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
I was intrigued by this month's country off Ghana. It's not a country I know a lot about, but the two activities looked like they would be fun and I figured my son would be happy to work on them with me!
Let's see how it went!
What's Inside This Box
1 of 6
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 we received a recipe for Oto and instructions for making a water drum!
My son is always scanning the cards to see what animals he can spot!
Activity #1: Golden Staff
1 of 3
The first project was to make a golden staff with the Anansi spider on it.
1 of 5
First, we had to add our golden foil stickers to our staff pieces. The staff itself was already a shimmery yellow gold and then when we added the foil stickers and ran our cotton swabs over them, they really started to shine! Then we assembled the base, added our figures which were also coated in gold foil, and lastly placed our spider in the center of the staff.
1 of 2
Here is his finished staff! He loves the spider in the middle of the web! I thought it turned out pretty cool and it was very simple to assemble.
Activity #2: Adinkra Basket
1 of 4
The next activity was a bit more involved and we needed to make stamps to decorate our basket before making it.
1 of 2
There were tons of foam pieces for the stamps, the felt for the basket, some brad fasteners, and paint and a paintbrush for using with our stamps.
1 of 4
First, we assembled our stamps. This was just a matter of using the foam adhesive and sticking the foam stickers on it. Then we added the wooden sticks to the holes in the corners of our stamps and bundled them together holding them with a rubber band. They included an extra foam square for us to use to create our own stamp if we wanted, but we went with the two symbols they provided!
1 of 2
Then it was time to roll out the basket fabric and stamp inside each of the squares. To do this, we painted the red part of the stamp and then pressed it down onto the fabric.
1 of 4
The next day when our stamps were dry, we added the base to our basket using brads and then used two more brads to close up the edges. I thought our basket turned out pretty cool! My son is already using it to tote around some toys in, so it seems to be sturdy enough, as well!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $19.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
Value Breakdown:
We got to make two unique and fun projects using high-quality materials and learn a little bit about a new country. They provided all of the materials we needed and made sure the instructions were clear and easy to follow. I'd say this box was well worth the value this month!
Key Takeaways
Atlas Crate manages to include just the right amount of information about these new countries along with fun and engaging crafts that give us just a bit of insight into their culture. The boxes come well organized and ready to go so we can simply open the box and have some fun while learning!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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.
What do you think of Atlas Crate? Click below to write a review!
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.