Atlas Crate is a subscription box for kids from parent company KiwiCo. This box is designed to spark the curiosity and sense of adventure in children ages 6-11 and help them become citizens of the world. Each month they will deliver materials and instructions to provide hands-on experiences to help them develop their sense of cultural awareness.
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,
- Eureka Crate for ages 14 and up.
There really is something for every age with this company!
This review is of the $19.95 a month Atlas Crate box, for 6-11-year-olds.
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 Atlas Crate
The Subscription Box: Atlas Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Crafts and DIY projects for kids, with supplemental learning kits, booklets, and activities. Crates are filled with materials and inspiration to encourage creativity and curiosity about the world.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $3.95 per month, worldwide from $4.95-$6.95
Atlas Crate October 2019 "Kenya" Review
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The country we explored this month was Kenya and we received this envelope full of exciting information. I love the greeting in another language and the detail of the string closure on the back; it makes it just a smidge more exciting being able to physically open this! On the bottom of the envelope, there is a list of what is included in our crate and a fun Atlas Quest to complete using our newfound knowledge after exploring this month's country.
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In our first box, which was based on the world, we received an Adventure Book that contained cards for each of the continents and we are able to add to it each month as we receive cards for each of the new countries. They also provide a sticker for us to add to it as well which is a fun way to track our travels! Everything in this box is incredibly organized and nicely packaged making it easy to locate it all.
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The cards for our adventure book are bright, vibrant, and full of tons of information about Kenya on each side. I always enjoy the fun facts page and this month we also got to learn about a few of the animals that can be found there.
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While most of the pages contain information for us to read, there are always a few "do" pages that provide instructions on activities related to the country. This month they provided a recipe for Vibibi, coconut rice pancakes, as well as instructions for how to play Mancala. This is a game I'm familiar with and grew up playing but never knew its origin. The game I've played uses a wooden board and marbles but they give instructions for making your own version using an empty egg carton and some beans which is so clever!
Activity #1: Beaded Wristband
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Our first activity was to make a beaded wristband inspired by Kenyan jewelry.
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Our booklet provided some information about the important role jewelry plays in Kenyan culture and how they can communicate different things through the beads they use and the style of their jewelry. They even included some ideas for what the different colored beads could mean which I thought was a nice touch!
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They provided this nice strap with a soft underside for us to use to make our bracelet.
The instructions were very clear and easy to follow.
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First, I poured our beads into a bowl so they would be easy to grab. Then I threaded the string through the top two holes at the sides of the strap.
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Then my daughter added five beads of her choice to the left string. They did provide a lot of examples of patterns and ideas for the beading, but my daughter sort of went her own way on that. Next, I threaded the right string back through the beads and then pulled it tight so they lay flat against the strap. We repeated this step until we reached the bottom of the strap.
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When we got to the bottom, I then threaded the string through the bottom middle two holes and then rolled the whole thing up and threaded them through the holes on the opposite side to connect them. Then I tied the threads together to finish it off.
Here is her wristband on. I love that since it is completely tied and nothing is permanent, we could redesign the beading at any time.
Activity #2: Binoculars
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Our next project was to make our own binoculars.
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They provided a mix of wooden pieces, cardboard tubes, and adhesive foam rings for us to use.
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They related the use of binoculars to all of the wildlife that might be seen in Kenya and provided clear and detailed instructions with helpful pictures.
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My son and I got to work. First, we found the correct wooden piece and added a skinny foam ring around the holes, then we inserted the large lenses that they provided into them.
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Then we added the orange foam rings on top of the first black ring we had placed.
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The little cardboard tubes were actually two separate pieces so we separated them and then he inserted the yellow tubes in the middle of the orange foam circles.
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Then we added foam, the small lenses, and the red tubes to the other wooden piece that we had.
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To the front of this piece, we then added the other brown foam circles. Then we slid the yellow and red tubes together to form our binoculars.
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Lastly, we tied on our yarn and our binoculars were complete!
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The binoculars actually work! You can even adjust the focus by sliding the two tubes apart or together. My son was pretty excited to use these!
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To go along with our binoculars, they included some fun paper animals for us and a little information about the "big five."
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My son, the animal lover, was really excited to play with these and helped me fold them up so that they could stand on their own.
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Once our animals were ready, I hid them around the house so that the kids could use the binoculars and see which animals they could spot in the wild. They really loved this and got into it showing each other which animals they saw. This was a cute extension idea for sure!
Verdict: This month's Atlas Crate box felt like it was made for my kids! My daughter loved that she got to design and make her own beaded wristband while my son was so happy with the animals and the binoculars! They enjoyed learning about Kenya and I thought it was a well-rounded mix of activities appropriate for the age group. Everything in the box was so well put together and I was impressed with the quality and design of our binoculars. I think this was a great experience for $19.95 plus free shipping!
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.
Check out all of our KiwiCo reviews and the best subscription boxes for kids!
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