Koala Crate is the toddler subscription box offering from KiwiCo, featuring 2-3 fun DIY projects designed for hands-on learning and fun every month! KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups and this is a review of the $19.95 a month Koala Crate, for Pre-K kids ages 2-4.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Opening The Box
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For August, the thrill of the yellow box's arrival aligned perfectly with my daughter's fourth birthday. We had travel planned for that day so I wanted to prioritize spending quality time together in the morning before we left. These wind-theme projects were the perfect thing! Koala Crate is meant for ages 2-4, and it's fun to look back over the months we've been reviewing this box together to see how activities my daughter might have needed help with last year, she's able to do more independently now. Let's dig in!
Here's What's Inside
Instruction Booklet
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In every Koala Crate box is a tri-fold pamphlet that gives instructions for the three activities. They provide both images and text so that the child can follow along with their adult helper. They also give some bonus project ideas on the back, which you can do with your own supplies at home.
Activity Booklet
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Koala Crate also includes a booklet that starts with a short story about three familiar animal characters—including a koala, of course. The booklet gives additional age-appropriate craft ideas, has some games to play (like mazes and matching games), and offers some on-theme book suggestions to look for at the library.
Wind Car
The first project this month is building a wind-powered car. We added the wheels using dowels, decorated the sails with oil pastels*, and waved our provided fan to make the car go. Koala Crate provides sails of various shapes and sizes so you can experiment with what works well.
*I didn't see a note about this in our materials, but oil pastels definitely stain clothes. I trusted my daughter at age 4 to use them carefully, but I probably would've popped an apron on her had this box been sent to us last year.
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The trickiest part of building the wind-powered car were the steps that involved threading: keeping the dowels aligned to thread the wheels on and threading the tongue-depressor mast into the sails. Other than that, my kid could do this project on her own! It took her some practice to get the angle of the fan right to make the car go, but that was a good opportunity for experimentation.
Wind Sock
Next, we made a wind sock. Here are the materials used.
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After using the oil pastels to decorate the tube part of the wind sock (I was pleased that my daughter kept her designs minimal because I was worried the color would transfer off onto things!), we did more threading. We wove the provided foam piece through the top to hold it open—something she did with astounding patience and little help from me—and then we looped the colorful ribbons in along the bottom for decoration. The design of the wind sock allowed us to do this side-by-side, which was a great way for her to learn. The finished product is bright and sweet!
Weather Chart
Finally, we built a weather chart. Above I show all the materials for the wind sock, but really it's the finished wind sock project that pairs with the chart.
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The weather chart requires prep more than having to build anything—we just stuck the suction cup to our window, hung the chart, and peeled all the temperature and weather options off the sheet they came on. Then, with our wind sock hanging from our back light, we observed! My daughter watched the wind sock hanging to gauge how windy it was outside. She put the red circle reusable sticker at the appropriate rating. She then looked at the sky and felt the air to decide which thermometer and weather stickers to choose.
This is something we have enjoyed doing most days since our box arrived! If I wake up before her, sometimes I'll pull the previous day's stickers off and move them to the side so that even if the conditions are the same as they were yesterday there's still something to do.
Verdict
We had such a nice time with the wind-themed Koala Crate box. We worked our way through it on my daughter's fourth birthday, marking this the last year she'll be in the indicated age group for this tier of KiwiCo. I was impressed with how much of these projects she was able to complete on her own, with little help. We are a nature-loving family, so the elements of the box that involved observing the weather are my favorite parts. I think she enjoys them, too!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $19.95 a month + free US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
Value Breakdown: Koala Crate costs $19.95 per month, meaning each of the three projects and activities breaks down to $6.65. I would easily pay that price and more to occupy my kid with these great screen-free and age-appropriate DIYs. We love connecting over our Koala Crate boxes, and with the activities and play paired together, we can fill a morning with their fruits.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Other Things You Should Know
Can I still get this box if I 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 this month's Koala Crate?
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