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 CARNIVAL! 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!
All the contents are neatly packed and arranged inside the box.
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.
Before they started with the activities, my kids read the stories in the magazine!
They enjoyed it!
On-page activities usually includes tracing, matching, and finding the difference in photos.
My son immediately grabbed a pencil and answered the on-page activities!
This part of the booklet shows what the carnival is all about and the different kind of rides you can find inside it!
Another suggested activity is about making your own ball toss! There are also book suggestions in the Koala Library, which includes Roller Coaster, At the Carnival! and Up and Down on the Merry-Go-Round.
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 carnival-themed activities.
This part of the booklet lists all the supplies, the 3 primary activities, the messiness level, and any grownup assistance needed. They also included some additional symbols denoting the developmental skills practiced in doing the activity, such as fine or gross motor skills.
Every activity states 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: Play Pretzels. For the first activity, my kids made play pretzels using non-toxic air-dry clay, glitter, and mat. They also used adhesive tape from our home.
My son started by laying the mat flat on the surface and taping the corners. He then grabbed the clay and divided it into halves.
He rolled both clays back and forth to create a long worm-like shape.
Next, he picked up the first half of the clay, then twisted and knotted it until it formed a pretzel.
Then, he turned the other half into a twisted pretzel.
He placed both clay pieces on the mat, then pressed glitters on them.
Here are the finished twisted and knotted pretzel clays!
Activity #2: Horse Race. For the second activity, which is a horse race, the crate provided a racetrack, rails, foam circles, foam rectangles, horse bodies, horse legs, and mallet.
My son assembled the race track. He took the rails and inserted them into the racetrack board. He also made sure that the wavy sides of the rail are on top.
He flipped the board, stuck the green foam pieces to the white rectangles on the bottom of the racetrack, and finished it off by putting one foam circle to each corner.
While working on the racetrack, my older son started assembling the horses.
Once done, they placed the horses on the racetrack, specifically on the yellow line which is the starting point of the race.
Using the mallet, just tap the horses to move them forward!
Make sure to tap the horses gently to avoid breaking them.
The first horse to arrive at the checkered finish line will win the game!
Activity #3: Duck Pond. The third project is building a duck pond! For this project, the crate provided a pool, ducks, hook, string, and mallet. We used water from our home.
The first step is to connect the hook to the mallet using a string.
We also inflated the pool and placed the foam ducks inside it.
The next step is to fill the pool with water, enough to make the ducks float and swim around the pool.
Using the mallet and hook as fishing rod, my kids captured the ducks one-by-one!
Here are all the finished activities!
Koala Crate is always a hit with my kids. Each activity helps them become more creative, imaginative, and keen on details. This month’s carnival-themed activities are no exception. The whole box gave the kids a feel of what a carnival is all about, and there’s also a booklet that makes everything more fun with stories and additional activities to enjoy. My kids’ favorite activity this month is capturing the ducks from the small inflatable pool, but they also loved the horse race and making the play pretzels. Another thing to love about this box is that the main materials are already provided, which means you can do everything at home easily. If you’re looking for fun activities for pre-schoolers, this is definitely the perfect subscription to try! All the projects are not just fun but age-appropriate as well!
Have you tried KiwiCo’s Koala Crate? What did you think of this month’s theme?
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