Tadpole Crate, previously called “Cricket Crate,” is the toddler subscription box offering from KiwiCo, designed for hands-on learning and fun every month!
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups:
- Tadpole Crate for 0-36-month-olds,
- Koala Crate for 3-4-year-olds,
- Kiwi Crate for 5-8-year-olds,
- Atlas Crate for 6-11-year-olds,
- Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate for 9-16+-year-olds, and
- Eureka Crate for ages 14 and up.
There is something for every age with this company.
This review is of the $19.95 a month Tadpole Crate for kids ages 0-36 months.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About this Toddler Subscription Box
The Subscription Box: Tadpole Crate
The Cost: $19.95 a month + free shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 40% off your first box! No coupon needed - just use this link.
The Products: 2-3 fun and developmentally appropriate projects, a magazine, online resources and a board book for you and your toddler!
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $5.95 per month, worldwide from $6.95-$7.95.
Tadpole Crate “Kitchen Play” Review August 2019
My family was excited to review this Tadpole Crate! KiwiCo's teaching methodology perfectly aligns with how my kids learn today. My son is in pre-school and goes to a school focused on hands-on and project-based learning. His big sister, my 3rd-grader, was happy to assist her little brother with the projects.
This month’s theme is “Kitchen Play” where kids explore mealtime routines through pretend play projects that are fun and age-appropriate.
Tadpole Crate includes Wonder Magazine which is full of information, tips and fun activities related to the month’s theme.
The magazine highlights the activities and includes information on how to engage your children along with additional learning resources.
Wonder Magazine also offers additional activities to try at home. These DIY activities sometimes require supplies not included in the box. It’s a great way to continue the fun after the projects are complete.
This Tadpole Crate includes two fun and engaging projects: DIY Dough and Play Stove Set. DIY Dough builds development skills such as arm and shoulder movements, hand-eye coordination, vision and smell, and early measurement. Play Stove Set developmental skills are pretend play, tactile play, real versus make-believe, and language. Included are detailed instructions and everything needed for both projects.
Here are the materials for the DIY Dough project. It includes dough powder, dough liquid, a mixing bag, and an optional Food Shapes printable available to download from the KiwiCo website.
Here are the materials for the Play Stove Set project. It includes the play stove wrap, skillet, spoon, crate, scented dough, and cookie-cutter.
Let’s get started with DIY Dough!
In this activity, kids get to mix ingredients from the crate to make floral-scented playdough.
The first step in this project is to empty the dough powder into the mixing bag. This step was a little messy. Next, we added the dough liquid to the bag and sealed it shut.
We squished the dough ingredients around in the bag until it was mixed well and no white dough powder was visible. We then removed the dough from the bag - kneading it until it was smooth. My son loved this part!
With the dough complete, its time for pretend play! I know that if we run out of dough, the Wonder Magazine has a simple no-cook playdough recipe to make more.
Let’s move on to Play Stove Set!
In this activity, children get to play pretend using the play stove and scented dough.
In this game, you reuse the crate (the box) to create a pretend stove by covering it with the play stove wrap. The kids can use the skillet, spoon, dough, and cookie cutters to create a culinary masterpiece!
My son loved creating the playdough stars. When he put the stars in the skillet, he made sizzling sounds. When he removed the stars, he pretended they were hot. He also made spaghetti and “fried snakes.”
Tadpole Crate includes a board book every month that goes along with the theme of the box. In “Olive's Birthday Surprise”, Olive is on the search for berries to make the perfect berry salad for grandma's birthday.
My son made super sad faces when, at every stop, Olive was unable to find berries. He proclaimed "Noooooo, no more berries!" I love how engaged he was with this story.
Verdict: This Tadpole Crate by KiwiCo was fun! We enjoyed making the playdough and kneading it until it was smooth. My son loves to pretend play so I knew he would love the play stove set. He got a kick out of creating dishes and asking mommy to taste them! We did find the activities in this Kitchen Play crate to be a little less involved than other boxes, so we spent less time than usual playing with this box. I wish more cookie cutters and different color playdough were included. He enjoyed making the dough and cutting it in shapes the most.
I’m also finding that my son has already mastered all the developmental skills reinforced with these activities so, over the next few months, we will be transitioning primarily to the Koala crate for ages 3+.
Like other KiwiCo boxes, I found the materials in the Tadpole Crate to be high quality and sturdy. The project instructions were clear, age-appropriate and easy to follow. Best of all, my son had fun while reinforcing developmental skills. The cost of this box is only $19.95. I think it's well worth the price for enriching, creative, and convenient activities for kids.
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.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 40% off your first box! No coupon needed - just use this link.
Check out all of our KiwiCo reviews and the best subscription boxes for toddlers!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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