL Chemistry Review

In these crazy times due to COVID-19, the urge to just hand over the iPad and have your kids glued to a screen is stronger than ever. And although you may desperately need some peace and quiet to get that whole "work from home" thing done, it's important to keep them learning. While there are ample resources online that can help you continue your children's STEM studies, it's hardly enough to keep them engaged, challenged, and on-task - at least enough to occupy all the newfound free time! The good news is that MEL Science can really help.

MEL Science is a UK-based company that puts together subscription chemistry kits.

With MEL Science's hands-on experiments, you can start your child's scientific journey before they are a decade old! With an emphasis on chemistry, these subscription sets provide your children with the chance to create tin hedgehogs, hot ice, copper coral, tin dendrite, martian rust and galaxy in a bottle, just to name a few!

Deal

Free Starter Kit at MEL Science.
Click button "GET DEAL" to get free starter kit at MEL Science.

While your children are going to be learning scientific principles, they will also be wildly entertained. With hundreds of experiments within their 24 chemistry sets, you can choose the experiments that pique your kids' interests!

Each month, you receive a box filled with 1-3 hands-on experiments (with enough chemical reagents for at least 2 attempts), featuring visual step-by-step instructions, VR lessons, and access to the MEL Chemistry App. And for your very first experiment, you will learn the chemistry of monsters through a carbon snake and foam eruption!

Pros

MEL Chemistry Starter Kit
  • Decent monthly price considering all chemicals and materials are included.
  • At the moment, the starter kit is free.
  • Learn at your own pace.
  • Instructions are easy to follow.
  • Lots of supplementary material on-line and through a smartphone app (both iOS and Android).
  • In Canada, both French and English kit are available.
  • School subscription service is available upon request.

Cons

  • Cannot buy specific kits.
  • Cannot reorder chemicals or supplies if you wish to further repeat the same experiment but vary the conditions.
  • More adult assistance would be necessary for kids under 11 as some components are more difficult to work with.
  • Not likely stimulating enough for most high school level chemistry.
  • Monthly or Yearly subscription rates only; no pay per use available.
$10 OFF

Free Shipping on Your Purchase at MEL Science.
Click button "GET DEAL" get free shipping on your purchase at MEL Science.

MEL Chemistry vs MEL Chemistry Lite sets

MEL Chemistry Lite Sets

The key difference between MEL's Chemistry and the Chemistry Lite box is the Starter Kit. More specifically, the regular Chemistry box comes with a free VR headset in the first box and other helpful starter kit items, but the Chemistry Lite box does not.

If you do choose to purchase the MEL Chemistry set, you will receive the Starter Kit (pictured below) with 8 reusable tools to conduct your experiments, including:

  • Glass Beaker and flask
  • VR headset
  • Macro lens
  • Phone/tablet stand
  • Safety glasses and a tray
  • Solid fuel Stove (burner)

What do customers say about MEL Science?

On Facebook, the reviews of MEL Science give it a 4.6/5 rating with many customers raving about its usefulness with homeschooling. There were a couple critical Mel Chemistry reviews related to customer service, but other than that the reviews spoke of the high qualivty and experiment options.

MEL Science kits are also sold on Amazon and while a couple reviews from customers were disappointed with the product and their customer service, the majority of reviews were glowing.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to MEL Science sets, you will have to wait until they are at least 5 years old. That said, subscription provide your children with hands-on scientific learning, and allow you to engage with them during their experimentation.

MEL Science places a strong emphasis on chemistry and physics. The company offers a ton of additional value in the form of VR lessons (with a headset) that allow your children to continue learning until their next experiment comes in the mail!

If you are excited to spend time with your kid – and do some messier and slightly more adventurous experiments - MEL Chemistry is pretty awesome.

MEL Science Kit Unboxing

The first Mel Science kit was organized into several boxes. The first was the starter kit which contained all of the equipment needed for future experiments. A VR cardboard set, glass instruments, phone stand, safety goggles and more were included. There were also two separate small kits that housed experiements grouped by topic. Each kit came with enough material to do (and repeat) several experiements on that topic. The kits were all marked with warning labels and safety instructions which pleased the kids immensely. We downloaded the MEL Science app and were excited to find a new tool for conducting further research beyond the experiements themselves.

MEL Chemistry App

Our favorite of the two themes was the TIN bundle. We opened the box and were relieved to find such clear and concise instructions, coupled with very thorough safety warnings. The kit included gloves for us to use and we were able to transfer all of our chemicals safely.

MEL Science Kit Unboxing

The first experiment "Tin Dendrites" packed quite a punch. We used VR to gain a different look at the components and followed along on our Mel Science App as we conducted the experiment. We also used the special camera lenses included in the starter kit to watch the dendrites stretch across the petri dish. (THRILLING!) While we did remain at his side, our kid was able to do almost the entire experiment on his own- which thrilled him! Our first run through was full of questions and stops and starts. A few days later he repeated the experiment and this time he was full of explanations.

The second experiment in the kit "Tin Hedgehog" was beautiful! Never thought I would say that about a chemistry project, but there you have it. It was truly lovely. The boys (all ages) were fascinated by the end result and so sad to find out they couldn't keep it forever. But of course, they learned even more about the properties of Tin when they found out why they could not keep it forever.

MEL Chemistry Tin Hedgehog

When we read the warning labels on the experiments we were a bit concerned about how to safely dispose of everything, but when we reached the end of the experiment on the app we found a guide for safe disposal of those specific materials. We were also able to do further reading and research on the app which was an unexpected bonus!