You probably know by now that KiwiCo has a subscription line for just about every age, but did you know they also offer fun one-time boxes in their shop? They have interactive toys, educational kits that are similar to their monthly boxes, and even some fun holiday-themed boxes. As a mom, I am always intrigued by these boxes, but before I buy, I like to know exactly what I'm getting. This series will provide you with a review of some of these unique one-time boxes and hopefully help you make an informed decision about your own purchases. If there's a box you'd like to see reviewed from their shop, drop a line in the comments and we'll see what we can do!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This is a review of KiwiCo's Veterinarian Starter Kit (recommended for ages 5+) for $29.95.
First Impressions
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My kids love animals and being that they are between the ages of 4 and 8, pretend play is big in our house. I was really curious to see how they responded to this vet kit and whether it was worth it or not.
What's Inside the Veterinarian Starter Kit?
There were a lot of pieces to unpack in this box! It looked like it was going to be a fun one.
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All of our guides were tucked in this little "Guide to being a Veterinarian" folder. They gave us an idea of what we would learn through the box along with an achievement certificate on the flaps of the folder.
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This booklet gave us some great insight into what it is like to be an actual vet.
They also included this fun poster full of animal facts.
Vet Kit
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Our kit included a little bag to keep all of our veterinary tools in along with some rubber gloves, a toy syringe, a toy stethoscope, plastic tweezers, felt pads, bandage tape, and some tweezers.
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My son was eager to check everything out and very excited about it all! Then it was time to get to work.
Animal Anatomy
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Our first topic was Animal Anatomy. They provided this guide with directions on putting our x-ray box together.
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There were some cardboard pieces, a light, and even four different colorful animal cards with detailed skeletons on the reverse.
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The box was very easy to put together. My son added some foam stickers to the marked spots on the cardboard pieces and then slid them together. He placed the bottom piece inside and added the light which had adhesive on the back, and then placed the box top over it which fit over two little pegs to keep it in place. The light operates with a simple push.
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When we put the colorful images over top of the lightbox we could see all of the bones through it. It was actually really cool and I was thoroughly impressed! Then we practiced viewing broken bones by just drawing a line through some of the bones and placing it over the lightbox. My son had fun trying to find out where the bones were broken after I marked the sheets for him.
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The second part of our anatomy lesson was exploring the anatomy of a dog with this little puzzle set.
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The dog opened up and on the backside was the skeleton (so we could use it on our X-ray machine) and there was a green piece for us to add the organ stickers to. This got placed inside the dog and then we were able to match up the pieces for his muscular system on top. It was a great way to see the different body systems and how they were layered inside the body.
Checkup Time
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Next, it was checkup time! They provided this handy little guide that showed us how to use all of our tools.
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They provided this great little dry erase checkup form along with a dry erase marker with an attached eraser.
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He filled out the chart and checked out his patient, which was one of his stuffed animals that I "brought in" with a hurt paw. He was very eager to bandage him up!
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This led to our living room being turned into a vet's office for the rest of the weekend. It has been so fun watching the kids bring their stuffed animals down for checkups. All three of my older children have been playing together and taking turns — the lightbox is really what makes it the coolest thing!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $29.95 + free shipping
I was so pleased with this kit and how much fun my kids have been having with it! It has encouraged so much play between them and I love that there was some learning involved, too. It's really a great little kit and I highly recommend it if you have any animal lovers or just kids that love to role play!
Key Takeaways
This vet kit has provided my kids with hours of play so far! I think it is just so much fun and the lightbox is a really clever feature. This along with all of the educational information included is what sets it apart from the usual toy vet kits!
To Wrap Up:
Is this box still available? Yes, as of now the Veterinarian Starter Kit is still available!
Have you tried any of the boxes from the KiwiCo shop? Let us know in the comments below!
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