Green Kid Crafts is a subscription box for children ages 2 to 10+ that delivers kits that include materials and instructions to complete six or more STEAM based projects each month for $19.95 (plus $4.95 shipping). You can choose between the Junior Discovery Box (ages 2-4) or the Discovery Box (ages 5-10+). They also offer two deluxe options for $29.95 (plus shipping): the Literary Discovery Box (ages 2-10+) which includes a book related to the theme or the Sibling Discovery Box (ages 2-10+) which provides two sets of each project.
This is a review of the $24.90 ($19.95 + $4.95 shipping)/month Junior Discovery Box for ages 2-4.
Not only does Green Kid Crafts focus on STEAM learning, but they also strive to encourage the growth of the "whole child" which includes fostering a sense of care for our environment:
We think a green company is one that not only strives for sustainability but takes a step beyond to try and create positive change. As a company founded by an environmental scientist, it makes sense that Green Kid Crafts is committed to ensuring that all of our activities, from process to product, have as little an impact on the environment as possible. Further, we view our work as a way to foster the next generation of environmental stewards by engaging kids with nature in positive, creative ways.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Green Kid Crafts
The Subscription Box: Green Kid Crafts
The Cost: $19.95 per month + shipping (save with longer subscriptions)
The Products: materials and instructions to complete 6 or more STEAM projects
Ships to: the U.S. for $4.95/month ($7.95 for deluxe subscriptions), Canada for an additional $15.00/month
Green Kid Crafts "Arctic Science" December Review
Bobo's Coconut Oat Bite - Buy 5 for $4.99
This month we received a little bonus treat in this Bobo's coconut bite. This little bite is vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO and it was just a bit sweet and chewy. My son really enjoyed it and it was nice that they included a coupon for 30% off as well!
This is the included booklet that we received which tells us our theme, Arctic Science. The first page included a table of contents as well as an introduction to the topic and a description of where the Arctic is and what it's like there.
Inside the booklet were several fun pages including a maze, a comic and even an arctic animal fan activity.
It also included some arctic animal cut-out cards, information about arctic-related STEM careers and their social media information on the back.
The next item is a chart for us to collect our Green Kid Crafts badges. This month we received the Arctic Expert badge. We can also color in our chart to personalize it and continue to add badges to it.
Kit 1: Arctic Crafts
Our first kit contained some Arctic crafts for us to complete.
Project 1: Hare & Fox Window Clings
Color Splash! White Glue 1.25 oz Bottle - Retail Value $0.50
Our first project in this kit was to make Arctic animal window clings. We received a bottle of glue, two bottles of puffy paint in blue and sparkly silver and a page with a fox and hare face on it.
We recycled our kit bag and I inserted the sheet inside so that we could get started on our window clings. We outlined the animals in puffy paint, filled in their faces with glue and added their facial features on top of the glue layer with more puffy paint.
Then we had to let them dry, but in the meantime, we got to learn a few fun facts about Arctic foxes and hares!
Once they were dry, I had a little trouble getting an edge up to peel it off of the baggie, but once I got a tiny edge to grab it peeled up easily and then clung to our window nicely. I love that this is a project we can repeat over and over again now that we know the technique!
Project 2: Beaded Snowflakes
The next project in this kit was to make beaded snowflakes. They provided enough materials for us to make two snowflakes. First, I cut the shiny pipe cleaners in half and then separated them into two groups of three. I then twisted each set at the center to form a six-armed snowflake.
The kids loved being able to add beads to them independently and since the metallic pipe cleaners are a little stiffer than the usual soft ones, the beads sort of stayed put where we added them instead of sliding down to the end.
Once their beads were on I just bent the edges of each end so that the beads wouldn't fall off. They also included two pieces of ribbon so that we could hang them, so I just made a loop at one of the ends and tied it on. This was great fine motor practice for the kids, too!
Here are our finished snowflakes which we decided to hang on our tree this year, but which could easily be hung anywhere around the house! I love that this is another project that we can make at any time and I'm sure it will become a busy activity for the kiddos as we get into the super long, boring winter days.
Kit 2: Colors of the Arctic
Oriental Trading Watercolor Paint Tray - Buy 12 for $9.69
The next kit was exploring the colors of the Arctic. They provided this watercolor paint tray with eight colors and a brush for us to use for both of our projects.
Project 1: Northern Lights Postcards
Prang Crayons 8 Pack - Retail Value $0.68
The first project was to create Northern Lights postcards. They provided four postcard-sized pieces of watercolor paper and a pack of crayons for us to use. They also provided several beautiful images of the Northern Lights in our booklet as examples. They mentioned that if we drew stars with white crayons they would magically appear when we painted, but our pack didn't actually have a white crayon in it. Whoops! Luckily, we had plenty of our own.
We drew our scenes in crayon and then painted over them with watercolors. The idea was that the paint would resist the crayon areas.
While they aren't quite as beautiful as what I imagine the Northern Lights look like in person, this was a fun way to try creating our own version! Once they were dry, we drew lines on the back to turn them into postcards so that we can send our artwork to someone special.
Project 2: Watercolor Snowflakes
Our second project was to make watercolor snowflakes. I am loving how all of these activities go together but are so different!
We received several coffee filters to turn into snowflakes. I folded them in half several times before drawing shapes on the edges.
Then I cut out the shapes and opened it up to form my snowflake.
Next, we painted them with watercolors which didn't take long since the coffee filters absorbed and dispersed the water and paint quickly.
After they were dry, we hung them in the window and they are perfect window decorations that still let the light through!
Kit 3: Arctic Science and Games
I love that they balanced out all of the artwork with a bit of science and some fun games.
Project 1: Blubber Experiment
This project explored how animals in the Arctic stay warm. I filled some bowls with ice and water and then we stuck our fingers in to see how long we could keep them in the cold water.
Then, I filled the little baggies they gave us with the petroleum jelly that they supplied and some butter from home. We took turns coating our fingers in each of them and then stuck them into the cold water to see how they protected our fingers from the cold. What a great, simple way to teach kids about the concept of blubber and fat to keep animals warm!
Project 2: Arctic Games
These activities were perfect for some Sunday morning family fun.
First up, we received four paper cups, two paper straws, and several cotton balls. I taped two paper cups to the end of our table and created "lanes" with some tape so that the kids could have a snowball race. We simply used the straws to blow the cotton balls across the table to land in the cup. So simple and fun!
This was the perfect activity that kids could do independently or you could make it competitive by having them play against each other.
For our next race, we ended up adding some more reusable straws from home, and this time we used the two ping pong balls they included. My husband joined in the fun and lost to my daughter since she actually got her ball into the cup on the first try!
Next, I blew up the two metallic white balloons they sent and the kids had some fun pretending to be seals and bouncing them on their noses. We were also supposed to have a race with these, but the kids just had fun playing without competing! The last activity would have been outdoors, but it's much too cold for that right now, so we will save it for better weather! When we do get to it, it will be a snowball launch using a yardstick, our cups, and the ping pong balls. This will be a great activity to get out some energy chasing "snowballs" in our yard!
Verdict: Exploring the Arctic was a perfect winter theme for our Green Kid Crafts box! I loved that there was such a great mix of art, science and even some games to help us explore the topic. My kids are the appropriate age for this box at ages two and four and I thought everything was appropriate for them. They enjoyed everything, but the Arctic games had to have been our favorite since we got to do something a little different as a family! Everything was really well organized and I appreciate how they include everything we could need for each project so that we hardly needed anything from home. I also appreciate their mission of bringing STEAM projects to children with a goal towards sustainability through the materials and packaging that they use. For all of the educational and fun activities we received, I think it was well worth the $24.90 ($19.95 + $4.95 shipping) cost of the box!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, it is possible that you will receive this box at some point in your subscription.
Coupon - Use code SUBADDICT50 to save 50% off your first box!
Check out all of our Green Kid Crafts reviews and more kids activity boxes in the Kids Subscription Box List!
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