Oyster is a monthly subscription box for children ages 5 to 9 that helps them discover the world of STEM-driven professions through fun hands-on activities.
Each box will feature a different profession for your child to learn about and explore. It will contain four or more hands-on projects to help your child learn more about that specific career/profession by simulating various tasks are involved in that line of work. All of the projects are thoughtfully created by an international team of product designers, STEM methodologists and teachers to provide a useful learning experience for each profession.
Disclosure: Box was received for review. Post may contain affiliate links.
Oyster also offers boxes for younger/older children: Professions 3+ for ages 3-5 and Craft&Code 8+ for ages 8-12.
Subscriptions are $39.95/month or less with multi-month plans. Shipping within the US is free. — For a limited time, you can save $15 on any subscription or gift with coupon code “Wendy15“!
Let’s see what’s in our Oyster “Geologist” box!
Everything was shipped in a red/orange box with the Oyster logo on top.
A peek inside!
A full-color booklet provided kid-friendly information about geologists and the types of things they do. It also included step-by-step instructions for all of the projects, along with helpful images/drawings to guide you through each activity.
Project #1: The Four Layers
The first project involved using the provided canvas drawstring bag to identify/mark the layers of the earth using the colorful self-adhesive felt pieces above.
After reading about the earth’s layers, we referred to the guide in the booklet to place each piece of felt in the correct location.
We placed all of the layers, followed by the oceans and land.
Our finished bag!
Project #2: Volcano
Our second project was a sand art “painting” of a volcano. Each section was to be peeled away at a time to reveal the adhesive layer below. The sand was then sprinkled over the adhesive parts, one color at a time until it matched the photo of the volcano in the booklet.
To contain (some of) the mess, I placed the art sheet inside of the shipping box. We poured the sand onto a napkin nearby.
The girls took turns peeling back each layer and covering the adhesive parts with a different color of sand.
Masterpiece complete!
Project #3: Semi-Precious Stones
This project had two steps. First, using the included tools, we needed to excavate a collection of gemstones from the solid block above. Once found, we were to assemble a frame to hold and label the stones.
Again, I placed the block inside of the shipping box to help contain the mess.
The girls took turns digging for gemstones using the provided wooden tools to slooooowly scrape away at the “rock”.
Finally, a gemstone appeared! 😀
As they collected the stones, they placed each one inside of a paper frame that I assembled for them (it was a bit tricky).
Once they had found all six, they arranged them inside of the frame and adhered the correct label under each one.
Project #4: Mineral Resources
The fourth project involved making a cross-section model showing different layers of minerals. Materials included a plastic container, four bundles of yarn/wool, cotton balls, a bag of shells, and a tiny plastic tree.
The first layer we needed to add was the tiny seashells, which represented the deepest layer containing the remains of different ancient organisms.
The remaining layers were added in any order, which represented coal (green), sandstone (beige), cobalt (red-brown), iron ore (yellow), and limestone (cotton).
The booklet didn’t mention the tiny tree at all, but we stuck it on top to complete our model anyway. 🙂
Project 5: A Keychain
After collecting all of the gemstones from the excavation project, you could set your favorite aside to place in this neat keychain.
My daughters both agreed that their favorite was the blue agate stone, which we placed inside. 🙂
The “Geologist” Oyster box was a big hit with my kiddos! At 9 years old, all of the projects were easy for them to understand and complete mostly on their own. They had fun learning about what geologists do and finding out some cool facts along the way (like how a chunk of ice is actually considered to be a rock!). Oyster is a great subscription for getting kids to think about what type of career they’d like to have when they grow up, all while having fun doing hands-on projects. 🙂 — Remember, for a limited time, you can save $15 on any subscription or gift with coupon code “Wendy15“!
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