T is for Tot Subscription Review: “5 Senses”

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 give that "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.

Welcome Note + Sticker

For the first time, we've received a small welcome card with a QR code you can scan to hear an introduction to the box. Alongside it is a sticker that can be worn as a badge after completing the kit.

The spoken note is less than one minute long, in a computer-generated female voice.

5 Senses Notepad + Smelly Marker

Each T is for Tot box we've enjoyed has had a written element—often a small clipboard with activity pages for learning through play. In past boxes, they've been laminated and come with a dry erase marker. This time around it's a booklet of paper activities with a smelly marker for completing them. The activities all touch on the five senses in multiple ways, with some activities that utilize the kit in front of you and others that offer an opportunity to step outside.

5 Senses Telephone Experiment

First up we were sent supplies to try the classic "telephone" made with cups (or cans as I remember it) and string.

My little astronaut duo started by coloring their cups using markers. With my help, they poked a hole in the bottom of their cups. I snipped off a long stretch of yarn and tied a knot at each end to help them push it through the hole in their cups. We tied the string to a paper clip inside the cup so that they could pull it taut and have a conversation from across the table. This experiment is timeless! We were provided with enough yarn that we could try longer and longer distances to see what happens.

5 Senses Mystery Bag

This mystery bag activity was really exciting. Inside the small canvas bag are seven objects, and inside the notepad are multiple activities for exploring them.

I started by sitting across the table from the kids with the objects hidden in my lap, and let them feel inside one at a time to guess what might be in there. We learned it was best to have my six-year-old feel inside the bag and illustrate her guess first, as my three-year-old couldn't help but pull the object out as soon as her hand touched it. For another activity in the notepad, I put all the small toys in the bag together and let the kids take turns pulling out one that matched certain categories, like "farm animal" or "letter or number." We loved this one!

5 Senses Smell Jars + Activity

We thought the mystery bag activity couldn't be topped, but the smelling jars were even more novel. The kit came with six jars of dried plants and foods, and gave the kids an opportunity to sort and score them.

This was a fantastic exercise for two kids, especially who span the intended age group for this box. My six-year-old continued in her role as the scribe, using two different colored markers (the one included and one of our own) to indicate whose answers were whose. My three-year-old was in charge of opening the jars, offering smells, and then placing them in their correct spots on the provided mat. It was delightful and I was able to be pretty hands-off. Some of the scents were faint—for example, dried orange peels aren't nearly as fragrant as fresh ones—which was only an issue for my older daughter who had a cold and couldn't smell as keenly. But she had reference for what all the options smelled like anyway, so was happy to provide her rating based on prior knowledge in those cases.

I See a Cat by Paul Meisel — Retail Value $4.99

This book is a great one for early readers. The text is simple and formulaic—simply, "I see a [animal]" from the perspective of a dog. It provided me the opportunity to talk about context clues to my kindergartner and she felt proud to hold a book in her hands that she was able to read on her own.

Activity Cards + Magnifying Glass

This activity is described as a memory matching game wherein you place all the cards face-down on the table and take turns flipping two at a time in hopes of finding a match. The magnifying glass is simply a fun addition to encourage detail observation on each of the pictures. But something must've gone awry with our pack of cards, because 10 cards had images on them, and 10 were blank.

I still placed them in front of my daughter and offered the magnifying glass to see how she might self-guide her way to engage with these cards. They were interesting to her only briefly. I do think we can find a way to build our own activity with what we have—my older daughter, for example, is a driven illustrator and would probably love the challenge of trying to recreate each image on the blank cards.

ABC Touch Playdough Cutter + Homemade Playdough

Finally, you can count on a jar of homemade playdough in every T is for Tot box, and I always talk about how much I love the texture of it—it's very soft. It usually comes with a 3D-printed tool, and this time it's a roller that's meant to imprint letters on a slab of dough. I believe they create words, but we have yet to explore it because...

...my kids were so intrigued by the tiniest peek of color they could see at the core of this jar. They got to digging and found there is pink dough tucked in, and using the coordinating sheet in the booklet, they guessed that it had a sweet strawberry scent. Such a fun surprise!

If you scroll to the third photo above, you can also see one more activity from the booklet that we did that day: a parent-provided taste testing experience. Using the prompts on the page, I provided snacks to fit seven categories like "sour," "crunchy," "soft," and more. The official work page to coordinate with snack time made it extra thrilling.

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: A typical T is for Tot box contains about 6 activities that you can easily grow into more, building a full morning or afternoon of play-based learning. This month's box went way beyond that 6 with all the many ideas printed in the booklet! Not only were there multiple iterations of exercises to go with each physical item, there are also pages for a couple of scavenger hunts and other types of games that encourage exploration of the senses around the house and outdoors. The paperback book provided this month costs $4.99, and stands as the only item with a trackable retail value. Nearly everything else in the box is proprietary or homemade, and it's for that reason that the value of this box is far beyond the numbers anyway. The care and curation of this box are evident, and this particular one was our favorite yet.

Key Takeaways

I have a three-year-old and a six-year-old, so my two kids are at both ends of the range that this box is meant for. It's amazing to see how they so naturally find their roles as they engage with these activities alongside each other. It's the epitome of team work, and I can see their confidence growing as they take on the job that is meant for them. This 5 Senses kit was SO MUCH FUN, and with so many more pages left in our activity booklet, the fun is only just beginning.

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 5 Senses 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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