T is for Tot Subscription Review: “Greenhouse”

T is for Tot is a monthly children's subscription box for ages 3-6. Each themed kit contains supplies and activities for play-based learning both project-based and open-ended. The box is curated by a mom and kindergarten teacher to prepare your little one for K with arts and crafts projects, simple STEM experiments, laminated learning materials, a quality children's book, and more.

The Cost: $38.95 per month + free US shipping with annual subscription; $42.95 per month + free US shipping monthly.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Opening The Box

T is for Tot arrives in a white box with a sticker indicating the month's theme on the flap. Open it up and you'll find a checklist of items/activities under the lid, and an enticing pile of possibilities within the box. Right on top is a trifold information card that holds all the instructions you need.

Here's What's In the Greenhouse Kit

Info Card

With each T is for Tot I've received, I've enjoyed that it's completely catered to being child-led. There's no specific order in which the projects must be explored. It gives great opportunity for the supervising adult to let the child unpack with box with autonomy, and get that awesome "yes" of choosing which activity to start with. I'm always looking for "yes" opportunities for my kids throughout our days! Within the pamphlet, there are instructions for how to engage with each activity should you want or need them.

Apron + Shovel + Ruler

Kids love dressing up, but even moreso, they love wearing the uniform that an adult might wear when they're engaging with the appropriate activity. A full apron for cooking, a lab coat for experimenting, and in this case, a waist-tied apron with pockets for keeping gardening tools close at hand. It came with a nice, sharp spade that's small enough for a child's hands to control, and a laminated paper ruler for measuring sprout growth.

Seed Balls Nature Hunt

When this little carton of seed balls arrived, the colors were all scrambled from transit. The first order of business is to color-match them. Then, after you and your child plant the seed balls, you can go on a nature walk to look for found items to go in each section.

My nearly-six-year-old color matched those seed balls so fast I couldn't get a photo of them prior to completion! My newly-three-year-old was happy to look on, then shake them up and have the next turn. We haven't planted our seed balls yet because we need to find a good spot for them in our garden, but the good thing about them is that as long as they stay dry they should keep until we're ready. We can't wait to see what grows, and my older daughter was excited to posit some theories based on the images on the carton's sticker.

Plant Packet + Plant Domes

This grouping of items provides us with all we need to start basil, radishes, and lettuce from seed. We were provided tiny compostable pots with vented domes, pressed soil discs, plant markers, and the seeds themselves. We worked together to get everything setup and planted.

Children love planting seeds, and it's a wonderful hobby for them, as it tends to work well with little instruction. Finding opportunities to let young children do a universally enjoyed task in a self-led way is always a win in my book. My daughters each got to setup and plant one veggie entirely on their own, and they negotiated who would do which task to setup the basil together. It was beautiful.

Plant Journal

To go along with the planting efforts, we were provided a plant journal that serves as a reminder and tracker to water and check on our plants. There's a square to color for each day that we water them. We planted them on a Wednesday. Then, there's an opportunity to notice the development of each plant by drawing how it looks at weeks 1, 3, and 6.

Perhaps you can tell which "watered" squares were colored by my older daughter, and which were done by my younger one. We were seeing sprouting prior to a full week of water and sun, so my older daughter went for it with the illustration. She realized she drew it in the wrong square, so she edited which week is which in our tracker. The tracker is a great, tangible way to participate in the care of our plants!

Growing Food Board Book by duopress labs (Author), Åsa Gilland (Illustrator) — Retail Value $8.99

We were sent this sweet board book that tells all about the different types of food you can grow, and where. It even gives instructions for growing basil in a cup of water. It's a different cadence from the typical "stories" we read in books, and my kids were very engaged. As for me, I'd like to live in the house from the illustrations, please! We took such delight in noticing the details of this book's quirky home.

Greenhouse Playdough Cutter + Homemade Playdough

Each T is for Tot box comes with a tub of homemade playdough, and a 3D-printed cutter. Nothing compares to the softness of homemade playdough! And now we're amassing a small collection of sweet cutters to remind us of all the boxes we've enjoyed together.

Value - Was This Box Worth It?

The Cost: $38.95 per month + free US shipping with annual subscription; $42.95 per month + free US shipping monthly.

Value Breakdown: This month's box contained 6+ activities, depending on how you break them up. It also included equipment for growing three edible plants from seed, a workbook for tracking progress, a board book to add to our home library, and some quality gardening tools that we'll use long-term. There aren't retail values attached to most of the items in the box (only the board book, which costs $8.99 bought new) since they are homemade or proprietary— but the curation, quality, and care put into this themed box make the value so very justified.

Key Takeaways

My kids are both in the age range this box is meant for, and it created a peaceful morning of exploring and creating together, plus ongoing activities with learning opportunities. We're so excited to watch as our plants grow, and we're excited to taste them in the coming weeks.

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? No*, your first kit will be the Human Body box (see review here) and will ship within 1-2 business days after ordering. Expect the following kits to ship by the 10th of each month.

*If you want to buy this Greenhouse kit as a gift or one-time purchase, it is currently available here in the T is for Tot shop for $48.

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