As girls tend to do, E has become ever so slightly ‘Barbie obsessed’. She now has about five Barbie style dolls all of which she loves dearly, including her new ‘Ember Evergreen Project MC 2 Experiment Doll’ which was very kindly sent to us to review.
What Is Project MC2?
Project MC2 (pronounced ‘Project MC-Squared) is an online (Netflix) American TV series set in the fictitious city of Maywood Glen, California. Revolving around the fields of STEAM, McKeyla McAlister and her friends work for a government organisation called NOV8 (pronounced ‘Innovate’), a highly secretive , girly group who are on a mission to save the World.
Ember Evergreen
Ember (or Amber as E has chosen to name her) is one of the many characters featured in the Project MC2 series, according to her ‘bio’ she apparently has a passion for plants as she grew up on a popcorn farm. Said to be a force of nature, Ember is known for transforming deserts into jungles with a single touch of her southern know-how.
The Ember Evergreen Project MC2 Experiment Doll set includes:
- 1 x Ember Evergreen Doll (fully clothed and accessorised with a dress, socks, boots, belt, headband and matching handbag.
- 1 x Hair Combe
- 1 x Hanging Garden Terrarium
- 1 x Terrarium Stand/ Hanger
- 1 x Pipette
STEAM
STEM + Art = STEAM
In the current climate of economic uncertainty, America has become innovative in order to ensure a prosperous future. Innovation remains tightly coupled with:
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Maths
- + Art
= STEAM
The STEM subjects (plus Art and Design) are poised to transform our economy into the 21st century just as Science and Technology did in the last.
The Science Behind The Doll & The Hanging Garden
Using this set children are able to create their own hanging garden/ terrarium with the Project MC2’s earthy scientist, Ember Evergreen.
There’s Science to gardening, the clear container (called a terrarium) is like an aquarium for plants. The plants inside the terrarium require less water as the container helps to trap the moisture.
Some of the water inside the terrarium is reused through a three-step water cycle:
- Water evaporates.
- Water vapor cools to create droplets when it makes contact with the container.
- Water droplets drip back down to the plant.
Putting The Project MC2 Doll Set  ‘To The Test’
Unfortunately the set does not come with seeds, pebbles, activated charcoal or moss which are all required to create said hanging garden. Due to the lack of contents we had to wait until we were able to pop out to the local garden centre (aka Nana and Grandad’s house) to find the equipment to carry this part of the project out.
The terrarium itself is very small and therefore quite tricky for children and adults alike to put together. We used some colourful plastic beads in place of the small stones required along with a small amount of compost and some pansy seeds to set about growing our very own hanging garden, this is now sat in our kitchen windowsill in the process of growing.
Whilst E enjoyed putting together her hanging garden she was far more interested in playing with the beautiful doll, Ember Evergreen.
Unlike the average Barbie style doll, Ember has a natural appearance including freckles and glowing cheeks. I was really taken with the appearance of the doll but not so impressed by the quality. Within a few hours of playing with her doll, E brought Ember to me missing half a leg, whilst this was easily repaired using a simple pop-joint it seemed to become a frequent issue.
Despite Ember’s regular breakages E seemed to really enjoy playing with the Project MC2 Experiment Doll, especially brushing her long, golden hair which E tells me is the same colour as her own.
As a past Teacher, I can fully appreciate the intentions of the Project MC2 Experiment Doll Sets. I am all for educational toys but feel that this set lacks a few of the essential items required.
This set can be reused so children can experiment with planting a range of seeds over time. However, I feel that it would be far better if this set was to actually include the seeds, pebbles, activated charcoal and moss required for children to set about working upon their projects from the get go without having to wait to gather and pay for the initial equipment required elsewhere.
Whilst I have a few concerns regarding the quality of the doll itself and the lack of equipment included within the set, I otherwise think that the design and thought process behind the creation of the Project MC2 Experiment Dolls is fantastic.
The Project MC2 Experiment Doll Range Purchasing Information
There are a massive range of Project MC2 Experiment Dolls available all of which feature a different science experiment to carry out.
Each of the Project MC2 Experiment Doll’s are currently retailing from £24.99 and are available from a wide range of high street and online stores including Toys R US, Argos and Amazon.
Our Final Thoughts
Despite being unable to immediately create her own hanging garden, E adores her ‘Ember Evergreen Project MC2 Experiment Doll’. Ember has become a firm favourite with our doll loving daughter. Poor Ember is taken almost everywhere including Nursery and visits to the Grandparents, she was even honoured to spend a night in E’s bed as her ‘sleep buddy’!
I personally think that the concept behind the Project MC2 Experiment Dolls is fabulous but the contents and quality of the sets leave a lot to be desired. I would however recommend giving these dolls a go as they are certainly educational and if not, enjoyable for little ones to play with.
You can find further information upon the Project MC2 Series & Experiment Dolls here.
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Product Rating
Disclosure: We were sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are E’s and my own.
1 comment
I agree with your daughter, Amber is a much better name, for such a pretty doll!