From beauty products to snacks, subscription boxes- filled with various goodies, products, and samples- have become ever-so-prevalent and are expanding to unexpected genres of interest. The most intriguing? The STEMBox.
The STEMBox is a monthly subscription box aimed towards inspiring young girls (ages seven to thirteen) to explore their interests in science-related fields. Creator Kina McAllister, a graduate from Seattle University, says her reasoning behind creating the STEMBox is because she “began to realize the disparity of women in STEM professions and leadership roles in STEM through [her] experiences in the field,” adding that growing up, there weren’t “challenging science kits for girls the way there were for boys” (1).
Shipping out to buyers once every month, these activity-filled boxes feature different materials required to conduct a STEM experiment. For the month of May? A Strawberry DNA Extraction Box. For April? A Robotics Box.
Additionally, the website for the boxes contains resources for kids (via their parents) to learn more about the topic, ranging from DNA games to articles on important women in science discovery.
Nicknamed ‘Steminists’, advocators for the STEMBox have voiced their love for the product- such as businesswoman Melinda Gates and Times Magazine. Though the website is largely aimed at getting more girls integrated in STEM, boys may also participate in receiving the boxes, in fact, there are many that do so on a regular basis. The website states that:
“While we focus our marketing rhetoric and copy on girls in order to improve the gender gap in STEM (where women still only make up 29% of the field) we strongly believe that boys are an integral part of the equation. We need our boys to see strong female role models in science as well as understand how to cooperate in a field where women will work as their equals” (2).
The STEMBox is just one of many science-related subscription boxes for kids (3). Regardless of the brand, each box conveys the same message: getting kids involved in the STEM fields early on is preparing them for their future. Even if a child doesn’t like building robots, for example, they may find that in the next months box, a new passion is discovered. These science boxes fuel the imagination and aspirations of children around the world and, at the same time, keep them occupied in a fun, educational way.
References and Footnotes:
(1) https://www.mystembox.com/about
(2) https://stembox.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002485091-Is-StemBox-Only-For-Girls-
(3) List of more science subscription boxes https://selfsufficientkids.com/educational-subscription-boxes-for-kids/
0 comments on “Exploring STEM Early On: Science Subscription Boxes for Kids”