MEL Science – Polarized Light | Review

*AD – the item in this review was gifted to our household for this post. All opinions, as always, are our own.

It’s been a while since we wrote about the last science kit that we did, the Luminescence kit from MEL. This time we sat down with the MEL Science Polarized Light kit, another box from their MEL Science Physics range, a range that’s designed for a slightly older audience than a lot of the kits out there. As I said previously, the range is really professionally made, with a clean minimalist box design and that carries through to the instructions as well.

We actually use the included instructions and keep them afterwards, but the fact that there’s a well-designed app that goes alongside the range is really cool; not only does it talk you through each experiment but it’s also needed in order to access the extra, complementary experiments that come with each box. It’s worth noting that there’s also some cool VR stuff that you can do with it, extra activities and learning, and also there’s a way to chat to the box creators about the experiments if you wish. It’s really thorough.

The Polarized Light box included everything for three core experiments, that includes film, tape, glasses, a frame assembly and more. I really like the foam insert that seems to come with each of the boxes, although I am always very conscious of the amount of waste and non-recyclable materials that some of these subscription boxes include. All of that said, it is really great how they separate each of the components into groups based on the experiment that they are involved with, it’s all incredibly professional and deliberate feeling.

The first of the experiments revolved around how polarizers affect light, while the second explored how you could make tension visible. The third was what really captivated Kai the most; For that one, you created a large frame and applied layers of tape in order to cause the light to shift when looked at through a lens, or through the glasses. He thought this was fascinating and once he’d figured out what was going on he really got to work seeing how far he could push it by putting layer upon layer of tape over each other.

We probably spent about an hour with the Polarized Light kit, with a decent lump of that being Kai adding lots of extra layers to the frame. He’s a relatively fresh-faced secondary-school student, but the way that the instructions are handled means that I can – if I choose – leave him be with the box on his own. We tinkered with the app afterwards, and the frame (and glasses) are currently on his desk in his room… I’ve seen him tinkering with it in the days since we finished it, which is exactly what you hope for when you complete projects like this.

We’ve taken a look around the MEL Science site and, frankly, there’s a lot of other exciting activities that are coming up in future boxes (just look at the Electrostatic Touchscreen one) so we’re both happy and eager to keep tinkering with the kits for the foreseeable future.

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