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 Powerful Pumps! 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, Atlas Crate, Cricket Crate, and Doodle Crate).
Explore! Magazine
An issue of explore magazine is included in every Crate. It is full of fun content that brings the project to life. explore! has read, draw, learn, explore, eat, and make designated activities. 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. Each expands on the theme of the box, whether through factoids, drawing activities, or recipes, but the variation is helpful for engaging different learning styles and interests.
There is always a comic featuring Steve the Kiwi and his pals.
They also include lots of historical and scientific information relating to the current theme.
They also talk about the current theme of how it works and relates to real life.
They effectively used different kinds of illustrations to stress learning facts. They used real images, diagrams, and even a mini comic strip.
These are the materials needed for our project! They are grouped and separated neatly in packs.
Kiwi Crate Crafts
The second booklet that comes in every crate is the actual instruction booklet for the crafts, and it often includes additional activities beyond the extension projects included in explore!
Every Kiwi Crate comes with a unique Steve sticker (like your merit badge for completing the box). The first box of an annual subscription includes a poster for displaying your earned stickers.
There’s also a list of all the supplies they provided for the crafts.
First, we’ll do the air pump! They provided detailed illustrations and instructions on how to make an air pump. The booklet also asks some questions to test if what you did was correct.
Here’s everything that you need to make this box: bendy tube, plastic flap, gray sticky, foam, cork, squeeze bottle, duckbill wave, balloons, and balloon clips.
The main container for our pump has a cute cartoon image of Steve the Kiwi!
This simple activity has the same basic principle that is used in different complicated mechanisms and sciences.
My son is testing the valve if it works.
It worked and we made an air pump to blow up our balloons!
The next activity is making balloon art. This one allows the kids’ creative juices flow and have fun with the balloons.
These are the face cutouts and the base for the balloons.
He inflated the balloons first with the pump, looped them off with the enclosed balloon holders, and put them on their bases. Then he decided to put the eyes first on each balloon as he works his way on different parts to form a funny and interesting expression.
My son did a wonderful job creating this cute balloon art!
The instructions for the third activity are easy to understand because of the detailed diagrams. It’s all about making a water pump!
The booklet not only has instructions on how to make one but also explains how the mechanism of the water pump works.
He managed to attach the pump and the bottle into one mechanism. It looks cool!
To our delight, his water pump worked!
Another activity from the crate is making a car wash, which involves transforming your water pump into a carwash. The kids have to draw and design the car with the washable markers provided in the crate. Then, we’ll attach the longer pipe with holes to the snout of his water pump to make a car wash.
They provided us with three washable markers in colors orange, green, and blue. There’s also a plastic car.
He started drawing from the top and work on his way around the plastic car.
He didn’t put a lot of drawings as he wanted to test it immediately.
We placed everything in a work tray to do all the experiments. Looks like he has his very own air pump, water pump and car wash in one now.
The activity booklet will not be complete without having some maze activities, right?
For the last activity, he cut the end of the balloon, put a straw in it and blew on it. It’s called the bubble valve!
See? Bubbles!
He started experimenting like crazy with all the pieces. He built different pumps and experimented with the valves.
Extension Activities
The booklet even introduced a fun recipe for Balloon Bowls! There are also book suggestions related to this month’s theme, which include Whoosh: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions and The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks.
My son enjoyed every bit of this box! He truly liked experimenting and playing with new ideas. His happiness and learning that he got from this box are priceless! We got to learn the basic principles of how the pumps work. He was able to do all of the activities and then some. He used critical thinking, imagination, and creativity as well. He was able to follow the instructions well and put things together to work a mechanism with ease. This box is a win, definitely!
Did you enjoy this months activity? Let us know in the comments!
Visit Kiwi Crate to subscribe or to find out more about this fantastic kids’ craft subscription box!
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