Amazon wants to send your kid an awesome geeky toy each month for only $20

Yesterday, Amazon launched STEM Club. This brand new subscription service cost just $19.99 (plus tax), and gets your child a new toy each month. As the name suggests, the toy ties into either science, technology, engineering, or math.

STEM Club (which is currently only available in the United States) boasts three different subscriptions, all aimed at a different age group. There’s one for very young children, aged between 3-4; one for children aged between 5-7, who are just entering school; and one for slightly older kids aged between 8-13.

Unlike other subscription services, you’re not tied into a long-term contract, and you can cancel whenever you want.

It’s worth pointing out that Amazon’s not the only competitor in this space. Last month, General Electric (GE) launched Labracadabra – a series of affordable science-experiment-in-a-box kits that are currently being sold on Amazon for just $29.99.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a play around with one, and they’re really quite good. They also have an advantage over Amazon’s STEM Club offering with respect to there’s also a Labracadabra Alexa skill that guides you through each experiment. You get all the benefits of having a science teacher, but without the risk of being given detention if your phone goes off in class.

But Amazon’s STEM Club is a little bit cheaper than Labracadabra (a whole $10), and the prospect of regular, specially curated toys will be attractive to some parents who want to encourage an enthusiasm for science, yet don’t have the time to research what toys to get.