Recently we were lucky enough to be sent a couple of KiwiCo crates to test out, so Emma got to work with her 4 year old and the Koala crate.
Here's what they thought!
Emma & Reid with the Koala Crate
I was super impressed with the look of the crate itself and the reptile themed activities inside. I worried that, like other subscriptions, the crafts might be too difficult for my son to complete on his own, but actually, our Koala box was perfectly pitched for my 4 year old son.
First of all, we read through the little booklet inside together. There was some info about reptiles, a short cartoon and instructions for each of the crafty activities. This booklet was super child friendly in more ways than one: the pages are thick which suited his little hands, the pictures are fun and colourful and my son often asks to read the little cartoon inside, even though the activities are over and done with. Something that I was VERY impressed with though was that my son, who cannot read, was able to follow the instructions for the activities independently!
The three activities inside were simple, tactile, brightly coloured and functional, and my little boy absolutely loved making them. His favourite was by far the turtle box because he could keep his cars in it! The snake was difficult for him to stuff but he enjoyed decorating it. And the chameleon opened up great conversations about their amazing colour changing skin.
From a teachers' point of view, I was very pleased with the level of learning that went on throughout the whole activity. Even weeks later, my son still asks about reptiles and is now really confident identifying reptiles by their characteristics. Something that I am not sure he would be able to articulate without the booklet in particular.
From a parent's perspective, I loved having something fun and engaging to do with my son while his little sister napped. One on one time with him comes few and far between and this activity box really allowed us to connect with each other.
If I were to look for any improvement in the crate, it would be the packaging. Although the external box is card, many of the internal packets were plastic, and as a family we really try to avoid unnecessary packaging where possible, particularly plastic. Saying that though, there wasn't much of it and it could mostly be recycled.
Thank you KiwiCo, we LOVED your Koala Crate!
If you're looking to order a KiwiCo crate, use our exclusive link for a 50% discount!