The Superpower Academy flight kit #1 provided super secret instructions on how to earn the superpower of flight through experimentation and persistence. Children are guided through the process of building a glider and then experimenting with the glider's design through trial and error, and through documenting their observation.

I am glad to see educational products, such as this one, that are beginning to take a look at developing grit in children.

As soon as my children saw the personalized box marked "For Kids Eyes Only" from the Superpower Academy they immediately wanted to open it up. And, as soon as the box was opened, they were immediately captivated by the "super secret message" and "top secret flight mission". The compelling packaging and storyline hooked my children, ages nine and ten, from the beginning. They were able to go through the material independently, and complete the easy-to-follow instructions. There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the instructions which states that younger cadets will need help for this project and that older cadets may be able to work indpendently with occasional tips. I found this statement to be accurate. The included instructions required cutting, folding, and simple assembly that may be more difficult for younger children. Reading is also necessary to work independently through all the materials (e.g. reading the top secret flight mission and also reading the Adventure of Freddie Try Again Crash and Learn comic book). My third and fifth grader were not overwhelmed by the reading involved, and, in fact, reluctant readers may even be motivated by the excitement that this product illicits. The instructions for the assembly of the flight glider was primarily pictorial, but included written tips that were helpful.

The Super Fun Activity guidebook included not only easy-to-follow instructions on how to build your glider with the included materials, but also included flight notes where children can record their design ideas, a data collection form where children document the distance and landing of their various designs, and "super fun stuff" which provided space for children to draw creative ideas related to flight and creative thoughts of a kid with superpower (e.g. What do kids with Superpower eat for breakfast?). To my delight, my children were most interested in designing and experimenting with different types of wings for their glider, and with measuring and recording their observations.

The thing that I enjoyed the most about the Superpower Academy activity kit was the inclusion of the Crash and Learn comic book in which Freddie Try Again experiments with the concept of flight. He fails often, and even gets frustrated. The comic book states that "Freddie felt like his head was exploding!". I often have conversations with my children about how feelings of frustration can impede learning, such as it was doing from Freddie Try Again. The comic book gives several really helpful ideas to children about how to overcome frustration. I really appreciate how Superpower Academy addresses the emotional aspect that is involved within the scientific process. Experimentation can be a fun, but frustrating, process, and children need to learn how to deal with emotions as they encounter barriers.

The other thing that I liked was the inclusion of a parent guide that links the fun activity with the educational benefits. It was interesting to read about the growth mindset and grit and how it relates to outcomes such as motivation, achievement, and grades (e.g. math/spelling). Superpower academy also gives parents tips on ways that they can promote and encourage the development of a growth mindset and grit within their children. After opening and going through the instructions, the children spent nearly two hours experimenting with various glider designs and recording their observations. They were engaged in critical and creative thinking while at the same time thinking that their mom had given them the day off. Win-win!

The Superpower Academy Subscription box we received was focused on flight. We read the newspaper and story together and then used the activity guide to color, cut out, and build the glider. Once it was built, we did a couple practice throws to see how far it could fly. Once they were used to throwing it, we began recording the distances it was able to fly. We used a lot of math skills: counting, adding, measuring. We then talked about how the glider flies and how gravity and wind effects it, adding in some extra science. Afterwards, we talked about different superheroes who have flight, as well as real life people who are pilots, and comparing planes, jets, drones, gliders, and other flying machines. The main take-away from the story was to adapt to your situation. The boy in the story wasn't able to fly like his superhero parents, so he figured out a way he could. I stressed to my kids how important it is not to give up and to keep working towards your goal.

We liked the presentation of the box. You open it up, and receive a special message. Then you can go through what is included in the box: a newspaper, story, toolkit, guide for parents, activity book, wing patterns. We started by reading the newspaper and then the story. Then we opened the toolkit and looked at all the materials needed to build a glider. We shared the kit between two kids, so they took turns using the glider. We used the activity book and measuring tape to measure the glider and how far it can fly and wrote down the answers. They were also able to design their own wings and draw pictures of where they wished their glider could fly. They really enjoyed seeing how far they could fly their glider and comparing their results, to see whose flew the farthest.