Atlas Crate is one of the best subscription boxes 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.
This review is of KiwiCo’s Atlas Crate (for ages 6-11), 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).
First Impressions
Chile is not a country that we know a ton about, so we were excited to see what this box had in store for us! The two projects included making a drum and making our own macaroni penguin, both of which I knew would be huge hits with the kids, but more so for my son! I decided to do this month's box with him, while he is just a bit younger than the box's intended age at 5, I knew he would be fine with just a little extra help from me!
Let's see how it went!
What's Inside This Box
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This little envelope contains a sticker for the country we are visiting that we can add to our Adventure Book from our first box as well as several colorful cards full of information about the country. There are facts, photos, and even some "Do" cards that usually contain a recipe and some sort of extra craft or instructions for a dance. This month it was instructions on how to make a slime glacier and a recipe for empanadas. Yum!
My son is always eager to learn about what animals are native to each country! This month it was all about the chinchillas!
Activity #1: Kultrun
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The first project was to make a Kultrun which is a drum usually hand-carved from wood.
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Our version was made with a plastic bowl. They provided a wooden drumstick, a fabric drum head, paint, a brush, and some other materials for assembly such as some brad fasteners and rubber bands.
1 of 5 | First, we added the brads to the small cardboard circle.
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The last step was to paint the top of our bowl using some of the symbols from the Mapuche people.
His finished drum is not only fun to beat, but it is also fun to shake with the pasta and rice inside!
Activity #2: Macaroni Penguin
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My son loves his animals, so I knew he would love making this macaroni penguin!
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They provided a mix of felt and wooden pieces along with some foam circles and little strands of yarn.
1 of 4 | First we added the foam circles to the ends of the small wooden dowel after putting the cardboard tube over it.
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My son was eager to assemble the penguin which was just a matter of adding the adhesive felt pieces, drawing some eyes with a marker, and then slipping the foam pieces for the mouth and feet in place. I added the elastic pull and the hair for him because those were a bit trickier.
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We slipped the body over the base and he was good to go. How cute is he? Swipe through to see how he waddles when you pull him.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $19.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
Value Breakdown:
We got to explore a new country and learn all about its culture including its food, its animals, and also some random facts that were all very educational. We also were able to create two different crafts that related to the country which we thought were fun and unique. They provided all of the materials, kept everything neat and organized, and made it easy for us to enjoy, so I'd say that's a great experience well worth the $19.95 cost of the box.
Key Takeaways
Atlas Crate always finds a way to pique our interest in all of these new countries with the information that they share. The materials are always engaging and the crafts themselves are easy enough to complete since they provide such thorough instructions. It's a great way to learn about new cultures while having fun!
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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.
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