Each of these boxes can be used to make a simple machine like a wedge or inclined plane.
Photo: General Mills
We all know the health benefits of children eating a nutritious breakfast. But a new campaign for select General Mills cereals plans on making their morning meals educational as well.
The consumer foods company is partnering with Rube Goldberg, Inc. to create special cereal boxes that can be transformed into STEM toys with everyday household items. According to the company, the goal of the new boxes is to spark interest in STEM education among children.
"The desire for creativity and family fun at the breakfast table is intrinsic to General Mills Cereals," says Hope Zeckmeister, a senior marketing communications planner at General Mills. "It is so important to make STEM approachable to get kids engaged and excited about it early and often. Through this partnership with Rube Goldberg, Inc. we are able to introduce STEM elements to curious inventors by infusing physics principles into our boxes, creating the opportunity for interactive learning."
The campaign involves popular cereal brands including: Cheerios, Cookie Crisp, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reese’s Puffs. The boxes come with instructions for how to turn them into simple machines, as well as a list of additional materials you might need—like rubber bands or tape. There are six different kinds of machines to make, including levers and pulleys.
This promotion also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest—for which inventors create elaborate Rube Goldberg Machines to complete simple tasks.
The limited-edition cereal boxes are already available at some stores, depending on region and retailer; they'll be available nationwide by the end of January 2018.
General Mills also announced a contest where families can show off their cereal box machines online for a chance to win one of 20 $20,000 college scholarships. You can post machines on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #BreakfastBlueprint and #BigGSweepstakes to enter.