Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Subscription Box Review + Coupon – Summer 2016

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Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 box

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Company is a quarterly subscription service that lets your kids explore the magic of story-making. For $72.00 per quarter, you’ll get a mystery box that invites children to ask “What ifs…?” and encourages them to find answers through an imaginative and magical way.  This latest adventure was part Wind in the Willows and part Holmesian intrigue.

Note that this box is the second box in a 2 part series from Wonder & Co produced in connection with Cricket Magazine. The box is returning to standalone adventures next quarter.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (1)

There’s a hot air balloon printed on the inside of the box.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 unboxing

The items are wrapped by a blue tissue paper, disguising their nature.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (2)

The “Open Me First” envelope is sealed with a wax stamp embossed with a bird in flight.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (3)

A letter from Dr. Sheepshank serves as the information card for the box, introducing the peculiar contents.  It references the Bog & Burrow labyrinth mentioned in a teaser mailing, and the cypher from that package will also be used with this box.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (4)

The mysterious letter references the Brazen Inquiry Guild and doesn’t do much to clarify the purpose of the enclosed items.  They are all related to Dr. Sheepshank’s explorations in some fashion, but the watchful eye of the B.I.G. prevents further elaboration.

Read our initial review to see what arrived a few weeks before to set the story for the box.  

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (5)

Another cypher!  This one uses the cypher wheel included in the box as a decoder.

 Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (6)

The box also came with a Parent’s Guide.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (7) The guide provides questions to engage with your kids on their adventure, as well as important safety warnings!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 unboxed

Looking from here, I can already see that it’s going to be quite an adventure with this box.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 review

Everything in the box!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (8) There was a decoder ring, some items in a purple pouch, and a stack of cards. Note – you needed the decoder from the teaser mailing too.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (9)

Two delightful artisan crafted ceramic disks – and the cards have maps on the back!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (9)

My daughter fit the map together but I am going to be honest – this box lost us on the story and we didn’t know what to do with the map. There were fun parts but I think it was impossible to tell what was going on without the first box in the series.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (10)

Metal Earth Scorpion & Stag Beetle: These certainly fit the little mining theme, but they are rated for ages 14+ and we didn’t put them together. They are intricate, time consuming, and it’s not something children can do at all. This is a parents have to do it for you activity.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (12)

This looked more promising – a burlap sack, flags, and a lantern.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (5)

My daughter had a fun time solving the cipher.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (6)

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (15) A specimens journal was included!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (16)

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (7)

She nearly vibrated out of her chair when she discovered more to solve.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (17)

This cypher echoed a line decoded in the teaser mailing and required the paw decoder from that box.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (8)

The purpose of the coins remains unknown but the kids were thrilled with these treasures.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (10)

The cypher was a warning from B.I.G.!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (11)

The lantern had a fun compass on top.  This was the most used item from the box.  Lit by a series of LEDs that reflect off an inverted funnel, it creates a bright light without any heat.  A knob allows adjustment of the brightness, too.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (13)

Safety goggles were the next item!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (1)

The flags were used to find your way back from “the labyrinth.” Fortunately our kids are good at pretending and found it delightful to plant the flags on the open lawn. A child young enough to enjoy that is unlikely to enjoy assembling the metal figures.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (14)

Inside the burlap sack were several geodes! And more safety info!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (2) They were REALLY excited about this!

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (3) They both got a chance to TOTALLY wail on these guys. Dad had to get a metal hammer to break open the most difficult one.

Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Co Summer 2016 (4)

Geodes were inspected by lantern light!

Wonderful Objects Kids by Wonder & Co Summer 2016

My kids had fun with this box but I didn’t understand it. The lack of context and too much mystery led to more of a just the activities box. We thought this subscription could be assisted substantially by incorporating different kinds of puzzles instead of 2 substitution ciphers as well as providing a plain language explanation of what’s up to busy parents that want to help set the scene but don’t have quite the time or attention to fit everything together. There were additional ciphers to solve around the edges of the cards – perhaps we’ll understand the story better after we spend more time with this box.

Although we think the next quarter won’t be as cryptic because it won’t be relying on a story from a previous month we still think the box would benefit greatly from those changes – as well as providing goodies that don’t require multiple hours of parent time to assemble.

We’d love to hear your experiences with this subscription as well as any hints about the story.

Save $10 on any plan with code HELLOWONDER10!

Visit Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Company to subscribe or find out more!

The Subscription: Wonderful Objects Kids Box by Wonder and Company
The Description: The Wonderful Objects Kids Box is a story-making experience directed by your child. Unfolding across quarterly mystery boxes, unexpected deliveries, and exciting clues, Wonderful Objects encourages children to ask “What if…?” and invites them to turn their answers into something magical.
The Price: $72.00 per quarter
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  • Sandy
    07.26.16

    Thanks so much for this review! We felt the same way and I’m happy to know that I was not the only one who couldn’t really piece everything together. We are hoping the next box will be a little easier to follow. Agree with everything you mentioned!