Together Unplugged is a monthly subscription box designed with the whole family in mind. Each month you will receive 3-4 interactive games and loads of activities and reading material. This subscription is much more than a single-session box. They include activities and resources to help families play, create, read, learn, goal-set, laugh, and celebrate together throughout the entire month all while establishing a healthy digital/analog balance in our homes.
Note: They recently upgraded to heftier/stronger boxes and I'm sure glad they did. I'm not sure what happened to this box while it was in transit, but the "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" delivery scene popped into my head when I received this! No worries though- all items were in pristine condition except the JELL-O box, which was a bit banged up on the sides but was perfectly intact inside!
This box is being reviewed by popular demand!
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 Together Unplugged
The Subscription Box: Together Unplugged
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: MSA5OFF
The Cost: $47.95/month
The Products: Each month is different, but may include games, puzzles, crafts, team building activities, Highlights magazine, and much more.
Ships to: The US, Puerto Rico, and military addresses for free!
Together Unplugged June 2020 Box Review
New this month is a little card that includes the URL for a playlist to listen to while working on this box. I must say, the songs were very summery and included a little something for everyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you for including "All Apologies" by Nirvana...this box seems to know me all too well...
Up first, we have the welcome note that lists all of the items included in our June 2020 box. This list of contents is extremely helpful in making sure you don't miss any of the fun activities this box has to offer. Not only do they list the items that come in the box, but they also include a summary for each activity as well. They even use symbols to indicate what skill you are using for each activity! I love using this list to check off all of the items we do as a family, just to make sure we get as much as we can out of this box!
Speaking of getting the most out of your box, we are also given some literature that describes ways to best utilize this box. Setting aside times, bringing enthusiasm, and creating a "no phone zone" are just some of the suggestions they give us to help create an unforgettable experience. These tips work wonders, and really solidify a good family gathering that everybody can enjoy.
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One aspect I always look forward to in this box is the calendar of unique, fun, and patriotic reasons to celebrate in June. This calendar not only has the usual holidays (like Father's Day), but also includes some unique days of celebration including "Chocolate Pudding Day," "Pink Day," and "Eat Your Vegetables Day!" While our summer schedule is usually packed to the max, this summer our calendar is pretty bare, so these fun holidays give us a little extra fun to celebrate! On the flip side, we receive a bit of a summary on ways to celebrate each of these fun holidays. Chocolate pudding Day is coming up on the 26th, but we just couldn't resist digging into that the day the box came...whoops!
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Another fun addition to this box that we receive every month is information on 2 different holidays in the current month courtesy of DUCKSTERS Education site for kids. I love that this information is easy to read and understand, and really is interesting for kids and adults alike! For June we received information on "Flag Day" which we celebrated on June 14th. Did you know the American flag has changed 5 times since it was first produced? and that if a flag is flown at night, it must be illuminated? We also received information on the not so well known holiday "Hug Day." This holiday is celebrated June 29th (the day before our 13th wedding anniversary!!) I love that they included a note explaining that they understand hugging can be sensitive now due to the coronavirus, but that they also wanted to share the benefits we can get from being able to hug those we can now, such as: reducing stress, boosting your heart health, reducing your fears, helping your pain, and helping you communicate with others. I need to start doing more hugging!!
Goal Sheet
As my children get older, we have been slowly giving them more responsibility, and with that has come a lot of talk about goals. This sheet helps our family set individual and family goals that help us stay on track and learn from challenges together all year. It's been really fun to talk about our goals and see what is important to each of us individually as well as get input as to what our family goal should be. In case you are wondering, Hank earned his $10 last month by doing chores, and Charlie has been improving on his baseball game! This month, Hank's goal is to make Father's Day "spectacular!" while Charlie's goal is to not fall off of the kitchen stool so often...interesting goal, but one I hope he achieves! Our family goal this month is to keep up on the weeds in our garden, and to get out fishing as much as we can. I can't wait to reflect at the end of the month!
Expressions of Gratitude Sheet
Gratitude is something that I feel the world is lacking a bit, and I try and instill this trait into my kids every day. Our regular nighttime routine always includes the questions: "What were you thankful for today?" "What did you learn today?" "What was your favorite part about today?" and "What made you sad today?" I love hearing the kids' responses because they really open up and share how they felt the day went. This gratitude sheet builds off of that and really asks good questions that help us get to know each other even better. Kids love to talk, and when they know you are listening, they will really open up and feel comfortable doing it. This month Hank shared that the smell he is grateful for is "mom's perfume, because I know she's close by" and Charlie shared the small thing that makes him feel happy is "when grandpa shares his box of ice-cream treats with us!" I just love hearing the kids' answers!
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Family Activity Pack
Again, the family activity pack is one of my favorites parts of this subscription. The jokes, riddles, puzzles, and conversation starters are so much fun anytime, but in the car especially! We recently took a 2-hour road trip to our camping destination and brought these in the truck to pass the time, and the replies my kids (and husband) had were hilarious!
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My husband is such a rock star at these riddles...I really need to brush up! I love that Hank can read the riddles to my husband and me so neither of us can cheat!
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S.T.E.A.M Craft: Color Blending Wheels
8 Pack Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers - Retail Value $4.49
I love Crayola, and the "Ultra-Clean" aspect of these markers is something I totally need. Charlie loves coloring with markers, but ends up with them all over his hands, and somehow his face. Sometimes the regular Crayola markers just don't come off very nicely, but these wipe off with a washcloth and water- no hard scrubbing and no tears. Definitely a win!
Together Unplugged is always so creative with their S.T.E.A.M crafts, and while last month's circuit cards knocked it out of the park, these color blending wheels were pretty dang cool, too. We began by tracing circles on the included box (hooray for repurposing!) and cut them out. Once they were cut we had to decide if we were going to make a "reverse rainbow" or a secondary color. Hank decided to give the "reverse rainbow" a go, so I opted for the secondary color. We divided the circle into 6 and 4 sections and colored them as the directions explained. I tried doing the simple spinner with the skewer but just couldn't get the color to show well, so we both decided to try out the string spinner. Once you poke 2 holes into the middle of the circle, you thread the string into the holes and tie the loose ends of the string together. Moving your hands in a circular motion, you wind up the string and pull to get it to spin really fast. The reverse rainbow was soooo cool! And my blue and red spinner magically turned purple! This was a simple technique that really showed how colors can blend. Awesome!
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Minute-to-Win-It Challenge Sheet
12-Pack Staples #2 Wood Pencils, 2 ct - Retail Value $4.58 ($2.29 a pack)
Hooray for pencils. Seriously, pencils seem to vanish in our house never to be seen again, so we can never have enough of these, plus who knew they could be used to play games?!
We love the Together Unplugged Minute-to-Win-It games! This month we received a sheet with several options on it. As you can see from our photos, the "Pencil Mustache" game was a hit! In this game, you had to set the timer, grab a pencil, and place it between your upper lip and nose like a mustache. You now need to travel to an empty cup 6 feet away and drop the pencil in the cup! The more pencils you get the better chance you have of winning! Talk about hilarious and fun! Where do they come up with these games!? We also played "Bouncy Cup." In this game, you line up all 12 cups on a table and try to bounce the pencils (eraser side down) on the table. Let me tell you...this is harder than it looks! I must have bounced 50 pencils and only had a handful of them land in the cup! Hank and Charlie did pretty poorly at this game, but who doesn't love throwing a pencil around?
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Family Team Building Activity
Like all other months, we have received a well-thought-out family team building exercise. This month was a bit different than past months though, as it involved us reading a book on our own. We don't own the book Mr. Peabody's Apples, but Together Unplugged was gracious enough to have read it and uploaded it to YouTube so that we can still participate. While the actual book would have been nice, it was great to sit on the couch and listen to the audio version as well. Once we read the story we reached for the included worksheet. This sheet gave us instructions for completing a challenge that is similar to the one we hear about in the book. In the book, we learn that Mr. Peabody pays for his groceries in the morning, and has a deal with the grocer to take his apples whenever he wants. A boy spies him taking an apple and spreads a rumor that Mr. Peabody is a thief because he didn't pay for the apple, when actually he did. The entire town then loses trust in Mr. Peabody, except Billy, who explains to him why no one showed up to the baseball game. When confronted, the boy who started the rumor learns the truth and feels awful, asking how he can fix it. Mr. Peabody tells him to bring a feather filled pillow to the baseball diamond and has him cut it in half to release the feathers. Once the feathers are flying everything, Mr. Peabody explains that he must pick up all of the feathers. This is an impossible feat, and the boy learns what his words about Mr. Peabody "stealing" the apple has caused. In our activity, we do a similar re-enactment with a sugar packet. I had the boys dump out their packets and then make them try and put every last granule of sugar back into the packet. It is basically impossible. While it was a bit of a hard concept to grasp for my 5-year-old, Hank (who is 7) seemed to understand and take this to heart. I can definitely see this resonating with older kids, and is a great lesson for adults alike!
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Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
Where was this last summer when we took a 17-hour car trip to Montana?! I spent hours googling car activities and ended up spending way too much money on car activities the kids didn't even play. This fun scavenger hunt is bright, easy to look at, and has a great variety of items to find...plus it came laminated for re-use! We took this (and the included dry erase marker) on our camping trip and had a blast checking off items on the list. It was amazing to see how engaged the kids were! My husband and I were really into it too- my husband even took the long way through town just to try and cross more items off of our list!
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Chocolate JELL-O Instant Pudding, 3.9 oz - Retail Value $0.87
This month, the snack we received was this package of pudding. Our mailbox was a little smooshed this month, but the only damage we had to the inside was a couple of creases in the pudding box, so no big deal...the powder wrapping escaped unscathed so no worries! Although "Chocolate Pudding Day" isn't until June 26th, Hank and Charlie decided we absolutely needed to celebrate early. Honestly, this was the first thing we did from the box! Seriously, who can resist chocolate pudding?
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Highlights Magazine June 2020 - Get a one-year subscription here for $39.96
Each month, we receive the current edition of the Highlights magazine. I say it over and over, but I love this magazine! I received it as a girl, and I am happy to flip through it with my kids! We read it cover to cover and learn all sorts of new trivia, current events, crafts, and of course we do the hidden pictures! Charlie has his eye on a couple of science experiments we came across that show how bees transfer pollen from flower to flower. My current grocery list consists of apples and cheese puffs because of it!
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Pass the Pigs Game - Retail Value $9.83
The game hoarder strikes again! ANOTHER game I haven't played! Here I thought I had all the games, but this subscription is introducing us to all sorts of new favorites! This month we received a set of "Pass the Pigs." This easy-to-play game consists of 2 little pigs, a shaking container, a pencil, and a scorecard. While those are the only items in the game box itself, Together Unplugged took the liberty to make a laminated score card complete with the scoring guide AND a dry erase marker! Love it! To play this game, you gently toss the pigs, and depending on how they land, you receive points for their positions. It is extremely easy, and the kids (and me) love shouting the name of how they land. Our favorite is the "Double Leaning Jowler," although none of us has rolled it yet. This game is also portable. We brought it camping and played it until dark!
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Dragon's Cave Game - Retail Value $14.99
Yay for another game! This time we received a game that includes dwarves trying to make their way into a dragon's lair to find themselves some treasure. This game consists of a few different elements. Everyone gets a dwarf piece, but you all take turns being the dragon, "guessing" where the dwarf may go next to try and stop them from stealing his treasure. My kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE dragons, so this was a hit! My husband hasn't had the opportunity to play yet, but I can assure you, it is in his near future!
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Family Tree Mad Libs - Retail Value $4.99
I haven't done a Mab Libs in many years, so I was excited to see this in the box! When I explained the concept to Hank, he was a little confused and wasn't really interested in giving me nouns and adverbs, but after a little coaxing, he really got into it, along with Charlie. When I read the final story, they were rolling on the floor laughing! We had to do multiple sheets, and even had to call dad at work to read our stories! Talk about a win!
Certificate of Recognition
Last but not least, we have the Certificate of Recognition. This certificate shows that in June 2020 we were a family that was focused on making time for us. I love the saying "For being a family that's focused on making time for the good stuff." While the "stay at home" order has been lifted, we have still been sticking close to home and enjoying every minute together, especially when we have fun activities like these to complete!
Verdict: Together Unplugged boxes are AMAZING. Even though our state is slowly opening up, we have become so accustomed to staying at home that we find ourselves enjoying hanging out together as a family more than going out. With school being out, I have heard the occasional "I'm bored" and as soon as I hear that, out comes this box! We have played "Pass the Pig" and "Dragon's Cave" more times than I can count, and I am okay with that! The curation of this box was awesome. Between the actual physical items and the original content, I find my family completing every single activity with glee. This box has truly brought our family closer, and is a box that includes items to be enjoyed for a lifetime. We look forward to receiving this box each and every month, and I can't see what they have in store for July!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You will likely receive the July box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: MSA5OFF
Check out all of our Together Unplugged reviews and our list of the best kids subscription boxes for 2020, recommended by MSA readers like you!
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