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: Tadpole Crate is for 0-36 months, Koala Crate for ages 3-4, Kiwi Crate for ages 5-8, Atlas Crate for ages 6-11, Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate are for ages 9-16 and up, and the new Eureka Crate for ages 14-104.
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.)
Koala Crate
The Subscription Box: Koala Crate
The Cost: $19.95 a month + free shipping
The Products: 2-3 fun DIY projects for you to do with your preschooler!
Ships to: US
Koala Crate Bugs March 2019 Review
My family was excited to review this month's Koala Crate! KiwiCo's teaching methodology perfectly aligns with how my kids learn today. My son is in early pre-school and goes to a school that is focused on hands-on and project-based learning. My 2nd-grade daughter attends a school with a STEAM curriculum and was happy to assist her little brother with some of the more challenging tasks in the projects.
This month’s theme is “Bugs”. While completing the 3 fun projects, we learned all about bugs while being active and creative. My son is high energy so any project that gives him the chance to move, explore, and discover new things is perfect for him.
Koala Crate includes a parent’s guide with step by step instructions on how to complete each project. I recommend looking at the instructions and gathering all the materials for the project before engaging the kids. My preschooler lacks any amount of patience, so I wanted to be prepared to get the project started right away!
The crate includes three fun and engaging projects: bug dress-up, ladybug pouch, and bug matching game. The crate includes everything needed for all 3 projects.
Here are the materials for the bug dress-up project. It includes all the materials needed to design and create your own bug wings and antenna.
Here are the materials for the ladybug pouch project. It includes all the materials need to create a storage pouch and explore the world through a bug’s eyes.
Here are the materials for the bug matching game. It includes the materials to play a memory game and match bugs.
Let’s get started with the bug dress-up project!
The first step of this project was to construct the bug headband. The instructions were easy to follow and preschool friendly. I’m sure my son loved the antennas the best. He put them on right away and refused to take them off!
After constructing the bug antennas, it was time to work on decorating the bug cape using the felt stickers provided. This was fun but frustrating for my son. He struggled to remove the white paper from the back of the felt stickers. He’s in the “I DO IT MYSELF!” phase so this took a while!
And finally, the bug costume is complete. Now it’s time to dress up and pretend to be a bug. Here he is buzzing around the living room!
Let’s get started on the second project – ladybug pouch!
The first step in this project was to construct, decorate, and secure the ladybug pouch. My son helped but my daughter did most of the construction.
Next, we learned how to use the bug eye viewer and talked about how bug eyes are different from human eyes.
With our ladybug pouch and bug-eye viewer in hand, I tried to encourage the kids to explore the backyard through the eyes of a bug. However, they decided that the pouch was really a puppet and so, it was a puppet.
Let’s complete the final project – bug matching game!
To play this game, we mixed up the cards and spread them out face down. We took turns trying to find matching bugs. My daughter beat both me and her dad. My memory is just not what it used to be!
This was a little difficult for my son so we turned all the cards face up and let him sort and match the bugs.
Next, we had fun trying to identify the various types of bugs on the cards.
Koala Crate also sends a mini-magazine every month that goes along with the theme of the box.
It includes a story, additional fun activities and even a DIY project using items that are not included in the crate.
Verdict: This Koala Crate by KiwiCo was a lot of fun for not only my son but for the whole family. I forgot how fun it was to play Memory! My son really liked the bug antennas but I think he enjoyed identifying all of the bugs the best. The way he pronounces “caterpillar” is just the cutest. The ladybug pouch was fun but likely not in the way Koala Crate intended! And of course, my daughter, the reigning champ in Memory, had a blast. All of the projects were fun and the project instructions were clear and easy to follow. Considering the great quality materials, educational content and well-thought-out projects, the cost of this box, $19.95, is an awesome value.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? From KiwiCo:
Crates are assigned each month based on availability and your crate history – not all subscribers receive the same theme each month.
Coupon – Get 40% off your first month!, no coupon required, just use this link
Check out all of our Koala Crate reviews and the best subscription boxes for kids!
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