Kiwi Crate is a kids’ craft and activity subscription that comes with everything you need to complete a great project or two, usually a pair of crafts that can be used as toys or playtime props. The box is geared for ages 5-8, and the projects are always age-appropriate, though some require more parental assistance than others.
Kiwi Crate is the most popular craft and activity subscription box for kids!
This month’s theme is Color and Light! Kiwi Crate includes all necessary supplies for the featured activities, plus explore! magazine.
DEAL: Use this link to save 30% on your first box of Kiwi Crate!(or KiwiCo family subscriptions Tinker Crate, Koala Crate, and Doodle Crate).
You really need very little from home to do the crafts. Usually, you only need a pair of scissors (which is sent to you with a new subscription!), but often the pieces are pre-cut, scored, or otherwise prepared for you already. The crate includes self-adhesive items or glue/glue dots if needed for the crafts.
An issue of explore! magazine is included in every Crate. It is full of fun content that brings the project to life. There is always a comic featuring Steve the Kiwi and his pals, plus lots of historical and scientific information relating to the current theme.
explore! teaches kids some of the science at work behind the project. It usually includes extension activities and some simple observational experiments to learn more about the principles underlying the project.
explore! has read, draw, learn, explore, eat, and make designated activities. Each expands on the theme of the box, whether through factoids, drawing activities, or recipes.
Our kids love to go through everything in the booklet first before starting the main project. There is really a lot to look at and read – a comic, puzzles, and games – and it really extends your young one’s engagement with the Crate.
The kids didn’t need any parental guidance on this project – they jumped right in and were able to follow the instructions themselves.
Every Kiwi Crate comes with a unique Steve sticker (like your merit badge for completing the box).
We hang ours on the poster that came in our first Crate.
The second booklet that comes in every crate is the actual instruction booklet for the crafts, and often it includes additional activities beyond the extension projects included in explore! Each Crate usually has three activities – either separate projects or phases of a single, large project. The booklet includes an inventory of all the supplies included in the Crate, plus a messiness and parental involvement rating for each project.
Step-by-step instructions guide you through the project. They are clearly written and very easy to follow, pointing out potential pitfalls so you don’t go astray.
This project had us projecting and mixing colored light. It was great that they simplified the projects by providing colored projectors instead of fussing with creating filters from scratch – it made it much easier for the kids to do the project without help.
They assembled their own projection box and created a custom image.
The other end shows the product of their efforts. The dry erase setup allowed them to alter their image, and the lights could be pivoted to change the mix.
A pair of special glasses were included, and the booklets included guided exploration of the refracted light effects it created.
The third activity was assembling a glowing silhouette display.
Turning the base mixed any two of the three lights within, creating different color combos.
Stickers were provided with box space and undersea themes, so the kids could design a scene on the outside of the canister. They were so proud of their project!
It ended up being a fun little display piece, similar to a snow globe.
Kiwi Crate is always popular with our kids! They worked so well together on this Crate. Crates usually have an activity or project that is fun to share, but getting more than one crate is always an option, too. We love that the Crate is suitable for a wide age range (years 5-8 actually covers a lot of ground, educationally and developmentally) – there is enough information and complexity to immerse older kids, while the light-hearted and approachable nature of the box makes it easy to use for Kindergartners, too. Kiwi Crate is great at gently introducing some science, history, and other lessons into the projects, offering both entertainment and educational value.
Visit Kiwi Crate to subscribe or to find out more about this fantastic kids’ craft subscription box!
Comments