We have a lot of toys. A lot. And it is amazing how quickly it happened. We tend to only buy 2-3 gifts for the kids on their birthdays or for Christmas, but once family shops as well the kids amass what feels like a small toy store each year. This year, I was determined to find a way to make birthdays more practical, and in the process I stumbled upon subscription boxes for kids. To me, this is a great solution. Each month a box is delivered, addressed to the child, with an activity directed at a theme. While there a many different types of subscriptions available, I focused on ones with consumable items.
M loves craft time, and C and I felt Kiwi Crate would be a good match for her. Subscriptions currently start at $60.00 for 3 months ($20.00/month) and go up to $205.00 for 12 months ($17.09/month).
In lieu of a subscription, they also allow you to purchase single crates, at an individual price of $19.95 plus shipping. The selection does change, but so far it seems the single crates include two main crafts and an explore book with related activities your child can enjoy. M received two from her grandmother, and we tried out the first box right away.
Kiwi Crate’s Castles and Catapults has two activities contained in one box: my medieval castle and my launching catapult. Each item comes with an instruction book, the front of which gauges the mess factor as well as parental involvement. It also shows the skill set your child will be developing. Inside it explains what materials are needed for the project, and then a step-by-step guide with photos to explain the assembly process.
The catapult was surprisingly easy to assemble, with clear directions and pre-cut adhesive stickers for assembly. The kids had a blast trying different objects to aim at the bullseye, but ultimately ended up just seeing which one could make it across the room!
The castle was equally easy to assemble, and thanks to the addition of the characters this one has seen more play time since the first day we put it together.
Kiwi Crate also includes a small “explore” book in the single crates. For this crate, it had a short comic strip style story to read, directions for four other activities, coloring pages, and lessons to expand your child’s knowledge of the topic.
We haven’t yet done everything in the activity book, but I am excited we get so much out of one box! If this is any indication of what I can expect from the other boxes, then I feel Kiwi Crate is a great addition to a wish list, and potentially well worth the cost of a subscription.
Leave a Reply