I had the honor of attending and presenting at the EdCrunch conference in Moscow this past fall. While visiting, I met with some of the MEL Science team and discussed their innovative products. I didn’t quite grasp all they were explaining to me at the time but later received three boxes in the mail with the MEL Kids products and their MEL Chemistry experiments. Fast forward three months, I finally opened the kits as I was preparing for spring conferences. I decided to test out the product with my family one weekend, and it ended up being the highlight of our time together.
We had laughter, gasps, and constant questioning as we explored the MEL Kids kit. I split up the children in the family and asked my brother Jesse to help me manage the activities. We each took a kit and began reading through the comic book style story. At one point in the story, the characters run into a problem and need your help in building a solution. Each kit includes items to begin constructing your set. The maker activity resolves the issue while providing a meaningful experience with the content. After the book and maker activity, students can then explore the concept further with the MEL Kids augmented reality app (or 3D view).
When I began the MEL Kids kits, I had no idea how much the children were going to learn, and how much the adults learned, too. The dynamic of reading, hearing, seeing, making, and exploring produced powerful learning opportunities. After evaluating the results with my own family, I am hooked and have been sharing MEL Kids with anyone interested. Considering the move to more maker activities in the classroom (FINALLY), this company has found a way to bring intense discovery, exploratory fun and spark further interest in more learning.
The MEL Science company is known for making the micro and macro world accessible at a human scale to describe even the most complex concepts. Our older students can explore science experiments using the MEL Chemistry set. My youngest daughter was immediately drawn to the experiments and loved using the equipment from the starter kit. The approach to exploring science in experiments while using the 3D or VR app moves students from memorizing information to understanding concepts.
The MEL Chemistry app shows each of the experiments and walks the child through step by step directions. The option to explore the science behind the experiment shows the reason for the reactions. In addition, the app gives students the ability to scan the code on the reagents to learn more about each of them. The VR lessons are intense as the students are placed in a virtual lab to zoom into the science!
The MEL Chemistry bundles are available for schools today, and the MEL Science team is currently working on school bundles for MEL Kids (although you can purchase the subscription for all the products now). If you’re interested in learning more about prices, please reach out to Edd at edd@melscience.com.
The most important part of MEL Science is the content. Have you seen their videos on YouTube - WOW?! Students are learning in an immersive environment, but they're not just using AR/VR to explore. The MEL Science team has more exciting products coming soon, and you don’t want to miss it!
Special thanks to Edd and Tasha for providing a discount to begin exploring MEL Science products.
25% discount off the first subscription month
- VRINEDU for MEL Chemistry (https://mel.sc/scH/)
- ARINEDU for MEL Kids (https://mel.sc/scI/)
This blog is part of the #31DaysofARVRinEDU event. Expect a new augmented or virtual reality resource for the classroom to post every day in March. All subscribers will receive daily notifications.
Share what you learn from the #31DaysofARVRinEDU event and you can be a winner!
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