Kiwi Crate review

I heard of the monthly subscription box Kiwi Crate a year or two ago and have always been really interested in it. I have waited patiently for Owen to be old enough to really appreciate it and be able to do the crafts and I feel like he's finally ready! I ordered during a promotion where I was able to get $10 off my subscription. 

     Because I ordered late in the month, they had run out of the regular July 2014 box. They ended up sending me the July 2013 box, which I wasn't too disappointed about other than the fact that I had peeked at reviews online as to what the July box would include and I was seriously excited about making some hermit crabs... But I digress.

Kiwi Crate is a monthly subscription box that provides craft projects for kids ages 3-7. Subscriptions start at $16.95 a month and include two to three crafts per month. There is also the option for an additional cost, to add supplies to accommodate a sibling. The boxes include all supplies needed to complete the crafts. I love this idea so much. I typically don't have the time to conceive and purchase materials for art projects for Owen so I just don't do them. But he thrives so much on that one-on-one time with me and I just knew this would be a fun way for us to get some time together. 

The July 2013 box we received had the theme "Wonders of Water." It included two projects: "My Floating Sailboat" and "My Water Color Animals." Let's talk about presentation for a second. It's no secret to a lot of people that I have gotten a good many subscription boxes over the years. I just love getting fun surprises in the mail. I think that that Kiwi Crate has probably the best presentation of any box that I have ever received. Everything is packaged so nicely and they provide everything you could possibly need to do the crafts. 

Because it was our first box, they also included our very own pair of Kiwi Crate safety scissors. I love this! Owen didn't have any safety scissors before now so I'm happy to be able to add them to his art box. 

Each project comes with little pamphlets that include step-by-step instructions along with little extra facts about the topic. There was also a little science experiment and some ideas for additional art projects that you could do with the supplies in the box. On the website, there are even more art project ideas, experiments, educational videos, book recommendations and more that compliment the theme of the box. 

I love that Kiwi Crate provides all the materials needed for the crafts. They make everything so simple. And they are good quality art supplies too. Yes, that is an entire box of markers in there! 

The first project from this box was "My Watercolor Animals" and it included all the supplies needed to color and spray thin tissue paper sea creatures to create really colorful designs. This project wasn't too messy or difficult, which was nice. And I hardly had to do anything to assist Owen, which was really great. He's not usually one for coloring because he gets frustrated that he can't stay in the lines, but he really enjoyed coloring all over these animal cut-outs. I colored one fish, while he did the rest. And while I thought his technique of completely saturating the paper with marker was a little overkill, his turned out way better than mine! 

Owen colors with his tongue stuck out, a trait he inherited from me and my dad. It is essential for concentration. 

Here are our finished products. My pale pitiful spotted fish is in the back. Owen's sea turtle was my favorite. I also liked that Kiwi Crate included extra squares of this paper so that we could cut out extra shapes to color. Because we had so much fun doing this project, I cut out an octopus and another fish and we colored again another day. 

Owen's sea turtle is now displayed prominently on the fridge. Attaching the googly eyes was really fun for him too. 

The second project was "My Floating Sailboat," which included everything to make your own miniature sailboat that can actually float. The project was a little messy only because Owen wanted to make giant piles of puff paint on the sails, but otherwise it was another fairly easy project. The project only had one foam bottom to the boat, but it did have three different-colored sails so you could potentially mess up one and still have a couple others to use. 

Our sailboat has joined Owen in the tub every night this week. He is very proud of it. It's so very cute. 

     If you are interested in a subscription box for your child, I highly recommend Kiwi Crate. The convenience factor alone makes it suburb, but the projects and supplies were also fun and well-thought-out. If you want to give it a try, head to Kiwi Crate to receive $10 off your first box!