Koala Crate is a monthly subscription box from KiwiCo for preschoolers ages 3 to 5. It is educational and always hands-on. The activities are designed to be developmentally appropriate and enriching while also keeping it engaging, fun, and universally appealing.
DEAL: Use this link to save 30% on your first month of Koala Crate! (or any of the KiwiCo family subscriptions – use this page to find the best box for your little one!).
This month’s Koala Crate theme is CAMPING! As always, the box comes with all the supplies needed to create a trio of fun, age-appropriate crafts — plus it has a magazine with extra games and activities!
There are two books that will come in your Koala Crate. imagine! magazine is “a play and learn magazine” made for you and your preschooler to explore together. My son loves it! I like that the instruction booklet is separate from the magazine, so you can preview the activity while your child works on the activities in the booklet.
Imagine! Magazine
Imagine! magazine contains information relevant to the theme so your child learns a bit about the topic while having fun with the craft and play activities. The information is provided in an age-appropriate format and always feels like a game, not schoolwork.
One of KiwiCo’s goals is to equip the next generation of innovators with the tools and confidence for creative exploration and problem-solving.
A fun story introduces your child to the theme of the box. The same group of friendly characters is featured each month, and the familiar faces encourage engagement.
Activities usually include tracing, matching, and word recognition games.
Here’s another fun story in this month’s booklet, which gives the kids more ideas about going on a hike!
There are also book suggestions in the Koala Library, which includes Boris Goes Camping, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd, and 1 2 3 Make a S’more with Me by Elizabeth Gauthier.
Koala Crate Crafts
The instruction booklet is intended for the adult helper and gives detailed instructions for the activity.
The back of the booklet encourages you to visit their website for more DIY camping-themed activities.
This part of the booklet lists all the supplies, the 3 primary activities, the messiness level, and any grownup assistance needed. They even included some additional symbols denoting the developmental skills practiced in doing the activity, such as fine or gross motor skills.
Every activity states you all the required materials, engagement questions to ask your child, step by step procedures, and play ideas. Though most crafts are self-explanatory, they have helpful illustrations and clear instructions, so it’s hard to go wrong.
Everything in this month’s box!
Activity #1: Bear Back Pack. For the first activity, we are making a super cute bear backpack! And as always, the crate includes everything we need including the backpack, felt stickers, and felt pocket.
First, we laid the bag on a flat surface and made sure that the bag is well-flattened to avoid possible mistakes when sticking the felt sticker designs.
Then my kids reversed the bag and started the project with the bear’s face, which is located on the bag’s flap.
After they’re done with the nose, they followed it through by sticking a pair of white circle above the nose and putting a pair of black circle on top of each white circle.
Next, you have to lift the corners of the backpack and stick the ear on the top edge of the backside. Fold the ear over so it will stick to the top of the front side of the backpack and then repeat the procedure for the second ear.
Once the ears are secured, we stuck a small tan cut-out on top of each ear and then finished the project by sticking the pouch on the bear’s tummy!
Activity #2: Camp Fire. For the second activity, we are preparing a campfire! To build a campfire, we need paper squares, campfire topper, campfire base, foam rock stickers, battery-operated tea light, and dowel.
My kids started the project by peeling off the campfire topper and placing a slightly crumpled tissue paper on top of it using the dowel.
Tip: The fire effect would look more realistic by putting the red and yellow tissue paper in an alternating position.
After covering the campfire topper, we folded its legs down and then pushed it into the slits of the campfire base. We then stuck the foam rock stickers onto the campfire base to make it more realistic.
Turn on the battery-operated tea light and place the campfire over the tea light! Here’s how the campfire should look like!
Activity #3: Camping Cookout. For the last activity, we made delectable “camping snacks” which include a s’more and hotdog sandwich made from felt paper marshmallow, graham, chocolate, hotdog buns, zigzag fabric strips, and dowel.
They’re so easy to make! Simply slide the dowel into the opening on the bottom of the felt paper hotdog, roast it over the campfire, and then place it between the hotdog buns.
For the s’mores, poke the marshmallow felt paper, warm it on the “campfire” and then put it between the graham crackers together with the chocolate.
Here’s our yummy s’more and hotdog sandwich!
After they set the campfire, my kids gathered together and started preparing their camp snacks. My daughter immediately went for the marshmallow to heat it!
This was such a fun activity to do while staying indoors! Everyone enjoyed!
This camping-themed box is a whole lot of fun!
This month’s crate lets kids experience the joys of camping without leaving home! The activities are all fun and engaging, not to mention kid-friendly. The materials are also included, so all we had to do is sit down and get started. My kids were easily able to do everything with the help of the step-by-step instructions provided in the crate. After making the projects, they also had fun with their camping-themed pretend play! We’re definitely satisfied with this box and we can’t wait for other fun projects!
Have you tried KiwiCo’s Koala Crate? What did you think of this month’s theme?
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