Surprise Ride is a monthly subscription service for kids ages 6-11 that sends toys, activities, and all kinds of goodies curated around a monthly theme. This is the perfect age range for my kids, and they love it!
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription: Surprise Ride
The Cost: $29.99 per month (free shipping), or $24.99 per month on 6- or 12-month subscriptions
COUPON: Use code BESTGIFT5 to save $5 off your first month
OR
use coupon code SIX15 to save up to $15 off a 6-month subscription (regularly $155.94)!
The Products: A variety of toys, activities, and other treats for kids centered around a theme
Ships to: US only
Good to Know: You can purchase past boxes in their shop while supplies last!
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This month's theme is all about China! The note pictured above talks about some additional online activities that they are providing this month.
This is the information card that details everything included.
Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne - Value $2.97 on Amazon (retail price: $4.99)
This book is from the Magic Tree House Series, and my eight-year-old really likes these books! Thy are great for his reading level. From Amazon:
Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series-the Magic Tree House!
Who would burn books?
Jack and Annie find out when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient China. There, a powerful emperor called the Dragon King has ordered that all books be burned. Will Jack and Annie be able to save at least one book? Or will they be captured by the emperor's soldiers?
Laiki Black Rice Crackers - Value $1.55
I really appreciate the fairly wholesome and short list of ingredients in these snack crackers! I thought they were tasty, but my kids both thought they were really bland.
Surprise Ride always sends a couple of toys to go along with the theme. I was kind of confused about what all the box contents were when I was photographing them, so I didn't realize that the roll of paper on the right is part of one of the crafts (see below). They have been sending theme rubber bracelets every month for a while now, and my kids aren't into them. They also sent a lucky envelope. I think this month's toys were kind of disappointing, generally.
Our first craft was to construct a Chinese abacus! These were the supplies that were included. Nothing else was needed from home.
This is our completed abacus. I apologize for the green background, but my eight-year-old and I had to wait for my other son at the school for quite a while, so we did our crafting in the parent center. This project was a big let-down. Most of the beads didn't fit on the rods, and the ones that did were a tight squeeze, so you can't push them up and down the rods like you should be able to with an abacus. Also, the flat boards were a little warped, so they wouldn't glue to the rods, and I think gluing this together was a poor plan anyway. I don't know how it could have worked.
Surprise Ride also send this abacus guide, which was thoughtful and interesting, but since the abacus didn't work at all, it wound up being kind of useless.
Our second activity was to create a Chinese Zodiac scroll. These are the supplies that were included. We had only to provide water.
This is my son's completed scroll, and this, on the other hand, turned out fabulous! He and I are both the Year of the Rat, which is actually a great sign even though rats are gross. At the top is his Chinese calligraphy (that says "Rat" in Chinese I guess), and the bottom is his painting of a rat.
Verdict: Surprise Ride is usually great, but this month was a bit of a disappointment with the sad abacus craft. The toys were also not very interesting. The book and the scroll were both wins, though, and at least I liked the rice crackers. Here's hoping next month is better!
What do you think of Surprise Ride?
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