Doodle Crate is a subscription box from Kiwi Crate targeted at older children aged 9-16 that delivers an art project every month. They describe themselves as "a studio for hands-on creativity delivered every month."
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Doodle Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month with discounts available for longer subscription commitments
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box. No coupon needed - just use this link.
The Products: Instructions and supplies for children aged 9-16 to create one new art project
Ships to: U.S. for free, Canada for $6.95
Check out all of our Doodle Crate reviews and the Kids Subscription Box Directory!
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This month's project is making textured clay luminaries! The skill focus is crafting with air-dry resin clay. My nine-year-old does the projects. He's on the young side for this subscription, but he does just fine with it. This is the booklet that came in our box this month.
Here's a peek inside the booklet at the instructions. They were clear and well illustrated, so they were easy for my son to follow. The booklet also always contains good tips and suggestions for practicing.
These are all the supplies that were included for this month's project. Everything we needed was included except tape and a candle.
His first step was to tape down this paper guide and the plastic form on it. He then rolled the clay out to cover the guide using this plastic rolling pin. It made the clay a nice, even thickness.
Just FYI, we had plenty of supplies to make two of these, so all of these steps were repeated twice.
He then used the tools to trim the clay to the specified lines and scrape away the excess. The top line was meant to be a creative one, so he chose a wavy pattern.
The next step was to roll the rolling pin back over the clay with the pattern over it to give it a textured look.
The next step was to use the straws included to poke holes in the clay. He did a fun sunburst design. This is where things started to get difficult. Resin clay is very difficult to work with, and it's quite different from regular clay. From this point forward, I had to help him quite a bit. He absolutely could not pull the holes out of the clay without deforming his design, and neither could I. I suggested we wait until it was dry and then try to poke the holes out.
The next step was to assemble the plastic form into a cylinder and allow it to dry overnight.
After drying overnight, he painted the luminaries and let them dry overnight again.
We should have been good to go after the second night of drying, but the instructions warned that if he started to pull the clay away from the form and it started to tear, he should let it dry another night. Which we did. And then another. And then another. Finally, I pulled it off as carefully as I could. It immediately started to lose its cylindrical form, so I taped the sides together and we let them dry another two nights.
Finally, the luminaries were almost complete! We did have to take that final step and poke out the holes, so I guess I should say we also needed a chopstick from home. They came out relatively easily. This is what they looked like when they were finished but unlit.
Here they are all lit up! The one on the left is lit by a little LED candle that was included in our package. The one on the right is lit by a regular votive. It was a lot of work, but I think they turned out beautiful!
Verdict: Doodle Crate is SO awesome, but this month's project was not our favorite. We love the end product! They turned out really beautiful! But I think it was a lot more work than usual, and kids don't love waiting. I also think it got kind of stressful for my son when the holes wouldn't pop out and pulling the clay from the form started to tear it on the inside. Like I said, resin clay is really tough to work with. We are still very pleased with the outcome - and what an accomplishment! And of course, I still can't believe what Doodle Crate can provide for $20. When you consider the materials, the curation, the project selection, and instructions, that's really a bargain! Most importantly, it always sets the stage for some fun times crafting with my son.
What do you think of Doodle Crate?
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