Tomorrow is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day designated by the UN to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM fields and to address the persistent gender gap in science. Here at Letterbox Lab, our goal is to inspire and engage all children with the wonder of science through our science subscription box . We want to demonstrate that scientific thinking, curiosity and discovery are for everybody! One of the ways in which we do this is through the conversations between lab assistants Meg and Pico.
Meg and Pico are the Letterbox Lab Assistants, and arrive with every science subscription box to guide children through their experiments.
Meg and Pico are two children who love to make discoveries and play with science, but they also have subtle differences in their attitudes towards science that we hope make the pair appealing to lots of different children.
In celebration of Women and Girls in Science, we sat our favourite Girl Scientist down to find out what makes her tick.
An Interview with Meg
LBL: Hi Meg! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Can you tell us how old you are and what your favourite hobby is?
Meg: Hi! I am eleven years old and my favourite thing to do is science!
Why do you like science?
Science is so big! I like science because there is so much to do in science. I like finding things out by doing experiments and it’s nice to have a hobby that I can do with my brother even though usually we like different things. There are lots of puzzles in science that are fun to solve, and there are so many questions that science can answer. I think science is good for me because I like maths and art, and science has both.
What are your favourite topics in science?
Space and animals! I like looking at pictures from space and reading about lots of different animals. I also like engineering and building things.
What’s your favourite experiment from Letterbox Lab?
My favourite is You are Here – from Explore Box 10 and Investigate Box 10 where you turn the box into a moving model of the Earth, Sun and Moon called an orrery! It’s my favourite because I love space and I love making things. I still have mine on my shelf in my room and I play with it all the time. I also loved all of the activities in Investigate Box 7: Over the Top because I really like building machines like catapults and helicopters especially when I get to use them to throw Pico across a room. It’s OK though, he’s quite bouncy so he doesn’t get hurt.
In You Are Here, little scientists convert their box into a working model of the Solar System.
Who or what are you named after?
My big ideas! Mega means big.
What do you like to do other than science?
I like to play netball and I’m in a camera club. I love taking photos, especially of the Moon through my telescope. I also like dressing up, especially as my science heros!
Who are your science heros?
All scientists are my heros, but my favourite scientists are Jane Goodall and Sally Ride.
Meg paid homage to her favourite women in STEM for International Womens Day last year.
We’ve been wondering, how tall are you?
It’s true – Meg can hold an atom as easily as a magnifying glass.
Are you and Pico, like, aliens or something?
Well, as I told my brother Pico, we do live in space, but so does everyone else 😛
Meg and Pico discuss the possibility that they are aliens in Investigate Box 10: Waste of Space
Do you and Pico ever argue?
I’m his big sister, so it’s my job to make sure we don’t 🙂
What do you want to do when you grow up?
I want to do something to do with science but I’m not sure what exactly and I change my mind a lot. At the moment I think I want to be a wildlife photographer.
Do you think you have to be clever to be a scientist?
When I do science experiments it’s to find out more about the world, so I think you have to be curious. I am only eleven but I know lots of things about science because I read a lot and because when my little brother asks a question that I don’t know the answer to I say, “Let’s do an experiment!” and that’s how I find out the answer. If I was so clever that I knew everything I’d never do experiments.
One of Meg’s favourite phrases is “Let’s Investigate!”
See Meg in action in the Explore Box and Investigate Box series. She and her little brother Pico will guide your child through a plethora of exciting science experiments that are sure to inspire and engage them, whatever they aspire to be. Happy Experimenting!
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