Curiosity Box is a quarterly STEM subscription box that provides science and math enthusiasts of all ages with limited-edition boxes of the world’s best science toys, puzzles, and novelty items.
Boxes will include a “premium mix of new inventions and classic science toys that demonstrate everything from angular momentum to optical illusions”. Every item is developed by the creators of Vsauce — the award-winning science education network with over 3 billion video views — and each one will include a custom video lesson that can only be accessed by subscribers through their app. These items can include exclusive t-shirts, mind-bending puzzles, collectibles, experiments, books, gadgets, and more.
Disclosure: Box was received for review. Post may contain affiliate links.
Subscriptions are $60/quarter or $220/year (save $20!). — For a limited time, you can save 25% on your first box with coupon code “ROSEBUDS25!
Let’s see what’s in the Winter 2024 Curiosity Box!
Everything was shipped in a small black box with the Curiosity Box logo on the side. — The box itself can actually be turned into a solar calendar using the instructions found inside. Cool!
A 2-sided info card listed all of the items in this quarter’s box, along with photos and a brief description for each one.
A quarterly magazine is also included in the box, which provides additional details about each item as well as other science-y goodness.
The Schmoyer Sundial
Originally designed by Richard L. Schmoyer in 1956, the sundial above was produced for Curiosity Box with the cooperation of the Schmoyer family as well as the North American Sundial Society. It comes in its own box and does require assembly, which my husband handled with no issues. Unlike most sundials that tell solar time (based purely on the position of the sun), the Schmoyer tells civil time (aka what you see on your clock) — a more accurate time that takes into account other factors like time zones and daylight savings time. To achieve the most accurate reading, you’ll need to adjust the sundial to reflection your actual latitude, longitude, and other location details. Being that I’m not exactly the most patient person, this really makes me appreciate how far we’ve come in time telling/displaying. 😉
Wire You So Sweet Puzzle Set
The cute little gift-worthy box above contains seven different metal wire puzzles to solve at your leisure. I’ve never been very good at these, so I was very surprised (and impressed!) when my tween daughter solved two of these in minutes. — “Double Heart” and “Strawberries”, I believe. As for the others… Well, they’re holding their secrets a little closer. 😉
Rainbow Diffraction Chocolate Mold
I tried to find a photo of what this “rainbow chocolate” is supposed to look like, but wasn’t able to track one down. According to the info booklet/magazine, the reusable mold was designed with “microscopic diffraction grating” that will imprint its rainbow-making structure onto the chocolate bars you make with it. The result will be an iridescent rainbow sheen, whose intensity will vary under different lighting conditions. Pro Tip: Dark chocolate works best!
Antique Bohr Atom Shirt
Each Curiosity Box comes with a new t-shirt that relates to that quarter’s overall theme. The winter box featured a pale yellow (or is it more of a cream color?) tee adorned with a detailed 1923 illustration of the radium atom based on Niels Bohr’s pioneering work on atomic structure. The info booklet/magazine provided lots of information about atoms — including how the image above replaced the iconic (and out of date) atom design (The Rutherford Model) that we often see in movies, TV shows, and comic books.
The Clock That Went Backward
Printed in the hardcover book above are a series of stories by Edward Page Mitchell — one of the earliest science fiction writers from the 19th century. Featured are the first documented stories involving scientific teleportation, cryostasis, surgically altered personalities, and more! The book also contains a foreward by Kevin Lieber and beautifully done illustrations by Nika Chirskaia.
CTWB Sticker Set
Hopefully you’ll appreciate the illustrations in the aforementioned book, because Curiosity Box also included a whole sheet of ’em in sticker form! There’s five stickers in all, patiently awaiting a spot on your favorite water bottle, journal, limb, whatever. 😉
The Winter 2024 Curiosity Box included a great collection of truly unique items for lovers of science or anyone who appreciates the “unusual”. The Schmoyer Sundial was clearly the highlight of the box, but I’m personally looking forward to finding rainbows in my chocolate and solving the rest of those perplexing puzzles. — Interested in getting a Curiosity Box for yourself or as a holiday gift? — Don’t forget to use coupon code “ROSEBUDS25” at checkout to save 25% on your first box!
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