The team at Click-A-Brick say StemBox -- a new product that has a unique way of getting girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) -- is one of the best gifts a girl could receive to get her interested in STEM concepts.
With StemBox, girls sign up to a subscription service that will send them a kit each month that includes everything they need to perform a science experiment. Each StemBox has a different concept to explore and different experiments to perform. In addition to the boxes, the company will host a YouTube channel where girls can find tutorials for the experiments and learn more about each box’s concept. Plus, the channel will have real female role models from various scientific fields. The kits are aimed at girls aged 7-13.
StemBox’s first and second kits — about DNA extraction from a strawberry and owl pellet dissection — will be available in January and February, respectively.
Founder Cristina McAllister, who is a research scientist, said she wanted to help more girls stay interested in science throughout the middle and high school years when their love of science tends to fade, something McAllister says is largely due to the perceived notion that science is more of a boys endeavor.
“At school, during the book fairs there would be ‘Gross Science!’ kits for sale, but they were always intended and marketed for the boys,” McAllister says on the StemBox website. “A lot of the things I was supposed to be reading and playing with were pink and fluffy. I don’t know what made me use my allowance to buy the ‘Gross Science!’ kit, maybe it was the competitive side in me wanting to prove people I could do things just as well as the boys could, but I’m glad I did. I want to give girls their own equivalent of ‘Gross Science!’ without turning them off to the idea of science.”
Click-A-Brick Co-Founders Jason Smith and Georg de Gorostiza say they adore the idea of a monthly subscription for science experiment kits for girls and say it could be one of the best gifts a science-loving girl could receive.
“As soon as we saw the StemBox concept, we were both really impressed with it, particularly the subscription part,” Smith said. “Not only does it give girls hands on experience with science, but it adds that extra bit of excitement for them waiting for the next kit to arrive. And, of course, giving girls role models in the science world to connect with is huge, too. Kids, and especially girls, need all the encouragement they can get to pursue their interest in science and seeing women who are in the scientific field will be encouraging for them.”
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