MEL Science launches the first AR-powered educational subscription for kids
August 21, 2019 – London, UK – Following a $6M round of investments, MEL Science, a UK-based education service focused on immersive learning through technology and practical experiments, announced the launch of a new product – MEL Kids, a monthly subscription for children 5-10 years of age. The new subscription combines hands-on experiments with AR app to translate difficult science concepts into friendly and comprehensive visuals. The project aims to teach kids to approach and solve real-life problems logically by equipping them with an understanding of the scientific principles behind everyday objects.
Children begin to demonstrate scientific thinking at a surprisingly young age. Even as they play with blocks and other simple toys, they are formulating and testing their own basic hypotheses, and drawing their own conclusions. In the modern era, where it is projected that about 75 percent of jobs in the fastest-growing industries will soon require STEM skills, efforts to foster this natural curiosity are rapidly growing in importance. Experience in scientific inquiry aids in the development of kids’ critical-thinking skills, which are applicable to any area of study.
MEL Science is no stranger to early science education. The company of experienced educators and scientists debuted their VR-powered subscription service for safe chemistry experiments in 2015. The sets, aimed at kids 10+, are delivered to 42 countries and have garnered attention from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Science magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, among others.
Another issue the new subscription aims to tackle is negative screen time, one of the most pressing challenges facing modern-day parents. Given the choice between studying and smartphones, children will often eagerly opt for the latter, and science education needs to adapt for a chance to win their attention back. MEL Chemistry is equipped with VR, and MEL Kids with AR, in an effort to not only win back screen time, but to make hands-on learning even more efficient.
About MEL Kids
MEL Kids is a science education subscription service that combines hands-on experiments with an in-depth AR explanation aimed at kids ages 5-10. Each monthly kit contains a science-themed project with simple assembly, and an exciting comic book that discusses the underlying principles of the project. The subscription expounds upon topics such as optics, pressure, electricity, and much more. Kids will assemble a variety of projects related to their everyday life, for example they’ll build their own camera and make a battery. All lessons include an Augmented Reality experience that practically leaps out of the screen. The subscription costs $24.90 per month and thus far is offered within the US, with other countries soon to come.
About the company
MEL Science is a London-based company with total investments of $12M and the creator of MEL Chemistry, a VR-powered educational subscription that explores real scientific principles in all their beauty and depth. The subscription includes 38 interactive hands-on chemistry sets delivered to 42 countries and translated into 6 languages. The supplementary mobile app combines a personal assistant with a virtual 3D microscope, enabling kids to better visualize how each experiment works at the molecular level. Moreover, MEL Science maintains an active presence on social media, generating a huge base of educational content for more than 2M followers across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Get more details at https://melscience.com/
