If you’re looking for gift ideas for your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, I’ve stumbled across a good one: Blue Moon Box -- a box full of materials and surprises that involve young people in scientific problem solving. The box is delivered monthly and you can choose a few different term options. If you’re not familiar with home-delivery boxes, think of them as a mystery gift delivered by the mail carrier. My husband and I both get one delivered every month. His is a comic-book bento box that contains four or five comics or graphic novels and I get a makeup and beauty bag that features several new products based on a profile I created.
For the Blue Moon Box, each one contains two to three hands-on science experiments and creative projects that focus on a specific field of science. Also included is all the support and guidelines for each box.
According to the company’s website, the aim is to encourage kids to become the scientists and engineers of the future. Who heads this company? Sara Sakowitz, a student at Columbia University whose high school career included interning in the lab of a cancer researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College. Salkowitz’s work at the lab also led her to participate in the prestigious Intel Scientific Talent Search in 2014.
The boxes work best for kids ages 6 - 12. All material is hands-on and interactive, so kids with different science backgrounds can enjoy. The FAQ section of the site says that it only ships boxes within the United States but is hoping to ship internationally by late 2017.