First Impressions: Outside the Box Creation – May 2024

First Impressions is a series that (re)introduces and reviews new brands to My Subscription Addiction, drawing from readers' requests for an insider's first look. Interested in seeing more reviews from this brand, or have another box in mind that you'd like to see reviewed? Let us know in the comments.

Outside the Box Creation is a subscription box that brings art class into your home! Each month, ignite your child's creativity with fresh art techniques to explore through a box that has been crafted by professional Art Educators and Literacy Experts. Dive into each month's curriculum delivery, complete with designed lesson plans and high quality art materials, empowering your student to craft a masterpiece. Geared towards kids ages 5-11, you can even choose the size of kit that will fit the needs of your family!

The Cost: Subscriptions start at $36.95 each month + shipping. Save on longer subscriptions!

This is a review of the art box designed for up to two kiddos.

(Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)

First Impressions

I have worked in the public education system for 5 years now, and have two little boys that attend said school. While I do feel they are getting adequately educated, as a lover or learning, I am always on the hunt for ways to incorporate just a little more at home. Upon first inspection, I found the curriculum in this box and projects to be very thoughtfully laid out, and the supplies high quality. Read below to see how this month's projects turned out, and if Charlie thought this box was as cool as I did!

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I caught a glimpse of the size of this box. I was expecting something a little smaller, so I couldn't wait to see what goodies were packed inside! Containing everything we needed for this month's projects, Charlie was really excited to dig in.

Artist Guide

Because this subscription is meant to be utilized as art curriculum, we have been provided with an Artist Guide. This nine page booklet features "I can" statements, tips for grown ups, content lists, digital pairings, lessons, examples, and even games! Put together in a user friendly way, this guide does a fabulous job of teaching us techniques, all while adding history, facts, and fun to art!

Art Supplies

Faber Castell Oil Pastel Set - Retail Value $8.88

When Charlie opened the box and saw this set of 12 oil pastels, he was thrilled. Not only is Faber Castell a quality brand, but the set even comes in a handy dandy plastic case! With a variety of colors, these pastels are bright, vibrant, and blend extremely well. A great dive into the world of oil pastels, we couldn't wait to see what kind of techniques we would learn.

4 Blick Studio 5H Pencils - Retail Value $6.00

Included in this month's box was a set of 4 pencils. These Blick Studio pencils are nice in design and quality. The hardness is just right for sketching, and the lead sharpens to be very small, which is great for adding detail. You really can't have enough pencils, and these are great for sketching - thankful they sent four, for long term use!

Pencil Bag - Retail Value $1.00

Containing our pencils and goodies was this cute mesh-like pencil bag. The striped design and bright colors brought a smile to our faces when opening, and the zipper worked exactly as we wanted it to. Large enough to store all of this month's supplies (even the oil pastels), this was a great way to keep all of our items together and tote them around.

2 Pencil Sharpeners and Erasers - Retail Value $1.00

Because the Blick Studio pencils don't have erasers, we were gifted two eraser toppers and pencil sharpeners. Nothing out of the ordinary, these items functioned properly and were a nice inclusion to add to our pencil bag for on-the-go sketching.

Two 5" x 7" Canvas Panels - Retail Value $1.00

As a budding artist, Charlie goes through an enormous amount of paper, but felt extra special to receive these canvas panels as they seem more professional. 5" x 7" in size, these cardboard-like rectangles can hold a variety of mediums, and take art to the next level.

Mr. Gumpy's Outing by Uri Shulevitz - Retail Value $8.99

One of the last "physical" supplies we received was this children's book. Though I've read hundreds of children's books in my day, this title was new to me, and an instant classic! "Mr. Gumpy's Outing" has won multiple awards for its illustrations and story, and is a great book for a beginning reader to read out loud. With beautiful illustrations, and an easy-to-read story line, this book was a magnificent addition to this month's art box, as it debuted a variety of styles and techniques we learned about in the Artist Guide. On top of that, that very guide also included reading questions to pair with the book. Just think about all of the state standards we are hitting with this box!!!

Paper Supplies

Also included in this month's kit were two color study sheets, four blank pieces of paper, and two large sheets of brown paper to keep surfaces clean.

Lesson #1

For our very first lesson, we created "Concentric Circles" mimicking Wassily Kandinsky's 1913 masterpiece. After a brief art history lesson, we reflected on the original painting with prompts from the Art Guide, and did our own reiteration based off of our feelings. Charlie loved using the oil pastels and while we discussed the object of this lesson, he veered off path a tiny bit and didn't just stick to circles. Did I correct him? No, because this piece was extremely emotional for him, and he really honed in on that part. It was amazing to me the feelings he shared through this work, and I plan on bringing a similar variation of this activity to some of my school kiddos to see if I can help them identify feelings through this as well. Whoa!!

Lesson #2

Lesson number two taught us about different techniques and pastel styles. Using the mixed media paper, we folded the piece into four, and learned about blending, marking, edges, and color. Charlie loved every one of these techniques, and would go back and add, creating fun little scenes. I was intrigued with how intentional he was with each picture, and how much time he took. It was also fun to complete these lessons with him. Like I mentioned above, we received the kit that contains enough supplies for up to two kids - Charlie asked if I would do it with him, instead of his brother, and it turned out to be a great bonding experience!

Lesson #3

Lesson three is where we were able to break out the graphite pencils. Charlie was a little bummed to set the oil pastels aside, but was excited to learn about graphite techniques. Using the pencils, he learned how to shade and create forms. With this activity, we learned about gradient, value, and shapes. While not as bright and cheery as the pastels, this was just as informative as the other lessons and Charlie enjoyed it.

Lesson #4

The last lesson was basically a summary of the other three lessons on the 5" x 7" canvas. This lesson utilized all of the included supplies and suggested expressing an emotion through abstract art. For my art, I was trying to express happiness with the bright yellow, but I felt it came out a little more rigid and angry looking to me...hmmmm! Charlie designed a neat little picture with pencil, but found the oil pastels too large to capture the detail, and I kind of love how it turned out! From the heart, he really took to this lesson, and opened up in a way I wasn't expecting.

Reading Time

My "baby" is 9 years old, and while he is a total wild child, still loves to cuddle up and read with me. While he blasted through the words of this book, he appreciated the artistry and enjoyed going through the reading questions from the Artist Guide. With the funny story and the cool illustrations, we even had to read it before bed to share with his brother and dad! Overall, we found this to tie the variety of lessons together, and add to our love of learning!

Here you can see all of this month's lessons complete, with plenty of pastel and lead left for countless other activities! Fun!

Was This Box Worth It?

The Cost: $36.95 + Shipping

As this was my first time reviewing Outside Creation Box I wasn't sure what to expect, but did have high hopes and I have to say, I was not let down. Education is extremely important to me, and not only did this box teach us about art, but it also about history, emotions, literacy, and language arts, all while being fun. A little on the spendy side, I feel this subscription is worth it for the amount of knowledge you get out of it. The physical items are valued at about $30.00, but the Artist Guide is definitely key to making this box work. My son was extremely engaged throughout these lessons, and we really bonded through this experience, all without any prep on my part. Overall, I am really impressed and can't wait to see what we discover next month!

More You Should Know

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Possibly. Each month the boxes ship out on or around the 7th. If they still have boxes in stock, you will receive that box.

What do you think about Outside Creation Box?