Green Kid Crafts is a kids subscription box company that sends you up to six science and art kits each month for $29.95 (plus free US shipping).
Green Kid Crafts strives to encourage the growth of the "whole child," which includes fostering a sense of care for our environment. Their process and products seek to have a minimal environmental impact, and the activities in each box aim to help kids engage with nature in creative ways. It's not surprising that Green Kid Crafts was actually founded by an environmental scientist! The thoughtful approach makes this box one of our favorite kids art subscriptions.
Choose between the Junior Discovery Box (ages 2-4) or the Discovery Box (ages 5-10+), both of which are $29.95/month. Green Kid Crafts also offers a Sibling Discovery Box (ages 2-10+) for $49.95/month, which sends two of each project. All subscriptions include free shipping.
This is a review of the Discovery Box for ages 5-10+, which costs $29.95/month + free shipping.
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 Green Kid Crafts Discovery Box
The Subscription Box: Green Kid Crafts Discovery Box
The Cost: $29.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Materials and instructions for up to 6 science and art projects aimed at helping children ages 5-10+ get creative and engage with nature.
Ships to: The US for free, to Canada and select countries for a flat rate of $6.50/month
Green Kid Crafts "Climate Change" February 2020 Box Review
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Our theme this month is Climate Change, and this booklet included the instructions for all of our experiments. They discussed a few ways you can help mitigate the effects of climate change such as planting trees, and riding your bike and walking instead of driving. They also gave some book suggestions and included their social media information on the back.
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Each box includes a new sticker for us to add to our Green Kid Crafts badge chart. This month we received the Climate Change Expert badge.
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Everything comes packaged neatly in these recyclable bags making it easy to find our supplies for each project.
Project 1: The Greenhouse Effect
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Our first activity was kind of a bust. We were supposed to lay this thermometer in the sunlight and record the temperature at several timed intervals. Then we were supposed to put the thermometer in this glass jar and observe what happened to the temperature. Since I live on the East Coast and it is still a cold winter here, we were unable to do this experiment since the thermometer starts at 64 degrees Fahrenheit and our temperatures have been well below that! We'll have to save this one for spring!
Project 2: Ocean Acidification
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Our second project is actually the same pH experiment we did in our July 2019 box, but this time it is called Ocean Acidification to better fit within our theme.
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First, I had my daughter label each of these and then stick them on our cups. We were supposed to have one for lemon juice, vinegar, water, baking soda, and castile soap, but we didn't receive the castile soap in our box. Since we didn't receive a cup for that fifth item, I figured maybe it was purposefully left out?
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Next, my son made a solution in one of the larger cups by adding the red cabbage powder they included to some water.
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I divided our solution between the four cups and then we began adding each of the other ingredients to the labeled cups.
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We talked about how the colors changed with each ingredient we added and compared them. Then we added some salt to our water cup and observed what happened. We were then able to discuss pH, acidity, and alkalinity in relation to our cups using the helpful chart they included in our booklet. They related this to how ocean acidification is a decrease in pH as a result of extra greenhouse gases and this is causing coral reefs to collapse and dissolve.
Project 3: Tree Disk Amulet
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Next, we opened up our tree disk and inspected it. They encouraged us to go outside and learn about the trees in our area and neighborhood. Once again, the weather was an issue for us (too cold and windy), but since my husband knows quite a bit about trees and has shared this information with them whenever we are outdoors, we were able to just have a brief refresher on them.
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After discussing our little piece of tree and talking about its rings and what kind of tree we thought it might be, my daughter used the markers to draw a tree-inspired picture.
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I then tied the cord to our disk by threading it through the hole at the top and her amulet was ready to wear! This was a cute project and they made sure to mention that with every order placed, they plant a tree in addition to being carbon neutral!
Project 4: Solar Lights Jar
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Next up was to make a solar light jar using the same glass jar from our first experiment and this solar lid with string lights attached to it.
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I pulled out the little tab at the battery compartment and flipped the switch to on before unwinding our lights.
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There was a small solar panel at the top and after getting just a bit of light, our string of lights lit up for us! This will be cute to use as a little light outside this summer!
Project 5: Melting Glacier Experiment
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Next, we got to make our own model of a melting glacier using some biodegradable packing peanuts.
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I stuck a container inside our box and then used the sticky strip of one of our baggies to stick it to the side of the box and into the container. Then the kids dipped the peanuts into the water and began sticking them to the surface of the bag.
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Once our "glacier" was formed, we poured some water over the top of it and watched the pieces melt away into the "ocean." This provided a visual for how a glacier breaks off into pieces as it melts and causes the water level to rise.
Project 6: Sea Ice Experiment
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The last experiment we did was a sea ice experiment. They provided some Model Magic, cups, and two cute little polar bear erasers.
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My daughter pressed the model magic into one of our cups and flattened the top to represent Antarctica. Then I added some water and marked the water line with a marker.
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My son added some ice cubes to each cup and then I added the same amount of water to our second cup, marking the water line again.
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We placed our polar bears at the top of the ice and then observed how the water levels changed once our ice melted They related this to the rising sea levels again and it was a good visual for what happens when the ice melts.
Project 7: Climate Activism Signs
We didn't do this project, but they did recommend repurposing our box to make activist signs and start a climate change club in our school.
Verdict: This month's Green Kid Crafts box had a lot of projects in it! I will say that sometimes these boxes don't quite take into account the season or weather at the time they send them, so sometimes we have to modify or save a project for later, but since there were so many other projects, it wasn't a big deal for us. Everything was packaged neatly and organized with a lot of information related to the topics discussed. The directions were clear and easy to follow, too. I liked how they provided ways for us to reuse the bags and our box, and I was glad to learn that they plant one tree for each box sold! This felt like a pretty solid box full of kid-friendly activities for $29.95 (plus free shipping).
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Here's what Green Kid Crafts says:
The first box of all subscription orders will ship immediately, through the 25th of the month. After the 25th, the initial box will ship with the following month’s mid-month shipment. After the first month, subsequent boxes will ship around the middle of the month.
Check out all of our Green Kid Crafts reviews and the best kid subscription boxes for more kids' activities!
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