As STEAM products rise in popularity, chemistry sets are more prevalent but not necessarily well designed and paced for kids’ learning. Crayola is the exception as they make some of my favorite sets, with a whopping 50 possible experiments. Last year kids loved erupting volcanos and producing colored slime so this year we’ll take them a step further into the arctic with options to make a chill thermometer that changes color according to the temperature, a snow globe, cold lava, frozen hail, a 3D winter tree, rollerball ink and glistening snow slime! Each experiment builds on the knowledge of the previous ones as kids experiment with color, temperature, oil, water, salt and light. As a speech pathologist I like that each activity begins with a question to answer such as “What would happen if we froze paint? Would it thaw and leave a colored trail on paper?” At the back of the instruction book there are lined Lab Notes pages for children to record their observations and what they learned–a wonderful language building activity. I recommend this kit for children 7 and up but also for a favorite classroom teacher to use for class lessons in chemistry this winter!

Available at Crayola. Click here