GIGIL STEM Kits is a well-thought-out educational subscription box you’ll receive monthly.
This subscription kit is geared towards kids aged 4-11 who love science, discovery, and all things STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s a blending of all four in real-life applications.
Before this review, I’ll say that GIGIL does a fantastic job of integrating STEM with a done-for-you kit that your children will love.
Do your kids love discovering new things? Do you want them to have a good understanding of science? If so, let’s get into this review of GIGIL STEM Kit!
I encourage you to read my meaningful review of the GIGIL STEM Box. But if you are short on time and want to check out their page and see everything available, you can follow this link here. The kits are also available on Amazon as well.
Table of Contents
What are GIGIL STEM Kits
It’s a new adventure every month with a box that includes everything you’ll need for five STEM activities. Educators create these for kids around four to eleven.
GIGIL STEM Kit is divided into two age categories:
- Pre-K-1st Grade (4-7 years old)
- 2nd-5th Grade (8-11 years old)
All kits have a new monthly theme to them. I thought it was a great touch that some of the themes match the season we’re in. Such as exploring how snowflakes work in the winter or “bring the heat” in the summer months.
Everything you need is included so you and your kids can start immediately. This also means nothing wasted—no need to go to the craft store to get one straw in a pack of one hundred. Or have a few hundred wooden ice cream sticks sitting in your pantry for years.
Full colored instructions written in plain English are also included. They show step-by-step how to perform the STEM experiments, tweak and change the experiments, and the expected outcome.
I like that the instructions are clear for parents and kids. My family has reviewed dozens of STEM kits, and some expect the parent to have a degree in chemistry to get through it. I’m exaggerating slightly, but I love it when instruction includes pictures of the activities like GIGIL does.
What Is in the GIGIL STEM Box
Five guided STEM activities are included, along with all the material. This isn’t to say you’re only going to do five, as more activities and alternative STEM activities can be added.
An example is building a bridge with the included craft sticks and rubber bands. There was enough material to make multiple bridges and assemble them differently. One of the challenges was to create a bridge without glue, then another to build one with adhesive.
These are different projects, but GIGIL counts them as only one. My daughter’s creativity excited her to a few I didn’t even think of, like when she used the included tape from a different STEM activity to make one of her bridges even larger.
Watch the video of the month before you get started!
Each month GIGIL STEM produces a video with some of the projects your kids should watch before they get started on their box.
In this video, a teacher will go over some of the more complex projects and STEM activities. While it’s essential for kids to come up with their own ideals, this was a good foundation for building a bridge and some of the principles on how and why they work.
Once you subscribe, you’ll be given a unique code to the video. No log-in was required, so you can start watching right away.
Let’s go over some of the STEM activities in the instruction manual.
Hydropower Wheel
The instructions go over the learning concepts about hydropower and how electricity is made. It went over how the force of water spins the turbines, turning mechanical power into electrical power.
My daughter was able to pull out everything she needed from the material list provided. She then followed the steps and started building her hydropower wheel.
This was a straightforward project, and she didn’t think too much outside the box. She was super excited to try it out in the real world, so we went to the local stream to give it a test.
Overall she really liked this project, and it opened up a discussion on hydropower and how electricity is made!
Skyscraper Challenge
This is one of the activities I mentioned above that you’ll approach in a few different ways. You can just build up a skyscraper with the cups but then try it again by using other materials to make it stronger.
This is definitely fun for younger kids and something I’ve done with my four-year-old. The older kids build the skyscraper, and their younger brother knocks it down.
This is also a great challenge if you have a few little ones or friends over. You can see which one can build the most significant or strongest building. A ruler was included as this was one of the extra challenges.
Bridge Challenge
The bridge-building challenge was the most difficult one for my daughter. I think this is why the video guide spent most of the time on it.
She started by sketching what her bridge would look like in the notebook. This was suggested in the GIGIL video.
Your kids will go about it in a few different ways. One is with craft sticks and paper tubes. Make a suspension bridge with glue. The other is with cups and tape.
As the glue was drying on the craft sticks, she then started making a bridge with cups, tubes, and tape. I like that the tape GIGIL included was painter’s tape. It’s not messy and can be removed and rearranged easily for little hands.
These were just some of the projects included in the GIGIL STEM Box. You and your kids can dive deeper and make as much as they want, along with the extra challenges like the tallest tower, longest bridge, or see who’s bridge can stand up to the most wind with a fan.
How Much Does the GIGIL STEM Box Cost
Pricing is straightforward and competitive with other STEM box and crate offerings. You can find the current prices of GIGIL STEM Boxes here. Make sure to use coupon code 1STBOXFREE! to get a free box on a six or twelve-month subscription.
- 1-Month – $37.95 per box
- 3-Month – $34.95 per box
- 6-Month – $31.95 per box
- 12-Month – $28.95 per box
If you prefer Amazon, you also have that option. They are a few dollars more, but you can find them here.
Charter School Funds
As a homeschool mom, I love this option, and I wish more STEM kits included it. They are an approved vendor for the iLead, Sky Mountain, Compass Charter, Ocean Grove, South Sutter, and Sage Oak.
How Does GIGIL STEM Box Compare to Other Subscription Boxes
I mentioned above that my family and I had reviewed dozens of STEM subscription boxes. My kids have had a field day trying new science experiments and giving me their thoughts.
I typically recommend KiwiCo to my readers (you can find my full review here) and other STEM kit reviews here.
I’m happy to say GIGIL STEM made a fantastic STEM box I can recommend to anyone that wants their kids to have hands-on experiments with little to no prep work!
I like the little details included and the thoughtful nature of these kits being put together by a CA-certified teacher. I can tell this is a company backed by a passion for kids’ education.
Wrapping Up
My seven-year-old daughter loved this STEM kit, but I also think that older kids (my oldest is nine) will love these kits as well. Slightly older kids will build structures in a somewhat different way. I love that this kit scales perfectly for kids of all ages.
You can find more information about GIGIL and make a purchase here.
FAQ
Can I postpone or skip a month?
Yes, you’ll be able to skip or postpone a box. It’s also easy to add another box for a sibling with a discount.
Can I buy a single or send one as a gift?
If you’d like to purchase one as a gift, you can make one-off purchases or buy it as a bundle with no subscription. This is an excellent way of testing to see if your kids will love it as much as my daughter!
Do you offer sibling or wholesale discounts?
Yes! They offer a discount if you want to purchase kits for the whole family. Sibling discounts will be applied at check out. They also provide wholesale if you are interested in purchasing for a class, boy or girl scout troop, or parties.
What Else Is Included With The Subscription?
Each month you’ll get a video code to watch the projects being built. This is especially great for little kids that need some help getting started. A notebook is also included to sketch out what your builds will look like before getting started.
You can find more information on CrateJoy, or on Amazon here.
