Green Kid Crafts is a kids subscription box company that sends you up to six science and art kits each month for $29.95 (with free U.S. shipping).
Green Kid Crafts strives to encourage the growth of the "whole child," which includes fostering a sense of care for our environment. Their process and products seek to have a minimal environmental impact, and the activities in each box aim to help kids engage with nature in creative ways. It's not surprising that Green Kid Crafts was actually founded by an environmental scientist! The thoughtful approach makes this box one of our favorite kids' art subscriptions.
FYI, COVID-19 Update: From Green Kid Crafts:
Thanks to our customer and community support, we have grown! We are excited to have recently shipped out our 1.5 millionth box!
While our production is on track, we are still experiencing some shipping delays as carriers face strain and high volumes due to COVID.
Green Kid Crafts is a small mom-owned, parent-run business committed to providing a high level of service.
Thank you for supporting our small business and our mission to empower the next generation of environmental leaders!
For more ways to keep your kiddos educationally engaged during these times, check out our Returning to Learning back-to-school guide to see how subscriptions can help make your life easier as you navigate this unique school year.
Choose between the Junior Discovery Box (ages 2-4) or the Discovery Box (ages 5-10+), both of which are $29.95/month. Green Kid Crafts also offers a Sibling Discovery Box (ages 2-10+) for $49.95/month, which sends two of each project. All subscriptions include free shipping.
This is a review of the Discovery Box for ages 5-10+, which costs $29.95/month + free shipping.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Green Kid Crafts Discovery Box
The Subscription Box: Green Kid Crafts Discovery Box
The Cost: $29.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Materials and instructions for up to 6 science and art projects aimed at helping children ages 5-10+ get creative and engage with nature.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, to Canada and select countries for a flat rate of $6.50/month
Green Kid Crafts "Backyard Science" March 2021 Box Review
As the snow has been slowly melting, the kids and I have been spending more and more time outside. Just last week we hit almost 60 degrees, only to plummet down to a high of 20 for another week. We are extremely ready for some warmer weather, and to celebrate that fact we received the theme "Backyard Science" for our March Green Kid Crafts box. While this may have been a bit better suited for an April box in Minnesota, we couldn't wait to dive in and check out this month's activities. Read below to find out what we discovered.
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Every month we receive an illustrated pamphlet that includes an educational introduction (complete with thoughtful prompts) activity instructions, activities, career info, and book ideas that pair with the monthly theme. And just as a tip, if you don't own the book titles they suggest, I have found by doing a google search, most books listed are available to listen to via YouTube for read-aloud! The back of the pamphlet includes their social media hashtags, along with a blurb about Penny Bauder, who is the founder of Green Kid Crafts.
Project 1: Sun print Magnet
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Our first activity is one that my kids have had the opportunity to explore in the past but always enjoy, using sun print paper, magnet strips, sticker dots, and cardboard.
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In order to complete this activity, you need a very sunny day. Thankfully, we finally were blessed with one of those and headed outside to select some objects. The directions suggest using flat objects that you would like to make a print of. My son didn't want to use outdoor items as the leaves are crunchy, and the grass is dead, so he opted for a Lego picture instead. Charlie tried some 3D objects, and discovered those didn't work quite so well. Anyway, after your items are selected, you lay them on the sun print paper and expose them to the sunlight for 5 minutes. In this time, the paper will turn almost white. We then removed the objects from the paper and put them in a container (or sink) of water for 3 minutes. We laid them flat on the counter and let them dry. The instructions suggest cutting out a frame and adding the magnet strip to the back to create a magnet picture, but Hank wanted to hang his up in his room. I just wish the Lego man's head would have printed a little better!
Project 2: Leaf Pendant
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To create our next project, we received air dry clay, tempera paint, a portion cup, pressed leaf, Q-Tip, and raffia ribbon.
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Because I have two boys that wanted to make leaf pendants, we decided to split our clay and create 2 separate projects. Molding the clay into ovalish shapes, the kids pressed the included leaf into their clay (they decided to rip their leaf apart to make what looked slightly like dinosaur tracks.) Once the leaves were firmly pressed into the clay, we mixed the tempera powder with water to create the paint. Using the Q-tip, we spread the paint over the pressed leaves. Once the paint dried, we peeled our leaves off and poked a small hole in the top of the pendants with the end of a pencil. We then let our projects dry overnight. Once they were fully dry, we added the ribbon and hung them up in the dining room. The kids were very proud of their creations, and said the two of them together looked like a pair of cherries!
Project 3: Paper Making
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Our next project was to use recycled bits of paper to create our very own paper. To do this we received a capped bottle, paper shreds, and felt.
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Growing up, my dad worked at a paper mill, and we once were able to take a tour. It’s been years since that, so getting to make our own paper was pretty exciting! We added half of our white paper shreds and mixed them with warm water. Shaking vigorously for 2 minutes, we then added our colored bits. Pouring our mixture over the felt sheet, we squished the water out and let it dry. In a couple of days we had a little circle of paper to write on! This project was simple, but the drying time was long. The kids thought it was really cool to create paper this way, and have asked if they can tour a real paper mill someday!
Project #4: Paper Mache Globe
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The final project we received was to make a paper mache globe. We received two balloons, glue, and tissue paper for this project.
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Let me just start by reminding you to read the directions thoroughly before starting this project. Of course, I did not, and when the kids saw two balloons they thought that meant they each were able to make a globe…..we did that, and whoops, we ran out of tissue paper to get three layers on each. I should have known better as I have made a half dozen piñatas in my day, but I didn’t. Anyway, this project was fun and messy! We laid out a placemat and ripped the tissue paper into palm-sized pieces. Creating a mixture of glue and water, we dipped the paper into the glue and gently covered our balloons. They turned out super cute, but my boys didn’t pop their balloons as when they do, the thin paper will collapse. They decided to tie a ribbon onto the end of the balloon and hang them up in their room until they slowly shrink. It was a fun project even though we didn’t do it correctly, and the kids love their new globe decorations in their rooms!
And just like that, we are Backyard Experts!
Verdict: This month's Green Kid Crafts was was really fun. We had four activities that were educational, interesting, and fun. We enjoyed the curation of the projects, and while we didn’t do our globes quite right, we ended up with some decorative treasures that the kids are really proud of. As far as value goes, I would like to see a few more physical items in the box at this price point, but do feel the educational aspect, the projects, and the theme was on point and fun.
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Here's what Green Kid Crafts says:
The first box of all subscription orders will ship immediately, through the 25th of the month. After the 25th, the initial box will ship with the following month’s mid-month shipment. After the first month, subsequent boxes will ship around the middle of the month.
Check out all of our Green Kid Crafts reviews and the best kid subscription boxes for more kids' activities!
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