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 Atlas Crate will deliver materials and instructions to provide hands-on experiences to help kids develop their sense of cultural awareness.
FYI! This box is featured in our Returning to Learning back-to-school guide. Take a look at our subscription recommendations to see how they can help make your life easier during this unique school year.
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 the $19.95/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, and worldwide from $4.95-$6.95
Atlas Crate "South Africa" Review
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This airmail envelope contains several informative cards and our passport sticker to add to our Adventure Book.
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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.
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The cards for our adventure book are bright, vibrant, and full of information about South Africa.
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The kids loved learning about the seals of Seal Island!
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They always include some "do" pages and this month we have a recipe for Bunny Chow and some instructions for making our own Vuvuzela.
Activity #1: Morabaraba Game
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Our first activity for this month is a game called Morabaraba and our guide tells us that this game was actually thought to have been used in ancient times to teach young herders how to move their cattle. The pieces in the game are actually referred to as cows and this sheet opens up to full illustrated instructions on how to play.
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The board is a wooden square with holes cut out and the pieces are green and black pegs that fit into the holes. They also provided some foam pads for our board.
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My son added the pads to the bottom of our board and then they began adding their pieces. The directions were actually sort of confusing to me at first so the kids didn't actually get to play a full and proper game, but later on, my husband and I tried it out together and we really enjoyed it. It can get a bit competitive, so I see us playing this again in the near future! I do love it when they send us games like this, but I really wish that they would include a bag to store it in or even design something that those tiny pegs could be kept inside of!
Activity #2: Ndebele House
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The next activity was to make our own Ndebele House with painted walls similar to those that the Ndebele people had.
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They provided some foam pieces to form the base of the house, some tissue for the roof, and a tealight to put inside the house to light the windows up. They also provided stencils, a marker, some paint, and a brush so we could add some colorful geometric designs to the walls.
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The first step was to add some stencils and then paint our house. My daughter loved using the stencil to add her designs, and she especially loved adding the little "secret" messages to her house as the booklet showed. We didn't follow the directions exactly for the design, but I thought she did a great job!
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Once the house was dry we began assembling it. We folded the walls around and slipped the tabs in. Then we fringed the tissue paper for the roof and added it to the foam adhesive roof piece before folding it closed. Liv added some adhesive stickers to the top of the house and then stuck the roof on.
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It looks so cute with the tea light showing through the windows. I thought this was a fun and creative activity, and I was pleased with the detail they went into about the Ndebele people and their own design ideas.
Verdict: Overall, this month's Atlas Crate box was a great one. My daughter enjoyed making the creative house and my son loved learning about South Africa. Everything was well organized and all of the materials were included for us. I always enjoy when they include a game since it's such a fun insight into the pastimes of another country, although I really wish that they would provide a way for us to keep our game pieces organized and stored. Other than that, it was a great box with just the right amount of learning and fun!
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 more of our Atlas Crate reviews, all of our KiwiCo reviews, and the best subscription boxes for kids!
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