T is for Tot Subscription Review: “Coral Reef”

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. The box is stuffed with colorful possibilities on the month's theme, and on top is a trifold information card with descriptions and ideas for play.

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.

Make a Coral Reef

In every T is for Tot box we've received so far there has been a jar of homemade playdough, and it's the softest, loveliest sensory experience each month. This month we were sent one typical large jar, and two smaller jars. The idea is to spread the sand-colored one on a tray, and use the five included extruders to create a coral reef. They also sent a dotted seashell figurine with no specifics on how to use it—the open-ended nature of this box is what I love most about it.

Perhaps due to the softness of the homemade playdough, my three-year-old had no problem loading the extruders up and pushing the dough through. Click over to see her coral reef! We added the seashell figurine in as a finishing touch.

Wooden Coral Reef Book

Another recurring theme in T is for Tot boxes is a booklet of laminated pages and a white board marker. Both my kids get so much use out of them! This one has wooden covers and easy-to-flip pages. The first few pages give instructions for some of the activities, but most are activities like letter and number tracing, counting, and more.

The activities were very approachable for my almost-six-year-old; it was my three-year-old's first exposure to letter and number tracing. I was very impressed with her first stab at numbers, seen above.

Coral Reef Memory Game

Next up is this canvas pouch filled with wooden coins. The coins are printed with sea creatures that can be setup as a memory game, where players find matches. But I also see some great potential to use them for counting, pretending to run a shop, and more.

Again my older daughter was familiar with memory games, but my younger daughter hadn't played them yet. This first go-round asked patience of us—but therein lies an example of why this box is such a good fit for our family. Practicing patience as a younger child learns to play a game you already know is a lesson that doesn't have a monetary value.

National Geographic Look & Learn Ocean Creatures Board Book — Retail Value $6.99

The board book of the month is this National Geographic ocean book just bursting with bright photographs. It gives fun facts about underwater animals and tests if you learned their names at the end.

Printmaking Activity

This activity was the most intriguing to my family, as we've been curious about printmaking but hadn't stocked up on the necessary tools yet. T is for Tot sent the roller, a paint tray, some foam pieces with a wooden stick for etching, and some blank postcard-sized pages. We were to create a design, coat it with paint using the roller, then press it onto the paper.

Because there were three pieces of foam and paper, and three of us, we each created our own design. My younger daughter got right to work, and asked for help with lining her paper up to her foam. My older daughter was anxious that she only had one shot at getting her design how she wanted. With my own print, I left my foam on my paper a little too long and they stuck together. Whoops! This activity provided us the roller and tray that we can reuse endlessly, and showed me how simple it will be to restock the other supplies.

Coral Reef Playdough Cutter + Homemade Playdough

Finally, T is for Tot box comes with a 3D-printed playdough cutter to go along with its homemade dough. In the photo above you can see the large sand-colored tub that I had already shown above.

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 printmaking, a board book to add to our home library, some playdough tools we can reuse, and a laminated book of activity pages for preschool learning. Most of the items in the box don't have retail values available since they are homemade or custom to the box (only the board book, which costs $7.99 bought new)—but I stand by my enthusiasm over the curation, quality, and care put into this themed box. The value is undeniably there.

Key Takeaways

It's so fun to see how my kids, who are at both ends of the age range this box is meant for, engage with this box. They use the materials and try the activities with different approaches, and learn from each other along the way. It's beautiful to witness, and I can't think of any other box that captures this organic, cooperative early learning in quite the same way.

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 Coral Reef kit as a gift or one-time purchase, it is currently available here in the T is for Tot shop for $48.

What did you think of this T is for Tot theme for 3-6 year olds? Click below to write a review!

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