Doodle Crate, by KiwiCo, is a subscription box targeted to older children aged 9-16 that delivers a monthly art project. They describe themselves as a “studio for hands-on creativity delivered every month.”
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups:
- Tadpole Crate for 0 to 36-month-old,
- Koala Crate for 3 to 4-year-olds,
- Kiwi Crate for 5 to 8-year-olds,
- Atlas Crate for 6 to 11-year-olds,
- Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate for 9 to 16-year-olds and
- Eureka Crate for ages 14 and up.
There really is something for every age with this company!
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.)
About Doodle Crate
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 each month.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $5.95 per month, worldwide from $6.95-$7.95.
Doodle Crate Mini Journals Review August 2019
This box always comes with an amazing instruction manual and easy to follow instructions. I love that each instruction has a picture – it is really hard to mess up any project thanks to the detailed instructions and images. This month, we were very excited to make our own journals using homemade paper! The next items in our box were all the materials we need to complete 3 mini journals.
Shredded Paper
Jar
Screens (2)
Tray
Colored Paper and Confetti Paper
Stitching Guide
Pages (24)
Ruler
Needles
String & Clips
Sticker Endsheets (3)
Of course, Bella is our artist today! She is super excited to make something she loves – her own journal!
First, we started by laying out all of our supplies on the table.
Bella immediately started by opening one of the shredded paper packs and fluffing up the paper before carefully putting it in the jar.
She cut up a paper of her choice. For her first journal, she chose blue.
Bella even added some pixie dust from her fairy door. She wanted to make it sparkly and magical so that maybe her fairy would leave her notes or would have access to the journal.
We filled our jar with warm water and shook it with force for a good 3 minutes. We have a Google Home in almost every room, so we set a timer with it.
It looks pretty!! And it really does have a pretty shimmer!
Next, we took the tray in our kit and put it in a big pan partially filled with warm water. Inside our tray, we laid a screen inside.
Bella poured the shredded paper mix inside.
Then she spread it out gently across the screen.
Bella picked up the tray and let the water strain. And while there isn’t a picture, when she did this, I stood behind her and pressed down to allow more water to drip out then we put the other screen on top to prepare for our next steps.
We set up paper towels and flipped our soggy paper on top. We took another paper towel and put it on top and pressed down hard to soak up the extra water. To help, we took our jar, laid it out and began rolling it on the paper. We repeated this step multiple times, until there were no soggy paper towels. It took us maybe 5 rounds (and almost a whole roll of paper towels!)
Our next step was to let the paper dry overnight.
Once our paper was dried, I went to work making a journal. I took an end sheet and traced around it then took my scissors and cut off the extra paper. After cutting, I stuck it on the back of the paper.
Next, I took the needle included in the box and stuck it through the holes in the end sheet so that it would be easy to sew in the paper.
Next, I took 8 sheets of paper and clipped them in place so that they would not move during the next steps.
I flipped the journal around and added the stitching guide with the last clip.
The instruction manual had me start at 3, then down to 2 then 1. Then back to 2, then 3 and through 4 then 5.
When I was done, I was instructed to tie a knot and clip off the extra string.
And that was it! My journal is complete!
It is pretty and shimmery because of the fairy dust. Bella loved this journal and took it with her on the first day of school. She still has enough materials to make two more journals!
Verdict: This was really a fantastic box! We have never made paper before and now that we have, we cannot wait to do it again. What I love about Doodle Crate is that they send materials to make more than 1 item and if we really enjoyed the project, we can still use the supplies to make more. For this project, we just need to shred some tissue paper to make more paper. This box costs $19.95 a month and provided enough materials to make 3 completely original, personal journals. This box is well worth its value!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? It is possible you might get this crate, but it is not a guarantee. From KiwiCo:
Crates are assigned each month based on availability and your crate history – not all subscribers receive the same theme each month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box. No coupon needed - just use this link.
Check out all of our Doodle Crate reviews and the best subscription boxes for tweens and teens!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of the Doodle Crate mini journals?
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