Is any of this actually dangerous?

No. Citric acid is what makes sour candy sour, and butterfly pea is tea. The goggles are theater — good theater. The only real rule: label anything you store.

What age is this right for?

The sweet spot is 5–12. Under 7, you run the pouring and they run the predictions. Over 9, they run everything and you get demoted to lab assistant, which is the goal.

How long does the kit last?

The consumables cover 10–15 sessions. The glassware, scale, and goggles are permanent lab equipment.

The Lab Rats kit · ages 5–12

The Kitchen Lab

Real chemistry at the kitchen table. Goggles mandatory, mostly for effect.

Everything here fits in one drawer and runs off tap water and the spice cabinet. No butterfly nets, no “grow your own crystals in 6–8 weeks” — every experiment pays off the same afternoon you start it, because a kid’s trust in the lab is built on results.

See a kit built live ↓Works for: apartment · anywhere with a table

The kit, built for you

Complete kits found across real merchants, matched to this track and your budget. Take the quiz and it gets personal.

Assembling your kit

Pulling the right gear from the catalog…

The Field Guide — your first three Saturdays

Written for the dad, not the kid. Including what to say when it goes sideways.

Session 01 · ~60 min

The Color-Changing Potion Lab

Brew a color-changing indicator, then hunt the kitchen for acids and bases.

Session 02 · ~60 min

The Fizz Engine

Acid–base reactions with measured doses: predict, scale up, and launch the film-canister rockets.

Session 03 · ~75 min

The Mystery Powder Case

You rig four unlabeled powders; the kid runs the full lab to identify them. Graduation day.

Read session one in full on the The Lab Rats page →

Fair questions

Is any of this actually dangerous?: No. Citric acid is what makes sour candy sour, and butterfly pea is tea. The goggles are theater — good theater. The only real rule: label anything you store.
What age is this right for?: The sweet spot is 5–12. Under 7, you run the pouring and they run the predictions. Over 9, they run everything and you get demoted to lab assistant, which is the goal.
How long does the kit last?: The consumables cover 10–15 sessions. The glassware, scale, and goggles are permanent lab equipment.

Not sure this is your kid?

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