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Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

In our homeschool, we tend to do try out different STEM activities and challenges. I love them because kids can work on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills which is great. Recently, we’ve been using homeschool STEM kits by Pitsco Education. My kids tried out the Middle School Creator Pack, and it was a lot of fun. Let me share some of our thoughts on this.

Pitsco Education- Homeschool STEM Kits

I hadn’t heard of Pitso Education before. So when the review came up for the Homeschool Review Crew, I took a look at their site. Boy, do they have a lot of STEM options for families. If you have kids interested in coding, robotics, engineering, STEM challenges (and more), you will find a lot of different options for your family.

Not only do they have a lot of projects and programs for STEM education, but they also include options for kids K-12. Families can find something for all ages in their family.

What is the Middle School STEM Creator Pack?

The Middle School STEM Creator Pack contains five kits. The projects are for grades 6-8. Each kit contains a hands-on STEM activity for kids to complete. The projects include:

• Catapults
• Rolling Vehicles
• Da Vinci Bridges
• Friction Climber
• My Invention

Each project comes with ALL the materials you need. Seriously, EVERYTHING is in the box. There is no searching around your house for the supplies. We were given a complete roll of masking tape, invisible tape, and string with the kits. They even gave us a block of clay. I can’t tell you how grateful I was for this. Whenever we go to do a project, it seems something is missing. This time I didn’t need to worry.

Also with each project is a set of directions. The directions are broken down step-by-step and with pictures. I found the directions to be well written. They were definitely easy for my kids to follow independently.

Lastly, kids not only get the projects to create but additional activities to expand their learning. The vehicles, catapults, and Da Vinci bridge projects had additional activities for kids to do with their creation. I’ll talk about this more in a little bit.

Using the Homeschool STEM Pack in OUR Homeschool

At the time of the review period, my kids were finishing 5th and 7th grade. I worried at first the projects would be too easy for them. After all, we have made balloon cars and catapults before. However, this wasn’t the case.

Since the projects were designed for middle school kids, I let my kids work on them independently. They may have asked a question here or there and needed me to hold something while they taped, for the most part, they did them on their own. Therefore, since they were working on the projects by themselves and the activities, it was appropriate for their age level. They certainly didn’t need a lot of hand holding.

My kids were able to complete all the projects and do some of the activities that went along with them. At times, both kids completed the same project and for others only one of them completed it.

The Projects

Rolling Vehicles

The first project my kids chose to do was Rolling Vehicles. Rolling Vehicles are balloon cars. My kiddos never get bored making these. I was happy to see there were enough wheels for two cars, which meant each kid could choose one. Phew. Even though they are older, it doesn’t mean my kids won’t fight over who gets to do a project.

The project has four cars to choose from. First, kids need to color, cut and tape them together. The wheels were a little tough, but I widened the holes to help them out. I found the paper for the cars was sturdy, so I didn’t worry they would rip or collapse.

Once the cars were made, kids have five activities to do with their cars. Here is where kids incorporate their math skills. My son decided to measure how far his car could travel while my daughter chose to use her math skills to calculate the rate of speed per second. Both were activities for this project.

Friction Climber

Next, my son worked on the friction climber. It is a simple project in which kids try and climb the board up the string. Kids learn a little about friction. I like how kids learn some interesting facts that tie into the project, too. For this activity, kids learn how mountain climbers use friction.

Catapults

While my son worked on the friction climber, my daughter did the catapult. I was surprised it was pretty sturdy and catapulted things well.

Four activities go along with the catapults. In the activities, kids do distance trials, hit targets, create a game, and test their game.

Da Vinci Bridges

Okay, so this was a challenging one. The kids and I struggled with this project mostly because we were all being stubborn and trying to do it on our own. The directions say to get help from a partner. Do it! You won’t struggle as hard.

I like the activity that goes along with this creation. Kids used engineering skills to build it, and use math skills in the activity. Kids test how much stress their bridge can take and graph their results.

Creating My Invention

Lastly, my daughter worked on the invention project. For this, kids are given different materials, and they need to invent something of their own. Here is what my daughter came up with.

Thoughts on Pitsco Education’s Homeschool STEM Pack

So, what did we think?!

We really enjoyed the homeschooling STEM projects from Pitsco Education. Middle school kids can work on them independently, and the activities do a nice job of expanding learning.

What we loved:

• Easy to follow directions.
• Fun projects.
• Great activities.
• Hands-on learning.
• Kids can work on them independently.
• Challenging.
• All the materials provided.

Pitsco Education has great homeschool STEM boxes. I would recommend them to any family that enjoys adding STEM to their homeschool.

Other families tried different products from Pitsco Education. Click on the banner below to see how they used their products in their homeschool.

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