Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit

Regular readers will know that I am passionate about promoting STEM subjects. My girls might not end up with Science-based careers, or even studying Science beyond GCSE, however, I want them to have the opportunity to be able to should they wish to. Of course I would LOVE it if they did, so I try to introduce fun Science activities whenever I can. I was sent the Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit for Freyja to have a look at. It was a great way to get her excited about “doing some Science”.

The Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit is a portable carry case that opens up to reveal loads of science gear including a real working microscope with 4x power. There are also slides, 2 test tubes with stand, funnel, jar, lab flasks, pH strips, pipette dropper, petri dish, safety goggles, Project Mc2 ring, and 2 sticker sheets. There is a booklet with instructions for how to conduct 15 different experiments.

Freyja was really keen to get started on some experiments as soon as possible. However, the kit isn’t something that can just be opened and played with straight away – so be warned if you are planning to buy as a gift. Firstly, the microscope needs three LR44 batteries which are not supplied. However, and I have no idea why, we did actually have some in a kitchen drawer. The other potential problem is that you need to buy “ingredients” for the experiments.

There are a few experiments that can be done with items that you probably have at home. We tried the “cloud in a jar” experiment which only needed an aerosol, ice and boiling water.

We also tried some chromatography. For this we needed some kitchen towel, the test tubes provided and pens with black ink. Freyja drew a line a little way up a strip of kitchen towel and placed it in the test tube with a little water in the bottom. She watched the water move up the paper, taking the ink with it. She was actually amazed that the black ink also contained blue ink too. It inspired her to try similar with other felt pens to see what colours were present in them.

The Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit is suitable for children aged 6 and above, and is available at Smyth’s Toys for £24.99. Freyja is really enjoying this kit, and has been really inspired by it. If you bear in mind that you need to buy batteries for the microscope and ingredients for the experiments, it is a great gift for any budding Scientist.

Disclaimer: We were sent the Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit, but as always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.