Kiwi Crate is a subscription box for kids ages 5-8 from parent company KiwiCo. It arrives every month with all the materials and instructions needed to complete 2-3 crafts centered on a theme, plus additional materials to help educate young learners!
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups:
- Panda Crate for 0-24-month-olds,
- Koala Crate for 2-4-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 and Maker Crate for ages 14 and up.
There really is something for every age with this company!
This review is of KiwiCo’s Kiwi Crate (for ages 5-8), which costs $19.95 per month.
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 Kiwi Crate by KiwiCo
The Subscription Box: Kiwi Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month + free shipping
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. Projects cover a number of developmental areas through art, science, and imaginative play.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $3.95, and worldwide from $4.95-$6.95
KiwiCo Kiwi Crate "Treasure Hunt" Review May 2020
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Our theme for this month is Treasure Hunt and we received this booklet which contains the directions for our activities. This includes detailed, colored illustrations and clear instructions that are easy to follow. They broke down our project into various sections that simplified the process for us. On the back of the booklet, they include their social media links and a sticker for this month’s project. This box was actually reviewed in October 2015, however, it looks like they have changed things up a bit since then. These projects are always so well-crafted and I think it says a lot about KiwiCo's dedication to quality that they would improve upon a previous design!
This is the little sticker chart that we received in our first Kiwi Crate along with our welcome note.
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Each month you also get a Kiwi Explore! magazine with a letter from Steve the Kiwi and a little comic to go along with the theme starring some cute characters. This month the gang went on their own treasure hunt! There were also some fun activities and even a recipe for treasure-map pizza.
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She always enjoys the activities, and this month she had some fun with maps!
Part 1: Embossed Coins
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Our first step for our project was to make some embossed coins. They provided three double-sided cardboard coins, 6 shiny gold stickers, some cotton swabs, and a few cardboard cut out numbers and shapes for us.
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First, my daughter popped the numbers and kiwi bird shapes out of the set and arranged them to form different numbers.
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Once she decided which piece to use she set them on her cardboard coin and then covered it with a gold sticker. To help the embossed shape show up she simply used the cotton swab to press the sticker down and around the shape.
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This was so simple, but it was a process she really enjoyed, especially since it seemed like magic to her!
Part 2: Treasure Chest
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With our treasure complete it was time to build the chest to store it in. They provided several sturdy wooden pieces for us which were clearly labeled with corresponding letters on the slots and notches along with some rubber bands.
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She followed the directions to put the pieces together to form the base of our chest. This was simply a matter of fitting the matching pieces together (A to A) and then adding a rubber band around the piece that stuck through to secure it.
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She did the same thing to form the top of our chest.
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They provided a little knotted rope loop and she used the piece of pipe cleaner to thread it through the hole in the lid and pull it tight.
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Then she matched up the holes in the top and bottom pieces and slid the dowel through them. To hold them in place, she just added a green foam sticker over each hole.
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The last step was to add the mini lock that they gave to store her treasure safely inside!
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Here is the finished chest. It's very plain looking which means we could definitely add some color to it one day if we wanted! Since it is so simple to assemble, we could even take the pieces apart and paint them. I love how well thought out these projects are!
Part 3: Treasure Map
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Our last step was to draw a map so that we could find our treasure. They gave us four different types of paper so we can have fun creating several different maps.
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They provided a sheet of red X stickers, a mini ruler, and a pen (more magic!) that could write in red, blue, or black for us to use.
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First, she created a legend, which they explained in our booklet. Then she used her ruler (a new skill for us) to draw the room her treasure would be buried in and added some drawings of the furniture and other items in the room.
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The first map is her design, and thanks to all of the information they provided, it was a very educational experience! She learned about landmarks, legends, and how to visualize the room. While she drew in red, she was supposed to use black and then mark the treasure trail with red and use a blue star for the "you are here" spot. While she was sleeping, I designed a map for the next day and I hid the treasure for her. She was excited to locate the treasure using the map and it was another great lesson about how to actually use a map!
Verdict: This month's Kiwi Crate was so much fun! I love that they included all aspects of the treasure hunt right down to designing our treasure. We got to build something and then we got to learn about maps and apply our knowledge. Plus we still have some extra paper for even more map fun! I thought it was a great educational experience and that it was incredibly well-rounded. This was another winning box for us!
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.
Check out all of our Kiwi Crate reviews and more boxes for ages 5-8 in the Kids Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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