Atlas Crate is a monthly subscription from KiwiCo that specializes in geography and culture for children between ages 6 to 11 years old. This box is designed to spark kids’ sense of adventure and curiosity, inspiring them to see themselves as citizens of the world. Kids can see and connect with the rest of the world, helping them grow beyond their own experience as they explore the globe.
KiwiCo also offers Kiwi Crate, Koala Crate, Doodle Crate, Tinker Crate, Panda Crate, Maker Crate, and Eureka Crate. Atlas Crate is a great addition to the KiwiCo family as geography and exploration is always a favorite activity!
DEAL: Save 30% on your first month with this link on any KiwiCo line, no coupon code required!
This month’s box is all about ARGENTINA!
All the items are neatly stacked inside!
Upon opening, we are welcomed by the cards and pamphlets that are essential to the activities. This subscription emphasizes learning through creative play as they provide in this box everything the kids might need. It builds a sense of adventure, an appreciation of other cultures, builds a sense of global citizenship and opportunity for parents and grandparents to bond with children.
The materials were packed in plastic.
Everything in the crate!
First, we got this letter that says “iHola!” which means “Hello!” in Argentina.
The letter opens up to show us an introduction to Argentina.
Every flap of the envelope has information about the box. We are also given a beautiful surprise of trivia cards filled with fascinating facts and photos.
One of the flaps has Atlas Quest, which you’ll need to fill out after exploring the country!
You can explore more online after you get your box with additional activities and book suggestions! Atlas Crate recommends The Magic Bean Tree: A Legend From Argentina and On The Pampas.
Atlas Crate Adventure Book
Missed our first review? You’ll get the rings in your first box, which will always start with the WORLD crate. Check out that review here!
Each month, we also get a sticker that represents the featured country. This month’s sticker features Bolas, a type of throwing weapon made of interconnected cords with ball-shaped weights on the ends.
We placed our newest sticker on the Adventure Book, together with the other countries that we have already explored!
Seeing these stickers made us realize that we have explored so many places already!
The table of contents is on the edge of the page for easy reading, just like how a travel book works.
This booklet also comes with a detailed illustration of the country’s map. It features some fun facts and drawings of Argentina’s notable events, sports, places, or products from that particular location.
Atlas Crate Activities
These pages feature the beginning of the adventures of Anya and Milo in Argentina.
They started their adventure by going through Pan-American Highway in Mendoza, the longest highway in the world, which runs from Argentina up to Alaska. They also went to the peak of Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain in both Southern and Western Hemisphere, and then visited the city of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The duo even introduced us to the penguins of Patagonia!
Greetings From Buenos Aires.
The port city of Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, the birthplace of tango, and one of the most multicultural metropolises in all of the South America. From skyscrapers and opera houses to rainbow-colored residential avenues, this is a city that porteños are proud to call home.
Anya and Milo also got a chance to visit the famous La Cueva de Las Manos, also known as the Cave of Hands. This amazing artwork was believed to be created by placing the palms of different people on the rock and then blowing pigments on top using bone pipes.
Atlas Crate Recipe
This month’s featured recipe is Chimichurri, a famous Argentinian food that is commonly served with grilled meat together with some crusty bread, potatoes, roasted veggies, and more!
This part of the booklet features everything you need to know in making homemade Chimichurri. For this recipe we will be needing olive oil, fresh oregano, flat-leaf parsley, apple cider vinegar, garlic clove, salt, and pepper.
Atlas Crate Projects
For this month’s Atlas Crate projects, we made our own Boleadoras and Moving Tango Scene!
Activity #1: Boleadoras. For this project, we used square sticks, round sticks, foam rectangles, foam squares, top and bottom bases, cords, balls, bolts, and wing nuts.
This project is divided into four different parts: making the boleadoras, working on the clamp, setting up the play area, and setting the target.
As always, the instruction sheet was well detailed. All the information we need were discussed thoroughly!
They even provided illustrations for a visual example of how the project should look like.
Featured at the back of the booklet is the proper way to play boleadoras, as well as the different ways you can throw it.
While we are working on the boleadoras, my older son started working on the base clamp. He gathered all the items needed including the base, foam squares, and bolt.
Once done, we locked the long bolt using the wing nuts.
He made sure that the winged part of the nut is placed on the upper part!
Once done, twist another wing nut onto the bolt, and this time make sure that it is facing down. This method is used to lock the other end of the board.
Then, we installed the square-shaped rod onto the base and poked it through the square foams. My younger son also helped!
This project can be placed almost anywhere as long as you can clamp it on the edge of any smooth surface.
We first placed it on a table, then we also tried it on a chair, and this time on the edge of our stairs.
There’s a lot of ways to throw your boleadoras. You can throw it underhand, throw it like a baseball pitch, or even like a whip!
This is how our boleadoras look like when fully done!
Activity #2: Moving Tango Scene. For the second project which is the moving tango scene, we used beads, brads, magnet, foam circles, sticks, and wooden set, which includes the arms, base, and gears.
From the Spanish flamenco to German polka to African dances, the Argentine tango is a blend of cultures – all brought together by the port city of Buenos Aires. Milongas (tango events) across the country give tango dancers a chance to strut their stuff, accompanied by the musical styling of a guitar, a bandoneon, or even an entire orchestral!
Like the first project, this one is also divided into 4 different parts including the connecting of arms, making of gears, stage, and dancers.
Featured at the back of the booklet are some fun facts that relates to dancing the Argentine tango!
My son started by connecting the blue and tan-colored arms using the beads and the small brads.
He slid the beads on the wooden arm, and then locked it using the brads, and repeated the same procedure on the other holes.
The next step is to lay the magnet over the orange section so the hole in the magnet will be over the small white hole. Poke a small brad through the holes and then lock it.
Once we are done with the hands, my son immediately assembled the gears.
With the board logo on the bottom left, he poked a clear sleeve up through the board hole on the right. Then, he centered the large gear onto the sleeve tip and poked a small brad down through the gear and sleeve hole. He did the same thing for the small gear, and then stuck the circle foam around the small holes on each gear.
Next, he put the stick all the way through the foam circle and the wood gears, then grabbed the finished arm and poked the sticks through the holes of the long arms.
For the stage, peel off two foam squares and stick them to the board tab, poke a stick into each foam square and then cover it with the dance floor base.
This is what you should see when you look at the back part of the stage.
For the finishing touch, place your dancers on top of your dance floor.
Move the gears, and let the magnet move the dancers behind the scenes!
Look who we have here as the dancers! It’s Milo and Anya!
It looks like they are both enjoying dancing all over the floor! Amazing!
I think my son would make a great gaucho, as he only needed one try to place the boleadoras around the stand!
Here’s everything that we’ve accomplished from this month’s box!
This month’s Atlas Crate brought us to another beautiful and exciting place, Argentina! My kids really had a lot of fun! They enjoyed everything in this crate, from the booklet, to the recipes, trivia, and other exciting information about the lovely country. They learned about the famous Argentine dance, the local cuisine, and even played a game inspired by boleadoras. Of course, their favorite part is making the projects and playing with the finished products after! All in all, it’s one amazing adventure to Argentina, and we are already thrilled for our next destination!
What do you think of KiwiCo’s Atlas Crate?
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