Koala Crate is the preschool subscription box offering from KiwiCo, designed for hands-on learning and fun every month!
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups: Cricket Crate is for 0-36 months, Koala Crate for ages 3-4, Kiwi Crate for ages 5-8, Atlas Crate for ages 6-11, and Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate are for ages 9-16 and up.
This review is of the $19.95 a month Koala Crate, for Pre-K kids ages 3-4.
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Koala Crate
The Subscription Box: Koala Crate
The Cost: $19.95 a month + free shipping
COUPON: Get 40% off + free shipping on your first box of any KiwiCo line. No coupon needed—just use this link!
The Products: 2-3 fun DIY projects for you to do with your preschooler!
Ships to: US
Our Unboxing & Review
This is actually my first time checking out Koala Crate! My son Fox is 2.5 years old, so a little younger, but he loves hands-on crafts and projects where he can build things. I knew this box was going to be a big hit!
This month's theme is Glowing Nature, which I knew was going to be a blast since my son loves being outside to explore the world around him. I received this handy parent's guide that runs you through everything you need to do this month's projects. I highly recommend reading this in advance if you can! Each kit includes three different projects that you can work on together. The moment I said "craft time" Fox was ready to go!
Jellyfish Game
Our first activity was to build our own dancing jellyfish! We went to the beach over the summer so Fox is obsessed with the ocean, even still. He loved that there were going to be ocean creatures he could build, and loved that this set came with stickers that we could put on the window along with our jellyfish.
We started by stringing our laces on the bottom and very top of the jellyfish. Next, Fox decorated the face with eyes and these awesome glow in the dark stickers.
My husband joined in on the fun to help string along the top of the jellyfish. Fox is making the jellyfish dance already!
Here we simply added these little buttons to keep the moving string in place and added the suction cups on either side of the top of the jellyfish. We obviously needed to assist with this part of the project, but Fox really enjoyed watching as we explained each step.
Meet our jellyfish Sissis (Fox gave her the name)! I really wish I could get a better picture of how awesome this little craft is, but Fox loved it so much he stood with it dancing along. Honestly, this is like a little puppet that sits nicely on your window. I have a feeling she will be staying on our window for a while so Fox can play and dance along with her!
Mushroom Activity
The next project is to make a glowing mushroom! Fox knows all about mushrooms because we have seen some growing at the park near our house. He was sure to remind me that we aren't supposed to touch the ground mushrooms, but that this one should be ok to touch. So smart!
This project was fairly simple with only two steps that Fox could help me with. We began by painting the inside of our cup with the handy sponge brush that was provided in the box. We may have also painted our hand and belly in the process.
The final steps were to string through the handle, place your toilet paper roll on the bottom, and bam you are done! We grabbed the remaining glow in the dark stickers that we used for our jellyfish for Fox to stick along the top. The instructions mentioned to place this is the sun to help the stickers charge to glow more, but we haven't had sunshine in a few days here in Pittsburgh so we are going to set it out on the next bright afternoon to hopefully see it glow more. Fox wasn't as interested in this craft, although he loved painting the top of the cup, but he was excited to put this with his Peppa Pig characters to have them play with this giant mushroom!
Firefly Activity
Our final project was to build a firefly! I did have to explain to Fox what a firefly was and showed him some photos of them because he is never awake or outside when it is dark enough for the fireflies to be out in the summertime. I promised that we will go find some next summer though when he is a bit older! This cute little puppet will have to do for now.
We started by stuffing the sock that was provided in the box, securing the bottom with the band, and placing the larger band at the top to make the head.
From there, all you have to do is add the wings that just slide right under the large band. So simple and fun!
Fox loved adding the eyes to his little character!
The best part is that you can put this little guy on your wrist to make it fly around. Fox went zooming around the house with his Firefly, a super fun activity to enjoy on a cold afternoon.
Koala Crate also sends a mini-magazine every month that goes along with the theme of the box. In addition to the story, there are also some other fun activities and additional creative play ideas using items that are not included in your box, this was super helpful!
Verdict: Our first Koala Crate by KiwiCo was a huge win! The best part about this box is that I received three activities with all of the supplies that I need for only $19.95! As a full-time Mommy I really love doing crafts with Fox, but it can be so challenging to discover new crafts and to gather all supplies. This one box got us through two afternoons that were filled with fun, learning, and crafting. Even though Fox is still a few months off from his 3rd birthday, each of these projects felt age appropriate for him and kept him engaged the entire time. I can't wait to see what will come next!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, sign up now for the October box.
Coupon – Save 40% off your first month! No coupon required, just use this link.
Check out all of our Koala Crate reviews and the Kids Subscription Box Directory!
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What do you think of Koala Crate?
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